Hong Kong: 3 imported COVID-19 cases identified The Centre for Health Protection today said it is investigating three additional COVID-19 cases involving three women who arrived from Indonesia. As flight CX798 operated by Cathay Pacific from Jakarta yesterday had three passengers on board confirmed infected with COVID-19 by arrival tests, the Department of Health invoked the law to prohibit landing of the airline's passenger flights from Jakarta from today to June 25. A total of 38 cases were reported in Hong Kong in the past 14 days, including three local cases, of which one is from an unknown source. For information and health advice on COVID-19, visit the Governments dedicated webpage. This story has been published on: 2021-06-12. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Hong Kong: Legal officer changes based on merit Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng The Department of Justice (DoJ) is exploring a proposal to enable all legal officers serving in the Government (DoJ and some other Government departments) to be appointed as Senior Counsel. I wish to clarify all the unwarranted misunderstanding through the blog article today. Aligns with existing regime and merit-based selection principles In accordance with the existing arrangement, an eligible barrister may apply for appointment as Senior Counsel. The Chief Justice, may, after consultation with the Chairman of the Bar and the President of the Law Society, make the appointment. According to section 31(A) of the Legal Practitioners Ordinance, the eligibility requirements for the appointment include: (1) sufficient ability and standing, sufficient knowledge of law; (2) requisite experience; and (3) practising as an advocate. The proposal does not change the current regime and the criteria for appointment. I trust that the Chairman of the Bar and the President of the Law Society would duly consider the eligibility of each applicant before tendering their fair and honest advice to the Chief Justice for his consideration. Therefore, the proposal does not change the necessary ability and experience required by Senior Counsel and aligns with the merit-based selection principle. Legal officers perform both advocacy and non-advocacy duties The functions of legal officers and private legal practitioners are different. The proposal reflects the fact that there is no practical distinction between the duties of legal officers who are solicitors or barristers. Legal professionals in private practice are broadly categorised into two main streams: solicitors and barristers. However, legal officers in the Government, regardless of whether they are solicitors or barristers, have the rights of audience at all levels of courts. In fact, legal officers perform both solicitorial and advocacy duties. In other words, legal officers who are not admitted as a barrister in Hong Kong can also be assigned with advocacy duties. Legal officers who have satisfied the eligibility requirements under section 31(A) of the Legal Practitioners Ordinance deserve the same opportunity for consideration to be appointed Senior Counsel as recognition of their competence. The different role of solicitors and barristers in private practice would not be confused if one apprehends a good understanding of the work of legal officers. The proposal is in the public interest In addressing the Ceremony for the Admission of the New Senior Counsel, the Chief Justice expressed that [t]he power of appointment, like all public law powers, must be exercised for the furthering of the public interest. Indeed it is this public interest that underscores the unique status and responsibilities of the rank of Senior Counsel As a badge of responsibility, it denotes our communitys trust and expectation that an appointee will put his or her excellence and experience to good use by faithfully discharging the responsibilities placed on them, thereby serving the public interest. The proposal encourages legal officers who shoulder important public functions and enables them to be recognised by judicial and legal sectors for their excellence, which is in line with the public interest. Arrangement for outgoing legal officers The proposal suggests that legal officers, who are appointed as a Senior Counsel in the new regime and left the Government's service, shall no longer carry the title of Senior Counsel. Matters relating to private practice should be dealt with by the self-regulatory regime, which is duly respected, in accordance with the established procedures and rules of the legal professional bodies. All legal officers, regardless of whether they are solicitors or barristers, deserve fair treatment and rights. In recognition of their competence and achievements, legal officers should be equally eligible for appointment as Senior Counsel upon satisfying the requirements under section 31(A) of the Legal Practitioners Ordinance. Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng wrote this article and posted it on her blog on June 12. This story has been published on: 2021-06-12. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Assyrian Journalist Speaks on His Abduction By Kurdish Security in Northeastern Syria Assyrian journalist Husam Alkass with his son and wife. Derike, Syria (AINA) -- On Thursday, June 3rd, 2021, Husam Alkass, a journalist and member of the Assyrian Democratic Organization (ADO), was abducted by a group of masked men on the open street during the afternoon hours in the city of Derike (Al-Malikiye), northeastern Syria. According to a statement released by the ADO on June 3rd, he was beaten and pulled into a vehicle and brought to an unknown destination. The ADO condemned the abduction and demanded Alkass' immediate release. In a related statement, his family rejected any attempt to consider this abduction a mere security or criminal incident, and stated that they "have all the reasons to believe that this abduction is political, and it is related to Husam's views on promoting and defending human rights and freedom of expression in the region under Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and it's political wing the Syrian Democratic Council." The case quickly attracted attention in the region and in the Assyrian and Arabic-speaking media. The General Union of Kurdish Writers and Journalists issued a statement calling for the release of Alkass and the prosecution of those responsible for his abduction. The Syriac Union Party (SUP) in Syria, collaborating with the PYD and part of the so-called Self Administration, also demanded his release. The next day, on June 4, Husam Alkass was released. In a related statement ADO's Executive Board expressed gratitude to the Peace and Freedom Front and its head, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Jarba, and Sheikh Zaid Al-Jarba "for their efforts from the first moment of the kidnapping of Husam until the moment of his release and his return to his home and family." On this occasion ADO reiterated its rejection of all repressive practices that contradict the values of freedom and human rights while demanding that the de-facto authority, represented by the Autonomous Administration, releases all prisoners of conscience held and to stop arrests and kidnappings against for peaceful expression of opinion. Husam was apparently kidnapped because he wrote a comment on his Facebook page criticizing the forced conscription by the Autonomous Administration; he accused the administration of violating their freedom, this gave impetus to people who gathered and demonstrated against the administration in the city of Manbij's demanding to stop forced conscription. Mr. Karam Dawle, a member of ADO's Executive Committee, representing his organization in the Advisory Support Team in the Syrian constitution related Geneva talks, which consists of Assyrians, Kurds and Yazidis, said the following: "The Autonomous Administration should focus on the deteriorating economic and health issues of the population and work towards alleviating their suffering. It should conduct a meaningful and constructive review of its practices and performance, and initiate a concrete undertaking to open up to various political forces in the region to come together and support a dialogue towards improving the administration based on genuine partnership. The arrest of a member of the ADO, Husam Alkass, and the way it was violently carried out came in broad daylight in public view is a clear message of intimidation not only to Husam but to anyone who dares to criticize this authority. The incident also reveals the true nature of this authoritarian Administration, which sanctions and facilitates the use of violence to silence opposing political views. Despite numerous slogans related to human rights and freedom that PYD-led Administration puts out, day and night, it is still far from the real modern civil administration that respects the rule of law and human rights. The case of Husam is not an isolated case, there are many instances where security forces resorted to excessive violence against media and human rights activists and political opponents. It has reached unprecedented levels, including the assassination of Deacon David Jendo (AINA 2015-05-27) and the assassination attempt on his colleague Elias Nasir, who narrowly escaped death in 2015, and many similar cases involving Kurdish and Arab activists." Back home united with his family and friends, Husam Alkass was interviewed by Ninos Shabo on the ADO Web-channel on June 9, speaking about the ordeal of the incident from the time of his arrest until the time he was released and his view with respect to the solidarity campaign and the support he received from activists, organizations, and parties securing his freedom. Here is an abbreviated transcription and translation of that interview. Ninos Shabo: Husam, welcome to the program. Husam Alkass: Thank you and my thanks to the followers of ADO News. NS: During your detention, the campaign to free you labeled you as a social media activist and a member of the ADO. How would you describe yourself? HA: I am Hussam Al Kass, a member of ADO, active in social media, human rights, peace movements, and law. NS: Can you tell us about your arrest? According to the ADO bulletin, you were arrested around 4:00 PM by several unidentified masked men; can you elaborate more on the incident? HA: Yes; I was going home after I finished shopping, around 4:30 PM a car full of masked armed men stopped me on the main street close to the Syriac Church; they abducted me and forced me into a car, and took me to undisclosed security location of the Self-Administration Authority. I was subjected to intense interrogation and abuse. They wanted to know about my political views, my relationship with human rights organizations, and other topics in general. NS: How do you see your detention? As you mentioned you stated it is an abduction? Is it lawful or legal? HA: My arrest, in my opinion, and from the legal point of view, is not legal nor lawful and can't be sanctioned by any law. I was questioned because of my views and human rights activities as well as helping and protecting people in different fields, all these activities are part of free speech and free expression. They interpreted my activities as enticing division and damaging to the public, which is completely contrary to what I do. I can't see how this could be considered legal. Any way you look at it, it doesn't constitute an argument or reason to detain me. NS: During your detention there were wide spread demands for your release. On social media there were calls from people of all walks of life, political parties, local and international organizations. What did you think about that after you were freed? HA: I was surprised by the tremendous support I received during my ordeal. I value the support and love of those people who stood with me, and I appreciate their concern. That said, people, organizations, and political parties were able to pressure the authorities for my early release. I thank all of them. As you know, I was disoriented at the time of my release and I could have missed acknowledging some of them. I take this opportunity to thank all the organizations and parties, governments, all people, Kurds, Arabs, Armenians, and Assyrians for their support. I also wish that the unprecedented campaign I received should be equally given to all prisoners of conscience, free-minded Syrians and those who are imprisoned without trials, in prisons of the Syrian regime and the Self-Administration Authority (SAA). Any person who is detained for expressing his opinion freely deserves to get the same support I received. NS: We wish that all prisoners of consciousness shall be set free. I remember one post on social media saying that you deserve to be detained because you have been promoting hatred, divisions, and prejudice but differed on the way you were detained. What is your answer to such an accusations? HA: Sorry Ninos. I have seen some comments of that sort, they are influenced by the status-quo prevalent in the SAA, at the same time, indirectly, they are against these detention practices. In democratic and free societies free speech and free will are protected and you can't imprison those who don't agree with you. I was surprised by that accusation; and I say to all of them "I have my post on Facebook and its available to everyone, show me where I had such statements published against certain people, religious or entity." Criticism in democratic and free societies is constitutionally protected and those who practice this right are immune from persecution. All along, my criticism has been against the de facto situation under SAA and the deterioration of living, economic and political conditions, and the lack of equal representation of the people, Arab, Assyrian, and Kurds in the administration. NS: In addition to the accusation, some are stating that you were detained for being an Assyrian and socially and politically active. The Self-Administration Authority wanted to silence you because you are an Assyrian. In this regard how true is this accusation against SAA? Or do you see it as an attempt to drive an wedge between different entities and people under SAA? HA: First, I would like to thank all the Assyrian people, organizations, and political parties in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey, as well as, in the West for their support. I would like to add that there was a minority of ill-feeling by those who you cited; there is a misunderstanding of the situation. As the real issue lies in the perception of SAA that an active person is criticizing the administration on social media, and on the law and human rights forums for being incompetent, it is fair to say the reason [for detention] was purely political and has to do with right and aspiration of the people under the rule of SAA - and I would like to emphasize this point. The Self- Administration Authority has in the past detained activists whether they were Kurds, Assyrians, or Arabs, in fact more Kurds than others. They resort to this practice when they need to. NS: As a member of the ADO Media Committee how would you describe this SAA action? HA: As far as I am concerned it was a painful experience. I hope that no activist would be subjected to this humiliation in all East Euphrates and Jazira. Detaining someone because of his opinion is very hard and leaves negative feelings in one's mind. This incident has tainted SAA's reputation as a champion of freedom and peaceful coexistence among the people in the region. The SAA violated its by-laws and slogans and that is a huge setback. NS: I would like to give you the opportunity to close with a comment on any related topic that we didn't cover. HA: It is necessary that people's integrity is protected and all violations against individuals based on their beliefs are stopped. In many areas in Syria there are local administrations, morally they should project a view of tolerance different than the Regime and build on it, and improve it. I hope we shall be able to reach a higher standard in protecting individual freedom, free press, peaceful coexistence, and real partnership. It is imperative, the current local governments ought to have better records and standards than the dictatorial regime in Damascus. Translation of the Arabic language interview by Karam Dawle and his team. Edited by AINA. Honda, Nissan, Mazda China sales down in May, only Toyota edges up Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Among four major Japanese automakers, only Toyota sustained a year-on-year growth in its China sales for the month of May. Honda, Nissan, and Mazda's China businesses all posted downturn movement in their May sales. Of them, Mazda faced the biggest drop. Toyota still topped the other three companies with its China sales amounting to 168,900 units last month. Although the company saw the growth in monthly China sales shrink to 1.5% in May from 12.2% in April, it was the only one among the four Japanese automakers to maintain increase so far this year. Wildlander; photo credit: GAC Toyota For the first five months of the year, Toyota recorded a sales volume topping 80,000 units for its China market. Toyota is going to roll out a number of new models to the world's largest auto market this year, including the mid-cycle refreshed version of the IZOA, the Crown Kluger, the Lingshang, and the all-new Highlander. As for NEV offensive, the automaker is trying to speed up its paces. At the Auto Shanghai 2021, Toyota revealed that it planned to introduce to China over 30 electrified models under both Toyota and Lexus brands by 2025, including BEVs, PHEVs, HEVs, and FCVs, encouraged by China's goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2060. Honda delivered 128,713 new vehicles in China last month, posting a year-on-year drop of 4.1%, the first-time decrease after 10 consecutive months of increase. Civic; photo credit: Dongfeng Honda The decrease was attributed to the decline in GAC Honda's deliveries. Retailing 62,373 vehicles, the joint venture with GAC Group saw its monthly deliveries drop 9.2% compared to year-ago period. However, Dongfeng Honda still scored a year-on-year growth of 1.2% by handing over 66,340 vehicles to consumers. In May, a total of 20,087 consumers in China took delivery of Honda's vehicles armed with the hybrid powertrain system Sport Hybrid, representing a growth of 21.7% from a year earlier. As of May 31, 2021, Honda witnessed its year-to-date China deliveries leap 42.3% year over year to 668,367 units, 96,877 units of which were powered by Sport Hybrid system. Nissan's China retail sales were down 14.6% year over year to 111,096 units in May, marking an end to an eight-straight-month growth. The PV business unit of Dongfeng Motor Company Limited (DFL) sold 88,441 new vehicles last month, posting a 16.1% year-on-year decline. To be specific, the retail sales of Nissan-branded models reached 82,086 units, while 6,355 consumers took delivery of Venucia-branded cars. X-TRAIL; photo credit: Dongfeng Nissan Year-to-date retail sales for Nissan's China business still jumped 28.8% to 591,745 units, 479,357 units of which were contributed by DFL's PV business unit. As for key models, the Jan.-May deliveries of the seventh-generation ALTIMA and the Sylphy series amounted to 57,658 units and 208,659 units, up 69.9% and 40% year over year respectively. The Jan.-May deliveries of Nissan-branded SUVs reached 156,713 units (+28.8% YoY), including 70,305 X-TRAILs (+32.8% YoY) and 66,029 Qashqais (+38.4% YoY). Mazda's China retail sales stood at 14,745 units in May, plunging 35.6% year on year, while also sliding 3.19% month on month. Due to the sharp decline in May sales, the growth in the year-to-date sales shrank to 4.7%. Mazda3 Axela; photo credit: Changan Mazda Both FAW Mazda and Changan Mazda met decrease last month. Retailing 10,360 vehicles, Changan Mazda posted a 17.8% decline, while FAW Mazda's deliveries plummeted 57.3% to 4,385 units. With 6,800 vehicles delivered, the Mazda3 Axela was still the best-selling model in May. In the meantime, the deliveries of the Mazda6 Atenza and the Mazda CX-4 reached 2,490 units and 2,240 units respectively. Updated: June 8, 2021 This week, the Delaware County COVID-19 Task Force is offering free COVID-19 vaccines at fourteen sites, including three large-scale Delaware County Government clinics at the Delaware County Wellness Center in Yeadon, the Keystone First Wellness Center in Chester, and Springfield Hospital. All vaccinations are free, and do not require identification or health insurance. The Moderna vaccine will be offered to individuals 18 years of age and older at the Keystone First Wellness Centerlocated at 1929 W. 9th Street in Chesteron Thursday, June 10, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., Friday, June 11 and Saturday, June 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Moderna will also be available at the Delaware County Wellness Center located at 125 Chester Avenue in Yeadonon Tuesday, June 8, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday, June 12, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Wellness Center will not be open on Sunday as originally scheduled. The Pfizer vaccine will be offered on Thursday, June 10, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Delaware County Wellness Center, and is also being offered at Springfield Hospitallocated at 190 W. Sproul Road in Springfieldon Monday, June 7 through Friday, June 11, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pfizer is available to individuals 12 years of age and older. Parents or guardians must provide consent for 12 to 15-year-olds who are receiving the Pfizer vaccine from Delaware County Government and must plan to be present during the vaccination. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be offered at 69th Street Terminal on Thursday, June 10, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Great Hall. Walk-ins are encouraged. Please note that the Delaware County Community College, which has provided Johnson & Johnson vaccinations for the past two months, has permanently closed as of June 5. In addition to these large-scale vaccination siteseach capable of vaccinating hundreds of individuals each daythe Delaware County COVID-19 Task Force is hosting a variety of smaller municipality-partnered vaccination clinics as part of the ongoing Pop-Up COVID-19 Vaccination Program. Clinics will be held at small pedestrian- and parking-friendly sites in Bethel, Concord, Chadds Ford, Chester Heights, Edgmont, Media, Middletown Township, Newtown Township, and Thornbury. Single-dose Johnson & Johnson and two-dose Moderna will be offered. Delaware County residents who are homebound or unable to safely leave their residence also have the option to receive the vaccine in their safety of their own home through the Countys Homebound COVID-19 Vaccination Program. To schedule a homebound vaccination for themselves or a loved one, residents should call the COVID-19 Call Center at (484) 276-2100. Vietnamese, Russian defence ministers hold phone talks Minister of Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Phan Van Giang held a phone discussion on June 11 with Russian Minister of Defence Gen. Sergey Kuzhugetovich Shoygu. Minister of Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Phan Van Giang at the talks (Photo: VNA) The two ministers affirmed their appreciation of the two countries history of relationship, including defence ties. They highlighted their readiness to foster such relations together in contributing to the two countries' traditional friendship as well as the Vietnam - Russia comprehensive strategic partnership. Over the past, the two defence ministries have effectively implemented high-level agreements and cooperation contents through making efforts in building related specific plans and programmes as well as optimising their existing cooperation mechanisms and frameworks. The ministers agreed to carry out a series of prioritised joint work, including training; multilateral activities hosted by the Russian side; COVID-19 prevention and control; research within the Vietnam-Russia Tropical Centre; and engagements between the General Political Department of the Vietnam Peoples Army and the Directorate for Political-Military Affairs of the Russian Armed Forces. Giang took the occasion to invite the Russian minister to visit Vietnam at an appropriate time this year. Shoygu congratulated Giang on his appointment as defence minister, and expressed his belief that in his current post, Giang will continue making significant contributions to developing the relationship between the two nations and armies./. Vietnam attends 109th session of International Labour Conference A Vietnamese delegation, led by Minister of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) Dao Ngoc Dung, attended the 109th session of the International Labour Conference, held virtually in the Swiss capital Geneva on June 11. Vietnamese delegation attending the session. (Photo: MoLISA) The event featured the participation of over 4,000 delegates from Governments agencies, employers and employees from the 187 member countries and territories of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). The Vietnamese delegation also saw the presence of representatives from Vietnam's permanent delegation in Geneva, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance. Speaking at the general session, Minister Dao Ngoc Dung expressed his high appreciation and agreement with the conferences theme and support the ILOs initiative on a global responseconstructing a human-centred recovery from the COVID-19 crisis and the use of the ILO Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work as a roadmap for implementation. He said that this initiative would significantly contribute to the world's continued progress towards the goals of the 2030 United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development as well as the pursuit of the ILO's mission on promoting social justice and decent and sustainable jobs for everyone. Minister Dung also noted that these are priorities the Vietnamese Government has promoted. Since the first outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam has conducted drastic measures to prevent and control it thanks to the consensus and support of labourers, enterprises and the whole society. The Government set out many policies and aid packages to help people, especially disadvantaged ones, as well as businesses, overcome their collective difficulties. The Vietnamese Minister added that the Vietnamese National Assembly has passed the Labour Code (amended) supplementing and completing the legal framework on employment relations, labour conditions, and social welfare in line with the reality and development of Vietnam. Subsequently, two more fundamental ILO conventions, No.98 on the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining and No.105 on Abolition of Forced Labour, were ratified, The Vietnamese Government has issued a new plan on building and promoting harmonious, stable and progressive labour relations in enterprises and the Prime Minister also issued a programme to prevent and reduce child labour for the 2021-2025 period, with a vision to 2030 on May 27. Vietnams tripartite partners, along with the ILO, are developing a cooperation programme on decent work for the fourth cycle (2022-2026), ensuring that decent labour goals are always integrated into Vietnam's socio-economic development strategies and plans. Senior Chinese diplomat holds phone conversation with U.S. secretary of state Xinhua) 09:10, June 12, 2021 BEIJING, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, on Friday held a phone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the latter's request. Noting that dialogue and cooperation should be the mainstay of China-U.S. relations, Yang said cooperation must be mutually beneficial and address each other's concerns in a balanced manner. The Chinese side is committed to working with the United States to achieve a relationship of non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, and will staunchly safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests at the same time, Yang said. China urges the U.S. side to follow the spirit of the telephone conversation between the two heads of state on Feb. 11, and to jointly bring bilateral relations back to the right track of development, Yang added. The Taiwan question concerns China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and involves China's core interests, said Yang, adding that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inseparable part of China. Yang said that the Chinese side firmly defends its national sovereignty and territorial integrity. China urges the United States to adhere to the one-China principle, honor its promise and cherish its credibility, handle issues related to Taiwan in a prudent and proper manner, and take concrete actions to maintain the overall situation of China-U.S. ties as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, Yang said. Yang pointed out that recent signs indicate that some anti-China forces are trying to stir up one after another sinister waves to smear China under the excuse of the so-called Xinjiang and Hong Kong-related issues, and they are doomed to failure. Noting that the issues related to Xinjiang and Hong Kong concern China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and involve China's core interests, Yang urged the U.S. side to respect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, not to interfere in China's internal affairs under any pretext, and not to damage China's core interests in any way. The issues related to Xinjiang are not so-called human rights or religion issues, Yang stressed. Seeing violent and terrorist incidents on the rise in Xinjiang, the Chinese government took resolute actions to safeguard public safety, Yang said, adding that the Chinese moves are totally justified. The U.S. side has fabricated various lies about Xinjiang in an attempt to sabotage the stability and unity in Xinjiang, which confuse right and wrong and are extremely absurd. China is firmly opposed to such actions, Yang said. Yang said Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China, and Hong Kong affairs are purely China's internal affairs. The aim of improving the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) is to safeguard the constitutional order of the HKSAR as defined in the Constitution of the People's Republic of China and the Basic Law of the HKSAR, and ensure that "Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong" with patriots as the mainstay, he said. It is a common practice in the world to make strict requirements on the patriotic stance and political qualifications of those who govern, Yang said, adding that those clamoring for "Hong Kong independence" are not eligible to participate in the administration of Hong Kong and must be punished by the national security law in Hong Kong. Yang stressed that there is only one system and one order in the world: the international system with the United Nations (UN) at the core and the international order based on international law, not the so-called system and order advocated by a handful of countries. He said that there is only one set of rules: the basic norms of international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, not the so-called rules formulated by a small number of countries. Yang also said that there is only one kind of multilateralism, which is genuine multilateralism based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law, and featuring equal treatment, cooperation and mutual benefits, not pseudo-multilateralism based on interests of small cliques and group politics, letting alone practicing unilateralism in the name of multilateralism. Peace and development, fairness and justice, democracy and freedom are the common values of all humankind, said Yang. Respect for sovereignty is a prerequisite for the realization of human rights, which is a principle affirmed by the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Yang said. The U.S. side should fix the serious human rights violations on its own territory, instead of wilfully interfering in the internal affairs of other countries under the pretext of so-called human rights, said Yang. Yang pointed out that China has actively participated in and supported international anti-epidemic cooperation, and firmly opposes any despicable acts that use the epidemic as an excuse to slander China and to shift blames. Some people in the United States have fabricated and peddled absurd stories claiming Wuhan lab leak, which China is gravely concerned about, he said. China urges the United States to respect facts and science, refrain from politicizing COVID-19 origin tracing and concentrate on international anti-pandemic cooperation, Yang said. He noted that China is about to celebrate the centenary of the CPC, saying that the Chinese people have made great achievements under the strong leadership of the CPC, and will be more closely united and work harder, unswervingly follow the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, build a more prosperous country and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. For his part, Blinken said the recent series of contacts between the United States and China is beneficial to bilateral relations, and the U.S. side looks forward to increasing contacts and exchanges with China at all levels. The United States adheres to the one-China policy and abides by the three Sino-U.S. joint communiques, Blinken said, adding that the United States hopes to maintain communication and coordination with China on important international and regional issues. The two sides also exchanged views on other issues of common concern. (Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Bianji) China's Xinjiang helps keep BRI trade afloat despite COVID-19 Xinhua) 10:05, June 12, 2021 A staff member of the cross-border e-commerce company Sunny Express loads packages in Horgos, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, June 3, 2021. (Xinhua/Gu Yu) URUMQI, June 11 (Xinhua) -- At a naan-making industrial park in Horgos in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, workers are busy making a popular staple food. Unlike most of the naan made elsewhere in Xinjiang, most of the round pancake-shaped bread is made for consumers in Central Asian countries. Horgos, which borders Kazakhstan, is China's closest port to Central Asia and Europe by land transport. It has managed to supply steady exports of naan bread, among others, to Central Asian countries and beyond belonging to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Newly-made naan bread are pictured at a naan-making industrial park in Horgos, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, June 4, 2021. (Xinhua/Gu Yu) UNSEVERED BOND The naan bread crosses the border by expressway via a green channel developed to ensure efficient transport of farm and sideline products. The road remains open with strict anti-COVID-19 measures in place. About 2.6 million pieces of naan bread have been exported via the port to Uzbekistan since June 2020. "It's a tough period for everyone, but our connection hasn't been severed by the pandemic," said Yu Chengzhong, chairman of Horgos Jinyi International Trade Corp., the largest naan and agricultural produce exporter in Horgos. Years of trade exchanges have built a reliable bond between Yu and his overseas business partners. "We trust in each other," Yu said. "Although we can't meet in person now, we can use WeChat to do business talks." "Our local consumers enjoy Xinjiang-made naan very much. They offer a variety of tastes at reasonable prices," said Ismatullaev Bekzod, an importer in Uzbekistan. Aerial photo taken on June 3, 2021 shows cross-border e-commerce packages being transported to Kazakhstan from Horgos, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Gu Yu) DRIVER RELAY In addition to agriculture produce and naan bread, made-in-China commercial vehicles such as excavators and cotton pickers are also popular exports in Central Asian countries. However, the COVID-19 outbreak put a halt on commercial vehicle export. The international road management bureau in Horgos has found a solution: handing over the driver's seat. With necessary anti-epidemic measures, a Chinese driver would stop the vehicle at the border area, and a Kazakh driver will take over the vehicle and drive it into their country. People-to-people contagion risks are minimized by such a driver relay. Since its trial in May last year, over 15,000 vehicles had been exported in this way by the end of May 2021. "The approach reduces the pandemic's impact on our business, enabling delivery of vehicles to our overseas clients as soon as possible," said Ji Hu, head of the local commercial vehicle association. Customs officers check cross-border e-commerce packages in Horgos, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, June 3, 2021. (Xinhua/Gu Yu) SHORTCUT IN THE AIR Wang Weihua, a Beijing-based businessman, has been a frequent visitor since May to the border cooperation center in Horgos although the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the once robust inflow of visitors seen before 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has complicated cross-border trade due to looming contagion risks, but not for Wang's cross-border e-commerce company Sunny Express, which is enjoying a business boom thanks to a joint connectivity innovation: a 56-meter-long gantry crane. Standing at the border area in the cooperation center, the gantry crane hoists and conveys a tailor-made container over the border wire netting, where trucks from Kazakhstan will pick up the container and take it to specific warehouses for further delivery. It only takes about 13 days for the products to be delivered from south China's Shenzhen to Belgium's Liege. "The gantry crane looks like nothing special, but it plays a unique role here," said Wang, adding that many cross-border e-commerce platforms have fallen for this new channel. The total cross-border e-commerce orders are expected to top 70 million by the end of this year, according to Wang. "In difficult times like the pandemic, small innovations matter beyond the border," said Wang. (Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Bianji) Chinese bank ICBC launches operations in Panama Xinhua) 10:14, June 12, 2021 PANAMA CITY, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), one of the largest commercial banks in the world, expanded its presence in Latin America by launching operations in Panama on Friday. The new branch of the Chinese bank is the first of its kind in Panama, a country that established diplomatic relations with China in 2017, with a general license granted by the Superintendency of Banks of Panama, the ICBC said in a statement. In the region, the ICBC also has branches in Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and Peru. The expansion is "the result of fruitful cooperation between both countries in the financial sector," within the framework of diplomatic relations, "with economic and trade ties in constant development," the bank added. Expanding the bank's network in the region will increase its capacity to provide financial services in this part of the world, and support economic cooperation and bilateral trade exchanges, the ICBC said. The ICBC has 426 branches in 49 foreign countries and regions, offering global financial services in leading international financial centers and countries with which China has trade ties, the statement added. (Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Bianji) China's migrating elephant herd heads further southwest Xinhua) 10:31, June 12, 2021 Aerial photo taken on June 11, 2021 shows a herd of wild Asian elephants in Yimen County of Yuxi City, southwest China's Yunnan Province. The wandering wild Asian elephant herd has headed 8.12 km further southwest as of 5 p.m. Friday. They were seen lingering by Shijie Township in Yimen County. (Xinhua) KUNMING, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The wandering wild Asian elephant herd that has caught global attention has headed 8.12 km further southwest in Shijie Township in the city of Yuxi, southwest China's Yunnan Province. A male elephant, which broke free from the herd six days ago, is now about 16 km away in a forest in Anning, a county-level city in the provincial capital of Kunming. All the elephants are safe and sound. Continuous rainfall and bigger crowds during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday are complicating efforts to monitor the elephants and take safety precautions. Authorities have dispatched emergency staff, vehicles and drones to help evacuate and protect local residents, while ensuring the safety of the elephants. They fed 2.5 tonnes of food to the animals on Friday. The herd traveled approximately 500 km from their forest home in the Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture before reaching Kunming late last Wednesday. For over a month, authorities have sent police to escort the herd, evacuated roads to facilitate their passage and used food to distract them from entering densely populated areas. Asian elephants are under A-level state protection in China, where they are mostly found in Yunnan. Thanks to enhanced protection efforts, the wild elephant population in the province has grown to about 300, up from 193 in the 1980s. (Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Bianji) U.S. seen as major threat in world: media Xinhua) 10:38, June 12, 2021 MOSCOW, June 11 (Xinhua) -- While the United States is putting all its efforts into waging an aggressive disinformation campaign against China and Russia, it is the United States itself that is largely perceived as a threat by many countries, said a recent article in the Internet journal New Eastern Outlook. In the article published Monday, Vladimir Platov studied global public opinion polls, which pointed to growing anti-U.S. sentiments. According to a recent poll commissioned by the Alliance of Democracies Foundation and conducted among 50,000 people in 53 countries, a majority of respondents consider the United States, rather than Russia or China, as a threat to democracy and peace. "This negative perception of the United States in the world has a number of explanations, one of which is Washington's recent emphasis on armament and the use of military force," wrote Platov. This shift towards military power occurs because the United States can no longer dominate the international arena through political, economic, or diplomatic means, he said. Such opinions, however, were also evident back in 2019, Platov added. According to a poll conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2019, the United States was much more feared among its allies. For example, 46 percent of Canadians believed that the United States was a threat to their country. "This indicates that Western efforts aimed at completely demonizing Russia have been, if not in vain, at least not as effective as they seemed," Platov said. (Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Bianji) Political advisors discuss ways to boost multimodal transport Xinhua) 10:38, June 12, 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 (CPPCC) National Committee, presides over a consultation session on measures to develop multimodal transport in Beijing, capital of China, June 11, 2021. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei) BEIJING, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese political advisors on Friday discussed measures to develop multimodal transport during a consultation session in Beijing. The session was held by the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China's top political advisory body. It was presided over by Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the CPPCC National Committee. Wang stressed implementing measures concerning multimodal transport in the 14th Five-year Plan and called for efforts in the integrated development of all means of transport. Political advisors urged more work to optimize the country's transport management system, adding that different means of transport should be planned, developed, and managed in a coordinated, unified manner. While improving transport infrastructure, the country should ramp up information sharing among different transport means and set up a monitoring mechanism for tracking cargo, the political advisors said. They also advised China to increase the capacity and efficiency of the China-Europe freight trains, improve services at major customs, and promote integrated regional customs clearance. (Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Bianji) China pledges unwavering efforts to advance disarmament, non-proliferation Xinhua) 13:18, June 12, 2021 BEIJING, June 11 (Xinhua) -- China on Friday pledged unwavering efforts to work with all parties in advancing international arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation processes, to make new contributions to building a world of lasting peace and universal security. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remarks when addressing the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva via video link. Wang noted Chinese President Xi Jinping has in January called on the world to "let the torch of multilateralism light up humanity's way forward" at the World Economic Forum Virtual Event of the Davos Agenda. Calling multilateralism the right way of the world, Wang said all countries should stay committed to the path, uphold a new vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and work to advance the international arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation processes. To this end, Wang proposed jointly maintaining global strategic stability, abiding by international arms control treaties, addressing the non-proliferation issue via negotiations, and improving global security governance in new frontiers. Wang said China highly appreciates the disarmament agenda proposed by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and will continue to contribute to its implementation. As the single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum of the international community, the Conference on Disarmament needs to keep pace with the times and strive to be innovative, Wang added. Wang urged member states to strengthen coordination, accommodate each other's legitimate concerns, and formulate a comprehensive and balanced program of work to commence the substantive work at an early date. (Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Bianji) UK report interferes in China's internal affairs (China Daily) 13:47, June 12, 2021 Photo taken on July 16, 2020 shows Wan Chai, Hong Kong. [Photo/Xinhua] With geopolitics being high on the agenda of the G-7 Summit this weekend, the British government released on Thursday its so-called "six-month report on Hong Kong", lavishing aspersions on Beijing as well as the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and providing much-needed ammunition for a new round of China bashing. But British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab must have disappointed his allies again in the ongoing China-bashing crusade by merely repeating his usual empty platitudes. There had been "clear breaches" of the 1984 Joint Declaration, Raab said in the foreword of the reporta claim he had repeatedly made without citing any article of the declaration. He has invariably failed to substantiate his claim when challenged by Hong Kong legislators and others who genuinely care for the city. The accusation hurled once again in the report that Beijing has broken its "legal obligations" by undermining Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy and used a national security law to "drastically curtail freedoms" in the SAR must have bewildered many honest China watchers. The National Security Law for Hong Kong, promulgated on June 30, 2020, for implementation in Hong Kong, is aimed at protecting national security and other national interests by plugging a legal loophole in the SAR. This lacuna remained for more than two decades because the Hong Kong government failed to fulfill its constitutional obligation, as stipulated in the Basic Law (Article 23), to enact a national security law due to opposition instigated by the region's political radicals, who leveraged foreign pressure and interference in their relentless fight against such legislation. The central authorities in Beijing could not sit on their hands and allow the loophole to remain unfilled when the Hong Kong government, fully underpinned by constitutional legitimacy, was being fiercely attacked by the separatists, citizens who expressed opposing political views being savaged by rioting mobs, and public facilities and private properties being frenziedly smashed by the masked rioters at will. The monthslong insurrection threatening Hong Kong's constitutional order as an SAR of China in 2019 forced Beijing's hand, and the loophole in safeguarding national security thus was plugged. The Joint Declaration says nothing about national security, and rightly so. National security involves China's own defense interests and is part of its sovereignty. The United Kingdom never proposed, nor did China ever agree, that, after the handover in 1997, Hong Kong would be denied the laws it needs to defend itself from subversive activities and protect national interests. Under China's Constitution, national security is a matter for the country as a whole, just as it is in the UK. (Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Bianji) China's excavator sales rise in first five months Xinhua) 15:05, June 12, 2021 BEIJING, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Total sales of China's major excavator manufacturers reported stable expansion in the first five months of the year, industry data showed. China's 26 leading excavator makers sold 200,733 excavators from January to May, up 37.7 percent year on year, data from the China Construction Machinery Association showed. During the period, excavators sold in the domestic market rose 31.7 percent year on year to 176,735 units, while excavator exports totaled 23,998 units, surging 106.3 percent from a year earlier. In May alone, China's excavator sales came in at 27,220 units, with a yearly decline of 14.3 percent, according to the association. (Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Bianji) Chinese police bust inter-provincial drug-trafficking case Xinhua) 15:59, June 12, 2021 KUNMING, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Police from southwest China's Yunnan Province and the central province of Hubei jointly busted a drug-trafficking case, seizing 71.85 kg of methamphetamine and nabbing seven suspects. Police in Lincang City of Yunnan set up a task force in March after receiving a tip-off that a gang of drug dealers was planning to traffic drugs to Hubei. With the cooperation of Hubei police, two suspects were arrested on May 9 in a hotel in Jingzhou City, Hubei, with 71.85 kg of drugs seized on the spot. Another five suspects were nabbed on the same day in different locations in Jingzhou. Further investigation is underway. Yunnan is a major front in China's battle against drug crime as it borders the Golden Triangle known for its rampant drug production and trafficking. (Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Bianji) 'One country, two systems' is a unique approach making huge contributions, official says Chinadaily.com.cn) 16:06, June 12, 2021 Luo Huining, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR delivers a keynote address at a high-level seminar on the relationship between the Communist Part of China and the "one country, two systems" at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on June 12, 2021.[Photo by Edmond Tang/China Daily] The "one country, two systems", an innovative policy created by the Communist Party of China with political wisdom, has made extraordinary contributions to the mankind, the central government's top liaison official in Hong Kong said on Saturday. Luo Huining, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, made the remarks at a forum jointly held by the liaison office, the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong SAR, the Chinese People's Liberation Army Garrison in the Hong Kong SAR, and the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong SAR. "Even today we can ask, which country in the world would allow the existence of two social systems within its territory?" Luo said in his speech. The Communist Party of China's leading position is chosen by the history and the people, he said. To push forward the cause of "one country, two systems", the leadership of the CPC must be upheld and the institutional improvements related to the Constitution and the Basic Law must be made, he added. (Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Bianji) Worthy of the Queen of the Nile herself, the Serpenti Misteriosi Cleopatra is the latest chapter in Bulgaris love affair with the iconic serpent, brought to life with an intense passion for gloriously bold combinations of coloured gemstones and a touch of majestic irreverence. Part of a new chapter in Bulgaris Colour Treasures series, this High-Jewellery, one-of-a-kind cuff watch showcases the Roman jewellery houses expertise in gemstones, with a magnificently opulent and eye-catching new skin revealing a precious surprise: a diamond-set dial, hidden behind a faceted hexagonal see-through rubellite of over 5 carats. Only Bulgari, the Master of Colour, could create such a harmony of brilliant gemstones in a new landmark watch that proudly joins the Colour Treasures series of spectacular jewellery-watch creations. With the arrival of the Serpenti Misteriosi Cleopatra, Bulgari reaffirms its reputation as the Roman Jeweller of Time as it once again raises the bar in terms of both design and exquisite craftsmanship. Serpenti Misteriosi Cleopatra Bulgari A magnetic methamorphosis It wraps softly and sensually embraces; it keeps secrets, dominates the day and shines at night The eclectic metamorphosis of Serpenti amazes every time with the mystic power of renovating while remaining itself, authentic and unmistakable. The enigmatic animal has wound its way through Bulgaris rich design heritage, appearing in many different and alluring guises. The snake is believed to have talismanic powers and is an emblem of wisdom, rebirth and vitality. The Serpenti Misteriosi Cleopatra is an abstract interpretation of the snake and though uncompromisingly contemporary, its irresistible style is reminiscent of the cuff bracelets worn by the powerful rulers of Ancient Egypt, and of Cleopatra herself. Bulgari has attracted some of the most powerful women of our times, and in 1962 Elizabeth Taylor was photographed at the Cinecitta Studios in Rome, wearing an exquisite gold Serpenti bracelet-watch while on the set of the film Cleopatra. Taylor, known for her love of jewellery, was seduced by the charm and symbolism of the Bulgari Serpenti in gold and diamonds, with gleaming emerald eyes. The black and white photograph of the most famous actress of the moment wearing the iconic Serpenti bracelet captured the worlds imagination and indelibly linked the Roman Jeweller with legendary Divas. A contemporary take on high-jewellery watches While other Bulgari snakes have coiled themselves around the wrist, the Serpenti Misteriosi Cleopatra is a flexible manchette or cuff watch with a diamond-set dial, elegantly concealed beneath a faceted rubellite. The resolutely contemporary style of the watch draws on Bulgaris legacy of daring design and focuses on the snakes scales, which are set with striking colour combinations of luminous, smooth-surfaced gemstones. The choice of a rainbow of nine vivid gemstones surrounded by snow-set diamonds offers a unique High-Jewellery watch stamped with Bulgaris inimitable confidence, executed with the highest standards of high-jewellery craftsmanship. Serpenti Misteriosi Cleopatra Bulgari A glorious display of jewellery making prowess, realised by Bulgaris master goldsmiths and gem-setters, each of the three-dimensional scales is unique in shape and size to ensure the conical shaped cuff is beautifully fluid and comfortable to wear. Bulgaris highly skilled jewellery designers worked hand in hand with the gemmology team to achieve the intense vibrancy of colour displayed by the nine different gemstones: pairs of faceted hexagonal amethysts and citrines, an aquamarine, rubellite, Chrome tourmaline, tanzanite and a peridot with a total weight of over 50 carats, accompanied by close to 4,000 snow-set diamonds. Setting the gemstones alone took more than 470 hours of meticulous work, with each of the six-sided gems custom cut to fit the design, sacrificing up to two-thirds of their volume to achieve the perfect clarity, brilliance and saturation of colour. Meanwhile, the dial is entirely set with diamonds and covered with a facetted hexagonal transparent rubellite, originally measuring nearly 10 carats. The Serpenti Misteriosi Cleopatra goes one step further in confirming Bulgaris commitment to fusing the most sophisticated Haute Joaillerie know-how with Swiss watchmaking savoir-faire to offer outstandingly opulent and audaciously colourful High-Jewellery timepieces into a triumph of quintessential joie de vivre. Fishing boats return to port in Zhohan, Zhejiang province, on May 1, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua] In recent years, the situation in the South China Sea has stabilized due to the joint efforts of China and the Association of Southeast Asian members. Positive progress has been made in bilateral cooperation on maritime search and rescue as well as marine conservation and research. The consultations on a Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea are proceeding speedily. During the fight against COVID-19, China and the ASEAN members have been working together to overcome the challenges. Ships and planes carrying medical supplies have been traversing the South China Sea, manifesting the mutual assistance and cooperation extended between China and ASEAN members during difficult times. However, the United States and other non-regional countries frequently seek to use the South China Sea as a means of sowing discord between China and ASEAN members in their bid to contain China, which is undermining the hard-won stability in the region. The Donald Trump administration explicitly viewed China as a strategic rival and thereby adopted a "whole-of-government-and-society" approach to hinder China's development. The current US administration, although making some adjustments to its predecessor's China policies, has not changed the previous practices aimed at suppressing and competing with China or abandoned the provocative moves aimed at creating divisions among China and various members of ASEAN. The South China Sea policies of the current administration include the following three aspects: First, it continues to try and exploit the disputes over territories in the South China Sea as a tool to contain China's development. The China policies of the current administration are not essentially different from those of the Trump administration, and so its stance on the South China Sea is essentially the same. As the US continues to view China as its major competitor, the South China Sea remains its bargaining chip to conduct strategic containment of China. Different from the previous administration though, the Biden administration is taking a multilateral approach to interfere in the issue by seeking to work with various allies of the US. Second, it continues to flex the US' muscles by sending military aircraft and vessels to the South China Sea. Military presence is an important part of US' policies in the South China Sea as a major way to demonstrate its "strategic determination". In recent years, the military operations in the South China Sea by the US and its allies under the pretext of the so-called "freedom of navigation" have created serious risks of a mishap in the waters and heightened tensions in the waters. Since the current administration took office, the US has continued to frequently send military vessels and aircraft to the South China Sea, which testifies to the continuation of the US military intervention into the region. Third, like its predecessor, the Joe Biden administration is trying to create divisions between China and ASEAN members to undermine regional peace and stability. In recent years, in disregard of the efforts of China and ASEAN members to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea, the US government has repeatedly made groundless accusations against China, exaggerated the divisions in the region and sought to exploit the differences between China and various parties. These moves are meant to portray China as the "destroyer" of the regional order and a "bully" in the South China Sea and so justify US interference in the region. One of the major excuses used by the US to interfere into the South China Sea issue is to safeguard freedom of navigation. In fact, freedom of navigation is a false premise. The real intention of the US is to contain China, create friction between China and the ASEAN members, and thereby restore its declining hegemony in the region. This clearly shows that the US has become the biggest threat to peace in the South China Sea and the entire region. It is the real trouble-maker in the region. The South China Sea disputes between China and some of the ASEAN members only account for a small proportion of relations between the two sides. ASEAN members are a priority in China's neighborhood diplomacy, and China-ASEAN relations have entered a new stage of all-round development with the joint efforts of both sides. ASEAN as a whole has become China's largest trading partner. The COVID-19 pandemic, instead of obstructing bilateral exchanges and cooperation, has deepened the ties between China and ASEAN members. During his visit to Indonesia in 2013, President Xi Jinping proposed the two sides jointly build a China-ASEAN community with a shared future. Eight years on, the China-ASEAN relationship has grown into the most successful and vibrant model for cooperation in the Asia-Pacific and an exemplary model of shared efforts to build a community with a shared future for mankind. Looking forward, China-ASEAN cooperation has great potential and broad prospects. Both sides should work together to rise above the distractions created by the US and jointly work to safeguard regional peace and stability to make the South China Sea a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation. Ning Tuanhui, assistant research fellow at China Institute of International Studies(CIIS). Hong Kong File photo Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, reiterated China's stern position on issues related to Xinjiang and Hong Kong, urging the US to not interfere with China's domestic affairs under any excuse. Yang made the remarks in a telephone conversation on Friday with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the request of the US side. Noting that the issues related to Xinjiang and Hong Kong concern China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and involve China's core interests, Yang urged in the phone conversation that the US side to respect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, not to interfere in China's internal affairs under any pretext, and not to damage China's core interests in any way. The issues related to Xinjiang are not so-called human rights or religion issues, Yang stressed. Seeing violent and terrorist incidents on the rise in Xinjiang, the Chinese government took resolute actions to safeguard public safety, Yang said, adding that the Chinese moves are totally justified. The US side has fabricated various lies about Xinjiang in an attempt to sabotage the stability and unity in Xinjiang, which confuse right and wrong and are extremely absurd. China is firmly opposed to such actions, Yang said. Yang said Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China, and Hong Kong affairs are purely China's internal affairs. The aim of improving the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) is to safeguard the constitutional order of the HKSAR as defined in the Constitution of the People's Republic of China and the Basic Law of the HKSAR, and ensure that "Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong" with patriots as the mainstay, he said. It is a common practice in the world to make strict requirements on the patriotic stance and political qualifications of those who govern, Yang said, adding that those clamoring for "Hong Kong independence" are not eligible to participate in the administration of Hong Kong and must be punished by the national security law in Hong Kong. For his part, Blinken said the recent series of contacts between the US and China are beneficial to bilateral relations, and the US side looks forward to increasing contacts and exchanges with China at all levels. The United States adheres to the one-China policy and abides by the three China-US joint communiques, Blinken said, adding that the United States hopes to maintain communication and coordination with China on important international and regional issues. On the same day, the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) strongly condemned remarks made by US Consul-General Hanscom Smith, who said the imposition of the national security law had created an "atmosphere of coercion" that threatens both the city's freedoms and its position as an international business hub. The national security law has closed the loopholes in safeguarding national security in Hong Kong, brought an end to "Hong Kong independence", and reversed the violence and social unrest so that Hong Kong can return to stability from chaos, a spokesperson of the office said. The spokesperson said the US, which has enacted the world's most complete national security law system on its territory, has repeatedly slandered China's efforts to implement the national security law in the HKSAR, which exposes its double standards, prejudice and hegemonic behavior. The Chinese central government has stuck to the implementation of "one country, two systems" strictly in accordance with the Constitution and the Basic Law since Hong Kong's return to the motherland, the spokesperson said. Hong Kong has maintained higher international rankings in freedom, judiciary and the rule of law than the United States and the Hong Kong residents have started to enjoy much wider rights and freedoms unseen during the colonial period, the spokesperson said. In contrast, the US has a poor human rights record, with serious racism, police brutality and gun violence and is seen as the biggest threat to global democracy in a recent survey of people from 53 countries and regions, the spokesperson said, stressing the US is not qualified to interfere in Hong Kong affairs under the banners of "human rights" and "democracy." As the national security law in the HKSAR has come into force for a year, the financial hub has been put back on track and foreign companies are more confident in Hong Kong's future, the spokesperson said, citing a report of the IMF that reaffirmed Hong Kong's status as a global financial center. Foreign consulates in Hong Kong must comply with both local and international laws, the spokesperson said, stressing any interference in China's internal affairs, including Hong Kong affairs, and any activities endangering China's national security and Hong Kong's stability and prosperity will not be allowed. Xinhua-Global Times Google has promised to give U.K. regulators a role overseeing its plan to phase out existing ad-tracking technology from its Chrome browser as part of a competition investigation into the tech giant. The U.K. competition watchdog has been investigating Google's proposals to remove so-called third-party cookies over concerns they would undermine digital ad competition and entrench the company's market power. To address the concerns, Google on Friday offered a set of commitments including giving the Competition and Markets Authority an oversight role as the company designs and develops a replacement technology. "The emergence of tech giants such as Google has presented competition authorities around the world with new challenges that require a new approach," Andrea Coscelli, the watchdog's chief executive, said. The Competition and Markets Authority will work with tech companies to "shape their behavior and protect competition to the benefit of consumers," he said. According to a study of some 10,000 people over 65 by the Ministry of Health and Welfare released early this week, 36.9 percent were economically active last year, up from 30 percent in 2008. Some 73.9 percent said they work to make ends meet. Korea is graying rapidly with 15.7 percent of its 52 million population aged 65 or over, and many have to find jobs after retirement to make ends meet. Their incomes increased apace, more than doubling from W7 million a year in 2008 to W15.58 million in 2020 (US$1=W1,115). Only 27.5 percent of the money came from state pension and other welfare payments, which is much lower than the average of 57.1 percent in the OECD, where pensions are usually more generous. In Germany the figure is 70.6 percent, in Japan 49.2 percent, and in the U.S. 41.4 percent. Senior citizens are getting used to digital devices, with 56.4 percent saying they use smartphones, up from just 0.4 percent in 2011, and 40.8 percent use social media. More senior citizens feel they are healthy, rising from 24.4 percent in 2008 to 49.3 percent in 2020. Some 37.7 percent said hobbies and other leisure activities are the most important part of their lives, which is higher than economic activity (25.4 percent) or socializing (19.3 percent). The proportion of senior singles rose from 66.8 percent to 78.2 percent over the same period, while the proportion who live with their children continued to decline from 27.6 percent to 20.1 percent. The proportion who want to live with their children also declined from 32.5 percent to 12.8 percent. Asked what a good death means to them, 90.6 percent said passing away without burdening their family or friends, while 86.5 percent said they are opposed to prolonging their life artificially. Lee Yoon-kyung at the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs said, "Senior citizens are becoming increasingly independent and active when it comes to economic affairs, their health matters and family relations, but we need to bolster state care services for senior citizens aged 75 or more." Comal Independent School District trustees will consider approving dates for a public hearing on the 2021-22 budget and 2021 tax rate, and hear reports on state legislation and federal COVID-19 assistance when they meet in a workshop session on Thursday. MIKALA COMPTON | Herald-Zeitung New Braunfels, TX (78130) Today A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. A few clouds. Low 72F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. A few clouds. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. New Braunfels, TX (78130) Today Widely scattered showers or a thunderstorm this evening. Then partly cloudy. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight Widely scattered showers or a thunderstorm this evening. Then partly cloudy. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%. Woburn, MA (01801) Today Thunderstorms early, then cloudy skies after midnight. Low 68F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Thunderstorms early, then cloudy skies after midnight. Low 68F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Woodville, AL (35768) Today A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable. CHICAGO "Be careful." She didn't know it at the time, but those were the last words Joe Schelstraete's mother would say to him before he was shot and subsequently put on life support while working as a rideshare driver in west suburban Cicero on Memorial Day. At a Friday afternoon vigil for Schelstraete and other rideshare drivers killed on the job, his aunt Kim Bova read those words in a statement from her sister, Schelstraete's mom, who wasn't in attendance because she had to say goodbye to her son for the last time at his funeral services Thursday. The vigil was held by the Independent Drivers Guild outside the Uber Chicago Greenlight Hub. After Bova shared the statement written by Schelstraete's mom, she shared her own thoughts highlighting her belief that Schelstraete's three young kids won't be able to celebrate Father's Day next weekend or ever again in part because of Uber's negligence. "There is blood on Uber's hands," she said. Steven Everett, who is on the board of IDG and a rideshare driver himself, opened the vigil by saying they were there to honor all of the drivers who have been victims of violence on the job. He himself has experienced it, he said, and all of it could stop if rideshare companies, like Uber and Lyft, would "press one button." Everett and other speakers at the vigil said one of the first steps they'd like to see rideshare companies take is requiring passengers to take a photo of themselves before they can order a ride. Almost immediately when drivers open the Uber app to accept rides, they have to take a photo of themselves to protect riders, Everett said. Bryant Greening, an attorney from LegalRideshare a law firm focused entirely on Uber, Lyft, delivery and gig worker accidents and injuries said that driver safety needs to be talked about in the same vein that rideshare safety in general is talked about. "We're here too often," he said, noting that there was a vigil for another driver who was killed just last month. Greening said Uber and Lyft have the technology to make the changes needed to keep drivers safer, so he wants those companies to "step up." Support Local Journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution. Contribute While he, too, supported the idea of having riders take a photo before ordering a ride because it would ensure accountability, he also spoke to the importance of dash cams. Having cameras on the dashboards of drivers' cars could deter bad actors and create evidence in case of a crime, he said. LegalRideshare, he said, will donate $10,000 worth of dash cams for local drivers and will set aside another $40,000 as rewards for information to help catch perpetrators of future crimes against drivers. "We're here for justice for Joe," he said. "We're here for justice for everyone else." Throughout the vigil, a few other drivers who were killed were remembered including Ryan Graham Munsie, Elijah Newman and Grant Nelson. Nelson's sister was present and spoke about how her brother was stabbed in 2017. To her knowledge, he was the first rideshare driver killed while working in the nation. She said drivers are human beings and without drivers there would be no rideshare. Everett said he would rather be protesting for pay than the lives of drivers. After the speeches and calls to action, members of the IDG and others present set up a memorial for Schelstraete with candles, a T-shirt with his photo and flowers. Everything sat on a red cloth because it was Schelstraete's favorite color, Everett said. There was also memorabilia for the Denver Broncos. Bova said Schelstraete fell in love with the Broncos and would visit his family who lives out west. It was a dream of his, she said, to move out to Colorado someday. Gallery: The Times Photos of the Week Press Release June 12, 2021 Sen. Leila M. de Lima on the Inter-Parliamentary Union's (IPU) renewed call to release her, drop trumped-up charges The IPU has once again called for my release from unjust detention. I hope the Senate leadership responds positively to the IPU call by supporting it. Press Release June 12, 2021 Lacson: Flexibility, More Practical Regulations Key to Success of Vaccination Drive More at: https://pinglacson.net/2021/06/12/lacson-flexibility-more-practical-regulations-key-to-success-of-vaccination-drive/ More assertiveness from the country's vaccination czars and more flexibility for implementers and decision-makers on the ground will be crucial to the success of the government's efforts to accelerate its COVID-19 vaccination drive and achieve herd immunity quickly, Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson said. Lacson stressed this following a meeting Thursday night between him, Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Sen. Ronald dela Rosa on one hand, and testing czar Vivencio Dizon and contact tracing czar Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong on the other. He also said the Senate will conduct a Committee of the Whole hearing on Tuesday, June 15, to exercise its oversight function on the government's utilization of its P82.5-billion for the vaccination program and to evaluate the protocols and guidelines used by the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases. The hearing is initially scheduled at 10 a.m. "We advised them to be more assertive. Senate President Sotto even said that if they are sure they are right and their 'superiors' are wrong, they can 'defy' them. Also, it is the people on the ground such as mayors who can appreciate the situation better. So it is important that they be given flexibility and more autonomy in the implementation of the vaccination program," Lacson said in an interview on CNN Philippines. "It's very important that our people will trust the vaccines. Our people should get the jab done and the government should get the job done. If people see shortcomings or lapses on the part of the government, how could you improve people's trust in vaccines?" he added. Lacson said that while vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. - who was to receive vaccines that arrived in the Philippines Thursday night - is "too patient to a fault," patience is sometimes "not a virtue when it comes to emergency situations." He added it is good that Dizon and Magalong are there to assist and support him. On the other hand, Lacson said those implementing the vaccination program should get enough leeway to make decisions on the ground. Besides, he said many young leaders are showing they can get the job done, with San Juan under Mayor Francis Zamora likely to be the first city in Metro Manila or even the whole country to achieve the 70-percent target for herd immunity. He cited as well the efforts of young mayors Vico Sotto (Pasig City), Isko Moreno (Manila) and Rep. Camille Villar (Las Pinas), and Mayor Magalong himself, for encouraging their constituents to get the jab. "These are young, dynamic and progressive-thinking officials we need, more than those who insist on sticking to 'traditional' processes," he said. Lacson also noted many local government units face the dilemma of complying with President Rodrigo Duterte's order to prioritize indigents, since their lists are based on the Department of Social Welfare and Development's records dating back to 2015 or 2016. Meanwhile, Lacson expressed hopes the vaccination program will be accelerated soon with more interventions from the private sector. A case in point is the Nayong Pilipino vaccination facility due to be activated in August, which could accomplish 12,000 inoculations per day, on top of a nearby facility which can accommodate 8,000 per day. Concerned government authorities are seen to improve the queueing system in their own facilities by following the lead of the private sector. On the other hand, Lacson said the Senate is due to hold a hearing on June 15 to exercise its oversight functions on the vaccination program. He said Senate President Sotto already served notice to senators and those to be invited. "We want to find out and keep track on the progress of the vaccination program. How many vaccines have been procured? How much more will be needed? That's part of our oversight function. We want to be briefed because we are the ones who appropriate the budget. And under the law, we need to be informed how the appropriations are used," he said. Pangilinan welcomes 2.2 million US-supported Covax vaccines SENATOR Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan welcomes the arrival of over 2 million US-supported Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines to be distributed to Cebu, Davao, and Manila as these would provide much-needed boost to the Philippines' Covid-19 vaccine supply. "Nagpapasalamat tayo sa US at kay President Joe Biden para sa higit 2.2 million na bakuna na dumaan sa international Covax facility. Tamang-tama ito dahil kailangang-kailangan ng Pilipinas para magtuloy-tuloy ang ating vaccine roll-out," Pangilinan said. "Nawa'y tumaas ang kumpyansa ng ating mga kababayan sa pagbabakuna dahil sa donation na ito ng US. We hope that this will increase confidence in the vaccination program," he added. The Philippines received the biggest vaccine shipment to date with the arrival of 2,282,850 doses of US Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine on June 10. The United States is the largest contributor to the Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access or Covax, a global initiative to ensure global vaccine equity. An initial delivery of 193,050 doses of US Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines arrived May 10. With only 4.06 percent of the Philippine population so far given their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, Pangilinan hopes that the arrival of more vaccines will kickstart an increase in the country's vaccination rate. "Mahigit isang taon nang close-open ang mga tindahan. Ilang beses na rin nagkaroon ng spikes sa bilang ng na-Co-Covid. That's why we are heartened by the reassurance of the United States that there will now be a continuous supply of vaccines," Pangilinan said. "We thank the United States and the Covax initiative for their continuous support to the Philippines," he said. The senator earlier called to reconvene the Senate Committee of the Whole to get updates on the national vaccine plan. A notice of hearing was announced yesterday, June 11. The hearing on the national vaccination program will be held on Tuesday, June 15 at 10 a.m. Your browser does not support the video tag. Dominica High Court has denied bail to the fugitive diamantaire, Mehul Choksi. While announcing the order, Judge Wyanete Adrien Roberts also deemed Choksi a 'flight risk'. Choksi is currently being held at the Dominica China Friendship Hospital in Roseau. Choksi's lawyers told the court on Friday (June 11) that he is entitled to bail as he is a CARICOM (Caribbean Community) citizen and his offence is a bailable one with a fine of EC$ 5,000. They further requested the Court to impose a cash bail, adding their client is unwell and thus, not a flight risk. Advocate Lennox Lawrence, who appeared on behalf of the state, opposed Choksi's bail. Lawrence said that Choksi was a flight risk and has an Interpol red notice against him. Talking about Choksi's medical condition, Lawrence stated that is not an issue since he got the required medical attention. Choksi, 62, had mysteriously gone missing on May 23 from Antigua and Barbuda where he has been staying since 2018 as a citizen after fleeing from India. He was detained in the neighbouring island country of Dominica for illegal entry after a possible romantic escapade with his rumoured girlfriend. His lawyers, however, alleged that he was kidnapped from Jolly Harbour in Antigua by policemen who looked like Antiguan and Indian and brought to Dominica on a boat. He was brought before the Roseau magistrate on the orders of high court judge Bernie Stephenson, hearing the habeas corpus matter, to answer accusations of illegal entry for which he pleaded not guilty and was denied bail. The promoter of Geetanjali Gems and other famous diamond brands in India had fled the country weeks before Rs 13,500 crore fraud in Punjab National Bank (PNB) allegedly involving him and his nephew Nirav Modi surfaced. Edited by Mehak Agarwal Also read: Mehul Choksi a 'prohibited immigrant': Dominica Also read: Dominica High Court adjourns Mehul Choksi's bail hearing till June 11 Also read: Mehul Choksi's photos from Dominica surface; show him behind bars, with injury marks Addressing the first outreach session of the G7 Summit on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised the special responsibility of democratic and transparent societies for preventing future pandemics. The session, titled 'Building Back Stronger - Health', focused on global recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and on strengthening resilience against future pandemics. The Group of Seven (G7) comprises the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US. As chair of G7, the UK has invited India, Australia, South Korea, South Africa to the summit as guest countries. Modi said today's meeting should send out a message of "One Earth One Health" for the whole world, the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement. "Calling for global unity, leadership, and solidarity to prevent future pandemics, Prime Minister emphasised the special responsibility of democratic and transparent societies in this regard," it said. Also read: Adani Group enters cement business, incorporates Adani Cement Industries The Prime Minister expressed appreciation for the support extended by G7 and other guest countries during the recent wave of COVID-19 infections in India, and highlighted India's 'whole of society' approach to fight the pandemic, synergising the efforts of all levels of the government, industry and civil society. "He also explained India's successful use of open source digital tools for contact tracing and vaccine management, and conveyed India's willingness to share its experience and expertise with other developing countries," the statement added. Modi committed India's support for collective endeavours to improve global health governance, and sought G7's support for the proposal moved at the World Trade Organization (WTO) by India and South Africa for a TRIPS waiver on COVID-related technologies. The Prime Minister will also participate in the final day of the G7 Summit tomorrow and speak in two sessions. This is the second time Modi is participating in a G7 meeting. India was invited by France in its capacity as G7 presidency to the Biarritz summit in 2019 as a 'Goodwill Partner' and he participated in the sessions on 'Climate, Biodiversity and Oceans' and 'Digital Transformation'. Also read: GST Council meet: No tax on Black Fungus drugs, 5% rate on COVID-19 vaccines unchanged Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate virtually in the outreach sessions of the G7 summit on June 12 and 13, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on June 10. This is the second time Modi will participate in a G7 meeting. India was invited by France in its capacity as G7 presidency to the Biarritz summit in 2019 as a 'Goodwill Partner' and he participated in the sessions on 'Climate, Biodiversity and Oceans' and 'Digital Transformation'. Last month, the MEA said Modi will not travel to the UK to attend the summit of the G7 grouping in view of the prevailing coronavirus situation in the country. The Group of Seven (G7) comprises the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US. As chair of G7, the UK has invited India, Australia, South Korea, South Africa to the summit as Guest countries. "At the invitation of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in the outreach sessions of the G7 summit on June 12 and 13 in virtual format," MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said. He said the theme for the summit is 'Build Back Better' and the UK has outlined four priority areas for its presidency of the powerful grouping. "These are leading the global recovery from coronavirus while strengthening resilience against future pandemics; promoting future prosperity by championing free and fair trade; tackling climate change and preserving the planet's biodiversity; and championing shared values and open societies," Bagchi said. He said the leaders are expected to exchange views on the way forward on global recovery from the pandemic with a focus on health and climate change. Last month, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar travelled to London to participate in the G7 foreign ministers' meeting. However, he could not attend the meeting in person after two members of his delegation tested positive for COVID-19. The external affairs minister attended the meeting in virtual format. Also read: PM Modi to address virtual high-level dialogue at UN on June 14 The European Medicines Agency says it's recommending that people who have had a rare blood vessel syndrome not be immunised with AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine. In a statement on Friday, the EU drug regulator said it reviewed cases of six people who had capillary leak syndrome after they had received a shot of the AstraZeneca NSE 0.10 % vaccine. The vaccine has previously been linked to rare blood clots, but health officials say its benefits still outweigh the small risks. EMA experts also concluded that the capillary leak condition should be added to the product information as a new side effect of the vaccine. The agency said it is continuing its review of heart inflammation in a small number of people who developed conditions after getting immunized with the vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna Inc. The EMA said it is studying cases of myocarditis, inflammation of the heart, and pericarditis, inflammation of the membrane surrounding the heart. Symptoms include shortness of breath and chest pain; the problems are usually temporary. "Further analysis is needed to determine whether there is a causal link with the vaccines," the EU agency said. The EMA said it expects to finalize its review of such cases next month. Also read: No need to panic over dosage interval of Covishield: Govt Also read: US CDC probing reports of heart inflammation post second Pfizer, Moderna Covid jab In the view of the US FDA rejecting emergency use authorisation to Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, the government Friday said it respects the decision but asserted it will have no impact whatsoever on India's vaccination programme. In what could potentially delay the launch of Covaxin in the US, the Food and Drug Administration there has "recommended" Ocugen Inc, the US partner of the Indian vaccine maker, to go for Biologics Licence Application (BLA) route with additional data, nixing hopes of emergency use authorisation. Responding to a question on the denial to Covaxin, NITI Aayog member (Health) V K Paul said each country has its own regulatory system which India respects and hoped that the manufacturer will be able to comply with it by doing whatever requires to be done. "Each country has its own regulatory system. Some parameters might be common while some might be different which we respect. Our country's regulatory system also takes decisions in a similar manner. The scientific framework is the same but nuancing is on context... These are scientific considerations specially in those countries where science is strong and for us manufacturing is strong," he said. "We expect that our manufacturer will be able to comply with it by doing whatever requires to be done. It will have no impact whatsoever on our programme clearly. We are satisfied our regulator has approved it. We have so much data on safety and so much data on phase-3 trial that has been screened by them," Paul added. He further said that the phase 3 publication of Covaxin will also come in 7-8 days which is beyond data shared with DCGI. "We are doing very well. We respect their decision but it will have no bearing on our track at this moment," he added. Also read: COVID-19: EU advises adding condition to AstraZeneca vaccine label Highlights Musk now wants to provide in-flight wifi via Starlink satellite internet service. e. Musks space company SpaceX is reportedly in talks with several airline companies SpaceXs VP of Starlink and commercial sales confirmed the news. Faster and reliable internet on aeroplanes is long overdue and Tesla CEO Elon Musk is working towards it. If reports are to be believed, Musk now wants to provide in-flight wifi via Starlink satellite internet service. Musk's space company SpaceX is reportedly in talks with several airline companies to provide the commuters with in-flight WiFI through the Starlink satellite internet service. Not too long, Google collaborated with SpaceX to get Starlink's high-speed broadband Internet for its infrastructure. SpaceX's VP of Starlink and commercial sales told a panel at the Connected Aviation Intelligence Summit on Wednesday that the company is working towards providing in-flight wifi to travellers."We have our own aviation product in development ... we've already done some demonstrations to date and [are] looking to get that product finalized to be put on aircraft in the very near future," he was quoted as saying by the Verge. Although Hofeller did not reveal when Starlink will begin proving in-flight wifi, he said that an announcement is coming "hopefully sooner rather than later." For the unversed, the airlines currently use satellite broadband providers for inflight Wi-Fi, but the existing services use satellites in distant orbits. The Starlink satellite on the other hand orbits closer to the earth which could be one of the key reasons why the speed of the Starlink would be faster and more stable than the other in-flight services used by the airlines. SpaceX started rolling out Starlink satellites in 2018 to improve broadband internet connections primarily in rural areas. Musk had initiated the pre-orders for its Starlink broadband services earlier this year. Starlink was available for pre-orders for $99. Recently, the company announced that Starlink broadband has received over 500000 pre-orders. "To date, over half a million people have placed an order or put down a deposit for Starlink," said Siva Bharadvaj, a SpaceX space operations engineer, during a broadcast of SpaceX's latest launch of Starlink satellites -- 26th Starlink mission. "With every launch, we get closer to connecting more people across the world." Coming to its services in India, Starlink is expected to arrive in India by 2022. However, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) wants Musk's company acquire the required licenses before offering any services to the country. "DoT has no objections to SpaceX offering the Starlink satellite internet service in India. But it must comply with the laws of the land and seek an appropriate license and other authorisations before offering the service to Indian consumers," a source was quoted as saying. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Seguin, Texas (78155) Today A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy. Low 72F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Elizabeth Anne McCoy Hayes, 68, passed away peacefully at home with her family by her side in Leonardtown on June 6th, 2021. She was born in Scotland, Maryland of Fred and Beth McCoy, one of 12 children. Married Walter Edwin Hayes in 1976 with three children, Walter Ian Hayes, Matthew Brendan Hayes, and Mary Elizabeth Hayes. She is survived by a large family of McCoys and is deeply admired and loved by her brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews. Anne attended St. Mary's Academy, and graduated University of Maryland School of Nursing (1975) and was a Registered Nurse, Certified Diabetes Educator and administered care to thousands of patients across Maryland. As a nurse she practiced in hospice, pediatrics, public health, and diabetes and served on the board of directors of the St. Mary's Nursing Home. She was the spiritual heart and acting matriarch of the McCoy family who ensured that her siblings remained a tight knit family. She was an inspiration of strong faith, compassion, sincerity, unity and caregiving. She was a true giver, an advocate for those who most needed her help and attention and exemplified unconditional love without judgement in her actions and dedication to her family, friends and patients. A gathering will be held at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Leonardtown, MD at 9:30am, eulogy at 10:15, and a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 AM with Father Ryan Pineda officiating. Interment will follow in the church cemetery, with a reception following in the church hall. Instead of flowers, in her honor, reach out to your family, friends and neighbors who are less fortunate and need help without judgement. The royally-bred sophomore gelding Bee Forever won the trotting division of the $12,600 tri-features over a sloppy surface on Friday afternoon at Harrahs Philadelphia, but there was much more drama involved than his 1-5 backers mightve liked. Padre wound up cutting the mile ahead of Dutiful, with Victor Kirby racing the victorious son of Muscle HillBee A Magician in third-over position, swinging three-wide from seventh into the far turn and picking up horses rapidly. At the top of the stretch, Bee Forever looked an easy winner but he then in turn got rough, broke briefly, regained gait, and bore out. Dutiful found clearance along the inside and was narrowing in, but Kirby got the trotter straightened away and held on a by a neck. The Valley Victory winner at two but heretofore winless in two 2021 starts, Bee Forever will continue to receive the attention of trainer Nifty Norman as he learns to maximize his obvious talent and eliminate unwanted behaviour. Melvin Hartman, Herb Liverman, and David Mc Duffee co-own the winner of $239,708. The feature for male pacers was won by Rockyroad Hanover, the heavy favourite coming off a third in a PA Sire Stakes and a win in the Stallion Series. The three-year-old son of Captaintreacherous did not disappoint with a 1:53.3 victory featuring a :27.4 last quarter, with Andrew McCarthy taking the driving duties for trainer Tony Alagna and the partnership of Riverview Racing LLC, Bradley Grant, Kenneth Jacobs, and Plouffe Head and VJ Stable. The Somebeachsomewhere filly In High Cotton had to go the hard overland route, but she made the lead in the stretch then held off the filly on her back, Captainandtelly, by a neck in 1:54.2 in the distaff feature. Todd McCarthy, who posted four winners on the day, guided the winner to a new mark for trainer Ron Coyne, Jr. and the partnership of Kelly Hoerdt and Blair & Erna Corbeil. The next racing card at Philly is on Sunday, starting at 12:40 p.m. Featured will be two $16,200 fast-class paces, with higher money earners drawing for the outside posts; the eighth race event is for distaffs, while the tenth race will feature males such as recent local sub-1:50 winners Lyons King and Pyro. For program pages, click here. (PHHA/Harrahs Philadelphia) Harness racing action returned to Woodbine Mohawk Park on Friday evening, and headlining the 11-race program was the $30,000 Fillies & Mares Preferred Pace. A strong group of six faced the new, slanted starting gate including last years OBrien Award winner as the nations Older Pacing Mare of the Year, So Much More. It was Karma Seelster who rushed out from Post 5 to grab the early lead in the featured affair, and she had the field chasing her past the opening quarter in :27.2. She coughed up the lead in the backstretch, however, when the heavily-favoured So Much More teed off from the four-hole for driver James MacDonald. So Much More cleared to the top at the mid-way point in :56.1 and then rolled the group to the three-quarter pole in 1:24.4. She then stormed home in :26.4 to win by a length over Ivana Flybye N in 1:51.3. Karma Seelster was beaten that same margin while finishing third. Sent off as the 2-5 favourite, So Much More extended her winning streak to three-in-a-row for trainer/co-owner Don Beatson. He shares ownership on the five-year-old daughter of Big Jim-Ladysai with Kenn Beatson and Cole England. The partners watched their four-legged ATM improve her 2021 record to 3-3-0 from seven assignments. The 34-time winner pushed her lifetime earnings over $600,000 with the victory. The win was the first for MacDonald since returning from his stint stateside, driving at tracks in New Jersey and Pennsylvania for five weeks while Ontario's harness racing industry was placed on pause. "When we were going into the last lockdown I considered it but we were just hoping for the best a couple of weeks and get back at it," MacDonald told Trot Insider. "The third time around it was a little more evident early that it wasnt going to be a quick fix so I pulled the trigger. Originally it started out and I took a suitcase down and Ill go down for a couple of weeks and then it turned out to be more than a month. It was a great trip. I had a lot of fun racing, met lots of new people and had some luck, too, so that was the big thing." MacDonald joined fellow WEG regulars Bob McClure and Doug McNair in the driving ranks at tracks like Harrah's Philadelphia and The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono and The Meadowlands at a time when those tracks boast unprecedented depth. The Canadians certainly held their own. "We werent coming down to prove anything or do anything like that, we were just coming down to have some luck racing....Im not taking anything away from [the American drivers], Im just saying that other people at the top of our circuit Bob and Doug and Sylvain [Filion] those guys dont win races by accident. They win races no matter where they are in the world. I think its good for Canadian racing and good for some of the trainers. Maybe if they have that good horse they wont be as itchy on the trigger finger to swap somebody out." Certainly no stranger to driving against the mainstays in those driving colonies, MacDonald spoke highly of the professionalism shown to the Canadian invaders during the stateside stretch. "The guys [in the PA and NJ driving colonies] have been great. Theyve been more than accommodating. The drivers have been helping out because its hard to get on a schedule down here to figure out where you should go and what you should do. Theres a lot of options. You really have to be on top of your business because the travel can get away on your for sure. "Theyre all professionals and at the end of the day were all horsemen. For the most part everyone [looked at the predicament we faced and] said 'they cant race up there and theyre not making any money.' Were all looking for the same goal make a little money and have a little success." MacDonald noted a couple of individuals were key to making his stateside stint a success. "Carmen Auciello got the ball rolling for me, he got me started and it picked up from there. I wouldnt have been able to think about coming down here without him and his support," noted MacDonald. "I also want to thank my brother Mark because I stayed with him for the last few weeks. That takes a big weight off your shoulders from worrying about hotel rooms and costs. Having some family down here I got to stay with him and we travelled together a lot. Its been a long time since we were able to hang out so it was fun on its own." To view results for Friday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Friday Results Woodbine Mohawk Park. Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma'aden) has awarded a major contract to an international consortium for the operation of Mansourah and Masarrah gold mines, which represent the biggest project for mining gold so far at Maaden with its total investment hitting $880 million. The scope of work includes digging, removing unstable rocks from the ceiling and sidewalls, loading, transfer, unloading and analysing mineral residues in addition to pumping surface water, excavators works and all relevant activities to the two mines to meet the production targets of Maaden safely. Mansourah and Masarrah gold mines' projects are the latest among other six operational ventures for the company. Maaden said these two mines along with an affiliated factory are expected to reach their maximum capacity in 2023 thus contributing to the production of 25 per cent of gold and helping realize the strategic goal in increasing the local production to a sustainable one million ounces of gold annually. This investment will enhance the contribution of minerals in the development of the local content, where 2020 witnessed awarding 74 per cent of contracts of the private supply chain through local providers, as work is ongoing to further increase this percentage, it added.-TradeArabia News Service World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) has launched the latest annual advancing net zero status report, which highlights leadership action from the Green Building Council (GBC) global network towards achieving total sector decarbonisation. The report showcases examples of GBCs, businesses and governments scaling action towards achieving WorldGBCs vision for a decarbonised built environment, as well as a net zero myth busting resource to improve the understanding of net zero within the building and construction industry. Following previous calls for industry action as part of Bringing Embodied Carbon Upfront, World Green Building Week 2020 and the COP26 Race to Zero, this new report celebrates the work driving the whole life carbon agenda to address emissions from how buildings are used, and from the materials and construction processes known as embodied carbon. The report covers key industry net zero trends and innovations, including: updates on tackling embodied carbon with benchmarks and targets, scaling up of retrofit and renovations efforts, notable national legislation developments, and innovations in materials and technology. These snapshots dispel the myths about net zero buildings and depict real world examples that have overcome perceived barriers. The report also highlights actions from the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment signatories, including Multiplex, The GPT Group, Hudson Pacific Properties and Grimshaw, and how they are fulfilling their commitments to decarbonise their building portfolios. A full list of current commitment signatories stands at a total of 141, with 107 businesses and organisations; 28 cities; and 6 states and regions. The businesses and organisations signed up to the Commitment now account for over 5.2 million (tCO2e) of portfolio emissions. World Green Building Council CEO Cristina Gamboa said: "In this crucial decade for climate action, it is inspiring to see the steps being taken now from stakeholders across the built environment towards achieving net zero." "The advancing net zero programme and participating GBCs are at the forefront of driving the sectoral transformation needed to achieve the Paris Agreement goals," stated Gamboa. "Moreover, signatories to the WorldGBC Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment are showing how industry stakeholders are going further and faster to implement the crucial actions and policies needed to progress the decarbonisation of their portfolios," noted Gamboa. "In the lead up to COP26, the WorldGBC network and its member GBCs, and partners are ready to demonstrate how the built environment can critically contribute to a healthier, equitable and resilient future," she added. This years COP26 will feature a dedicated Cities, Regions and Built Environment Day a crucial opportunity to catalyse the transformation of the building and construction sector to achieve decarbonisation goals, in line with the Paris Agreement's 1.5C scenario. Jennifer Leitsch, VP, Corporate Responsibility, CBRE, said: "As the worlds largest manager of commercial property, CBRE has the opportunity and the motivation to help stem the rise in global temperatures and preserve our planet for future generations." "We support WorldGBCs Advancing Net Zero programme and the crucial work it does in engaging the sector to advance the uptake of net zero through efforts such as the Advancing Net Zero Status Report," observed Leitsch. "At CBRE, we continue to do our part to significantly reduce emissions from our own operations and the properties we manage for clients," she added. Cate Harris, Group Head of Sustainability & Lendlease Foundation, Lendlease, said: "Given whats at stake, its no longer enough to make ambitious commitments without translating them into real and tangible outcomes." "This is why Lendlease has committed to #MissionZero and supporting important industry initiatives like the Advancing Net Zero Status Report by the World Green Building Council. Industry collaboration is critical in order for our sector to meaningfully reduce its carbon footprint and tackle the climate crisis head on its our biggest challenge, with our smallest target," remarked Harris. Bianca Wong, Global Head of Sustainability, Kingspan, said: "The latest Advancing Net Zero Status Report showcases the critical role of the built environment in tackling carbon emissions and slowing the advance of global warming." "There is a clear business case to realising net zero buildings, and business must play a driving role in the revolution that we need. As a signatory to the Commitment, Kingspan is proud to support this vital initiative, and share the success we have had to date in our own journey towards decarbonisation," she stated. Amanda Sturgeon, Regenerative Design Lead - Asia Pacific, New Zealand, Australia, Mott MacDonald, said: "We have entered a critical decade for the building sector to action net zero carbon and make it a reality at scale. Mott MacDonald is a proud signatory to the commitment, it is in alignment with our carbon neutral certified company achievement and goal to become a Net Zero company." "Advancing Net Zero is providing the critical guidance that we need to scale Net Zero Carbon Buildings and the whole life carbon vision is an important evolution for us to reach the carbon reduction that is essential for our future," she explained. Mina Hasman, Associate Director, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), said: "To limit the consequences of climate change, net zero must become the rule, not the exception, across the built environment sector." According to Hasman, WorldGBCs Advancing Net Zero programme calls upon the industry to rise to the challenge. "This initiative enables us to translate long-range ambitions into transformative actions we can take day by day. At SOM, we are increasingly empowered by the positive change were able to achieve by working with partners along the value chain," she added.-TradeArabia News Service Danish robot 3D construction printer company Cobod International said it had made the 3D construction printers that were behind Europes first one-, two- and three-floor buildings, among others. Cobod recently marked its entry into the US market via a partnership with Printed Farms in Florida and is now expanding its footprint in the US based on the lack of affordable housing. The new 3D-printed house project is a single-family house with three bedrooms and two baths Habitat and the city of Tempe, AZ, see this as a possible solution to the lack of affordable housing. In the face of an acute affordable housing shortage, Habitat is looking for scalable, affordable home-ownership solutions - a game changer. The lack of affordable housing in the Phoenix metro is at an all-time high and Habitat continues to explore innovative ways to address the critical issue, said the statement from the company. "This is really a moonshot opportunity for Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona," said Jason Barlow, president, and CEO of Habitat Central Arizona. "When we consider the housing issues facing Arizona, the need for affordable homeownership solutions becomes clear. If we can deliver decent, affordable, more energy-efficient homes at less cost, in less time, and with less waste, we think that could be a real game-changer. Just think of the implications," he added. The single-family house has a livable space of 1,722 sq ft. The home is expected to be ready for occupancy in August/September and will be printed with Cobods modular BOD2 3D construction printer with a size (40-m-wide, 50-m-long and 25 feet tall). The building is in Tempe, Arizona, and was designed by Candelaria Design Associates. To print the project, Habitat for Humanity chose to co-operate with PERI, among others, due to its experience with making two and three floors 3D printed buildings in Europe, also with Cobod printers. "Our PERI 3D construction printing team is incredibly proud to print this home in Tempe for Habitat for Humanity," remarked Thomas Imbacher, managing director innovation and marketing of the PERI Group. "In 2020, Peri realized the first- ever 3D-printed house in Germany with a Cobod BOD2 printer, followed shortly afterward by the largest 3D-printed apartment building in Europe to date. The 3D-printing project in Tempe is now continuing this success story in the USA," he added. Cobod Founder and General Manager Henrik Lund-Nielsen said: "Our 3D construction technology and printers have enjoyed immense success in Europe, Africa, The Middle East, and Asia. Obviously, due to our long-term cooperation with GE, we have some success with US customers also." "Still, we are really pleased that our printers are now beginning to make a stronger inroad into the US construction market," he stated. "More and more US companies realize that our technology is superior to what local suppliers can deliver. Our printers have done buildings in two US states now and more will follow in the coming months," he added.-TradeArabia News Service With Spain welcoming fully vaccinated international visitors starting from today, UAE travellers planning their summer getaways can now choose from over 30 cities in 19 countries across the Emirates network that have opened their doors for tourism and business. From July, Emirates will operate over 280 weekly flights from Dubai to cities in Europe, the US, Middle East, Africa, and other popular island getaways, for travellers who want to start their long-awaited adventures and experiences this summer without the hassle, cost or stress of quarantine. Spain is the latest European country to welcome back tourists. From June 7, tourists will be able to enter Spain if they have been fully vaccinated at least 14 days before date of travel, or can present their Covid-19 PCR tests taken 48 hours prior to arrival. Travellers will need to physically provide their vaccination certificates upon arrival, and must have received vaccines authorised by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), or one of the vaccines included in the WHO's Emergency Use Listing, including the Pfizer BioNTech, Sinopharm and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines. Unvaccinated children under the age of six will be allowed entry together with their vaccinated parents. Children over the age of six must present a negative PCR test. International passengers must also complete the Health Control Form (FCS) online prior to arrival. Emirates is currently offering five weekly flights to Madrid and four flights a week to Barcelona with additional flights being planned in line with increasing demand. More countries are taking steps towards opening their borders for travel and tourism to and from the UAE, as vaccination programmes advance and protocols for safe travel are implemented. Emirates will continue to ramp up its operations as demand returns and support the jump-start of tourism across its network as more travel corridors open, benefitting travellers with quarantine-free travel at both ends of their journey. In Europe, Emirates customers can enjoy convenient, quarantine free travel to: Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Russia, Turkey, Spain, and France (from June 9). In the Middle East, customers can make up for lost time and reconnect with friends and family, or experience history with Emirates' expanding flight schedules to: Jordan, Lebanon, Bahrain, and Egypt. For those yearning for a beach escape, Emirates offers convenient flight schedules to: The Maldives, Seychelles, and Phuket from July 2. In Africa, travellers can explore the diverse experiences and spectacular cities and resorts across: Kenya, Tanzania, Morocco. The United States, with its rapid vaccination roll-out, has also become increasingly popular for tourists. Emirates flies to 11 US destinations, and will be adding Miami as its 12th gateway on July 21. The airline is also deploying its flagship and customer favourite, the A380 aircraft, to several points including New York and Los Angeles this summer. Mexico City also remains open for tourists and business travellers, and Emirates will be resuming services from July 2. Emirates continues to enhance its partnership with flydubai, stepping up its joint network and schedule offering to 48 cities across 33 countries with quarantine-free entry this summer, providing more options than any other airline in the region. For an even more seamless journey, the airline is also scaling up its IATA Travel Pass capabilities on its flights to Barcelona, Moscow, Istanbul, New York JFK, Madrid and from London Heathrow with plans to scale up across all of its flights by July, in addition to offering customers travelling from Dubai paperless verification of Covid-19 related medical records through its partnership with the Dubai Health Authority. Emirates customers who want to take the stress and guesswork out of planning their summer getaways can explore Emirates Holidays' tailor-made packages, which meet the highest standards of health and safety. Three night packages at four star hotels start from AED2,829 ($770.1) to Spain and AED4,279 ($1,164.8) to the Indian Ocean per person. Five night packages at four star hotels start from AED5,399 ($1,469.7) to Miami and AED2,299 ($625.8) to Phuket per person. Emirates remains focused on taking the stress out of travel, and has led the industry in protecting the health of its customers to ensure a feeling of safety and confidence when deciding to fly. Emirates customers travel with the assurance that the latest health and safety measures are in place at every step of the journey. The airline has also recently introduced contactless technology to ease customers through Dubai airport. Emirates continues to lead the industry with innovative products and services that address traveller needs during a dynamic time. Recently the airline took its customer care initiatives even further with even more generous and flexible booking policies, an extension of its multi-risk insurance cover, and helping loyal customers retain their miles and tier status. For more information, including how to book flights, visit emirates.ae, travel agent or the local Emirates Sales Office. - TradeArabia News Service The Board of Airline Representatives in Germany (BARIG) welcomed the joint paper on the Restart of Air Traffic, which was presented on June 11 as part of the virtual press conference Update: Travel in Summer 2021. Under the leadership of the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI), this concept was jointly developed by the following: German Air Transport Association (BDL) BARIG German Travel Association (DRV) Federal Ministries such as the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) and the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community (BMI), the Federal Foreign Office (AA), and other parties involved It describes how the complex interaction of all those involved in air traffic and within the entire travel chain can be designed in a way that is safe for health. BARIG Secretary General Michael Hoppe commented: The paper on the Restart of Air Traffic is an important positive signal for the travel industry, aviation, and the people in Germany. With the agreed framework conditions, international travel is once again much easier. Thus, German citizens can plan visits to relatives and friends, their summer vacation, and business trips abroad. Clear rules apply to all those involved in the travel chain, ensuring health-safe flying from departure to arrival. We would like to say thank you to the political representatives, the BDL, and the DRV for their constructive cooperation. Together, we have developed the best and safest solutions for the aviation industry and the passengers. We therefore wish you Bon voyage and Always Happy Landings. - TradeArabia News Service Judge Pauses Loan Forgiveness Program For Farmers By The Associated Press MILWAUKEE - A federal judge has halted a loan forgiveness program for farmers of color in response to a lawsuit alleging the program discriminates against white farmers.The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports U.S. District Judge William Griesbach in Milwaukee issued a temporary restraining order Thursday suspending the program from President Joe Biden' administration for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. The program pays up to 120% of direct or guaranteed farm loan balances for Black, American Indian, Hispanic, Asian American or Pacific Islander farmers.Conservative law firm Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty filed suit in April on behalf of 12 farmers from Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Missouri, Iowa, Arkansas, Oregon and Kentucky. Photo:CCTV Qi Fabao, the regimental commander from the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Xinjiang military command, who suffered serious head injury while fighting bravely in the Galwan Valley border skirmish on June 15, 2020, made an appearance and spoke at a recent high-level military meeting in honor of heroic border troops on Friday. As the first anniversary of the skirmish approaches, experts say China has once again shown its determination to safeguard territorial integrity. According to the video clip from the military channel of China Central Television (CCTV) on Thursday, Qi, in military uniform with a Party emblem on, attended a meeting organized by the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission. The scar in his head can be clearly seen. Along with four other frontline soldiers, Qi shared the stories of four martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the Galwan Valley clash. "If the troop is compared to a sharp sword, then the courage and uprightness of soldiers is the blade of the sword. We are not afraid of sacrifice, and we have always held on to the belief that we would rather sacrifice our lives than lose an inch of our territory," Qi said in his speech. Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times on Friday that Qi's speech in the briefing showed China's consistent and firm attitude of safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity. India should not have any illusion that China will make any concession on the issue of territorial integrity, said Qian, noting that the two countries should respect each other and meet halfway to restore peace and tranquility on the border and create conditions for the restart of China-India relations. The skirmish in June 2020 was caused by India's provocation, and Chinese frontline soldiers have demonstrated their spirit of never giving up an inch of territory in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Song Zhongping, a military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Friday. The briefing that highlighted heroes can also been seen as a patriotic and national defense education for the Chinese public before the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China on July 1 and China's Army Day on August 1, the expert said. The event can make the whole society understand the importance of the military, which needs greater respect, as they are protecting China's core interests with their blood and lives, Song said. In February, the Central Military Commission issued commendations to the servicemen for their role in bravely fighting back provocations by foreign forces at the Galwan Valley. The title of "border-defending hero" was conferred on Battalion Commander Chen Hongjun posthumously, while Chen Xiangrong, Xiao Siyuan and Wang Zhuoran received first-class merits. They all died in a Galwan Valley clash last June, Xinhua reported. In May, the CPC Central Committee announced that they will, for the first time, issue July 1 Medals to Party members who have made outstanding contributions and created valuable spiritual wealth. The 29 candidates recommended for the award included Chen Hongjun, a Galwan Valley hero who died in the clash last year. The special service will be held on 27 June, in conjunction with the celebration of all the Catholic patriarchs of the East. Since Pope Franciss visit, pastoral and Church life has experienced a renewal. The patriarch reminds Catholics of Christian hope and national identity as part of living together. Erbil (AsiaNews) - The Chaldean Church plans to hold a special Mass for peace in the Middle East at 10 am, on 27 June in conjunction with the celebration of all the Catholic patriarchs of the East. During the service, Christian leaders will entrust the region, ravaged by war and violence, to the care of the Holy Family of Nazareth. The Chaldean Patriarchate sent AsiaNews a note to this effect following the bishops monthly meeting on Thursday at the Patriarchs summer residence in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan. The assembly, one of the first in person after months of COVID-19 pandemic, was attended by, among others, Bishops Basil Yaldo, Shlemon Warduni, Bashar Warda and Najeeb Mikhael. The Chaldean primate, Card Louis Raphael Sako, opened the meeting with a prayer for peace and stability in Iraq, followed by a presentation of the countrys general situation, that of the Church, and other topics on the agenda. Since Pope Francis' visit in early March, the local Church has experienced a renewed pastoral and ecclesial impetus, as evinced by more than 200 first communions of young people last week in Baghdad. Speaking about the Mass for peace, the cardinal explained that each bishop will celebrate the service in his own diocese, adding that diocesan leaders must supervise priests and religious at this crucial point in the countrys political life, preventing them from intervening or expressing any kind of public support to factions or parties in the run-up to next October elections. The same applies to churches and places of worship, which must not be propaganda centres or welcome candidates. Believers, he added, should be reminded instead of the importance of Christian hope and national identity by working to promote the values of living together. With respect to the Church, the prelate said that the next Chaldean Synod is scheduled in Baghdad from 9 to 14 August 2021, preceded by a spiritual retreat for prelates and priests from 19 to 23 July at the seminary in Ankawa (Erbil) under the theme spirituality in the celebration of the liturgy of the sacraments. Lastly, as the auxiliary of Baghdad indicated to AsiaNews, the Patriarchate will organise a great meeting of Chaldean youth. To this end an ad hoc committee was set up chaired by Bishop Basil Yaldo. by Sumon Corraya In a virtual ceremony, the prime minister officially inaugurated new mosques to mark the centenary of the birth of the nation's Founding Father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. However, this is proving controversial on social media. Catholic prelate wonders if minorities will have their own model places of prayer. Dhaka (AsiaNews) Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated 50 model mosques built to mark the Year of Mujib, the centenary of the birth of the nation's Founding Father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. During the virtual ceremony held yesterday at her official residence, Gana Bhaban, the prime minister said that these model mosques will help defeat Islamist militancy. This is part of a government programme to build 560 mosques and centres of excellence aimed at encouraging Islamic brotherhood, true values and the true religious practice of Islam. The new places of prayer will be open to men and women, and increase awareness in public opinion about the need to fight social ills. Awareness has to be built in society against drugs, women repression, child repression and sexual abuse like the measures taken against terrorism, said Prime Minister Hasina. We wanted to establish these mosques in such ways to provide all types of education, create awareness and increase knowledge about Islam. Later, the prime minister linked up virtually with newly Khulna District model mosque, the Badarganj Upazila model mosque in Rangpur District, and the South Surma model mosque in Sylhet District and exchanged views with local believers. Ms Hasina used the occasion to speak out again against terrorism. How can anyone think that killing can lead to heaven? These people harm Islam, which is a religion of peace. The inauguration of model mosques is, however, a hot topic on social media. Zayadul Ahsan Pintu, a well-known Muslim journalist, wrote that the government should also build places of prayer for Hindus, Christians and Buddhists. For his part, Bishop Gervas Rozario of Rajshahj, vice president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Bangladesh, said that the government also represents religious minorities. When will they have their own model places of prayer? Bangladesh is an Islamic-majority country. About 90 per cent of the population is Muslim; the rest are Hindus, Buddhists and Christians. On 1 July 2016, five extremist militants stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka, taking hostages and killing 29 people, including nine Italians. Only the hostages who could recite the Qur'an had their lives spared. After this massacre, the government began to crack down hard on Islamist militants. by Bernardo Cervellera The prelates release their urgent demand after churches were attacked in the Diocese of Loikaw, resulting in deaths and thousands fleeing into the jungle where they are now in danger of starving. Peace is still possible, the bishops believe. To this end, they will hold liturgical services and prayers in every diocese because Our destiny is in Gods hands. Rome The bishops of Myanmar issued an appeal yesterday as faith leaders", not as "politicians. In it they demand the creation of humanitarian corridors to reach thousands of people stranded in the jungle after fleeing attacks by Myanmars military. At the same time, the prelates urge the parties in the ongoing conflict to respect international rules in times of conflict, so that churches, temples, monasteries, pagodas, schools, and hospitals can be spared. Last but not the least, the Church leaders pledge to hold a number of liturgical services and prayers in favour of peace in the country. The bishops appeal follows attacks by the military in the Diocese of Loikaw (Kayah State), which targeted four churches. Several people were killed, prompting thousands to flee into the jungles without food or water. For several weeks, Kayah State has been the scene of fighting between the military and armed groups organised by local ethnic Karenni (Kayah) people. To escape attacks, searches and killings by the military, people left their homes and villages taking refuge in churches and other places of worship. Although Myanmars military promised to spare places of worship, four churches were targeted recently: Mary Queen of Peace in Daw Ngan Kha, a church in Kayan Thaya, Saint Joseph in Demosus, and the Church of the Sacred Heart in Kayantharyar. At the same time, junta leaders have met with extremist Buddhist groups, rejected by official Buddhist authorities. Some observers think that Myanmars military rulers plan to unleash a "religious war", something they did in the past to prop up their rule. In light of the situation, Myanmars bishops demand respect for the "human dignity" of the population and action towards "lasting peace". Their appeal is addressed to our dear people of Myanmar and other stakeholders, including the military junta (not described as the countrys leaders or the government), as well as the government of national unity, set up by lawmakers deposed by the army and other exiled leaders. The appeal ends with words Card Charles Bo often repeats: Peace is still possible. Peace is the way. (B.C.) 11 June 2021 To all our dear people of Myanmar and all other stakeholders Greetings from the Catholic Bishops of Myanmar As our country goes through her challenging times this appeal is made on humanitarian grounds. We are not politicians, we are faith leaders, accompanying our people in their journey towards human dignity. 1. We appeal for humanitarian corridor[s] in the conflict zones: Thousands of our people, especially the old and the children are starving in the jungles. Starvation of the innocent people is the most heart wrenching experience. We plead with all kindly, to allow the humanitarian corridor[s] to reach out to the starving masses wherever they are. These are our citizens and they have [a] basic right to food and safety. 2. Respect the right to sanctuary and respect [the] sanctity of places of worship: In the recent conflict thousands have sought safety in the churches. Four churches in Loikaw were attacked and thousands fled to the jungle. Kindly observe the international norms of sanctuary in war times: churches, pagodas, monasteries, mosques, temples including schools and hospitals are recognized as neutral places of refuge during conflict. We appeal that these places are not be attacked and the people who seek refuge should be protected. 3. We appeal to all the Catholic Dioceses: Our destiny is in Gods hands. God must change the hearts of all, bringing peace to this nation. As a nation we have suffered a lot and this should end. Let each diocese launch into a period of intense prayer, seeking compassion in the hearts of all and peace to this nation. We urge all Diocese[s] to offer daily Mass for peace and reconciliation of the country, to pray the prayer directed by [the] CBCM[*] after the daily Mass, to make an hour adoration every day alone or with a group, and to pray the Rosary and ask the maternal protection of Mary, Mother of help. 4. Work for durable Peace: For the last seven decades this country has been in conflict. [What remains are] tears and [the] brokenness of innocent people. Despite the recent events, as a nation we need to invest in peace. Nobody has won a war in this country. It is our duty to work towards peace. This country deserves to join the community of nations, putting [its] past to history and invest in peace. Human dignity is given by God and no amount of violence can negate peoples aspiration for human dignity. That [this] can be achieved by peaceful means is the lessons (sic) of history. Peace is still possible. Peace is the way. In solidarity with the people of Myanmar The President and the Bishops of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Myanmar The names and signatures follow: Charles Cardinal Bo, President (Archdiocese of Yangon) Bishop John Mahn Hsane Hgyi, Vice president (Diocese of Pathein) Auxiliary Bishop John Saw Yaw Han, General Secretary (Archdiocese of Yangon) Bishop John Saw Gawdy, Substitute Member (Diocese of Taungngu) Archbishop Basilio Athai (Archdiocese of Taunggyi) Archbishop Marco Tin Win (Archdiocese of Mandalay) Bishop Raymond Saw Po Ray (Diocese of Mawlamyaing) Bishop Justine Saw Min Thide (Diocese of Hpa-an) Bishop Alexander Pyone Cho (Diocese of Pyay) Bishop Lucius Hre Kung (Diocese of Hakha) Bishop Raymond Sumlut Gam (Diocese of Bamaw) Bishop Lucas Dau Ze (Diocese of Lashio) Auxiliary Bishop Noel Saw Naw Aye (Archdiocese of Yangon) [*] CBCM, Catholic Bishops Conference of Myanmar. by Vladimir Rozanskij The leaders of the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan are languishing in jail. Their families have been targeted as traitors to the homeland. Some women were abandoned by their husbands because their fathers are jailed Islamist politicians. Dr Mirzo Khodjmatov has been arrested. Moscow (AsiaNews) Some cases of domestic and social violence have brought back to the fore the issue of Tajikistans Islamic party and the merciless struggle by the government against religious radicalism. The former Soviet republic is one of the countries where propaganda by the Islamic State group and other Islamic extremist groups has found fertile ground. However, the families of Islamist politicians have been subjected to attacks and persecution in their own communities and by state authorities. Five years ago, the leaders of the banned Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) were convicted by a Tajik court. All top leaders were given long prison sentences, and since then their relatives have been labelled traitors to the homeland, turning their life into hell. Denied the right to work or emigrate, they fear state reprisals, while friends and acquaintances have broken off relations with them, sometimes holding a violent grudge against them. Nilufar Rajabova spoke to Radio Ozody on Thursday about her situation. Daughter of Rakhmatullo Rajab, a convicted IRPT member, she was deserted by her husband and left to cope with three young children, two of whom had a severe form of osteogenesis imperfecta, also known as brittle bone disease. Rajabova said that her husband once came home and beat her as soon as he opened the door for causing great scandal with the neighbours. What is more, He called me a traitor and a terrorist, and said he would divorce me. No one wants to hire her even for humble jobs, said Rajabovas mother, Valamati Ibrahimzoda. Because of husband, Rakhmatullo Rajab, the two women have been forced into utter poverty. When we have some money, we don't know whether to spend it on the children's medicines, buy food for my husband in prison or for ourselves, she added. When Rakhmatullo Rajab caught COVID-19 in prison, It was very bad, she explained. We spent up to the last penny to get him some medicine. His grandson, who is now 10 years old, is bullied at school, where they beat him all the time. Amina Mirzoyeva knows that Rajabova has gone through, and then some. Mother of three daughters five-year-old Maria, three-year-old Rumayso, and newborn Oyshamok she lives in her uncle's tool shed in Kulyaba. Her husband left her right after he was told that he would have a third daughter. After kicking his wife out of their house, he sold it before moving to Russia. Because she is related to convicted Islamists, Amina has been accused by her husband of being a traitor, not even able to give him a boy. The couple were married in an Islamic wedding, but not civilly. She hasn't heard from him in a year. Sabrinisso Djurabekova is married to an IRPT leader, Makhmadali Khaita, who is serving a long sentence. She cannot work, and is getting by with her two children thanks to help from some neighbours and compassionate relatives. Her eldest son fled the country due to the constant persecution and arrests to which he was subjected. She notes that In addition to convictions, there is systematic collective punishment, pressure, questioning, searches and censoring by the authorities as well as ordinary citizens, trying sometimes to ferret out party members not yet in jail. Some IRPT leaders have fled abroad, mostly Europe. Claiming that they were never involved in terrorism, they accuse Tajik authorities of trying to crush the countrys only opposition. Dr Mirzo Khodjmatov, 63, was one of the few IRPT leaders still at liberty after the start of the crackdown. After moving to Russias Tyumen region, he made brief visits home to see his family. Even though his relatives say that he had not been a party member since 2015, the year of the Islamists' attempted coup, he was arrested on 22 May. Put on trial, he was convicted and handed down a five-year sentence on 2 June. She was sentenced in December 2020 to 10 months in prison for her role in the Wan Chai Police Station siege. Joshua Wong and Ivan Lam are still in prison in connection with the same incident, which took place on 21 June 2019. Chow was one of the leaders of the anti-extradition movement. Her sentence was reduced for good behaviour. Hong Kong (AsiaNews) Agnes Chow was released from prison this morning after seven months. The well-known pro-democracy activist was sentenced in December 2020 to 10 months in prison for inciting an anti-government protest on 21 June, 2019. That day, thousands of people surrounded police headquarters in Wan Chai, calling on Hong Kong authorities to drop an extradition bill and urging law enforcement to stop describing pro-democracy protests as riots. Two other young pro-democracy leaders Joshua Wong and Ivan Lam were jailed in connection with the same event. The three pleaded guilty to raising public awareness about Hong Kongs crackdown against the pro-democracy movement. Wong, Chow and Lam are among the founders of Demosisto, a pro-independence party that disbanded itself after China adopted a draconian security law in June 2020. Chows sentence was reduced for good behaviour. On leaving Tai Lam Penitentiary, the young activist made no statements and drove away accompanied by friends and pro-democracy supporters. Just one vaccine is available for people under 18 and none has yet to be approved in children younger than 12. Maryland has gotten at least one dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech immunization to 43.4% of its youths 12 to 17 years old, health data shows. An NBC News analysis showed Maryland was one of just seven states to have partially vaccinated at least 40% of its adolescents. Queen and Briggs bodies were found with no money in their pockets to purchase the weed that brought Hurtado-Valdez to the apartment laundry room, Insley said. Hurtado-Valdez told police the two men jumped him and threatened to kill him with the gun. He told police they wrestled with the gun and thats when Hurtado-Valdez shot Briggs in the laundry room and shot Queen while reaching for his phone that he dropped. Queen left the room and died outside. They exert control over their environment. They are doing exactly the same things that the other sailors are doing. Everyone has a job to do on a boat, and they have to work together. That creates a sense of teamwork and accomplishment. And theyre out on the Chesapeake Bay, enjoying the wind and the wildlife and the water. People are looking for something to do, said Manzo, a Middletown, Delaware, resident who also hosts a sister event with his wife, Sapphira Gratz, in Delaware each year. After being here for three years the word is out. With things opening up, were back to business. People are ready to shop. Thats why the head of the Westport Neighborhood Association paid attention to the citys reaction to recent violence, including shootings that injured three people, in trendy Fells Point. Business owners there signed a letter threatening to not pay taxes if city officials did not provide additional resources for what they described as long-standing problems, including crime, trash and traffic. On Saturday several cars were damaged by bullets and one person was treated for lacerations stemming from gunfire, police said. Im looking to help find solutions not just shout at the problems, Cole said in an interview Saturday. Its just frustrating, its not the land of pleasant living when its like this and, and thats really what Im trying to figure out how can we get this place back to being the land of pleasant living when weve got so much through traffic. The officer determined while Forbes was in the store that the rear tag on Forbes vehicle was for a different vehicle, the windows were tinted and the vehicle also lacked a front tag, the release said. The officer then asked Forbes to identify himself, to which he provided a false name and refused to present a drivers license. At least 20 security forces were killed and 20 others were wounded in heavy clashes with the Taliban in Tolak district of Afghanistan's Ghor province, informed sources on Saturday. Salman Yusufi, district governor for Tolak, said that at least 20 security force members were killed on Friday and 20 more were wounded in the clashes in the district, which has fallen to the Taliban after the conflict, reported TOLO News. Yusufi further said that at least 10 security force members have been captured by the Taliban and criticised the lack of attention by relevant officials to supply equipment to the forces. This comes after the Afghan Defense Ministry said that civilian and military institutions in Zare district in the northern province of Balkh were shifted to another place on Saturday due to limited access to the district for supplying equipment to security forces. The Taliban has claimed to have captured the Zare district on Saturday, further reported TOLO News. At least 17 districts have fallen to terrorists over the last two months, sources and officials have confirmed, including Burka district in Baghlan, Qaisar district in Faryab and Shahrak district in Ghor. The Taliban claims they have also captured Charkh district in Logar, Do Ab, and Mandol districts in Nuristan, Farsi district in Herat, Deh Yak district in Ghazni, Gezab district in Daikundi, and Shinkai district in Zabul. Taliban also launched attacks on several fronts in Nimroz and Badakhshan provinces. "We have lost several parts of Arghanjkhwah district in Badakhshan. The problem will get worse if the government does not take action regarding the issue," said Hujjatullah Farahmand, MP from Badakhshan. Earlier, it was reported that the Pentagon is mulling to authorise airstrikes in Afghanistan if the country falls into crisis due to the rise in violence by the Taliban in the country following US troops pull-out. US President Joe Biden is also under pressure to evacuate Afghans who helped US forces during the conflict and are at risk of being hunted by the Taliban. (ANI) Also Read: Taliban lauds Pakistan's refusal to give airbases to US troops Clay Center, KS (67432) Today Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. A former Cicerone employee complained in a Facebook post from March 2020 about a contracted instructor and examiner employed for the Cicerone program. The Cicerone program followed up with a staff meeting at which it decided to cut ties with the instructor, though the person hadnt worked for the organization since August 2019. The person was asked this month to remove references to having worked for the Cicerone program, the report says. In Mississippi, where some public schools once defied federal orders to admit Black students and issues of educational equity are still raw, who gets honored and how can dredge up painful questions that are impossible to disentangle from the states racial history. In the past five years, Black women in Cleveland, Mississippi, about 150 miles away, have twice filed federal lawsuits alleging they had been cheated in their schools selection of valedictorian and salutatorian. Saturday is still his busiest day. But whereas he once kicked off his workday by practicing lifting his colleagues above his head, he now begins by removing sourdough loaves from the refrigerator and preparing them for baking. (The oven in his apartment, in the New York City section of Harlem, is so old that the numbers on the temperature dial wore off long ago, but he knows which dot to pick to get the color and crust just right.) We have lost about one-third of our staff to resignation and retirement, said Chief David Zack of the Asheville Police Department in North Carolina more than 80 officers out of a full complement of 238. Certainly with the way that police have been portrayed and vilified in some cases, they have decided that it is not the life for them. In another fatal shooting, shortly before 9 p.m. Friday, a 20-year-old woman was killed while riding in a vehicle in the 4700 block of South Rockwell Street in the Gage Park neighborhood. The woman was with her boyfriend when someone approached on foot and yelled gang slogans before opening fire. She was struck in the neck and left hand, and was taken in critical condition to Mount Sinai Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, police said. A CPD veteran of about 20 years, Alderden is a recipient of the Carter Harrison Award, one of the citys two highest honors for first responders, for his response to a November 2018 shooting at Mercy Hospital & Medical Center that claimed the lives of pharmacist Dayna Less, Dr. Tamara ONeal and Chicago police Officer Samuel Jimenez. China's auto sales rose 36.6 percent year on year to 10.88 million units in the January-May period as business activities continued to pick up pace amid sustained economic recovery, data from an industry association showed on Friday. Sales of passenger vehicles increased 38.1 percent year on year to 8.44 million units during the first five months of the year, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM). In May alone, auto sales totaled 2.13 million units, down 3.1 percent year on year. "China's automobile consumption has remained generally stable in the first five months," the CAAM said. The new energy vehicles (NEV) market in China has heated up, with its sales surging 220 percent year on year to over 900,000 units during the January-May period. In May alone, NEV sales hiked 160 percent year on year to 217,000 units. The better-than-expected NEV sales came amid a government push and rising market enthusiasm for eco-friendly cars. In November last year, China unveiled a development plan for its NEV industry from 2021 to 2035 that aims to accelerate the country's transition into an automotive powerhouse. NEVs are expected to represent 20 percent of the sales of new vehicles by 2025, and vehicles used in public transportation will be completely electrified by 2035, according to the plan. Auto exports also reported upbeat data, with Chinese car manufacturers exporting 670,000 vehicles in the first five months, up 110 percent from last year. In May, China's auto exports climbed 210 percent year on year to 151,000 vehicles, the CAAM said. China's automobile consumption is expected to further stabilize with solid support from stable growth at home, the CAAM said, adding that the industry should be cautiously optimistic about its prospects. The automobile industry might also be faced with challenges, including complex pandemic situations around the world, uneven global economic recovery and an unstable economic recovery foundation, the CAAM said. Chinese authorities have launched a nationwide campaign against the underground industry relevant to camera peeping. The operation from May to August, per a decision made by the Cyberspace Administration of China and three other government agencies, aims to protect individual privacy as camera peeping-related illegal practices have severely infringed upon privacy and become an issue of concern to many. According to officials, recent years saw lawless individuals hack into and control security cameras in citizens' homes and public places, convert smartphones and smart bracelet bands into camera-peeping kits, sell cracked software, and spread peeping techniques to peeping Toms. It all formed an underground industrial chain. Security camera producers should enhance their products' security capacity while related cloud service providers need to beef up data security, said a notice from the authorities. Authorities also demanded internet platforms take their responsibility seriously in helping prevent the spread of illegal and harmful information relevant to the underground industry. The notice stressed that illegalities would be strictly dealt with under the law. Flash Wang Chen, vice chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, met with the Cuban ambassador to China Carlos Miguel Pereira in Beijing on Friday. Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said the NPC is willing to work with Cuba's National Assembly of People's Power to thoroughly implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, give full play to the unique role of their legislatures, and make contributions to promoting pragmatic cooperation between the two sides in various fields, enhancing the friendship between the peoples, and continuously consolidating the special and friendly bilateral ties. Wang also introduced China's development, including the construction of democracy, the rule of law and legislative work. Pereira, for his part, said that Cuba opposes any interference in China's internal affairs. He said that China's passing of the law against foreign sanctions is a powerful legal measure, adding that Cuba is ready to strengthen cooperation between the legislative bodies of the two countries. Flash The Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Friday strongly condemned a U.S. official in Hong Kong for making fallacious remarks to smear the national security law in the HKSAR and spread pessimism about Hong Kong's outlook. The national security law has closed the loopholes in safeguarding national security in Hong Kong, brought an end to "Hong Kong independence", and reversed the violence and social unrest so that Hong Kong can return to stability from chaos, a spokesperson of the office said. The spokesperson said the United States, which has enacted the world's most complete national security law system on its territory, has repeatedly slandered China's efforts to implement the national security law in the HKSAR, which exposes its double standards, prejudice and hegemonic behavior. The Chinese central government has stuck to the implementation of "one country, two systems" strictly in accordance with the Constitution and the Basic Law since Hong Kong's return to the motherland, the spokesperson said. Hong Kong has maintained higher international rankings in freedoms, judiciary and the rule of law than the United States and its residents have started to enjoy much wider rights and freedoms unseen during the colonial period, the spokesperson said. In contrast, the United States has a poor human rights record, with serious racism, police brutality and gun violence and is seen as the biggest threat to global democracy in a recent survey of people from 53 countries and regions, the spokesperson said, stressing the United States is not qualified to interfere in Hong Kong affairs under the banners of "human rights" and "democracy". As the national security law in the HKSAR has come into force for a year, the financial hub has been put back on track and foreign companies are more confident in its future, the spokesperson said, citing a report of the International Monetary Fund that reaffirmed Hong Kong's status as a global financial center. Foreign consulates in Hong Kong must comply with both local and international laws, the spokesperson said, stressing any interference in China's internal affairs, including Hong Kong affairs, and any activities endangering China's national security and Hong Kong's stability and prosperity will not be allowed. Flash The Japanese government is considering easing the COVID-19 restrictions in Tokyo and Osaka from June 21, a government official said Friday. Tokyo and Osaka are likely to be kept under a quasi-state of emergency with less tough measures to be implemented, and the state of emergency for most of the 10 prefectures covered will be lifted on the planned end date of June 20, the official said. The government aims to prevent a resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic ahead of the Tokyo Olympics slated to start on July 23. In areas to be put under a quasi-state of emergency, the government plans to continue asking restaurants to shorten their opening hours but is considering lifting the ban on sales of alcoholic beverages. A state of emergency approves orders for certain facilities to shut down, while a quasi-state of emergency allows shortening opening hours. A formal decision is expected to be made at a government meeting to be held as early as Thursday, after Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga meets relevant ministers and a subcommittee of experts to discuss restrictions on major events to be held in July and August. Flash Ali Obaid Al Dhaheri, United Arab Emirates (UAE) ambassador to China, makes rice dumplings with children and their families at the Beijing Stars and Rain Education Institute for Autism on June 11, 2021. [Photo courtesy of the UAE Embassy in Beijing] The United Arab Emirates (UAE) ambassador to China has called for joint efforts from China and the international community to support children with autism and their families and raise awareness about their condition. Ambassador Ali Obaid Al Dhaheri made the remarks on Friday at an event held by the embassy to celebrate Duanwu with children and their families at the Beijing Stars and Rain Education Institute for Autism. Duanwu, or the Dragon Boat Festival, is traditionally celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese lunar calendar in memory of the death of famous Chinese poet Qu Yuan from the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.). "On the occasion of the Dragon Boat Festival, we hope you can enjoy the company of your family, friends and relatives, and of course, enjoy rice dumplings," he said. The event comes as part of the embassy's wider commitment to charity and humanitarian initiatives. Ali Obaid Al Dhaheri also made Zongzi, a glutinous rice dumpling wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves, together with children in the institute and learnt about the origins of China's Dragon Boat Festival. "In the UAE, we are strongly committed to supporting charitable causes," he added. "Helping others is deeply ingrained in our culture." UAE Ambassador to China Ali Obaid Al Dhaheri speaks to children and their families at the Beijing Stars and Rain Education Institute for Autism on June 11, 2021. [Photo courtesy of the UAE Embassy in Beijing] After the event, the Embassy of the UAE presented gifts to the children and their families, extending warm greetings to them. Supported by the UAE Embassy in Beijing, the Beijing Stars and Rain Education Institute for Autism is China's first non-profit organization for autistic patients, providing financial and psychological support to children as well as their families, parents, and teachers. Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced on Twitter the new "1836 Project" that will teach the state's history and "Christian Heritage" to students. "To keep Texas the best state in the nation, we can never forget WHY our state is so exceptional. I signed a law establishing the 1836 Project, which promotes patriotic education & ensures future generations understand TX values. Together, we'll keep our rich history alive," Abbott said on Tuesday. The post contained a video of Abbott with the law's authors during the actual signing. At writing time, the video was already viewed 2.1 million times and was received positively by netizens who gave it 9,235 likes, retweeted it 1,578 times, and shared it with their own quotes for 4,176 times. To keep Texas the best state in the nation, we can never forget WHY our state is so exceptional. I signed a law establishing the 1836 project, which promotes patriotic education & ensures future generations understand TX values. Together, we'll keep our rich history alive. pic.twitter.com/4yZuygS2yX Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) June 7, 2021 As per The Christian Post, the new law is composed of a nine-member advisory committee that includes the Speaker of the House, the lieutenant governor, and the governor who are to pick three people each to serve for two years. The new law promotes Texas history for topics on "the indigenous peoples of this state, the Spanish and Mexican heritage of this state, Tejanos, the African American heritage of this state, the Texas War for Independence, Juneteenth, annexation of Texas by the United States, the Christian heritage of this state, and this state's heritage of keeping and bearing firearms in defense of life and liberty and for use in hunting." The 1836 Project, as per the law's literature, believes that patriotic and values education actually "stimulate" prosperity for the state. The law enlists the duties of the committee that involves promotion awareness, advisory capacity to the governor on the founding principles, development and facilitation of the Gubernatorial 1836 Award, and advisory capacity to state agencies on patriotic education. The committee also acts as a resource of the public on the subject. The law said the Gubernatorial 1836 award is designed to recognize the knowledge of students on Texas Independence. The Christian Post cited the Texas Public Policy Foundation's Next Generation Texas Campaign Manager Lucky Meckler appreciating the new law since it "does not gloss over Texas' unique history but instead embraces it." Meckler told The Christian Post in an interview that the law was a "unique and robust way" of teaaching the state's founding principles, diverse culture, and rich history to Texans. "(The law ensures) that all voices have the ability to participate in the creation and dispersing of Texas history and civics education to the public. "At a time when our state is struggling with a civic literacy crisis and growing rapidly in population, it is more important than ever to ensure that every Texan has the opportunity to learn about what makes this state so great," Meckler said. Former President Donald Trump has launched a similar initiative during his administration through the 1776 Commission that focused on America's founding principles. The 1776 Commission released their report days before Trump left office. However, President Joe Biden signed an executive order that revoked the commission before all information on it was removed from the White House website. The U.S. Department of Justice reportedly changed its mind to "vigorously" defend Christian school's religious exemptions following a backlash on it from the LGBTQ+ community. WND reported that the fight for the Title IX exemption of Christian schools is over as the Department of Justice has edited its court filing released last Tuesday by deleting the content in it that they will "vigorously" defend religious rights. Instead, the Department of Justice used the word "adequate" in the filing several times and also removed the "ultimate objective" in it. It also deleted part of the sentence that said it will "uphold the Religious Exemption as it is currently applied." The report comes a day after the Department of Justice took the side of Christian schools over the lawsuit filed by the LGBTQ+ group Religious Exemption Accountability Project. "The Federal Defendants' ultimate objective is to defend the statutory exemption and its current application by ED, which is the objective sought by the Proposed Intervenors here," the Department of Justice's District Court from Oregon's Eugene Division said originally. The Religious Exemption Accountability Project (REAP) condemned the DOJ's decision, which according to their Director Paul Carlos Southwick, "betrayed" them considering President Joe Biden has been insisting the protection of the LGBTQ+ community against discrimination. "My clients feel betrayed by an administration the promised to protect LGBTQ+ students. The Biden administration did not need to defend this unconstitutional religious exemption, and they certainly did not need to say that it 'shares the same ultimate objective' as anti-LGBTQ extremist group Alliance Defending Freedom," Southwick said in an interview with CNN. Meanwhile, the Christian Headlines reported that Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Abert Mohler pointed out that the incident shows why the Christian community should not trust President Joe Biden to defend the religious liberty of religious schools. Mohler warned in the Thursday episode of the podcast "The Briefing" that things work differently at the White House where things do not really "appear to be" what people see. "One insight into how things actually work in Washington, D.C. is that sometimes they are almost the opposite of what they appear to be," Mohler said in the podcast. "Why is it that the Biden administration's Justice Department would say that it is going to defend the current federal law? Why not allow the Christian colleges and their representatives to do this, to make the case?" he raised. "The answer is the Justice Department is really arguing that it will take this role in defense of federal law so that it will not be defended very vigorously at all," he added. "What the Justice Department is really doing is saying that it does not want to allow attorneys for the Christian colleges and universities to be able to make the case themselves." Mohler pointed out that the fact that Biden supports the Equality Act, there is "reason to believe" that the Department of Justice would "subvert the arguments" of Christian schools. He pointed out that the Biden Administration's Department of Justice does not want to uphold the fact that the exemption stated in Title IX is "not only allowable" but is actually "required by Constitution" as a means to protect religious liberty. A new 17-second video that appears to be footage of a CCTV recording with a woman's voice over has been making the rounds, showing the first people who illegally stepped into Capitol Hill during the January 6 attacks. The short clip showed how the first handful of people who broke into the Capitol were all dressed in black and were wearing combat gear, which reports claim were Antifa or BLM because Trump supporters would not wear black clothing from head to toe. According to WND, the video posted to the Gateway Pundit showed people dressed in black breaking and jumping through a window in the Capitol. One of them was carrying a bat and appeared to be part of an organized group such as Antifa or BLM. The female narrator of the video recounted "the first group of assailants as they break into the building" and points out how one of them was "wearing full tactical body armor." The CCTV footage indicates it was captured on "Wednesday, January 06, 2021" at about 2:13 p.m. Debunking the pro-Trump insurrection argument, the Gateway Pundit explained that these people who were the first entered Capitol Hill on January 6 were not followers of former President Donald Trump because "Trump supporters never dressed in black." However, those who do dress up in black clothing and appear in protests are Antifa and BLM. The report also points out how these January 6 protesters carried Confederate flags, which are "never seen at Trump rallies." An American Greatness report by Julie Kelly questions why the Biden administration fails to recognize physical evidence that the "pro-Trump insurrection" did not involve Trump supporters. While the Biden administration calls the Capitol Hill attack as "the worst attack since the Civil War" and Attorney General Merrick Garland compared it to the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, the government isn't looking into how "mostly nonviolent Americans" were also present to help defend "The People's House." Instead, mainstream media painted this picture: the pro-Trump insurrection by Trump supporters who just happened to be at his rally just a few blocks away from Capitol Hill right before the attacks started. Kelly accuses the government of "using every legal trick possible to keep the trove hidden from the public even as clips are presented in court as evidence against hundreds of January 6 defendants." There is, in fact over 14,000 hours of footage between 12 noon and 8 p.m. of January 6, including what the left are calling a pro-Trump insurrection. Kelly accused the Capitol Police of "produced selective clips for Democratic House impeachment managers to use in the trial against Donald Trump." Another point that the government fails to highlight is how Capitol Police had in fact faced equipment shortage during the attacks, regardless of who got to the scene first. A Roll Call report revealed how most officers had to fend off rioters "without helmets, face shields or gas masks" and some even had trouble accessing their gear before what the left calls a pro-Trump insurrection occurred. According to the report, at least one Civil Disturbance Unit (CDU) unit of about 40 officers were told by a supervisor to "leave all its protective gear on a bus on the West Front and patrol without it," a questionable safety issue that should be investigated. The report concluded that "Exactly why the Capitol Police did not have adequate gear on Jan. 6 is unclear." Earlier reports reveal that former President Trump offered to deploy the National Guard to the Capitol prior to Jan. 6, but Nancy Pelosi rejected the offer due to "optics." Reports also indicated that the Capitol Police Chief at the time, Steven Sund, called for the National Guard to be sent to the Capitol before Jan. 6, but his request had been denied by his own security officials. Sund also made calls for help six times during the incident, but his calls were also denied. Various people, including one who has studied leftist tactics here and abroad for years, say leftists from Antifa were there at the Capitol on that day, disguised to look like legitimate Trump supporters but behaving like they always do when they riot. The United States' largest youth pro-life organization Students for Life of America gathered outside the headquarters of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland on Thursday to call for the immediate resignation of controversial infectious disease expert and White House public health adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is also the head of the NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The group claims that Dr. Fauci is guilty of funneling federal funds into the University of Pittsburgh, which conducts "barbaric" research involving aborted babies. "Dr. Fauci, as the director of the NIAID, has allowed federal tax dollars to fund what should be considered a criminal act that is currently taking place at the University of Pittsburgh. Right now, medical researchers at Pitt are undergoing a series of tests," Students for Life of America Mid-East regional manager Stephanie Stone said during a speech, as reported by the Christian Post. "These tests involve taking the scalp of five-month-old aborted children and grafting them on the backs of lab mice. Researchers then observed as the rats and mice grew human baby hairs." Not only does Stone condemn the "barbaric" research involving aborted babies and mice, but she also describes the federal funding as an "insane misuse of taxpayer dollars" and an "absolutely abhorrent waste of precious human lives." She described the research as "absurd, immoral and disgraceful" and called for Dr. Fauci's termination because he was not only involved in the research, but he had allowed such practices to take place and even funnelled taxpayer funding into the "unethical," "inhumane scheme." Herb Geraghty, a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and now the executive director of the nonprofit human rights organization Rehumanize International also addressed the crowd to condemn Dr. Fauci's involvement with the barbaric research involving aborted babies. He expressed "shame" for graduating from a university that engaged in "the most barbaric attacks against innocent human life that you could even possibly imagine." Geraghty recounted how he saw photos in a published reports about the experiments showing aborted babies' hair "growing on the backs of rodents." He condemned the university's experiments on unborn children up to 22 weeks of gestation, highlighting how unborn babies at that age have "beating hearts and rapidly developing brains" and "can respond to external stimuli." As pro-lifers gathered to call for Dr. Fauci's termination over NIH's funding of the research that involved aborted babies, those who marched carried "pink slips" and signs that read "Notice of Termination: Fire Fauci," and "Demand Fauci Resigns!" as well as the hashtag #FireFauci. Meanwhile, Dr. Fauci recently revealed that the security around him has grown tight, especially following the developments of the COVID-19 pandemic and his recently released private emails. The Independent reported that during a conversation on "LIVE with Kelly and Ryan," Dr. Fauci admitted that during his first time back in New York City since the pandemic began, security did not even let him roll the window down as they were driving around the city. impliying the level of security provided by the Biden administration to him. In a recent committee hearing, the Biden administration's Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra was put on the spot by Republican Senator Steve Daines of Montana, who asked a simple question: "Is partial-birth abortion legal or illegal in the United States?" Sec. Becerra dodged the question multiple times, instead referring to women's abortion rights under Roe v. Wade. "Title 18 of the U.S. Code Section 1531 signed into law in 2003 states that partial-birth abortion is illegal. Do you agree with that?" Sen. Daines asked Sec. Becerra, as reported by Christian Headlines. The secretary refused to answer the question, saying instead that "a woman has a right in this country to exercise reproductive choice, and we will defend that." "My question is, is partial-birth abortion legal or illegal? It's not a trick question or a complicated question," Sen. Daines pressed again and once more, Sec. Becerra defaulted to Roe v. Wade. This is not the first time Sec. Becerra got entangled with affirming partial-birth abortion laws. Politifact reported that during a May 12 hearing, Republican Representative Gus Bilirakis asked Sec. Becerra if he agreed that "partial-birth abortion is illegal." Sec. Becerra denied its existence. "There is no medical term like partial-birth abortion, so I'd probably have to ask you what you mean by that to describe what is allowed by the law," Sec. Becerra replied. Partial-birth abortion refers to a late-term procedure that is medically known as "dilation and extraction" or "dilation and evacuation," in which a pregnant woman partially delivers the unborn child "for the purpose of performing an overt act that the person knows will kill the partially delivered living fetus," the law states. The Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act was passed in 2003, during which Sec. Becerra was representing a California district. He voted against the measure alongside 132 out of 205 Democrats who were in the chamber at the time. When it was challenged in 2007, the Supreme Court upheld the law. Sen. Daines took to Twitter on Friday to share a video clip of Biden's HHS Secretary refusing to acknowledge the law banning partial-birth abortion and highlighting once more that the law makes partial-birth abortions illegal and questioning why the HHS Secretary could not just recognize that fact. Sec. Becerra's firm and repeated denial on the existing partial-birth abortion laws in the U.S. earned criticism from other lawmakers. The National Catholic Register reported that when Sec. Becerra argued that most lawmakers would not be able to provide "medical definition of what partial-birth abortion is," Republican Representative John Joyce, who is a doctor, fired back that "As a physician myself Mr. Secretary, I think I clearly understand what a partial-birth abortion is." Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma expressed how "absolutely horrifying" it was to have a "top health official" not know "the laws he swore to uphold and protect." He questioned Sec. Becerra's ability to uphold the law on partial-birth abortion and the Hyde amendment. During the recent "Freedom March," ex-LGBT folks gathered to reclaim the rainbow as a symbol of God's covenant. Men and women who had previously led LGBT lives celebrated freedom in Jesus Christ at the Sylvan Theater in Washington, D.C. on Friday last week.. According to Christian Post, the "Freedom March" drew over 200 individuals, who shared testimonials of how Jesus changed their life. In 2018, the event was hosted for the first time at the same place. But due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Freedom March was postponed last year. At the event, many of them were wearing T-shirts with rainbow flags and the phrase "Rainbow Revival" printed on them. The "rainbow revival" is a sign of God's covenant, says Angel Colon, who reportedly had "miraculously survived" the Pulse Nightclub mass shooting in Orlando in June 2016. "We are taking back the rainbow," he said. "It's His. For us, it's something beautiful." "We are here and we're loud, letting the world know that the rainbow is something beautiful," Colon continued. "And we shouldn't be ashamed of what it really is." As the Freedom March activities continue, Colon and his friends are hearing from a growing number of individuals who want to abandon the LGBT lifestyle to follow Jesus. He feels that the COVID-19 outbreak was a "blessing in disguise" since it caused many people to go deeper in their relationship with God. "We want to say we love you," Colon said to the LGBTQ community, "especially now during Pride month." "We don't want to judge you or condemn you and welcome you with open arms and be a reflection of Jesus," he continued. "We're not the Holy Spirit. We don't want to do anything but love everyone." After three hours of testimony and worship, the participants marched around the pool with a banner from Sylvan Theater in front of Memorial Lincoln. CP noted that the Freedom March was one of numerous events in which persons who had previously identified as LGBT took part. A "rainbow revival" will come Pastor Kent Christmas of Regeneration-Nashville spoke prophetically about the Lord bringing healing and redemption to the LGBT community at The Return intercessory prayer gathering in September, according to Freedom March co-founder Jeffrey McCall. Last summer, McCall said he noticed an increase in the number of emails he got from individuals who wanted to leave their LGBT identities and lives behind. "We are getting more emails, more people reaching out and wanting help than we've ever had in the past three years," he said. McCall feels that the Church is only getting started in terms of effectively reaching out to LGBT people with the transformative power of life in Christ. Christians needed healing just as much the LGBT folks Those who took part in the event felt they were "touched by who we believe is the Physician, Jesus Christ," says Kim Zember, a Freedom March board member. "He transforms our lives, not forcing us, not changing us because we have to," she said. "[It's] not a doctrine or certain church teaching, but because Christ Himself has encountered each one of us and we want to share that, not only the transformation He has brought to our lives but [it's] continuing as well." She believes that in order for churches to truly reach out to the LGBT population, they must grow in humility and recognize that they "are broken as well and allow Jesus to mend our own brokenness." The church must be "willing to be transparent with others struggling about (their) own battles and share about Jesus who is (the) only hope for complete healing," she adds. In the words of Thabiti Anyabwile, "Women are essential to fulfilling the Great Commission." Anyabwile is an associate pastor for church planting at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., and a council member of The Gospel Coalition. He outlined his reasons for believing that women church planters are scriptural in an op-ed published by the Christian Post. "We have not figured everything out, but the pastors and the congregation have been attempting to make the flourishing of our sisters a theological and practical priority," he wrote. He then remarked that "fear-based hesitations" had to be removed, which are more about restricting women's chances than supporting them. Their endeavor, he continued, needed an awareness of the cultural links between "complementarian teaching" and a grasp of the reality of women in Black and Brown churches. "Truth be told, our sisters are most often on the frontlines of gospel advance wherever the work is most difficult," observed Anyabwile. He then shared remarkable instances experienced by groups such as the Africa Inland Mission, YWAM and the mostly female local churches in the overlooked Black and Brown communities. Apostle Paul's Example "To the delight of some and the consternation of others, Paul's church-planting teams included women," Anyabwile pointed out. He alluded to Paul's writings, in which he offered apostolic instructions to women such as Euodia and Syntyche, even identifying them as women who "contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life" (Phil. 4:3) Anyabwile went on to say that Paul referred to them as "co-workers," which is a term he often uses to refer to male ministry partners (Rom. 16:3; 1 Cor. 3:9; Phm. 1:24). Although Paul did not explain their specific function, Anyabwile argued that these women worked side by side with the apostle as equals, and that their job was not just incidental or support to Paul's, but a legitimate "gospel work." Based on that premise, he posed the following questions: "We need to ask why today's church doesn't have more teams comprised of men and women as Paul's were. We need to ask why typical debates about women and their roles end up with women being restricted from areas of service that the Bible nowhere prohibits. We need to ask deeper questions about how we regard women who do serve on ministry teams." Women are not just "nice" but are "necessary" in ministry Anyabwile expressed his concerns that modern discussions on the role of women were obscuring a "viral truth." He argued that Christian women are "necessary allies" in the work of God, noting that the Grand Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) had been taken up by both men and women as a duty for the whole Church. "Their lives and ministries are not nice to have, but necessary, as Bible teacher Jen Wilkin has often observed," he stressed. Empowering more women leaders The pastor feels that since many of the churches have neglected "half the body of Christ (pertaining to Christian women)," they are ineffectual in accomplishing the Great Commission. In his appreciation of the crucial role of women, he said that in 2015, they planted the Anacostia River Church and met and discipled elderly ladies in the spirit of Titus 2:1-3. He complimented their "presence, faith, courage, and perseverance of (their) sisters." The Crete Collective was also selected for the leadership of godly women, a church planting network that started last year to reach neglected black and brown areas. He noted that they feel that this focus is a "necessary correction to the years of extrabiblical restriction in conservative Christian spaces." "Many church planting efforts assume a middle-class, white cultural norm, but the deeper we take the gospel into poor, neglected, Black and brown communities, the less that model transfers or serves the needs of those communities," he said. "In an era of sharply divisive social and political issues, we desperately need more leadership from the diverse parts of Christ's body-especially Black and brown women, immigrant communities, and the poor among us," he added. After discussing how Black and Brown women provide a "hidden subsidy to church plants in ethnic and sometimes neglected contexts" both at the personal and the domestic level, he affirmed that women's leadership is more important than whether or not Christians believe women ought to be or can be a pastor. "Apollos learned from Priscilla and Aquila, Paul's ministry companions and co-workers. The Roman church learned from Phoebe, who is commended by Paul as a deacon and benefactor (Rom. 16:1-2). Which women are we learning from today?" he concluded. When the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee meets next week in Nashville, Tennessee, the committee's chairman intends to ask for an independent investigation of the committee's sexual assault complaints. According to Religion News (RNS), Pastor Rolland Slade of Meridian Baptist Church in El Cajon, California, has said that he would accept a request for a probe put up by two Southern Baptist pastors. The proposal is expected to be discussed at the denomination's annual convention on June 15-16. "It's never the wrong time to do the right thing," said Slade. According to Kentucky Today, Southern Baptists will convene for the SBC Annual Meeting, which will take place next week in Nashville. It is projected to be the biggest in 25 years, with more than 16,000 preregistered delegates. Following the posting of Moore's second letter, calls for an independent investigation started to mount. Russell Moore's first, and particularly his second letter to SBC President J.D. Greear sparked outrage from those he accused of "stonewalling" [efforts to address sexual assault in the SBC]. The pressure intensified with the revelation on Thursday (June 10) of audio snippets from two 2019 meetings with Southern Baptist officials on how to confront sexual assault in the convention by Phillip Bethancourt, a Texas pastor and former executive vice president of the ERLC. According to Baptist Press, SBC EC President Ronnie Floyd has joined EC Chairman Rolland Slade in calling for an "independent, third-party investigation." In a statement made on Thursday after audio-clips were posted, Floyd stated that since last weekend, the leadership of the EC staff is working on "securing a highly credible outside firm with the intent of conducting an independent third-party review of the accusations recently levied at the SBC Executive Committee." Also in his statement, Floyd defined the conversations as "leaders engaging in a scriptural process of coming together with others who have differing opinions on complicated issues and ... discussing those differences honestly with a goal of how to best move forward." He also apologized "for any harm" caused by his words but said Bethancourt's posting of the recorded conversations was "an attempt to mischaracterize" the meetings. What others perceive Jared Wellman, pastor of Tate Springs Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, and a member of the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee, is concerned about the way Baptist leaders have addressed allegations of sexual misconduct. He claims that Baptist officials have neglected to listen to abuse survivors, and he wants an impartial inquiry to be carried out into the matter. "I think it is time for an outside investigation," he told RNS. "I think messengers from SBC churches deserve that - to help regain trust back in our Executive Committee." Rachael Denhollander, an attorney and domestic violence advocate who has previously counseled SBC officials, believes that an independent investigation is consistent with Southern Baptist doctrine on truth and repentance. "No one should have any fear of an investigation," she said. "No one should fear the truth being brought into the light." She recommends that Southern Baptist leaders engage with experts in the field of abuse before launching a third-party probe. She believes this will assist in ensuring that the third party performs a comprehensive job. Additionally, WFMJ noted that Denhollander said that the recently released audio clips confirm her own experiences fighting for victims of abuse inside the SBC, and that she has volunteered to assist several times but has been turned down. "Hopefully over the last two weeks, Southern Baptist messengers (voting representatives) have begun to ask very important questions," she said. One of those is how church authorities may "misreport a case of violent abuse as an affair and nobody would care? ... Because they had done it in the past." When asked about the impending gathering, Denhollander said that there would be two resolutions addressing abuse, and that they are being meticulously drafted to take into consideration "Southern Baptist theology and polity," noted WFMJ. In addition, she refuted Stone's claim that the SBC's organizational structure made it impossible to take specific steps against sexual exploitation. In Denhollander's opinion, "it's actually very easy to do in a way that is legally sound and respects Southern Baptist autonomy." Jennifer Lyell tweeted that Floyd "was not a poor middleman" trying to get answers to others' questions, but rather "one of THEM" on the Executive Committee. Lyell's case was cited in Denhollander's criticism of the Executive Committee. "They weren't attacked," she wrote. "They were exposed." However, D. August "Augie" Boto, a long-time executive committee worker and now-retired executive committee vice president and general counsel, stands as the devil's advocate. He accused Denhollander and another activist of inflating the extent of abuse inside the SBC and being duped by the devil's "misdirection play." "This whole thing should be seen for what it is," he stated in a 2019 email obtained by a Southern Baptist blogger. "It is a satanic scheme to completely distract us from evangelism," Boto continued. A spokesperson for the "For Such a Time As This" rallies calling for improvements in the Southern Baptist Convention's abuse policies, the Rev. Ashley Easter stated that church members and church leaders are often present in an abuse trial courtroom to support the accused abuser. "It's horrific to hear that money changed hands in support, and that there was support of the predator," said Easter, who has helped run protests calling for a database of sex offenders within the denomination. "But that's kind of par for the course in these situations. Sadly, I'm not surprised but I am sickened." According to WFMJ, a 2019 investigation by the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News discovered that around 380 Southern Baptist church officials and volunteers had been accused of sexual assault, with charges involving several hundred victims. These and later reports detailed instances of perpetrators returning to ministry, as well as instances in which victims were held responsible. The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) said during its annual conference in 2019 that congregations might be removed for mishandling abuse complaints and established the credentials committee to investigate such instances. Pastor Lewis Clemons of Kingdom Awareness Ministries International in Columbus, Georgia, has refused to take responsibility for allegedly abusing and raping a former congregant, Lequita Jackson, or to provide a public apology on record for the alleged crimes. He chose to proceed with the trial. On Wednesday, a jury of the Muscogee County Superior Court voted in Jackson's favor and sentenced the pastor to $500,000. Jackson's attorneys, Jeb Butler of Butler Law Firm and Morgan Lyndall, said in a statement to Christian Post on Thursday that their client was not motivated by financial gain. She merely wanted Clemons to acknowledge and genuinely apologize for the trauma he had caused her. Jackson's attorneys said the following in a letter to Clemons: " ... To seriously discuss settling this case, you would have to be willing to make a video statement that: 1. acknowledged all of your sexual misconduct ...; and 2. genuinely apologized for that sexual misconduct; and 3. acknowledged that you have seriously harmed many, many women who trusted you as their spiritual leader. "Ms. Jackson would then watch the video. She would then decide, in her sole discretion, whether the video sufficiently met the requirements above. She would have sole control over the distribution of the video. She would be authorized to share the video publicly and with anyone that she chose." The attorneys went on to say that their client, Mrs. Jackson, had offered in writing to settle the lawsuit against Clemons for the sum of zero dollars provided he would film a video in which he admitted and apologized for the sexual assault. According to them, Clemons refused, and as a result, the matter was brought to trial. "Our client and several other victims told the truth about Lewis Clemons' sexual abuse and rape of themselves and others. Their testimony was detailed, impactful, true, and emotional," they told CP. The backstory Back in 2017, Jackson and another of Clemons' congregation's former members, Lakisha Smith, filed a civil case against the pastor, alleging that he had abused his role as a spiritual leader to sexually harass both of them. "He was a child molester," claimed Jackson at the time, adding that Clemons started molesting her when she was 15 years old. As a result of her ordeal, Jackson, who is now 33 years old and married with two children, claimed she was so traumatized by it that it took her five years before she was ready to speak up to her husband about what she had gone through. "He was a sexual predator who needed to be stopped. I just kind of accepted it at that age," she maintained. The actions of Clemons with her over time reportedly resulted in two pregnancies, which Clemons paid for her to abort while serving as her guardian. In court, Butler and Lyndall claimed that Clemons would "find a girl from a troubled background, gave them positions in his church so he could spend more one-on-one time with them, made increasingly sexual requests of them, justified his actions with scripture, asked them to 'stimulate his nipples,' gave them a 'body anointing' in which he had them strip down so that he could rub oil all over their bodies." A number of his victims were reportedly raped and sexually assaulted while they were under the age of 16 at the time of their claimed assault. "Body-anointing" scheme Jackson said in a taped statement that Clemons took advantage of her after she received the gift of tongues. He informed her that she would need to do a "body anointing," during which he paid particular attention to her breasts and bottoms before resting on top of her undressed body in order to "keep the power of the Holy Spirit sealed in." Jackson said that Clemons informed her that his behaviors were biblical. But Clemons denied telling Jackson that during a 2019 deposition. "In our initial meeting about the body anointing ... he read a few Scriptures to me to try to justify the situation. ... I do remember he had me read the book of Acts and the other Scripture. I cannot recall off the top of my head, but it had to do with the laying on of hands," said Jackson. According to Clemons, when he was younger, he learnt about "body anointing" from an older pastor. He claimed to have used it on a lady suffering from cancer once, who was cured after he anointed her breast. "Lewis Clemons is a liar and a fraud, and I hope neither my client nor I have to see him again for as long as he lives," said Butler. Lyndall complimented Jackson for her fortitude to stand up to Clemons, saying that she hoped "the verdict sent a message that sexual assault and rape are never OK." What's Included With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 319-283-2144 or email circ@oelweindailyregister.com. 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You can also contact us by providing the information below. Website-: https://www.bellevuereporter.com/marketplace/best-cbd-oil-2021-review-top-high-quality-cbd-oils-to-buy/ Market Scenario: Rare earth elements are the set of seventeen chemical elements found in the periodic table. These elements include europium, holmium, erbium, lanthanum, terbium and others, and are found in huge quantities in the earths crust, despite their name. These elements are found together in the earths crust and are difficult to separate from each other. The global rare earth metals market is majorly driven by the increase in demand of rare metals such as Neodymium and Praseodymium, for the production of high power metals which are used especially in electric vehicles and wind turbines. The market is further expected to be driven by the increase in use of large number of rare earth metals in offshore wind turbines in the forecast period. The demand for electric vehicles is expected to increase with the application of strict regulations on greenhouse gas emissions, across the globe. This increase in the production of electric vehicles is expected to further drive the market for rare earth metals over the forecast period. Free Sample Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2261 Study Objectives of global rare earth metal market: To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 5 years of the various segments and sub-segments of the global rare earth metal market To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth To analyse the global rare earth metal market based on various factors such as supply chain analysis, and Porters five force analysis To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to regions and their respective key countries To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective To provide country level analysis of the market for segments by type, application and region To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analysing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market To track and analyse competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the global rare earth metal market Regional Analysis of Rare Earth Metal Market: The rare earth metal market can be geographically segmented as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC) and Rest of the World (ROW). Asia pacific is expected to be the largest consumer and producer of global rare earth metals with the high consumption of these metals in China. North America is also expected to grow rapidly as it is a leading importer of rare earth metals from China, the largest extraction region of rare earth metals. Key Players: The key players of rare earth metal market are Lynas Corporation, Ltd.( Australia), Molycorp Inc. (U.S.), Alkane Resources Ltd (Australia), Baotou Steel Rare-earth (China), Ucore Rare Metals Inc.(Canada), Tantalus Rare Earths AG (Germany), Tasman Metals Ltd. (Canada), Greenland Minerals and Energy Ltd. (Australia), Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. (Canada) and others. Intended Audience: Rare earth metal extractors Distributer & Supplier companies End Users consultants and Investment bankers Government as well as Independent Regulatory Authorities Product Analysis: Product matrix which gives a detailed comparison of the market for different recycled product types Additional Information: Regulatory Landscape Pricing Analysis Macroeconomic Indicators Geographic Analysis: Geographical analysis across 15 countries Company Information: Profiling of 10 key market players In-depth analysis including SWOT analysis, and strategy information of related to report title Competitive landscape including emerging trends adopted by major companies The report for Rare earth metal Market of Market Research Future comprises of extensive primary research along with the detailed analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain the deeper insight of the market and industry performance. The report gives the clear picture of current market scenario which includes historical and projected market size in terms of value, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report provides details information and strategies of the top key players in the industry. The report also gives a broad study of the different market segments and regions. Market Research Future Published a Half-Cooked Research Report on Refractories Market Research Report. Market Insights Market Research Future has recently made public its report on the global refractories market which divulges various crucial market figures. The global refractories market is due to grow at a CAGR of 4.02%during the forecast period 2016 to 2022. Used extensively for linings in furnaces, reactors and other processing units due to its heat-resistant composition, the market is expected to move forward with steady and moderate growth. The demand for refractories material is consistent due to its ability to resist extremely high temperatures without resulting in physical or chemical changes. Refractories have been witnessing rising applications in emerging markets due to its extensive use in manufacturing and in the construction industry. These emerging markets are key in the progress of the market and are also among the largest produces of refractories. Additionally, the growing demand for infrastructure has resulted in high demand for glass, metals, and cement in the construction sector. FREE SAMPLE @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2393 Market Segmentation MRFR's analysis of the market divides it into various segments in an effort to magnify every relevant market factor. Segmentation has been performed on the basis of type, form, application, and region. By type, the market is segmented into high alumina, magnesite, silica brick, fireclay, and others. Based on form, the market is divided into unshaped and shaped. By application, the market is categorized into steel, cement, glass, non-ferrous, and others. The steel sector is the largest consumer of refractories. Globally used due to its lightweight, and heat resistant nature, refractories are highly suitable for use in the steel industry. The global refractories market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Rest of the World. Key Players The competitive landscape of the global market is covered expensively in MRFRs report, and includes key market players such as Shinagawa Refractories Co. Ltd, Saint-Gobain S.A, RHI AG, Magnesita Refratarios S.A., Harbisonwalker International (HWI) Inc, Coorstek Incorporated, Krosaki Harima Corporation, Corning Incorporated, Vesuvius PLC, and Morgan Advanced Materials PLC Latest Industry News RHI Magnesita has announced its decision to merge its Indian operations under Orient Refractories The move comes in recognition of the potential the region represents. HarbisonWalker International has opened its refractories plant in Ohio, U.S.A after its announcement of the project in 2017. The UD 30 Mn investment has resulted in a technologically advanced refractories plant which will provide the latest in refractories. Regional Analysis The Asia Pacific region accounts for the most significant market share and is followed by Europe and North America. The presence of a massive, ever-growing population in the region has driven the construction sector considerably with an increased demand for housing, and infrastructure in rapidly urbanizing countries. The region is one of the largest producers of refractories which is likely to assist in the APAC remaining in its leading position beyond the forecast period. Led by the US, North America is another significant region in the global refractories market. The U.S is the largest consumer of refractories and the demand for steel and cement in construction activities drive the market in the region. BROWSE RELATED REPORT @ https://www.abnewswire.com/pressreleases/ip-phones-market-20202023-key-findings-covid-19-impact-outbreak-regional-study-industry-profit-growth-business-trends-emerging-technologies-and-future-prospects_521561.html https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/ip-phones-market-2020-2023-key-findings-covid-19-impact-outbreak-regional-study-industry-profit-growth-business-trends-emerging-technologies-and-future-prospects-2020-12-08 http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/4906493 https://www.wfmj.com/story/43022564/ip-phones-market-20202023-key-findings-covid-19-impact-outbreak-regional-study-industry-profit-growth-business-trends-emerging-technologies-and-future-prospects Monosodium Glutamate Market Analysis The global monosodium glutamate market is predicted to touch USD 6,200 million at a 4.9% CAGR between 2016- 2022, reveals the new Market Research Future (MRFR) report. Monosodium glutamate or MSG is an amino acid that is naturally occurring in various foods. Its use as flavor enhancers and food additives has gained immense recognition over the years. Besides, it is also used in bakery and dairy products globally. In addition, monosodium glutamate is widely used in instant noodles, seasonal blends, cheeses, meat and milk products, and sauces. Apart from the food industry, MSG is also used in pharmaceutical/medical applications. These include hypertension neuroregulators and parenteral nutrition for congenital metabolic disease. It is also used in negligible amounts in animal feeds. Various factors are adding to the global monosodium glutamate market share. These factors, as per the new MRFR report, include extensive applications including preservatives, acidity regulators, flavor enhancers, additives, and others, growing demand in the food industry, rapidly growing animal feed industry, preference for fast food & processed food due to hectic lifestyle, and increasing use in different medical applications. Get Free Sample Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2699 On the contrary, health concerns related to monosodium glutamate consumption such as nausea, chest pain, sweating, headache, and skin rash, coupled with its regulation by regional Food & Drug Administration (FDA) authorities, are factors that may limit the monosodium glutamate market growth over the forecast period. Key Players Key players profiled in the global monosodium glutamate market report include Jianyang Wuyi MSG Co. Ltd. (China), Shandong Shenghua Group (China), Shandong Qilu Biotechnology Group (China), Shandong Linghua MSG Co., Ltd (China), KYOWA HAKKO BIO CO.LTD. (Japan), Ningxia Eppen Biotech Co. (China), Vedan International (Holdings) Limited (Hong Kong), AJINOMOTO Co.Inc. (Japan), and Fufeng Group (China), among others. Monosodium Glutamate Market Segmentation The Market Research Future Report provides an inclusive segmental analysis of the global monosodium glutamate market based on end use industries and applications. By application, the monosodium glutamate market is segmented into preservatives, acidity regulators, flavor enhancers, additives, and others. Of these, flavor enhancers and additives will lead the market over the forecast period. This will be followed by acidity regulators and preservatives. By end use industries, the monosodium glutamate market is segmented into animal feed, pharmaceutical industry, cosmetic industry, food processing industry, and others. Of these, the cosmetic and food processing industry will dominate the market over the forecast period for its burgeoning demand from Chinas growing economies. Besides, the increasing demand of monosodium glutamate from different end use industries is also adding market growth. Monosodium Glutamate Market Regional Analysis Based on the region, the global monosodium glutamate market report covers the recent trends and growth opportunities across Europe, the Americas, the Asia Pacific (APAC), Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa (MEA). Of these, the APAC region will spearhead the market over the forecast period. Factors propelling the global monosodium glutamate market growth in the region include use in different applications like flavor enhancers and additives in China and Japan, and burgeoning demand for fast food in South Korea, Taiwan, and India. The global monosodium glutamate market in North America is predicted to have the second-largest share over the forecast period. The US is the chief contributor in the region for the growing demand for the product from the food manufacturing industry coupled with the rising demand for Asian food. The global monosodium glutamate market in Europe is predicted to have a healthy growth over the forecast period for the rapidly growing food manufacturing sector. The global monosodium glutamate market in Latin America and the Middle East & Africa is predicted to have sound growth over the forecast period for the increasing use of monosodium glutamate in different applications like preservatives, acidity regulators, flavor enhancers, additives, to name a few. Access Complete Report Details @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/monosodium-glutamate-market-2699 Market Research Future Published a Half Cooked Research Global Fluorosurfactants Market Research Report- Forecast to 2023 - Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast up to 2023. The Chemours Company (U.S.), The Dow Chemical Company (U.S.), The 3M Company (U.S.), Merck KGaA (Germany), OMNOVA Solutions Inc. (U.S.), Asahi Glass Co. Ltd. (Japan), Tyco International Plc. (Ireland), DIC Corporation (Japan), Advanced Polymers, Inc. (U.S.), Innovative Chemical Technologies, Inc. (U.S.), and Pilot Chemical Company (U.S.). among others are some of the prominent players at the forefront of competition in the global Fluorosurfactants Market and are profiled in MRFR Analysis. Fluorosurfactants Market Market Overview: Fluorosurfactants are a lucrative market and is expected to have a steady growth during the forecast years. Fluorosurfactants also known as fluorinated surfactants or PFA are synthetic chemical compounds that consists of multiple fluorine atoms. Fluorosurfactants are mainly used to lower the surface tension of water. They are also used in emulsion polymerization process to produce fluoropolymers. The growing demand from the end user industries are the major factors driving the global fluorosurfactants market. The advantages such as wettability, permeability, better levelling techniques and particle dispersion makes them suitable for the use in end user industries such as building and construction and oil and gas among others. On the basis of product type, the market is segmented into nonionic, anionic, amphoteric and cationic. On the basis of application the market is further segmented into paints and coatings, specialty detergents, oil field & mining and others. The anionic segment is the largest segment and is expected to show the same trend during the forecast years. This growth is attributed to the excellent properties such as wettability and permeability. Moreover, the growing application of anionic fluorosurfactants in the paints and coatings and specialty detergents is further adding to the market growth. On the basis of application the paints and coatings segment is expected to exhibit highest growth during the forecast years. The excellent levelling and wetting properties has augmented its demand in paints and coatings industry. Moreover, the burgeoning demand of paints and coatings in the developing regions throughout the globe is also contributing to the growth of the segment. According to the analysis of MRFR, the major market forces and trends driving growth of the global fluorosurfactants market includes growth of paints and coatings and the burgeoning growth in the oil and gas industry. Moreover, the increasing personal disposable income in the developing economies throughout the globe has augmented the construction activities hence, propelling the demand for fluorosurfactants in the paints and coatings industry. Furthermore, the growing application in specialty detergents owing to the ability of fluorosurfactants to improve the efficiency of cleaners is also adding to the market growth. Access Complete Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/fluorosurfactant-market-2959 Fluorosurfactants Market- Competitive Landscape: The global Fluorosurfactants Market is a highly lucrative market driven by flourishing growth in packaging and petrochemical industry, along with the propelling textile industry. The Chemours Company (U.S.), The Dow Chemical Company (U.S.), The 3M Company (U.S.), Merck KGaA (Germany), and OMNOVA Solutions Inc. (U.S.) among others are some of the major players operating in this market. Most of these market participants are adopting the expansion, product launch, and merger and acquisition tactics to strengthen their production capacities and market position. Taking account of these trends the global Fluorosurfactants Market is projected to witness considerable competition over the forecast period of 2017-2023. Asia pacific is expected to be the fastest growing region during the forecast years. The increasing Globalization and urbanization in the developing economies of the region has propelled the construction of residential and commercial infrastructure which is a dominant factor for the demand for fluorosurfactants in the paint and coatings in the region. Moreover, the lenient government regulations has resulted in the shifting of the fluorosurfactants market towards the developing economies of Asia pacific, in turn contributing positively to the market growth. Furthermore, the growing energy demand is also adding to the application of fluorosurfactants in oil field which is also adding substantially to the market. Industry/ Innovation/ Related News: 22 February, 2016- DIC added a new development to the existing product portfolio of pyrolytic fluorosurfactants. The new product MEGAFACE DS is expected to provide enhanced levelling and wetting properties. The product is anticipated to be highly applicable in the production of liquid crystal displays (LCDs) thereby adding to the existing consumer base. Isatoic acid anhydride also known as o-amino-benzoic acid, 2-aminobenzoic acid, N-carboxylic acid anhydride, and anthranilic acid, is the organic compound with the linear formula C6H4(NH2)CO2H. In appearance, Isatoic acid anhydride is a white solid when pure, although commercial samples may appear yellow. By the structure, isatoic acid anhydride contains a benzene ring with two adjacent functional groups, a carboxylic acid and an amine. Industrially, Isatoic acid anhydride is used as an intermediate for production of dyes chemicals and in medical product. Isatoic acid anhydride and its esters are used in preparing perfumes to imitate jasmine and orange, pharmaceuticals, and UV-absorber as well as corrosion inhibitors for metals and mold inhibitors in soy sauce. In addition, isatoic acid anhydride can be used in organic synthesis to generate the benzyne intermediate. It is sometimes considered as vitamin L1. Regional Analysis Asia Pacific is the largest market of isatoic acid anhydride due to huge consumption in dye & pigments, and agrochemicals-market-1267'>agrochemical-market-749'>agrochemical industry, in China region followed by India, Thailand, and Japan. Increasing demand for agrochemical industry in China, India, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea has made Asia Pacific largest consumer of the global Isatoic acid anhydride market followed by increasing in the consumption of Isatoic acid anhydride market in Europe region. In Europe region, Isatoic acid anhydride market is drive by perfume, pharmaceutical, and food & beverages industry. In addition, the third largest market of Isatoic acid anhydride is North America region due to large consumption in agricultural, pharmaceutical, and others industry. Moreover, Latin America and Middle East also observed in growth of Isatoic acid anhydride market due to various application such as pharmaceutical, dye & pigments, perfume, agrochemicals, and others. Segmentation The global isatoic acid anhydride market is majorly segmented on the basis of application, end use and region. Based on application of isatoic acid anhydride the market is segmented into dye & pigments, pesticides, herbicides, saccharin, flavors, and others. On the other hand, Based on end use industry of isatoic acid anhydride the market is segmented into pharmaceutical, agrochemicals, perfume, food & beverages, and others. Furthermore, based on region global isatoic acid anhydride market is segmented into North America, Europe, APAC, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. Key Players Key players of the global Isatoic acid anhydride market are BASF SE (Germany), The Dow Chemical Company (US), Alfa Aesar (India), Crystal Quinone Pvt. Ltd. (India), Taj Active Pharmaceuticals Ingredients (India), Wujiang New Sunlion Chemical Co., Ltd. (China), HIMALAYA CHEMICALS (India), ISHITA INDUSTRIES (India), KESHAR EMULSION PVT LTD (India), TCI (Shanghai) Development Co., Ltd (China), and others. Geographic Analysis The report covers brief analysis of geographical region such as North America, Europe, APAC, and RoW. The report about Global Isatoic acid anhydride Market by Market Research Future comprises of extensive primary research along with detail analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts and key opinion leaders to gain a deeper insight of the market and industry performance. The report gives a clear picture of the current market scenario which includes past and estimated future market size in terms of value and volume, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report further provides detail information about strategies used by top key players in the industry. It also gives a broad study about different market segments and regions. ACCESS REPORT DETAILS @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/isatoic-acid-anhydride-market-3325 Study Objectives of Isatoic acid anhydride Market: To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 7 years of the various segments and sub-segments of the Global Isatoic acid anhydride Market To understand the supply and demand dynamics including supply and consumption concentration mapping To provide region level market analysis and future outlook for North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World (ROW) and their countries To provide competitor positioning of the market To provide company profiling of major players in the market along with their production and capacity To provide regional trade analysis To evaluate historical market trends, patents and technologies, and current government regulatory requirements that are relevant to the market Intended Audience Isatoic acid anhydride manufacturers Traders and distributors of Isatoic acid anhydride Production Process industries Potential investors Raw material suppliers Nationalized laboratory USA, 12 June 2021 The demand for photography is rising as the ever-growing social media platforms are at their peak. 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Browse the complete Global Social Media Monitoring Software Market Research Report Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast Till 2027 @ https://www.decisiondatabases.com/ip/42102-social-media-monitoring-software-market-report The report also covers the complete competitive landscape of the global Social Media Monitoring Software market with company profiles of key players such as: HubSpot SharpSpring Zoho Social Wrike YouScan Awario HootSuite Media Sprout Social Salesforce Mention Sprinklr Sysomos Sendible Critical Mention Digimind LexisNexis The detailed description of each has been included, with information in terms of H.Q, future capacities, key mergers & acquisitions, financial overview, partnerships, collaborations, new product launches, new product developments and other latest industrial developments. SEGMENTATIONS IN THE REPORT: By Type Cloud-Based On-Premise By Application Large Enterprise SMBs By Geography: North America (NA) US, Canada, and Mexico Europe (EU) UK, Germany, France, Italy, Russia, Spain & Rest of Europe Asia-Pacific (APAC) China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia & Rest of APAC Latin America (LA) Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Chile & Rest of Latin America Middle East and Africa (MEA) Saudi Arabia, UAE, Israel, South Africa Download Free Sample Report of Global Social Media Monitoring Software Market @ https://www.decisiondatabases.com/contact/download-sample-42102 The Global Social Media Monitoring Software Market has been exhibited in detail in the following chapters Chapter 1 Social Media Monitoring Software Market Preface Chapter 2 Executive Summary Chapter 3 Social Media Monitoring Software Industry Analysis Chapter 4 Social Media Monitoring Software Market Value Chain Analysis Chapter 5 Social Media Monitoring Software Market Analysis By Type Chapter 6 Social Media Monitoring Software Market Analysis By Application Chapter 7 Social Media Monitoring Software Market Analysis By Geography Chapter 8 Competitive Landscape Of Social Media Monitoring Software Companies Chapter 9 Company Profiles Of Social Media Monitoring Software Industry Purchase the complete Global Social Media Monitoring Software Market Research Report @ https://www.decisiondatabases.com/contact/buy-now-42102 Other Reports by DecisionDatabases.com: Global SEO Software Market Research Report Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast Till 2027 Global Mobile Tracking Software Market Research Report Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast Till 2027 Global Budgeting Software Market Research Report Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast Till 2027 About-Us: DecisionDatabases.com is a global business research reports provider, enriching decision makers and strategists with qualitative statistics. 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For more details: DecisionDatabases.com E-Mail: sales@decisiondatabases.com Phone: +91 9028057900 Web: https://www.decisiondatabases.com/ News Source https://www.industrynewsengine.com/2020/12/29/social-media-monitoring-software-market-2020-covid-19-impact-analysis-report-2027/ A detailed analysis report of the Global Electronic Timers Market has been covered in the report coupled with a thorough description of each company profile with information on the H.Q, future capabilities, key mergers & acquisitions, financial outline, partnerships and new product launches and developments. The comprehensive value chain analysis of the market will assist in attaining better product differentiation, along with detailed understanding of the core competency of each activity involved. The market attractiveness analysis provided in the report aptly measures the potential value of the market providing business strategists with the latest growth opportunities. 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DecisionDatabases.com is proficient in providing syndicated research report, customized research reports, company profiles and industry databases across multiple domains. Our expert research analysts have been trained to map clients research requirements to the correct research resource leading to a distinctive edge over its competitors. We provide intellectual, precise and meaningful data at a lightning speed. For more details: DecisionDatabases.com E-Mail: sales@decisiondatabases.com Phone: +91 9028057900 Web: https://www.decisiondatabases.com/ Source:-https://www.industrynewsengine.com/2020/12/29/electronic-timers-market-2020-global-industry-research-report-till-2027/ A detailed analysis report of the Global Furfural Solvent Market has been covered in the report coupled with a thorough description of each company profile with information on the H.Q, future capabilities, key mergers & acquisitions, financial outline, partnerships and new product launches and developments. 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DecisionDatabases.com is proficient in providing syndicated research report, customized research reports, company profiles and industry databases across multiple domains. Our expert research analysts have been trained to map clients research requirements to the correct research resource leading to a distinctive edge over its competitors. We provide intellectual, precise and meaningful data at a lightning speed. For more details: DecisionDatabases.com E-Mail: sales@decisiondatabases.com Phone: +91 9028057900 Web: https://www.decisiondatabases.com/ Source:-https://www.industrynewsengine.com/2020/12/29/furfural-solvent-market-2020-covid-19-impact-analysis-report-2027/ Litchfield (06759) Today Thunderstorms early, mainly cloudy overnight with a few showers. Low 68F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Thunderstorms early, mainly cloudy overnight with a few showers. Low 68F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Guilford and Amtrak police responded around 6 p.m. to a report of a man and child on the tracks and soon learned the man was trying to harm himself and the child. The man, Gejdenson, fled with the child into a nearby marsh and was taken into custody a short time later. Neither Gejdenson nor the child was injured, but they were taken to the hospital for further evaluation. Critical race theory, a framework developed by legal scholars in the 1970s, hinges on the notion that racism is systemic not simply perpetuated by individuals and is intertwined in institutions of law and governance. Though courses in critical race theory tend only to appear at the undergraduate or law school level, the concept has been seized upon by the American right as proof of the radicalization of the mainstream K-12 educational system. While closely following the same-sex marriage debate, we read Mildred Lovings statement, released June 15, 2007, in honor of the 40th anniversary of the decision, which said in part: Not a day goes by that I dont think of Richard and our love, our right to marry, and how much it meant to me to have that freedom to marry the person precious to me, even if others thought he was the wrong kind of person for me to marry. I believe all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry. ... Thats what Loving, and loving, are all about. I couldnt he happier, Fox said. But he added that having served in state government as long ago as the ONeill and Weicker administrations in the 1980s and 1990s, hes aware that when it comes to filling [budgeted] filling positions, sometimes it can happen really fast and sometimes it can happen really slow. ... I have a feeling that our stuff wont automatically be on a fast track, and so that means that we really have to ... talk about what we need to do to move the process. Elin Hilderbrand was accused online of making an anti-Semitic joke in her new novel, Golden Girl. She apologized and asked Little, Brown to remove the reference. (Done, from digital, and in the future from print.) The context: A character considers staying in a friends attic. Youre suggesting I hide here all summer? Like like Anne Frank? Hilderbrand: If you read my novel SUMMER OF 69, you know that I absolutely REVERE the story of Anne Frank. The line was not a throwaway quip. It was an expression of angst from someone who felt marginalized socioeconomically. (Publishers Lunch) Some people have a difficult time getting to the doctor or to the clinic or whatever, but this is ready, its set up, Moore said. All they had to do is show up and bring in their consent form, and we would help them with that service. The program matches bonuses paid by qualifying employers of up to $500 to employees hired after May 31. Payment would come either as a lump sum or in installments. The funding would apply to full- or part-time positions that pay at least $15 per hour and are considered W-2 employment. The company on Friday came with the new proposal that it would deposit Rs 100 crore before it started the development of properties. (PTI) HYDERABAD: The Telangana police crime investigation department (CID) submitted to the High Court that the 150-acre land in Midzil of Mahbubnagar was bought by the 'benami' of the Agrigold company 's chairman, during the auction of Agrigold properties, to return depositors money. The CID submitted an affidavit that a person with low income won the bid of 150 acres of land for Rs 15.30 crore. Moreover, the bidder was a police constable, before he ventured into realty. As the High Court, during earlier hearing, rejected the proposal of the Agrigold company for real estate development on its lands with the joint venture companies, to repay the depositors money, the company on Friday came with the new proposal that it would deposit Rs 100 crore before it started the development of properties. The company said around Rs 2,000 crore would be made if its properties were sold after developing the real estate projects and that money would be used to pay the dues of the depositors. The court did not accept the proposal stating that it would take several years of time and directed the Telangana and the Andhra Pradesh governments to respond on the Agrigold proposal. Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh government has come up with a software application called MDAP to ensure hassle-free and timely supply of Covid-19 and black fungus drugs to the needy patients at both government and private hospitals. The decision is taken given difficulty in accessing the drugs and to prevent irregularities like overcharging, diversion to black market. The app enables putting up requests for Covid-19 and black fungus cure injections like remdesivir, tocilizumab, Amphotericin-B and others by the notified government and private hospitals for Covid-19 and black fungus treatment. There are 17 government hospitals and 25 private hospitals notified for black fungus treatment and over 500 government and private hospitals for Covid-19 cure in the state. However, as the cases of black fungus are rising there is a huge shortage for drugs and injections such as liposomal amphotericin-b and posaconazole 300 mg and posaconazole oral suspension. The hospitals have to place an indent for supply of required number of vials along with details of patients on the app. The Joint Collector (Development) heading the district-level panel comprising superintendents of teaching hospitals, district medical and health officer, district coordinator for health services and assistant director (drugs), will clear them after verification. Thereupon, injections will be issued from the central drugs store concerned without any delay. Any paper work requiring signatures of the panel members will be done post approval. The app facilitates online payment for vials by the private hospitals so that once payment is made, the hospitals can get the supply from the central drug stores. The state government fixed the price for the vials. All notified private hospitals have to administer black fungus vials to the infected patients free of cost as it is covered under Aarogyasri scheme. In the case of some private hospitals procuring such vials on their own, they are supposed to charge the patients at government fixed price and that amount will be reimbursed to them by the government under Aarogyasri scheme. The state nodal officer for 104 and Covid-19 services, Ahmad Babu, said, We have launched the app MDAP recently and it is of immense help to both government and private hospitals to place indents for Covid-19 and black fungus drugs online and procure them in no time to provide timely treatment to the infected patients in the state. We plan to include consumables like PPE kits also in the app to supply to the needy. AP Medical Services and Infrastructure Development Corporation will supply medicines to the notified government and private hospitals as per indent placed in the MDAP. So far, the app has helped the health authorities supply 36,788 vials of remdesivir, 5,495 vials of liposomal amphotericin B and 2,637 vials of posaconazol and other drugs to the hospitals in the state in the last few days. New Delhi: The GST Council on Saturday slashed tax rate on Covid-19 drugs such as Remdesivir and Tocilizumab as well as on medical oxygen and oxygen concentrators but ignored demands for reduction in taxes on vaccines. The Council, acting on the recommendation of a group of ministers from different states, cut to nil GST on Covid-19 drug Tocilizumab and black fungus medicine Amphotericin B, from existing 5 per cent. Besides, hand sanitiser, pulse oximeter, BiPAP machine, testing kit, ambulance and temperature check equipment were among the 18 items on which GST rates were lowered. A 5 per cent GST levy on vaccines will continue which will allow manufacturers to get benefit of settling taxes paid on inputs. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman explained that the 5 per cent levy will not put any additional burden on common man as the government was procuring all vaccines and giving them to citizens for free. The reduced tax rates were based on a recommendation of a group of ministers, headed by Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, and would remain effective till September 30, 2021. It was felt that the GoM's recommendations has brought in a lot of substantial change. Many items, that were at 18 per cent and 12 per cent, brought down to 5 per cent. So there was a lot of substance in the recommendation made by GoM. The Council largely agreed to go with GoM's recommendation..., Sitharaman said while briefing reporters after the 44th GST Council meeting here. Goods and Services Tax (GST) rate on Covid vaccines was, however, retained at 5 per cent as the Council felt that majority of the vaccine procurement was being done by the Centre and given free to people. Central government is purchasing 75 per cent and is paying GST also. But the impact of this GST on people will be nil since people would be getting vaccines free of cost at government hospitals. Centre is purchasing and it is given free to people, Sitharaman said. Revenue Secretary Tarun Bajaj said vaccines would continue to attract 5 per cent rate and the GST Council discussed that the Centre is purchasing all the vaccines -- at least 75 per cent is being purchased by the Centre. The GST will also be borne by the Centre. But out of the income from GST, 70 per cent will be shared with the states... As far as people are concerned who are coming to get their inoculation done, it is tax free. It is not an issue with the people, they are not paying any tax, cost of the vaccine. So it is free for them, Bajaj said. He said the notification of lower GST rates would be issued tomorrow or day after. While GST on Tocilizumab and Amphotericin B is slashed to nil from 5 per cent, the rate on Remdesivir and anticoagulants like Heparin is lowered from 12 per cent to 5 per cent. GST rate on ambulance has been cut to 12 per cent from 28 per cent. Tax on medical grade oxygen, oxygen concentrator (including personal imports), ventilators, BiPAP machines and high flow nasal cannula (HFNC) devices has been cut to 5 per cent from 12 per cent. Also, tax on Covid testing kits, pulse oximeter (including personal imports) has been brought down to 5 per cent from 12 per cent. Hand sanitisers, temperature check equipment, gas/electric furnaces for crematoriums too will attract lower 5 per cent tax, compared to 18 per cent earlier. In the previous meeting of the GST Council on May 28, taxes on Covid-19 vaccines and medical supplies were left unchanged after the BJP- and Opposition-ruled states sparred over whether the tax cut benefits will reach the common man. An 8-member GoM, under Sangma, was set up to recommend GST rate on Covid essentials. The other members of the GoM are Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitinbhai Patel, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Goa Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho, Finance ministers of Kerala (K N Balagopal), Odisha (Niranjan Pujari), Telangana (T Harish Rao) and UP (Suresh Kr Khanna). To a query on Congress saying that they were not made part of the GoM, Sitharaman said, ... I don't want to comment on what was said outside. In the Council, the three Congress ministers said that in the future at least you should consider having us in GoM. The selection into a GoM is never made on party basis, neither is the exclusion. There are several GoMs and several ministers are made members of the GoM. All states are given representation in one or the other GoM. Neither the inclusion, nor the exclusions happen on political party affiliations. Industry chamber PHDCCI said the calibrated reduction in the rates of GST on Covid relief essentials will go a long way in treating Covid cases and to provide required relief for treatment of infections. PHDCCI looks forward to the continued reform measures by the government to mitigate the daunting impact of Covid on people and to make India free from the pandemic, it said in a statement. EY Tax Partner Abhishek Jain said majority population will not be affected on account of no GST rate. Etala Rajendar submitted his resignation from the Assembly in the official format to Assembly secretary Narsimhacharyulu on Saturday. (Photo: DC/ Surenderreddy Singireddy) HYDERABAD: Days after he announced that he would quit as MLA, former minister Etala Rajendar submitted his resignation from the Assembly in the official format to Assembly secretary Narsimhacharyulu on Saturday. After one-and-a-half hours of handing over the letter, Assembly Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy accepted Rajendars resignation and released a gazette about the vacancy in the Huzurabad Assembly segment. The Assembly secretariat informed the Central Election Commission about the vacancy in Huzurabad, setting the stage for the byelection. On April 30, Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, who had ordered an inquiry into the land grab allegations against the then minister, sacked Rajendar from the ministry. Since then, Rajendar has been at war with Chandrashekar Rao and has now decided to join the BJP. Before submitting his resignation letter, Rajendar spoke to the media at Gun Park where he paid tribute to martyrs of Telangana along with former MLA E. Ravinder Reddy, Karimnagar ZP ex-chairman Tula Uma and several other leaders. He said he had fought many battles for Telangana and now Chandrashekar Rao was adopting a dictatorial attitude in the state. Rajender said the bypoll to be held in Huzurabad was like battle of Kurukshetra and that it was going on in between the Kauravas and Pandavas of Huzurabad. He said his agenda was to build a grave for Chandrashekar Raos dictatorship and that he would win Huzurabad bypoll and uphold his self-respect. He alleged that the Chief Minister was busy playing politics when the people of Telangana were suffering from Covid-19. Rajendar alleged that many joined the TRS without winning elections and resigning from other parties and continuing as ministers without ethics. However, he said arrests were not new to him and his goal was to liberate Telangana from dictatorship. "Everyone from the RSU to the RSS is coming together to end the KCR regime, he said. He alleged that minister K.T. Rama Rao had conspired to defeat him in Huzurabad in 2018 itself, and had given money to Congress candidate Koushik Reddy and raided his house. Koushik Reddy is receiving orders from Pragathi Bhavan every day and he is speaking as per their directions, said Rajendar. Quitting Assembly not new for Etala After the formation of Telangana, Etala Rajendar is the first person to submit resignation in Speaker format, which was accepted within hours of submission. Rajendar has resigned from the Assembly thrice in his career. He had resigned as MLA for achieving separate Telangana in 2008 and again in 2010 and won both the bypolls. Rajendar will leave for Delhi on June 14 along with BJP leaders from the state. It has already been decided that Rajendar will join the BJP in the presence of top leaders such as Union home minister Amit Shah, party president J.P. Nadda and partys TS incharge Tarun Chugh. Emporia, KS (66801) Today Partly to mostly cloudy with scattered showers and thunderstorms developing overnight. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Partly to mostly cloudy with scattered showers and thunderstorms developing overnight. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%. Emporia, KS (66801) Today Cloudy skies this evening followed by thunderstorms late. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Cloudy skies this evening followed by thunderstorms late. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. The charter calls on governments to recognise the human and economic cost of exceeding 1.5C Scientists warn G7 humanitarian and economic costs of breaching 1.5C will far exceed costs of achieving it A group of world-leading climate scientists are calling on global leaders to factor in the economic, environmental and humanitarian costs of failing to keep global warming below 1.5C this century, in a move led by experts from UCL, the University of Exeter and International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD). As the leaders of seven of the worlds wealthiest nations meet in Cornwall for the G7 summit, the scientists have launched a 1.5 Degree Charter to highlight how breaching the 1.5C target outlined in the Paris Agreement will cost far more than paying poorer nations to help global efforts to reach it. It is hoped governments, businesses and the public will get behind the Charter to influence the conversation on climate finance and steer key decisions made at the next UN climate summit, COP26 in Glasgow in November. Those most vulnerable to the impacts of the climate crisis predominantly live in the global South, but they have contributed the least to greenhouse gas emissions. The Charter argues that, to sufficiently reduce emissions, it will require richer countries to pay reparations to poorer countries. The amounts must reflect fairly the formers responsibility for the crisis and the latters vulnerability to it. The aim of the Charter therefore is to act as a catalyst to encourage wealthy nations to support those less wealthy to not only decarbonise but also ensure they can afford to put in place measures to protect their homes, jobs and lands from climate-related impacts like extreme weather, poor health, job losses and food insecurity. To support the Charter, the academics involved are developing a global research project to fully identify and compare the cost of exceeding a 1.5C temperature rise versus the costs already anticipated of the decarbonisation required to meet the 1.5C target. The 1.5C Degree Charter calls on governments in particular to: Recognise the human and economic cost of exceeding 1.5C and that this cost will be borne disproportionately around the world and by future generations. Act on their commitment to limit global heating to 1.5C. Encourage the development of climate finance mechanisms that link the cost of delaying climate action with the cost of decarbonisation. Professor Tim Lenton, Director of the Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter, said: Global warming above 1.5C markedly increases the risk of crossing climate tipping points which will do greatest harm to the worlds poorest. Multiple abrupt climate changes occur between 1.5 and 2C global warming in IPCC climate model runs. Going to 2C warming risks a collapse of the West Antarctic ice sheet that would accelerate sea-level rise and threaten low-lying islands and coastlines such as Bangladesh. It would also degrade essentially all tropical coral reefs on which many depend for their livelihoods. Galt, CA (95632) Today Clear skies. Low 56F. WSW winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph.. Tonight Clear skies. Low 56F. WSW winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph. (The Center Square) Vacant big box stores in Michigan become tax-reducing boons to retail companies statewide when those establishments have property assessed at rates sometimes 50% lower than previous rates. This is known as a dark stores strategy, which often leaves local taxpayers to foot the tab. An S&P report released Thursday found the strategy is employed nationwide. "In essence, big box stores have argued that their in-use stores should be assessed for property tax purposes at levels comparable to vacant stores, known as dark stores," S&P Global Ratings analyst Emma Drilias said in a statement. That hits Michigan local governments hard since devalued properties reap less tax revenue, so either local taxpayers end up footing the bill via property taxes or millages, or statewide taxpayers pay since lost school tax revenue is backfilled from the Michigan Treasury. Either way, theres less money for municipal operations, emergency services, and libraries. The issue isnt settled, Stephanie Morita, a senior attorney at Farmington Hills-based Rosati, Schultz, Joppich, and Amtsbuechler told The Center Square in a phone interview. Hypothetically, you can compare a rock to a mansion. But should you? No, Morita said. Any time youre not valuing property according to our Constitutional requirement in the state of Michigan, which is through true cash value, youre setting the system up to fail, Morita said. When you start improperly valuing one class of property, others will claim it too, Morita said, such as drug stores and banks who use deed-restricted-properties to limit potential buyers and drop sales prices so the company can use that vacant property as a comparable. If you had a drug store on the corner and they wanted to move across the street, they would deed-restrict the property they left to keep competition from moving in, Morita said. Morita said shes handled cases in which property owners tried to use deed-restricted properties as comparables for at least 10 years. Large Michigan retailers have previously assessed an average of $55 per square foot. Grand Rapids attorney Jack Van Coevering gave the following examples in testimony. But now: Lowes stores in Michigan are assessed at $22.10 per square foot. In Lowe's home state of North Carolina, the same stores are valued at $79.08 per square foot Menards and Target stores in Michigan are valued at $24.97 per square foot. In Menards home state of Wisconsin, its stores are valued at $61.23 per square foot Amy Drumm, the vice president of government affairs for the Michigan Retailers Association, said [p]roperty is valued in Michigan based on the price the next buyer is willing to pay. Since many retail buildings are specially designed, they would require drastic modification for suitable use for another buyer, Drumm said. These retail properties have been over assessed by local government assessors who are trying to apply a value-in-use standard rather than value-in-exchange standard as Michigan law requires, Drumm wrote in an email. Drumm said retailers appealed property taxes and the courts adjusted the proper tax rate. Retailers are good, supportive members of the communities they serve, Drumm said. They employ hundreds of residents and collect and pay millions of dollars in taxes each year. They are happy to pay the appropriate rate based on the correct valuation of their property but can exercise their legal right to file an appeal if they feel the valuation is incorrect. Sen. Ed McBroom, R-Vulcan, told The Center Square that dark stores hit hard rural areas with smaller tax bases. Big box stores require more public expenses compared to smaller ones, but demand a much lower standard tax rate, he said. Its harder to fight fires at a 150,000-square-foot Costco facility than a small party store. A Mining Journal report said total state Tax Tribunal decisions for Marquette Township businesses alone dropped $2.8 million for all taxing entities from 2009 to 2019. It erodes away at the functionality of our communities and our ability to provide vital infrastructure to not just those businesses, but all the others, McBroom said. And then the impact is also very real on the citizens themselves. McBroom questioned why policy would favor big stores with advantages, including economies of scale, loads of cash, and an enormous tax break over mom-and-pop businesses. We really want to fix this for the future viability of our small towns, McBroom said. Homeowners, small retailers, and other businesses cant get the same deal. McBroom said those who support dark stores paint opposition of it as supporting a tax increase, which he argues isnt the case since those stores should have been paying higher taxes the entire time. McBroom offered three possible solutions: the Tax Tribunal change their mind, the state adopt strong statutory policy otherwise, or Michiganders amend the Constitution. There might be a decision out of the courts in the next year or two. If you already subscribe to our print edition, sign up for FREE access to our online edition. Thanks for reading the Wharton Journal Spectator. gettyimagesbank By Yoon Ja-young While Korean households are facing low economic growth and stagnant incomes as a new normal, their tax burden has been increasing steeply due to both extraordinary government spending on pandemic countermeasures and its overall expansion of social welfare policies. Economists warn that the tax burden will only snowball for future generations, even after the pandemic, as the country is going through an unprecedented aging of its population. According to the Korea Economic Research Institute, a think tank under the Federation of Korean Industries, Koreans are seeing the steepest rise in their taxes among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member countries. Total tax payments including social security contributions as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) recorded 27.4 percent in 2019, up 3.7 percentage points from 23.7 percent in 2015. The figure measures the overall tax burden on the people. The 23.7 percent tax-to-GDP ratio is still low compared to the OECD average of 33.8 percent. However, Korea's 3.7 percentage points jump is the steepest among its 37 member states, according to the think tank. It is more than seven times larger than the average 0.5 percentage points rise the other OECD members saw during the five-year period. "During the past five years, the tax and social security contribution burden has increased too steeply. The figure for Korea surpassed those of the OECD's non-European member countries for the first time in 2018," said Choo Kwang-ho, director of the Research Coordination Department at the institute. Koreans paid an average 10.19 million won in tax and social security contributions last year, according to Rep. Choo Kyung-ho of the main opposition People Power Party. Among them, social security contributions, which include mandatory subscriptions to pension, health, employment and other social insurance plans, jumped 7.6 percent on a steep hike in national health insurance and pension premiums. The lawmaker who previously served as vice finance minister estimated the total tax burden to rise 4.6 percent this year to 10.68 million won, and then continuing on an upward spiral to reach 12.18 million won in 2024. By sector, health insurance premiums will jump 49.6 percent from 2020 to 2024. 2021-06-09() North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, presiding over a Central Military Commission meeting of the ruling Workers' Party, called for a "high alert posture" against the "fast-changing" situation on the Korean Peninsula, state media reported Saturday. KCNA-Yonhap North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over a Central Military Commission meeting of the ruling Workers' Party and called for a "high alert posture" against the "fast-changing" situation on the Korean Peninsula, state media reported Saturday. During the meeting held Friday, Kim also discussed "important tasks" to make "a fresh turn in the overall work of national defense," the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said without elaborating on what the important tasks were. "The enlarged meeting set forth important tasks for ... bringing about a fresh turn in the overall work of national defense as required by the recent fast-changing situation around the Korean peninsula and the internal and external environment of our revolution," the KCNA said. Kim analyzed the prevailing situation and the "real state" of the work of the People's Army and laid out "strategic tasks to be permanently held fast to by it, and ways for developing the revolutionary armed forces," according to the KCNA. "The People's Army has to staunchly carry out the Party's line and policies on army building without an inch of deviation and keep a high alert posture to fulfill its noble mission and duty of firmly defending the sovereignty and security of the country," Kim was quoted as saying. The meeting also discussed organizational issues, including dismissing and appointing commanding officers and officers at the corps level, the KCNA said. Kim presided over the meeting ahead of a plenary session of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party that the North said will be held in early June to take "additional state measures for solving pending problems urgent for the economic work and people's living." North Korean state media has not yet reported on when the scheduled party session will be held but Friday's meeting suggests that it is imminent. The plenary session has been drawing keen attention as the North could unveil its policy directions toward the United States and South Korea following Washington's recent completion of its North Korea policy review. Last month, President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed at a summit to pursue diplomacy to resolve the North Korea nuclear issue. (Yonhap) Johnson & Johnson's Janssen COVID-19 vaccine / AFP-Yonhap The Johnson & Johnson Janssen COVID-19 vaccine supplied to South Korea was not produced in a troubled Baltimore plant that was forced to throw out about 60 million doses due to possible contamination, the health ministry said Saturday. The health authorities have been administering the Janssen single-shot vaccine since Thursday to reserve forces, civil defense members and others in charge of defense and foreign affairs after the U.S. government donated 1 million doses to the Korean armed forces. A total of 453,732 people received the single-dose COVID-19 vaccine in the first two days of vaccinations, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Those aged 30 and below are not eligible for the vaccine due to concerns over rare blood clots. As concerns grow over the Janssen vaccine following media reports over its safety, the health authorities said the vaccine doses administered here were not from the troubled Baltimore manufacturer, and they were authorized for use after passing Ministry of Food and Drug Safety tests upon arrival. The United States plans to redirect nearly US$70 million to U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) that had previously been diverted from its defense spending to fund the now defunct project to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border, the Defense Department said Friday. The department said the cancellation of the border wall project will free up a total of $2.2 billion in funds originally earmarked for defense projects at home and abroad. The plan "is documented by the attached funding plan, which describes how the Department will use the $2.2 billion of available unobligated military construction appropriations to restore funding for 66 projects in 11 States, 3 territories, and 16 countries in FY 2021," said a memorandum signed by Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, and released by the Pentagon. According to the department's funding plan, over $69 million will be redirected to USFK $21 million for a command and control facility and $48.7 million for an unmanned aerial vehicle hangar. The U.S. currently maintains 28,500 military personnel in South Korea. The White House said the redirection of funds will provide the support the country has committed to its military. "To build a wall along the Southern border, the previous Administration redirected billions of dollars Congress provided for supporting American military personnel and their families and for investing in military installation infrastructure and vehicles, aircraft and ships," it said in a released statement. "The Biden Administration is committed to properly equipping American military personnel and caring for their families." (Yonhap) Military prosecutors have requested arrest warrants for two Air Force noncommissioned officers for allegedly trying to persuade a female subordinate who later took her own life to drop a sexual assault complaint, the defense ministry said Saturday. The victim, identified only as MSgt. Lee, was allegedly groped and suffered other abuse by a colleague in a car after a "forced" drinking session in March. She was found dead at her home inside the base in the western city of Seosan late last month. The colleague surnamed Jang was arrested June 2 on charges of sexual assault. A military court in the defense ministry is to hold a hearing Saturday afternoon before deciding whether to issue warrants for the two NCOs a senior master sergeant and a warrant officer. The two, both surnamed Noh, are accused of failing to report Lee's sexual abuse complaint against Jang to their superiors and trying to persuade her to drop the case, according to investigators. The victim was affiliated with the 20th Wing in Seosan at the time of the incident. She applied for and was granted a transfer to another base but took her own life a few days later. Military prosecutors raided the police corps of the Air Force headquarters and the police squadron of the 20th Fighter Wing earlier in the week to see if they properly conducted the initial investigation into the case. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Lee Seong-yong tendered his resignation last week amid the intense public fury the case has generated. President Moon Jae-in accepted the offer immediately. (Yonhap) Bishop Lazzaro You Heung-sik, who was named the new prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy of the Holy See, said Saturday that he would make efforts to arrange a visit to North Korea by Pope Francis if he was given the role to do so. Yonhap Bishop Lazzaro You Heung-sik, who has been named as the new prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy of the Holy See, said Saturday that he would make efforts to arrange a visit to North Korea by Pope Francis if he was given the role to do so. On the previous day, Pope Francis appointed You, bishop of Daejeon, as the prefect. The 69-year old Catholic priest is the first South Korean to be appointed to a secretariat position at the Holy See. "The Pope has said he wants to go to North Korea," the bishop said in a press conference. "If I am given a role to arrange his visit to North Korea, I'll do my best to carry out my mission." He said a visit by the Pope would be a good chance for the reclusive country, which has been struggling with international isolation and economic difficulties, to get over its troubles. Pope Francis has expressed his willingness to visit North Korea several times, saying that he wants to play a role in establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula, where the Korean people "have been suffering the pain of separation for 70 years." A papal trip to Pyongyang gained traction in 2018 amid a peace mood created by three inter-Korean summits and a historic Washington-Pyongyang meeting. But no further progress has been made since a no-deal U.S.-North Korea summit in Hanoi in 2019. You said his appointment reflects the increased presence of South Korea on the world stage and Pope Francis' attention to the Asian continent. He will be the first South Korean and the second Asian to serve as a prefect in the Holy See. "The pope said there was only one Asian prefect, while there are two secretaries from African countries," he said. "And he suggested I take the position." As the head of the congregation, responsible for overseeing matters regarding priests and deacons not belonging to religious orders, as well as seminaries, he vowed to open his mind to embrace more than 400,000 priests around the world. "The prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy plays a role in looking after priests in the world and taking care of seminarians." he said. "I'll strive to foster Catholic priests who treat people regardless of their race or religion with a spirit of brotherhood." He said he will leave for Rome next month before starting his five-year term in August. (Yonhap) South Korean President Moon Jae-in arrived in Cornwall, Britain, Friday to attend the annual Group of Seven (G-7) summit. Yonhap South Korean President Moon Jae-in arrived in Cornwall, Britain, Friday to attend the annual Group of Seven (G-7) summit. He is joining the session as a guest invited by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the host of the first major multilateral summit since the outbreak of COVID-19. During the two-day "expanded" G-7 forum to be held till Sunday in this southwestern county, Moon plans to have discussions on how to address global challenges including the pandemic-induced health crisis, climate change and trade disputes. Other participants include the leaders of the G-7 member states: the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Britain, as well as representatives from the European Union. The leaders of Australia, India and South Africa have also been also invited as guests, while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is taking part via video link due to the severity of the coronavirus pandemic in his country. President Moon Jae-in and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison bump elbows before a meeting on the sidelines of the G-7 Summit, Saturday, where they agreed to broaden bilateral economic cooperation, especially on hydrogen use and other low-carbon technologies. Yonhap President Moon Jae-in and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison agreed Saturday to broaden bilateral economic cooperation, especially on hydrogen use and other low-carbon technologies. They had one-on-one talks on the sidelines of an annual summit of the Group of Seven (G-7) here. They were invited to the session as guests. Moon and Morrison shared the view that their participation in the session reflects the G-7 member states' "high expectations" for the role of the two countries in resolving various global issues in the post-coronavirus world, according to Cheong Wa Dae. This article is the third in a series about Koreans adopted abroad. Apparently, many Koreans never expected that the children it had sent away via adoption would return as adults with questions demanding to be answered. However, thousands of adoptees visit Korea each year. Once they rediscover this country, it becomes a turning point in their lives. We should embrace the dialogue with adoptees to discover the path to recovering our collective humanity. ED. By Lee Kyung-eun , a movie director who is a Korean Danish adoptee, recently released in Korea a documentary film called "Forget Me Not." Engelstoft believes she knows her mother's name, and the circumstances of her relinquishment. Despite the likely true story about her birth, her official Korean birth registration document indicates that she was an "orphan" who was found "abandoned." Normally, Koreans can easily check their birth registration document through the website of the Supreme Court, which contains the name, birth date, address of the birth place, as well as the name and identification number of the parent/s. But almost all Korean adoptees were given a so-called "orphan hojuk" (until 2012), a one-person document which lists the orphan as the head of her/his own family, and contains only the name of the child and birth date, plus the address of the Korean adoption agency. The orphan hojuk does not contain the birth parents' names or any biographical information. There are two myths which have sustained the system of transnational adoption for so long here. One is that certain parents (i.e, unwed mothers) are not fit to raise their own children, and the other is that orphans are "saved" by adoption. Even if the parents were unmarried, if at least one of the parents is known, the child still has a living parent and may not be considered a true "orphan." Why were all children believed to be "orphans?" To explain and understand this discrepancy, people have devised concepts and terms such as "economic orphan" or "social orphan." The truth is that children were legally orphaned for the purpose of transnational adoption through the official government processes of the state of origin (Korea) and of the Western adoptive countries (primarily the U.S., Australia, and West European countries). Surprisingly, "orphan" is a legal term. In the immigration law of the receiving country (I will take the U.S. as an example; however, other European receiving countries likely used the same system because Korean adoption agencies provided the same documents to those countries), the status of "orphan" was stipulated as an immigration qualification, such that Western citizens could bring orphan/s into the country for the purpose of adoption starting in 1961. In response to this measure, in the same year, Korea enacted a new law called the "Orphan Adoption Special Procedure Act," which lifted the restrictions of its traditional adoption, or "yang ja," system to facilitate the process in cases where a foreigner wanted to adopt Korean orphans. This is the beginning of the modern adoption system for children in Korea. Transnational adoption is not only a matter of family relations it also involves the immigration process of the Western countries. The immigration authorities require official documents for immigrants. U.S. law allows the definition of an "orphan" to include children not only whose parents have died, but also who have been abandoned and relinquished by single parents. Among these possible categories, Korea chose to use the definition of an "orphan" by abandonment, in order for the Korean government to provide the required documents for immigration. Why? I assume that it was because this was the easiest route from the perspective of the public officials at that time. They may not have desired to undertake the long and winding legislative reform to embrace the modern adoption system for protection of the child into its general Family Law. Instead, they may have chosen the easiest way to have children recognized as "orphans." So, the relevant laws have been providing the legal framework and procedure by which a child could be recognized as abandoned by the public authority. However, even this procedure was just nominal, and if the heads of orphanages or adoption agencies reported to the relevant district offices of the local government that a child was found "abandoned," then the issuance of an orphan hojuk was almost automatically processed. In short, the state has deliberately and systematically hidden and erased the real identities of children. As a direct consequence, for all Korean adoptees, it is fundamentally impossible to know their real origin through the official document which was provided by both the Korean and Western governments when they were born and subsequently moved across borders. Consequently, so many adoptees have to undergo a harsh and often futile birth family search process by relying on the "unofficial" and presumably "private" documents kept under lock and key inside the adoption agencies, or alternately through DNA testing. Only with great effort and sparse luck are adoptees ever able to trace their true origins. The Korean government officially acknowledged that more than 90 percent of the transnational adoptions involved children of unwed mothers. Official birth reports statistics, which began to be reported in 1976, show that until 2011 (for 35 years), the number of children reported as being found abandoned stood at 143,763. During the same period, the number of transnational adoption stood at 133,531. A whopping 92.8 percent of children reported as being "found abandoned" during this period were sent overseas. The correlation of these statistics is a chilling manifestation of the link between "abandonment" and transnational adoption. Are orphans adopted for better protection, or are they orphaned to be adopted? The prejudice against certain groups of people in society is one thing, but it is another that there existed a systemic and legal procedure which legitimized the discrimination and facilitated the social exclusion. In the latter case, the accountability of the state arises. The facts described above delineate the foundation of the argument that it is the state which has violated adoptees' right to know their origin. What should we do to fix the current situation and to restore this right? There is no single solution. We should begin by figuring out the clearly discriminatory features. The birth records should be public information secured and governed by public authorities. In contrast to non-adopted Koreans, the true birth information of adoptees is still left in the private realm, which is considered the private possession of adoption agencies. Adoptees should be able to demand their right to access the information of identity to the government authorities. This authority must have the expertise and autonomous power to decide whether and how much of the information should be disclosed. In Korea, general birth registrations are under the control of the judicial body and the Ministry of Justice. Therefore, adoptees too should be able to knock on the doors of such authorities to request the disclosure of the information of their true identity, and to not have to deal with the private adoption agencies, which too often conceal such information by arbitrary and ungrounded decisions. Lee Kyung-eun is director of Human Rights Beyond Borders and author of the Korean-language book, "The Children-selling Country." Korean passengers board a train at Jemulpo, circa 1900. / Robert Neff Collection By Robert Neff Working on the railroad can be extremely hard and dangerous work; accidents are frequent and often fatal. While the railroad from Seoul to Jemulpo (modern-day Incheon) was being built in the late 1890s, there were several accidents including explosions that cost the unwary and clumsy their lives. However, not all dangers the Korean railway construction workers faced were inherent of the occupation. In early August 1897, Smith F. Philips, a railroad engineer from Chattanooga, Tennessee, stepped off the steamship at Jemulpo. He was there to work and by the time he left Korea, he would enjoy a degree of anonymous infamy. Philips caught everyone's attention. He had bluish-gray eyes and, although he was only 38 years old, his hair was already gray, along with his neat beard and moustache. He was an impeccably dressed man whose appearance and demeanor suggested he was a gunfighter. Perhaps even more imposing was his height. In a letter to The Independent (the English-language edition of the Dongnip Sinmun, published in Seoul), a Jemulpo resident described Philip as "one of those gentlemen you can see with the naked eye. He stands six foot six inches [198 cm] in height [which gave him] a sort of birds-eye-view advantage over most of us." His nickname was, of course, "Shorty." We don't know much about Philips' personal life except that in the 1880s and 1890s prior to coming to Korea he worked for the Chattanooga Union Railroad. One can easily imagine the crew he worked with consisted of hard men who drank more than a little, gambled more than they should and were probably not shy about using a knife or a gun during a brawl to ensure the odds were in their favor. Construction of the railroad between Seoul and Jemulpo / The Railway Age, March 25, 1898 While Jemulpo was not as wild as an old cowboy town in the American West, it apparently had enough spirit for Philips. The port consistently had a large number of transient sailors from steamships and naval vessels, as well as an influx of newly arrived Americans who had come to Korea to work on the new railroad or Seoul's streetcar system or at the American gold mining concession in northern Korea. The members of Jemulpo Club especially its poker table probably readily welcomed this new member to their midst, as well as the proprietors of the many small bars and taverns in the port. William Franklin Sands, the secretary of the American legation in Seoul who was no stranger to the poker table or the bottle, seemed especially impressed with Philips especially after seeing him shoot with his 45 Colt. According to him, Philips is "one of the most beautiful, efficient revolver shots I have ever seen. He could shoot the head off a flying bird without seeming to aim." Despite his seeming prominence amongst these American Wild West characters, almost nobody wrote about him (or any of the other members of his crew) in social settings. The only real anecdotes of Philip we have concern his shocking behavior as a foreman. As soon as he arrived, Philips was put to work. According to his hometown newspaper, Philips was the superintendent of construction and in charge of "over 1,000 laborers, consisting of Koreans, Japanese and Chinese [who were] divided into gangs with Korean and Japanese bosses for each gang." Construction of the railroad between Seoul and Jemulpo. Philips (third man on the viewer's left) is dressed in a dark suit, and standing to his right (in the white suit) is General Dye the American military adviser to the Korean government. / The Railway Age, March 25, 1898 By mid-August, the advanced grading crew were in the vicinity of Oricol the halfway rest stop and were progressing rapidly. The heavy rains that had caused so much concern did little damage to the roadbed and the railroad's officials and the general public were anticipating great progress. Of course, there had been some earlier problems when 150 Korean laborers went on strike over their wages. The Korean laborers received a daily wage of 31.5 cents, but were convinced they were being underpaid according to the terms of the concession which, according to them, entitled them to a daily wage of 50 cents. The railroad officials denied the claims and immediately hired strikebreakers and, as an additional preventive action, threatened to employ Chinese laborers if the Koreans did not want to work. Things calmed down quickly and the Korean laborers went back to work "cheerfully and faithfully for 35 cents a day, paid in silver," but the potential for further trouble remained all it needed was a catalyst. On Sunday morning, Sept. 5, 1897, Horace N. Allen, the American minister to Korea, was feeling anything but Christian-like. He was furious, as he quickly penned a rather undiplomatic missive to Philips' supervisor, William T. Carley (who was also from Chattanooga). Allen informed him that the governor of Seoul, Yi Che-yun, had just paid a visit to the American legation and lodged a serious complaint over the "uncalled-for conduct of Mr. Philips." A rural station in between Seoul and Jemulpo, circa 1900 / Robert Neff Collection According to the governor, on several occasions which Allen suspected Carley was fully aware of Philips "shot towards Koreans with the intention of scaring them." This conduct was "inconceivable," declared Allen, and he added, "I would like to disbelieve it, but fear it is all true." Allen (as well as any sane person) could not understand why an American would "shoot at Korean coolies to scare them, after the manner of American cowboys with a 'tinderfoot.'" However, if we are to believe the account of Sands' which may have been exaggerated to make a great anecdote even better this move was more than a simple act of shooting at someone's feet to make them dance. He claimed that the American was shooting the topknots off Korean men as they passed along the road up to a distance of 100 yards (91.4 meters). Sands also provided the reason for the unbelievable behavior Philips "had only been afraid of getting out of practice." Allan declared that this "kind of conduct from Americans cannot be for one moment tolerated." He further emphasized that before word of the incident "gets to the ear of the king" it must end. "I want to say most positively that this must be stopped at once and for all time, or I shall have him disarmed or sent out of the country if he will not comply." Yeongdeungpo Station, circa 1900 / Robert Neff Collection Kim Young-ju, first row center, former chairman of the Korea International Trade Association, poses with Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, right, and Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon, left, after being appointed as chief of the bidding committee to attract the 2030 World Expo event in Korea's southern port city of Busan, at Lotte Hotel Seoul, Friday. Yonhap By Baek Byung-yeul Korea is preparing to bid for hosting the World Expo event in the southern port city of Busan in 2030. The country is taking bold steps towards attracting the international event, appointing an ex-industry minister, last week, to head the bidding committee. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum held a meeting with high-ranking officials from business groups, economic organizations and Busan's mayor at a hotel in Seoul. There, Kim Young-ju, a former industry minister and ex-chairman of the Korea International Trade Association (KITA), was officially named as head of the bidding committee. "The hosting of the 2030 Busan World Expo will be a special opportunity for us to share our unique experience of becoming an aid donor country from being the poorest country," the prime minister said. What Busan is trying to host is a Registered Expo, which is now called a World Expo. The event is held every five years. So far, Japan and China are the only Asian countries to have hosted the event. The government said it plans to submit an official application for the 2030 event in June to the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the organization in charge of the World Expo. The decision to choose the host city for the 2030 event will be made in 2023. While the former KITA chairman assumes the chief role on the committee, the heads of the country's top five conglomerates Samsung, Hyundai Motor, SK, LG and Lotte will serve as vice chiefs. "The hosting of the Busan World Expo will be a good opportunity to promote Korea's status as a software powerhouse, such as ICT and hallyu," the bidding committee chief said during his acceptance speech. Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon also welcomed Kim's appointment as head of the bidding committee, saying the meeting will help citizens form a consensus over the importance of attracting the event. Korea is lagging behind other nations in the bid. In April, Russia became the first country expressing its intent to host the 2030 event, submitting its application for Moscow as host city. In addition to Russia, the Busan City government expects other candidate countries to include Canada, the United States, the Netherlands, China, France and Azerbaijan. JOIN OUR TEAM! City of Oakley now hiring for the following Building Inspectors I & II (Full-time; first review 6/28) The City of Oakley is looking for Building Inspectors to fill vacancies in their Building Division. Duties performed would include providing inspection and expertise at different stages of the permit process for construction, alterations, and repairs. A knowledge of state and local codes and construction compliance requirements is a must. Certification issued be the International Conference of Building Officials (I.C.B.O) is necessary. Positions will remain open until the vacancies are filled. For more information or to apply visit: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/oakley recblid qea54ucm10umq2mhvzol0ajytv70fs Composite Assembler Composite Assembler needed who reviews work orders and blueprints to assemble products by measuring, using small hand tools and sanding. Must be over 18 and able to use a full/half-face respirator. Requires the ability to stand on concrete 8+ hours/day and occasionally lift/move 50+/- pounds. $13.70 depends on experience. GED/HS diploma required. Equal Opportunity Employer -women and minorities encouraged to apply. recblid ccyg4j6gp9ohmwocy3l2xticf9eq5u The South Central Alabama Regional Housing Authority is seeking applications for the position of Secretary at the main office located in Springhill. Basic Function: Operates multi-line telephone system to answer incoming calls; directs callers to appropriate personnel; completes a wide variety of administrative duties. Minimum Qualifications: High School graduate with a minimum of one year related experience and must have word processing experience. The Housing Authority offers a benefits package which includes Employees Retirement System of Alabama, Blue Cross and Blue Shield health and dental insurance, as well as paid annual and sick leave. The South Central Alabama Regional Housing Authority is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers applicants for all positions without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age or any other legally protected status. Incorporated in 1970, South Central Alabama Regional Housing Authority provides safe and sanitary housing for qualified, low-income persons residing in the South Central Alabama area. The Housing Authority is a public corporation duly organized and validly existing under the provisions of the Code of Alabama 1975, Title 24, CH 1, Article 3 governed by a five-member Board of Commissioners, each appointed to their position. recblid 1wozgm17n9efv9cvv3o6jovd60skha Instructor - Graphic Design OSU Institute of Technology in Okmulgee is seeking qualified candidates for a Graphic Design Instructor. This position will facilitate learning for an associate in applied science degree program in Graphic Design and Multi-Media Technology. Other duties include student advisement, participation in student recruitment/retention initiatives, and working closely with industry. Bachelor degree in a related discipline required. Industry experience required. A criminal history records check will be arranged through Human Resources. "Oklahoma State University is an AA/EEO/E-verify employer committed to diversity and inclusion, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. OSUIT is a tobacco-free campus." recblid r3mub0auiff97bu4aslo1oh88cofwx Location: Mequon - Wisconsin Job Description SIGN ON BONUS: The first payment of $300 will be paid within 2 weeks of your start date and a second payment of $700 will be paid within two weeks of completing 90 days of work with the Company. SCHEDULE: This is a 2nd shift position 3:00 p.m. - 01:30 a.m. POSITION SUMMARY: Performs the physical and administrative tasks involved in the shipping, receiving, storing and distributing of materials, parts, supplies and equipment. Unpacks and checks goods received against purchase orders or invoices, maintains records of received goods and rejects unsatisfactory items. Lifts heavy items and operates a forklift. Prepares and maintains records of merchandise shipped. Posts weights and shipping charges and prepares goods for final shipment. Examines, stocks and distributes materials in inventory and on manufacturing lines. May prepare kitting packages for assembly production. RESPONSIBLITIES and ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: Uses standard documentation and SAP for materials administration, shipping, receiving, picking and delivering parts. Assignments and process are semi routine in nature. Operates Powered Industrial Vehicles to load, unload and transfer materials/finished product. SKILLS: Reads, follows, and executes tasks per sequence defined by electronic or hardcopy instructions. Use tools and equipment including: hammers, cutters for wood, cardboard and plastics, fork lifts and other motorized equipment. Reviews documentation and leverages SAP/external systems to assess, replenish, and prioritize material and finished goods to support production and shipping processes. Provides documentation support, materials administration and process support. Uses judgment to propose solutions and troubleshoot material flow or documentation issues. Waterspider: Assembles product as required, delivers material to the production area, picks up waste, and delivers finished product on a scheduled basis following a set route. May also assist with changeover, provide tools and materials, and give any additional help needed to maintain standard work and keep the flow going. Place reorder requests for floor stock and bulk materials. Reviews documentation and leverages advanced SAP processes to assess material and support production. Uses advance process knowledge as a skilled specialist, requiring considerable judgment and initiative. May be an informal leader or trainer. Supports the training and onboarding needs of the facility by developing and updating training curriculum and provide feedback to supervisor on progress. Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing with internal and external customers. Performs data entry, discrepancy trouble shooting and manages cycle counts. BASIC QUALIFICATIONS: A minimum of High School Diploma/GED OR 4 years of verified related experience Forklift License is preferred Legal authorization to work in the US is required. We will not sponsor individuals for employment visas, now or in the future, for this job opening. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer including disability and veterans. If you are an individual with a disability and you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation during the application process, please contact our services team at +1 (see application details). Description We are a small family owned construction company who specializes in installation and tear down of modular and or residential mobile homes. Our projects can vary from small to very large & complex. We have built a name that is well known in the industry for the quality of work we perform. We believe having a great relationship not only with our employees but with each and every customer we perform work for. This job does require out of town travel for extended periods at a time depending on the size and location of the job. Candidates should possess carpentry skills: - Modular Building or Mobile Home experience (Highly recommended) - Construction knowledge - Remodeling knowledge - Ability to frequently lift or carry 20 to 75 pounds Drivers License: - Clean Driving Abstract - Able to drive company vehicle Physical Requirements: - Standing - Bending - Squatting - Sitting - Crawling - Repetitive Motion of hands, wrist walking and climbing Work Conditions: - New Construction or Relocation - Unheated and or all weather conditions - Dusty - Noisy - Work on ladders & Elevated work areas Candidate(s) must be able to: - Work well around others -Self-Motivating -Be professional at all times when on our job sites. Pay - DOE, Will pay up to $23.00. After requirements have been met, will qualify for Sick Pay, Holiday PTO, Family Medical Leave, possible company bonuses. The Company will also pay for travel and per diem expenses when traveling. Please Serious Inquiries Only : Sharona@tandsmodular.com recblid u49pu9tzgkpqhl77i60nslatpxfurm Requirements None Salary $87,339.20 - $133,390.40 Annually Location Arlington *METRO-accessible*, VA Job Type Full-Time Permanent Department Community Planning, Housing and Development Job Number 3119-21D-PHD-SD Closing 7/1/2021 11:59 PM Eastern Position Information The Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development (CPHD) is seeking a progressive and results-driven Principal Planner to join the Comprehensive Planning team within the Planning Division to provide advanced level leadership for community and urban planning; including the management, development, implementation, and evaluation of overarching programs or portfolio management and guidance. The Planner will be responsible for coordinating the preparation of major, multi-phase complex long-range land use studies and policy development processes; plan and policy implementation strategies such as concept/illustrative/public facility plans, urban design guidelines, zoning amendments; and managing the activities of associated community engagement processes including ad hoc task forces, and interagency planning initiatives. The Comprehensive Planning team is responsible for communicating and promoting the Comprehensive Plan, including the land use growth policies for the County; developing recommendations to inform land use decisions and implementation tools; and conducting community engagement to facilitate and communicate the desired vision and outcomes for the County. Specific duties: Performing, evaluating, and monitoring the planning/development activities for long-range County planning, land use policy development, and zoning studies including developing and implementing the associated planning process and/or work program and which may involve overseeing multiple and/or a portfolio of related projects; Directing the activities of interagency teams, conducting planning research and analysis and forming recommendations, and facilitating effective civic and community engagement; Serving as a contributing planner to evaluate development applications for consistency with approved plans when needed; Serving as lead planner to coordinate and consult with County departments, commissions, and interest groups; citizen groups and commissions; County and state, regional agencies, and/or private industry on issues within major program area or portfolio; Identifying policy issues, developing reports and presentations, and making recommendations to the County Manager and County Board; Coordinating the work of other County staff for substance and accuracy of conclusions to ensure compliance with County policies, program objectives, and other governing legislation/regulations and provide technical guidance and leadership to assigned teams; and Maintaining a thorough understanding of County policies and priorities, laws, policies, regulations, and internal/external stakeholder dynamics, and professional best practices that influence and impact land use policy and planning. The ideal candidate will have: Excellent land use and physical planning sense, experience planning for smart growth and sustainable transit-oriented development; Project management experience in a highly complex and fast-changing planning and development environment; Significant experience working independently with minimal supervision, prioritizing and effectively achieving results on schedule per work program while managing multiple studies and tasks, and building consensus amongst team members; Political acumen, excellent community engagement and negotiating skills; Presentation and report production skills to effectively communicate with, educate, obtain feedback from and advise residents, property owners, developers, commissions, and elected officials on areas of program specialization. Selection Criteria Minimum: Bachelor's degree in community or urban planning, landscape architecture, or related field; and Three years of experience in project management of Urban Planning, land use program administration, community development, or related program areas. Substitution: Additional education may be substituted for experience. Desirables: Preference may be given to candidates with a Master's Degree in related field and a designation/experience in one or more of the following: Senior level project management in community planning studies, plan implementation strategies, and development review issues; Working closely with interagency staff, the community, stakeholder groups, and commissions; Presenting study findings, project plans, and recommendations to a variety of audiences; and Development review. Special Requirements The applicant must have the ability and willingness to use alternative methods of transportation to get to work sites when performing assignments or the applicant must possess or obtain by the time of appointment a valid Driver License. Any offer of employment may be contingent upon a favorable review of the applicant's driving record. Completion of the Commonwealth of Virginia "Statement of Economic Interest (Financial Disclosure)" form will be required of the successful candidate upon hire and annually thereafter. Additional Information Work Hours: This is a 40 hour per week position, with flexible work hours generally between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Significant evening and weekend work may be required to attend community, Planning Commission, and County Board meetings. The salary listed at the top of this announcement is effective July 1, 2021. Your responses to the supplemental questionnaire are considered part of the selection process and are required for this position. Please do not give "see resume" as a response to the questions. Incomplete applications may not be considered. Arlington County Government employee benefits depend on whether a position is permanent, the number of hours worked, and the number of months the position is scheduled. Specific information on benefits and conditions of employment can be found on the Arlington County Human Resources Department website: (see application details) Permanent, Full-Time Appointments All jobs are permanent, full-time appointments unless otherwise stated in the announcement. The following benefits are available: Paid Leave : Vacation leave is earned at the rate of four hours biweekly. Leave accrual increases every three years until eight hours of leave are earned biweekly for twelve or more years of service. Sick leave is earned at the rate of four hours biweekly. There are eleven paid holidays each year. Health and Dental Insurance : Three group health insurance plans are offered - a network open access plan, a point-of-service plan, and a health maintenance organization. A group dental insurance plan is also offered. The County pays a significant portion of the premium for these plans for employees and their dependents. A discount vision plan is provided for eye care needs. Life Insurance : A group term policy of basic life insurance is provided at no cost to employees. The benefit is one times annual salary. Additional life insurance is available with rates based on the employee's age and smoker/non-smoker status. Retirement : The County offers three vehicles to help you prepare for retirement: a defined benefit plan, a defined contribution plan (401(a)), and a deferred compensation plan (457). The defined benefit plan provides a monthly retirement benefit based on your final average salary and years of service with the County. You contribute a portion of your salary on a pre-tax basis to this plan. General employees contribute 4% of pay; uniformed public safety employees contribute 7.5% of pay. Employees become vested in the plan at five years of service. The County also contributes to this plan. For general employees, the County also contributes 4.2% of pay to a defined contribution plan (401(a)) . The County also matches your 457 contribution, up to $20 per pay period, in this plan. The 457 deferred compensation plan allows you to set aside money on either a pre-tax (457b) or post-tax (457 Roth) basis up to the IRS annual limit. New employees are automatically enrolled with a pre-tax contribution equal to 2% of your base pay. Other Benefits: The County also offers health, dependent care, and parking flexible spending accounts; long-term care insurance; tuition assistance; transit and walk/bike to work subsidies; a college savings plan; wellness programs; training opportunities; and a variety of other employee benefits. Permanent, Part-Time Appointments: Part time employees who work ten or more hours per week receive paid leave and benefits in proportion to the number of hours worked per week. Limited Term Appointments: Benefits are the same as permanent appointments except that the employees do not achieve permanent status. Temporary Regular Appointments: Temporary regular employees who work 30 hours or more per week are eligible for health, dental, and basic life insurance as described above. They are also eligible for vacation, sick leave, and paid holidays. Temporary Seasonal and Occasional Appointments: Temporary employees who work on a seasonal basis or variable hours receive sick leave, but do not normally receive other paid leave or benefits. Exceptions are noted in individual announcements. Note: This is a position that works remotely but does require living in one of the five states listed below. MHP Salud, a national non-profit focused on health education outreach, currently seeking a Marketing and Community Manager. This position provides marketing support for MHP Saluds on-the-ground programs in Latino communities as well as for programs that develop resources and provide technical assistance to other organizations. As such, the Marketing and Community Manager is responsible for creating graphic design and written content on a range of topics and for diverse audiences. The successful candidate will work independently while also having the ability to collaborate with staff at all levels of the organization to compile input and ensure that messaging and marketing collateral is clear, culturally relevant, and on brand. Successful candidates will work with staff from across the nation but must reside in one of the following states: Texas Florida Massachusetts Michigan Washington Complete information about this position is available in the Marketing and Community Manager job description at mhpsalud.org, however, the selected candidate will: Be proficient in Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Premier, and Microsoft Office Suite and have strong design sensibility with the ability to develop content under a unified brand. Have excellent grammar and communication skills with the ability to effectively organize information and communicate ideas. Assist with the development and implementation of comprehensive marketing plans that include the organizational website, blog, social media, email campaigns, and printed materials. Have an understanding of, or the ability to rapidly obtain and incorporate, an understanding of the Community Health Worker profession and the communities and organizations we serve. Have an understanding of SEO, and an understanding of, or the ability to rapidly obtain an understanding of, key marketing tools to access and interpret marketing analytical data. Work proactively and effectively both when completing independent work, as well as when working as part of a Marketing team. Written and spoken Spanish language skills are needed to perform this position well. While not a requirement, Spanish language skills are very strongly preferred. This is a full-time salaried position. A bachelors degree, with at least two years experience in the job duties delineated. Salary Range: $56,000 to $63,000 per year, based on qualifications and experience. About the Organization MHP Salud is a bilingual and bicultural organization. Staff diversity and innovative programming make MHP Salud a fun and supportive work environment. The organization offers positions that challenge staff and inspire personal growth. At the same time, MHP Saluds excellent, family-friendly personnel policies encourage staff members to model healthy living on all levels. MHP Salud believes in the importance of accessible and affordable benefits that allow you and your family to be healthy and plan for your future. As a full-time employee, the following benefits begin on your first day of employment: For health care, we pay 95% of employee premiums, 75% of the premium for employee+1 plans, and 85% of the premiums for family plans. We pay 100% of the employees dental and vision plans, with the option to add coverage for dependents. We provide employer-paid life insurance and offer you the ability to add more for yourself and your spouse and children, and we carry excellent employer-paid long-term disability insurance for our employees. You are immediately vested in our 401K retirement plan with an employer contribution of 6.5% of your salary with an additional 2% if matched by you. In addition to 13 paid holidays, employees receive 12 paid Health and Wellness days per year and receive 152 hours of leave in their first year (increasing in their 4th and 8th year). UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON COMPUTER SUPPORT SPECIALIST ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER: 21-WAW-21 ANNOUNCEMENT DATE: Open until filled; preference given to resumes received by July 5, 2021 If you have exceptional customer service skills, and you are an enthusiastic, self motivated, and technically strong helpdesk technician looking for a position that offers variety, and the opportunity for advancement in a professional environment, we want to hear from you. The U.S. District Court and U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services for the Western District of Washington is seeking a team player with strong organizational and multitasking skills to serve as helpdesk specialist responsible for day-to-day helpdesk tasks, as well as technical project coordination and implementation. The primary responsibility of this position is to ensure employee satisfaction with their technology and the service provided by the Computer Support Team. This position is located at the federal courthouse in Seattle, Washington, with regular travel to the Tacoma Courthouse as well as our U.S. Probation divisional offices in Everett, Tukwila, and Vancouver, WA. REPRESENTATIVE DUTIES Serve as a working member of the Computer Support Specialist team, providing on site staffing in Seattle and Tacoma during designated helpdesk hours. Assist court employees, by providing thoughtful, innovative solutions they may not have the technical expertise to envision themselves. Provide advanced support for video and web conferencing platforms, such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom for court proceedings, meetings, and large events. Provide setup and support of video conferences using the courts remote management tools and in-person support. Troubleshoot and provide advanced assistance with courtroom audio and evidence presentation systems. Provide technical and operational support for Office 365 products, including Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, and SharePoint. Provide advanced support for Adobe Acrobat including integration with O365 applications, SharePoint, and Internet browsers. Coordinate and adhere to administrative processes of the helpdesk, such as purchasing supplies, managing license renewals, reviewing and updating compliance documents, coordinating procurement and receipt of equipment, posting SharePoint announcements, etc. Provide end user training, including creating training materials. Support the courts mobile technology environment, using MDM software and assist in the monthly reconciliation of invoices, device inventory, and usage. Qualifications Candidates must have a high school diploma or equivalent and at least three years experience with one or more of the functional areas of hardware and software applications, networks, Audio/Visual systems, or communications. Certification as a Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician or CompTIA A+ certification, or practical knowledge of the information necessary for certification, is required. The successful candidate will also possess: Ability to manage multiple workload demands with frequent interruptions; Ability to function collaboratively within a team and the larger office; Ability to take initiative and work without direct supervision; Ability and desire to learn and expand technical skills; Ability to communicate information in an accurate, timely, and professional manner; Accuracy and attention to detail; Ability to exercise sound independent judgment; Strong computer and analytical skills; Excellent customer service skills; High level of professionalism; Ability to work well under stress; An attendance record that indicates reliability and commitment; Preferred Qualifications Previous help desk experience; Previous court or law office experience; A bachelors degree Salary Range (Depending on Qualifications): Court Personnel System Classification Level: CL26, Step 1 61, $51,565 - $83,803 CL27, Step 1 61, $56,646 - $92,084 Benefits The District Court offers a generous benefit package, including transit passes, participation in a defined benefit pension plan (the Federal Employees Retirement System), Thrift Savings Plan (similar to a 401K), health and life insurance benefits, flexible spending accounts, long term care options, annual and sick leave accrual, and ten paid holidays per year. Judiciary employees are not covered by the Executive Branch civil service classification system or regulations. For additional information on employment with the federal courts, please visit www.uscourts.gov. INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS Qualified applicants should submit the following: Cover letter Resume Completed AO78 Form (Application for employment) Attachments should be submitted as Microsoft Word (DOC) or Adobe Acrobat (PDF) files. Other formats are not acceptable. Applications will be considered complete when all required attachments, in the appropriate format, are received by the Human Resources Unit. Applications and/or attachments received after the closing date may not be considered. Application materials can be submitted via e-mail to: seattle_personnel@wawd.uscourts.gov Or to: Human Resources (#21-WAW-21) U. S. District Court 700 Stewart Street, Suite 2218 Seattle, WA 98101 Only qualified applicants will be considered for this position. Applicants must be United States citizens or eligible to work in the United States. Employees of the United States District Court are considered at will employees. Applicants selected for interviews must travel at their own expense. The United States District Court requires employees to follow a code of conduct which is available upon request. Reference checks with current and former employers will be conducted on top candidates. A background investigation with law enforcement agencies, including fingerprint and criminal record checks, will be conducted as a condition of employment. Any applicant selected for a position will be hired provisionally pending successful completion of the investigation. Unsatisfactory results may result in termination of employment. The Federal Financial Management Reform Act requires direct deposit of federal wages. The United States District Court for the Western District of Washington is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals and seek a diverse pool of applicants in terms of race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, languages spoken, veterans status, disability, religion, and socio-economic circumstance. The Court provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, please notify human resources. The decision on granting reasonable accommodations will be made on a case by case basis. The Court reserves the right to modify the conditions of this job announcement, to withdraw the announcement, or to fill the position sooner than the closing date, any of which may occur without prior written or other notice. In the event that a position becomes vacant in a similar classification, within a reasonable time from the original announcement, management may elect to select a candidate from the applicants who responded to the original announcement without posting the position. More than one position may be filled from this announcement. recblid auxxffp5443q92wdufutvsubfihl8w Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Arica.com undertook a rigorous research project to identify not just high profile personalities, but the women who actually run the largest, most complex businesses on the African continent. The result is called The Africa.com Definitive List of Women CEOs. On August 18, Harvard Business School Professor Tony Mayo, will present his research findings on what it takes for African-American women to reach the top spot in American corporations. A panel of women CEOs from the Africa.com list will react to that research, noting similarities and differences for corporate women in Africa. The names of those who made the List will be revealed that day, as well. The Africa.com Definitive List of Women CEOs is the product of a data-driven research project that began by identifying all publicly listed companies on all of the twenty-one stock exchanges in Africa , a list of over 1400 companies. From there, the researchers screened the companies to focus on the largest companies those with a market capitalization of $150 million USD or larger, resulting in a list of 355 corporations. Once the researchers had identified these 355 companies, the largest in Africa, they then searched the public information available on the management teams of these companies. In order to qualify for the List, women had to have a CEO or managing director title at the head of one of these companies. The titles were then vetted further by examining where the women fit within the companys overall organizational structure to ensure that the women truly hold authority that is consistent with their title. Based on this effort, a handful of women were eliminated while they had an impressive sounding title, the companys organizational chart demonstrated that someone else actually holds bottom line profit and loss responsibility for the company. In addition to the women selected through the process above, the analysis went on to identify two additional groups of women running Corporate Africa. One additional group of women are those who run divisions of very large African corporate entities, such that their division, if it were a standalone company, would qualify for the list with its own divisional market cap of $150 million USD or more. The roles of the women running these divisions were vetted within the context of the companys organizational structure the title alone was not sufficient to make the list. The women in this group have profit and loss responsibility for a revenue generating division that would be valued at $150 million or more, on its own. Lastly, women who run the entire African region, a region within Africa, or an African country for global corporations listed on international exchanges were then identified. To qualify for this group, only international companies with a market cap of $50 billion or more are included. The women running these businesses range from those who run a country, such as Kenya or Nigeria, to those who run all of sub-Saharan Africa for these global behemoths. On August 18, 2021, in addition to revealing the 50 names on The Africa.com Definitive List of Women CEOs, Africa.com will provide observations and trends that emerged from the research project, including which regions and which sectors lead in appointing women to the number one spot in Corporate Africa. We think it is important to dig beyond the media hype, and reveal those women who have bottom line authority for Africas biggest corporations. many of whom have gone unnoticed. We look forward to presenting this information on August 18 alongside Harvard Business School Professor to elevate the conversation about women in Corporate Africa. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Duchess Cookies, a New York-based gourmet cookie shop chain that has garnered more than 50,000 Instagram followers since its founding in 2017, is expected to open its first Pennsylvania location in mid-July at 247 Northampton St. in downtown Easton. The business offers more than 120 rotating flavors of filled cookies, which incorporate unique desserts like cheesecake, s'mores and chocolate covered pretzels. Pictured are oatmeal apple pie cookies and "Galaxy" cookies, purple and black coconut ash sugar cookies filled with creamy milk chocolate ganache and topped with edible glitter. (Duchess Cookies/Contributed photo) It is our policy not to release publicly reports dealing with personnel matters or reports containing information that is privileged, confidential or otherwise protected or prohibited from publication by law, regulations, policies or collective bargaining agreements. However, because the recently released Department of State constitutional amendment report did not contain protected information and primarily addressed state government processes, we were able to release it to the public. Because the indifference to whites being shot and killed by the police without justification the abuse of whites by police leads to the narrative that police abuse only occurs to Blacks, which means its a Black problem. Which leads to the policy of social conservatives that there is no need to control the police as an institution. International EU Parliament calls for more sanctions on Belarus Strasbourg, Jun 11 (IANS) | Publish Date: 6/11/2021 1:47:21 PM IST Following the May 23 forced landing of a Ryanair plane travelling between two EU capitals and the arrest of blogger Roman Protasevich in Belarus, the European Parliament has called for further sanctions on the hardline regime in Minsk. Punitive measures should be taken against the crude oil-processing industry, the production of petroleum products, and the potash, steel and wood-processing industries, it said in a resolution adopted on Thursday. In addition, cooperation with state-owned Belarusian banks should be stopped, reports dpa news agency. Consideration should also be given to temporarily excluding Belarus from the Swift payment system. Josep Borrell, the EUs foreign affairs commissioner, said during Tuesdays plenary debate that he hoped the blocs member states would adopt further punitive measures on Belarus at the next summit. For the first time, targeted economic sanctions had been agreed upon. Belarusian authorities forced the Ryanair passenger plane on its way from Athens to Vilnius to make a stopover in Minsk and arrested the government critic Protasevich and his girlfriend Sofia Sapega on board. The EU then reimposed sanctions on the former Soviet republic. Since last Saturday, Belarusian airlines are no longer allowed to fly into the blocs airspace. Due to the ongoing repression of the democracy movement in Belarus, the EU had already adopted several packages of sanctions targeting President Alexander Lukashenkos supporters last year. Russias possible role in the case should be investigated and, if necessary, sanctions imposed on those responsible, they said. MEPs also backed a call by Belarusian opposition activist Svetlana Tikhanovskaya for the establishment of an international criminal court to hold the leadership in Minsk accountable. State Konyak Catholic bodies condemn assault DIMAPUR | Publish Date: 6/11/2021 1:36:16 PM IST Konyak Catholic Association (KCA), Konyak Catholic Women Association (KCWA) and Konyak Catholic Youth Association (KCYA) has strongly condemned the barbaric and inhuman act meted out by a youth on the administrator of Don Bosco Higher Secondary School (DBHSS) Monon June 8 at the school centre. In a condemnation note, KCS president, Achuang Joseph Konyak, KCWA president, Glory Yongmai Konyak and KCYA president, L.Y. Anthony Konyak stated that such kind of inhuman acts must be condemned by every citizen. The Catholic bodies also said that they would not tolerate such act of foolishness in the near future. Further, they appreciated the district administration and the Mon police for the timely intervention and necessary action against the culprit. The bodies also acknowledged the Konyak Baptist Association Mon, Mon Village Students Union, Wakching Town Students Union and other organisations for the solidarity notes extended. ALAMEDA, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 04: A humpback whale breaches in a lagoon on June 04, 2019 in Alameda, California. Scientists are concerned about the whale, which has been swimming in a lagoon off the San Francisco Bay for over a week. According to the Marine Mammal Center, the whale appears to be unhealthy and is likely malnourished. (Photo : Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) After being sued twice for failing to protect humpback whale pods, the US government has officially declared over a 100,000 square nautical miles of the Pacific as a legally defined critical habitat for the endangered species. This is one of the most outstanding victories for American marine conservationists in recent times. The declaration will cover wide swaths of Pacific Ocean territory that are under the jurisdiction of roughly three states (them being Oregon, California and Washington). California is especially important as many ships and fisheries still have operations that pose a direct threat to many whales passing by in their regular migration routes. Biggest threats to humpback whales in Pacific The legal implications of a critical habitat are all underscored by America's Endangered Species Act (ESA). In brief, critical habitats allow a wide number of federal actions in that area for the sake of preserving any and all species listed under the ESA. This opens the door to impose more restrictions in order to reduce activities and practices harmful to the area's ecosystem. For years, the presence of US commercial fishing in the Pacific, as well as the high traffic along its shipping routes, have both been grave concerns for conservationists working to restore humpbacks and other cetacean populations. Here are just some of the risks they pose and why designating large areas as critical habitats are crucial to mitigating them. 1. Ship strikes Ships traveling at certain high speeds can sometimes collide right into slower moving whales and cause fatal injuries. In just the last couple of months, several beached whales have been found near the San Francisco Bay Area and the most highly suspected cause had been ship striking incidents. 2. Entanglement Many crab fisheries are still using ropes tied to buoys and these often result in entanglements that also result in grave injury. This usually happens in a number of ways, from tails striking crab pot lines to entire bodily entanglement after a splash gone very wrong. 3. Plastic pollution Plastic waste continues to be a major threat to many marine mammals. In late 2019, whales had been seen in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch for the first time, sparking alarm and outrage. The patch is smack dab in the ocean territory between California and Hawaii and its continued existence still demands attention from the federal government. Also read: Cetacean Strandings: Whales Are Beaching Themselves, Who Do We Blame? Implications for whale watchers in Pacific Ocean Now, if you are in California for some whale watching, the news of the critical habit is a good one. However, that also means there could be stricter guidelines on what you can and cannot expect from the experience. This may include adjustments to the distances between whale watching ships and the animals. (Consider bringing a good pair of binoculars if you still want a close glimpse of them coming out of the water.) Regulations around permits could also be changed. And lastly, it is highly possible that closer encounters are completely off the table for most of the public. With about three vulnerable humpback whale populations in the newly designated critical habitat, conservationists will not take any chances and seize all opportunities to finally make America's side of the Pacific a safer place for them all. Also read: Whales Came From Land-Dwelling Tiny Deers That Lived 50 Million Years Ago A U.K. woman developed a serious eye infection thanks to an uncommon virus - cowpox, a cousin of smallpox, which she got from her pet cat. The infection, in her right eye, threatened to leave her blind. Symptoms of Cowpox Infection The 28-year-old woman went to the emergency room after she noticed an eye irritation, together with redness and discharge in her right eye, which had persisted for five days, according to the report, released June 5 in The New England Journal of Medicine. She was given a slew of antibiotics and antiviral drugs that is used to treat usual eye infections, but nothing seemed to work. Her symptoms were becoming worse - she had gotten orbital cellulitis, or an infection of the fat and muscles surrounding the eye; and this infection was making the tissue in her eye to die or necrotize. Her doctors worried she might get blind. An ophthalmologist at Royal Free Hospital in London, Dr. Miles Kiernan who treated the patient said: "Our worry was that the infection would damage her sight permanently, or likely spread past the orbit [eye socket]." A clue to the woman's sickness came from her pet cat. The patient revealed that two weeks earlier, her cat had gotten lesions on its head and paws, the report said. Also Read: Shocking Discovery! Scientists Identify Link Between Cat Parasite and Brain Cancer in Humans Orthopoxvirus Samples from the lesions of the cat and the woman's eye both tested positive for orthopoxvirus - the category of viruses that includes the cowpox virus, monkeypox virus, and smallpox virus (variola virus). Further genetic sequencing of the woman's sample showed she was infected with cowpox. Cowpox can infect many animal species, including cats, cows, and humans. It's closely akin to the vaccinia virus, which is used in the smallpox vaccine. (The physician Edward Jennor famously made use of cowpox to make the first vaccine in the world, against smallpox, in 1796, after he discovered that dairy farmers who got cowpox infection were immune to smallpox.) Today, cowpox is uncommon in cattle, and the major reservoir is rodents, according to the Merck Veterinary Manual. Cats can contract the infection when they kill rodents with cowpox, but transmission from cats to people is uncommon, Kiernan told Live Science. How Cowpox Infection Can be Transmitted The infection can be transmitted to humans through contact with cowpox lesions on the skin of the cat, but the virus isn't very contagious between human and cats, and the risk of infection can be extremely reduced with hygiene measures like wearing gloves when dealing with infected cases, according to VCA Animal Hospitals. The virus has not been discovered in cats in the United States, according to Merck. Doctors have a suspicion the patient's eye became infected when she petted her cat and then rubbed or touched her eyes, Kiernan said. Related Article: Extremely Rare, Deadly Infection From Dogs And Cats Hits Twice In 1 Month For more news, updates about diseases in cats and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News! Britain now classifies raccoon dogs as major non-native pest that will likely to destroy wildlife. Their cute little furry faces might not look like the destructive type, but a study found they can be pretty invasive mammals in the UK. Raccoon dogs are among the new found species which have arrived in Great Britain for centuries. For some time now, they have spread diseases and competed with other native fauna to have a place in the local ecology, giving them a place in the list of 20 invasive species that have reached UK shores. Researchers had warned that raccoon dogs pose a threat to biodiversity, like that of invasive American mink to decreased water vole numbers, and have negative impacts on the environment, the economy and human health. Raccoon Dogs are Escapologists and Adaptable Historically, raccoon dogs were farmed for fur but have escaped and spread rapidly through continental Europe, reaching the northern European country despite population control and eradication efforts. They are believed to be 'escapologists of the mammal world'. However, the government encourages dispatch of captured raccoon dogs in the most appropriate and humane way as possible, like putting them to sleep. These animals are still occasionally sighted in France, Germany, Poland and the Netherlands. The chair of the Mammal Society, Dr. Stephanie Wray explained that although there are only a few numbers of sightings of raccoon dogs around Britain, this small number remarkably breeds and populates quickly. "The raccoon dog is a very adaptable animal which can breed quickly and survive on a wide range of food," she added. The Mammal Society calls on people to report any sightings of the fox-like animals as they cause unavoidable destruction by predating and spreading illness on native species including amphibians, small mammals and ground-nesting birds. In addition, they damage forestry and cause illness to humans. However, just last year, a wild raccoon dog was captured in Wales and 'put to sleep' which the BeastWatch UK described as 'avoidably destroyed' and a 'resort to unnecessary euthanasia', saying that the raccoon could have helped with access to many sanctuary places across the country. Also read: [VIRAL] China's Internet Famous Wandering Elephants Take a Rest After 500km Trek Raccoon Dogs are 'Pests' not 'Pets' in the UK Raccoon dogs are invasive non-native species and UK's next pest. Dr. Wray warned that destructive racoon dogs have already inflicted on their environments such as the forests, wetlands, farmlands, and urban areas. They are currently classified as one among the 10%-15% non-native species causing problems in Great Britain, threatening wildlife and carrying disease. In addition, these invasive non-native species have already cost the economy an estimate of 1.8bn each year. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) said that raccoon dogs are wild and "extremely smelly" animals and are not advised to be domesticated. In 2019, buying and selling the exotic pets were banned in Britain. Authorities said their complex needs are not suited to life in captivity, which reached them to a conclusion that they should be given the most appropriate control option. Also read: In 30 Years, African Great Apes Risk Being Homeless as Their Territory Faces Degradation THE uproar that resulted in former Bulawayo deputy mayor, Mr Tinashe Kambarami attempting to bulldoze a full council meeting despite his recalling has been exposed as a mere smokescreen, as during the same meeting councillors went on to award the embattled councillor an industrial stand. Early this month, Mr Kambarami was in the eye of the storm when he turned up at a full council meeting demanding that he be recognised as the deputy mayor after his acquittal by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court had reinstated the former Ward Three Councillor as deputy mayor last month but the ruling was of no effect as he was recalled by his parent party, the MDC-T. The former deputy mayor had to be ejected from the chambers by security, with the mayor, Councillor Solomon Mguni labelling him an intruder. However, investigations by this publication have since revealed that the mayhem could have been used as a smokescreen to divert the public from an item where Mr Kambarami had applied to purchase an industrial stand in the city, through a company he co-owns with his wife Rosemary Grade One Private Limited. Although in the council report, the Kambaramis are not named as directors, enquiries at the Companies and Deeds office revealed that the two are co-directors of the company. The Town Clerk (Mr Christopher Dube) reported (on 23 October 2020) that Stand 19792 Westondale, had been surrendered to council by the previous owner and made available for re-allocation to other deserving applicants. The stand in question was in extent of 3373 square metres. An application had been received from Grade One Private Limited, who wished to use the stand for the establishment of a food manufacturing-milling company. The Director of Engineering Services (Engineer Simela Dube) had advised that there were no town planning objections to the proposal, reads the report. Some of the conditions that are to be met by the Kambaramis include that they will pay a selling price of US$11 300 excluding 14,5 percent Value Added Tax or Zimbabwe dollar equivalent subject to the foreign currency exchange auction rate. Any developments were required to be in terms of council approved building plans and should comply with the relevant by-laws. The stand was not to be occupied until such time as a potable water supply and approved sanitary facilities had been provided and an occupation certificate issued. The stand is to be suitably walled and gated. Adequate provision for loading and on-site parking space, to accommodate all traffic likely to be generated by the proposed activities, to be provided within the confines of the stand. No plant, equipment or machinery shall be installed or utilised that would, in the opinion of Council, give rise to excessive pollution, reads the council report. It was further revealed that when the report was initially tabled in October last, it had been withdrawn from being deliberated on by the finance and development standing committee agenda, as there had been representation by another applicant who had applied for the same stand. Ironically both the mayor, Clr Mguni and his deputy who replaced Mr Kambarami Clr Mlandu Ncube both sit in the said committee. In order to avoid double allocation, the item had been withdrawn for further investigation. The issue had been resolved because the stand in question was a newly created one, which was first allocated to Member Foods (Pvt) Limited who wanted a bigger stand for their fleet of commercial vehicles, no one had applied and allocated the stand, reads the initial report. Meanwhile, BCC has reiterated their position that Mr Kambarami is no longer a serving councillor, saying the only way he could make it back to council chambers was if he challenged his expulsion in the courts. Responding to a written enquiry, BCC corporate communications officer, Miss Bongiwe Ngwenya said the local authority was adhering to a Ministry of Local Government and Public Works directive that had informed them that Mr Kambarami had been recalled. The city of Bulawayo is in receipt of a letter from the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works advising council that Mr Tinashe Kambarami was expelled from his party. The Constitution of Zimbabwe outlines that once one is expelled from his or her party, he or she loses his or her seat or ward. Mr Kambarami will need to successfully challenge his expulsion for him to be allowed back in council, said Miss Ngwenya. Some years ago, the Government had to dispatch an investigation team to Bulawayo after it emerged that the citys councillors were dishing out properties among themselves. The investigation revealed that out of the 29 councillors, then, only five had not been given any council property to lease. It was further revealed that when the councillors get the properties they default in paying rates and rentals resulting in the properties accruing debt, as council management could not take the route of evicting the councillors, fearing victimisation. Sunday News The victim, identified by friends and family as Jason Hooks, was playing dominoes on Crimmins Ave. near E. 141st St. in Mott Haven about 4:10 p.m. before he walked away to climb stairs connecting Crimmins Ave. and Oak Terrace, police and witnesses said. The 30-year-old victim, who was hit multiple times from behind, was found unconscious on Avenue St. John near Fox St. in Woodstock around 5:51 a.m., police said. The thief took off with her phone towards East 110th St. and Central Park North in Harlem with the witness hot on his tail, authorities said. She actually said, Please take care of my baby, take care of my daughter, after throwing them out the window. So there was the sign right there. Mentally she wasnt stable, he said. 29yr old Wayne Joseph was pronounced dead at Jamaica Hospital after he was found shot in the torso and right thigh in front of 187-10 Quencer Road in Queens on Friday June 11, 2021. (Theodore Parisienne/for New York Daily News) Which one are you going to do? Which one are you going to do? Are you taping me on your camera? the agitated Gurley asks. Good. Good, cause guess what: Youre not supposed to tape me. The uptick in gun violence locally is part of a disturbing rise in gun violence across the country as we exit the pandemic, Austin Mayor Steve Adler tweeted. APD and the City Council have initiated multiple violence prevention efforts in response but this crisis requires a broader, coordinated response from all levels of government. One thing is clear greater access to firearms does not equal greater public safety. Violence in the coastal state, which is home to resorts like Cancun, Playa Del Carmen and Tulum, has declined somewhat from the high levels of 2018 and 2019, when there was an upsurge in killings. There were 209 killings in the state in the first four months of 2021, down from 266 in the same period of 2020. Knowing I caused the deaths of five people and severely hurt two others is unbearable most of the time, Barson told the court. I want you to know that Im so truly sorry for what Ive done. I know you will carry this pain forever, and it breaks my heart that I caused this. I said, Look at this. What is this? Why would you do this? And thats when he tried to give me some lame excuse about a computer glitch, where he said Sometimes Ill put in a name and it will come out different on the receipt, he told NBC News. Another video, which was posted on Twitter and quickly went viral, apparently shows a number of passengers trying to restrain the man. The caption of the video, posted by Twitter user @alif--burns, reads someone tried hijacking our plane from LAX to ATL, which is also not accurate, according to Delta. Police said the grandmother, 69, then lunged at Wall, and his gun jammed during the struggle, according to the AP. The woman then fell, and Wall shot her while she lay on the ground, before walking a few steps and taking his own life, according to the cops. The 69-year-old woman, who has not been named, was shopping in the produce aisle with her 1-year-old grandchild when the shooter, Matthew Wall, entered the Royal Palm Beach grocery store on Thursday just before 11:30 a.m. According to a timeline released by the Palm Beach County Sheriffs Office, the 55-year-old gunman first shot the child, prompting the grandmother to rush toward him. Last week, the school system argued in court that it had suspended Cross not for his thoughts, but for the disruption hed caused. According to LCPS, officials received six emails from parents who didnt want their kids to have contact with the teacher. He told the Tribune that his niece wont be the first person to benefit from his winning. Miller, who now works in foster care, claims he handed a few hundred dollar bills to homeless people he came across after cashing in. What I liked about the rainbow is that it fits all of us. Its all the colors. It represents all the genders. It represents all the races. Its the rainbow of humanity, the artist, educator and activist once said. When people look at rape and think about rape, the first thing that comes to mind is someone jumping out of the shadows on the jogging trail with a gun or a knife, Tulsa police officer Darin Ehrenrich told KOTV. When the overwhelming statistical likelihood is if youre going to be sexually assaulted, youre going to be sexually assaulted by someone that is known to you. Tillery was in the ICU for several days, followed by 11 days in inpatient care, and less than three weeks after the stroke, even achieved her goal of attending the Cattlemens Ball in her hometown of Columbus, about 76 miles northwest of Lincoln, the Journal Star reports. We have the highest regard for State Police and the troopers who serve on the Executive Detail, Cuomo senior adviser Rich Azzopardi told the Times Union. We are respecting the process and believe those seeking to settle scores and score political points under the cloak of anonymity should as well. Check out our special section for the latest news on the critical 2021 elections in NYC. And to have the essential news and analysis sent to your inbox, sign up for our Campaign Diaries newsletter. He said he was excited about all the work, all the outreach, to have folks walking up to me people Ive worked with in the past from the neighborhood excited for me and feeling a huge amount of momentum here and around the city. Some called Bolsonaro a genocidal maniac, referring to his lax handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 480,000 Brazilians have died from COVID-19, the second-highest death toll of any country, behind only the U.S. Animal lovers made emotional please to authorities to help the pups, Spike and Spay, who were stranded on the rim of a 400-foot sinkhole thats been growing since late May. Rescue workers had been unable to help the canines because the loose soil around the hole was too unstable. The growing hole is in the process of sucking in a house. The 24-year-old opposition protester was serving time for her involvement in a 15-hour siege of police headquarters in 2019 one of the many anti-government demonstrations that brought hundreds of thousands to the streets of the former British colony. The first thing to note about Yang the mayoral candidates basic income platform is that it is not the same as Yang the presidential candidates Freedom Dividend plan. As mayor, Yang is proposing to pay an average of $2,000 a year to 500,000 New Yorkers in extreme poverty, or 6% of our citys population. That leaves out most people, including a lot of poor people; 18% of New Yorkers were living in poverty in 2019. About a quarter of a million individuals who earn less than $10,000 a year wouldnt receive a penny from Yangs plan. And those who do qualify would receive only about $167 a month for their monthly living expenses. This is less than an individual in New York State can get from food stamps which we know are hardly enough to even cover food. On top of the influence of Goodrich and Hacketts play, many kids today study her diary in literature and language arts classes, not history. This combination leads them to experience it as a piece of feel-good creative writing rather than a historical document. Under the banner of Holocaust education, Ive seen them given exercises like write about three items youd take into the annex, and why; or describe a moment in your life when you considered taking a risk, and whether it was worth it; or write a letter to Anne to say why you admire her. I even saw one that told them to find personality traits in the diary to show that she was a Gemini. Contempt for hydrocarbons is common among climate activists. But it ignores the fact that oil, coal and natural gas are critical fuels for our economy and that they are affordable and readily available, which are critical issues for low- and middle-income consumers. It also ignores the staggering number of new transmission lines which are, in effect, electricity pipelines that will be needed to convert our economy to renewable electricity. Indeed, if you think putting an oil pipeline five or six feet under the ground is difficult, imagine how hard it will be to build hundreds of thousands of miles of high-voltage transmission lines, supported by thousands of 20-story-tall steel lattice towers. We couldnt pass up this opportunity after thats such a cool A&E piece so being from New York, we had to open up New York, so this is our way of saying welcome back to everybody, Stanley told the crowd at Battery Park after the first half of the documentary aired. Jagged called it a celebration of LWrens remarkable work and a wonderful opportunity for the public to see and enjoy her creations, in a statement. LWren was a talented and passionate designer with a keen eye for detail... She created beautiful pieces that were the epitome of elegance and sophistication, yet with a contemporary feel. Though Burton-Morgan, 38, wont be putting anybody on the spot, she told People, noting she wants to instead serve as an example is taking back work that is rightfully ours as the group is not responsible for the actions of other people. And so to reclaim that thing thats ours and that we were excited about when we were 22, 23 years old is an empowering thing to do as a grown-up lady now. None of these charges would be possible if the POLICE did not make contact with my son Polo G!!! Bartletts mother wrote in a tweet. He was NOT the driver. He was a PASSENGER in a professionally licensed vehicle with security. He was moving smart and correctly. What more could he have done. Fans of the HBO staple got a peek Friday when Sarah Jessica Parker, who played the one and only Carrie Bradshaw, took to Instagram with a shot of herself, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis, who played Miranda Hobbes and Charlotte York, respectively. Corvallis, OR (97331) Today Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low near 60F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low near 60F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph. Memorial Interino de Pulse el martes, 1 de junio de 2021. (Orlando Sentinel) Speaker after speaker took to the podium to recount what it has been like in the half-decade since the shooting, which at the time was considered the deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil since 9/11. For many, it was difficult to say if that lapse had been a long time or a wound that remains fresh in the citys collective memory. Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - A total of 330,260 people have been vaccinated in Libya since the start of the national vaccination campaign against the coronavirus in early April, the National Centre for Disease Control announced in Tripoli 18 June / 1 July . , (7079). . , , (XIV). . , , , . (1938). . ., . (1997). , . (1157). : (XIII) (1157). , (1946). {1} ( ) , . Welcome back pirates! As you make your return to campus The East Carolinian has created a forum that centers around topics within the community where readers can express their experiences and concerns. With the new guidelines set in place by East Carolina University do you feel as these precautions will keep you safe? Survey A snapshot of some of the week's mining sector stories ( ) said the ongoing drilling programme at the Havieron gold-copper joint venture project in Western Australia continues to support the potential for resource expansion. The latest results, announced by operator Newcrest Mining Ltd ( ), consist of seven new drill holes from the Growth Drilling programme. Newcrest has completed 164,420 metres of drilling from 190 holes to date, with all the latest holes continuing to intersect significant mineralisation, Greatland said PLC confirmed its plans to sell shares on the London Stock Exchange as it highlighted significant interest among potential investors. No new funds will be raised, instead existing shares held by major shareholders Alexey Mordashov, Kirill Mordashov, and Nikita Mordashov will be sold to new investors. ( ) said it completed the demerger of its thermal coal operations in South Africa, igniting criticism from research company Boatman Capital. The spin off of Ltd (LON:TGA, JSE:TGA), which started trading today as a separate company on the London and Johannesburg stock exchanges, ( ) said drilling will start this month on the northern (Hukuntsi) section of the Kalahari Suture Zone (KSZ) in Botswana. It awarded a contract to Mindea Exploration and Drilling Services (Pty) to drill a minimum of two 500 metre "proof of concept" holes no later June 30. ( ) announced the completion of an induced polarisation (IP) survey at the Bassala gold project in southern Mali and said it had identified several targets for follow up drilling. Great Western Mining Corp PLC ( ) said it completed its first-phase drilling programme for gold and silver at the Olympic gold project in Mineral County, Nevada. Eleven holes across four target areas were satisfactorily completed, it said. (LON:MTR, ASX:MTR), a natural resources investor, said it bought 3.0mln shares in Southern Gold Ltd ( ) for about A$225,000 (123,000), taking its stake in the South Korea-focused gold explorer to 19.1%. ( ) announced excellent initial assay results from a Pre-Feasibility Study drilling programme at its Toral lead, zinc and silver project in Spain. Significant intersections from drill holes included 2.4 metres at 10.58% zinc equivalent (including lead and silver credits) and 20.45 metres at 2.68% zinc equivalent (including lead and silver credits). The AIM-quoted company said it is looking to source a drill rig and to begin drilling before the start of the wet season. ( ) has seen its shares surge as it unveiled an 806mln claim against the Republic of Poland. To put that in context its market capitalisation before the announcement was just 29.69mln. . (LON:CUSN, ) announced an increase in resource estimates at the iconic South Crofty tin mine in Cornwall. An updated mineral resource estimate (MRE) showed a 10% increase in indicated resources in both the lower mine and upper mine areas and an almost 130% gain in inferred resources at the lower mine. The JORC-compliant MRE was divided into the lower mine and upper mine areas for reporting purposes. ( ) has moved a step closer to being granted a mining licence for its flagship Bougouni lithium project in southern Mali. Kodal received formal correspondence from the Direction Nationale de la Geologie et des Mines (DNGM) accepting a feasibility study and requesting an application fee for the delivery of the mining licence. ( ) said terminated an earn-in agreement relating to the Donovan 2 copper-gold project in Mexico.m "Capstone have decided not to proceed with the exploration on Donovan 2 advising that their corporate strategy has shifted and also that they did not receive sufficient confidence from their maiden drilling recently completed on Donovan 2 to continue, said Bill Brodie Good, chief executive of Alien Metals. (LON:THR, ) said a 2,000 metre diamond drilling programme started at the Alford East copper-gold project, in South Australia. The programme will focus on depth extension and structural delineation of the northern portion of the Alford East copper-gold deposit. (LON:CNR, ) said it started an 8,500 metre infill drilling programme within the permitted high-grade La Mestiza open pit at La India project, Nicaragua. PLC ( ) completed the acquisition of PR Ploutonic Resources Ltd, adding three advanced copper-gold exploration licences in the Republic of Cyprus. The licences - Troulli, Kokkinapetra and St. Nicholas each host clear evidence of historic production and all three properties have excellent potential for discovery of further high-grade VMS copper-gold and epithermal gold deposits, the company said in a statement. ( ) noted the completion of a US$73mln equity finance round by Moxico Resources, the operator of the Mimbula copper project in Zambia. Trident acquired a gross revenue royalty over Mimbula in June last year at a gross rate of 1.25% that decreases to 0.3% after payments of US$5mln. (LON:MKA, ) and Grupa Azoty Zakady Azotowe "Pulawy" SA (Grupa Azoty PULAWY) have agreed to develop a rare earth separation plant in Poland. "It is essential as a scientist that you evolve your opinion and your recommendations based on the data as it evolves. ... And that's the reason why I say people who then criticize me about that are actually criticizing science. That's the way science works. You work with the data you have at the time." Dr. Anthony Fauci Sorry for inconvenience! You have been redirected to this page due to the following reasons:-- Your session has expired. You have closed the browser, without logging out. If the problem persists, kindly remove all the temporary files and cookies from your browser. For IE - 1. Click on tools from the task bar of browser. 2. Click on Internet Options. 3. Click on "Delete temporary files." For Mozilla Firefox - 1. Click on tools from the task bar of browser. 2. Click on "Clear recent history." A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. Pointing to alleged leaked 'Clubhouse' chat of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh, the BJP on Saturday said that Congress' first love is Pakistan. In leaked Clubhouse chat, Digvijay Singh was found telling a Pakistani journalist that Congress would reconsider decision of revoking Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir once they are in power. Union Minister Giriraj Singh said that Pakistan is the first love of Congress. In a tweet, Singh said, "Congress' first love is Pakistan. Digvijaya Singh conveyed Rahul Gandhi's message to Pakistan. Congress will help Pakistan in grabbing Kashmir." BJP National Spokesperson Dr Sambit Patra tweeted, "Digvijaya Singh on being questioned by a Pak Journalist, on getting rid of 'Modi' and on Kashmir policy, says that if Congress comes back to power they would have a rethink on Article 370 and may restore it. He also talks about Hindu fundamentalists. The Congress is a Clubhouse of anti-nationals." BJP National IT and Social Media In-charge, Amit Malviya said, this is what Pakistan wanted. "In a Clubhouse chat, Rahul Gandhi's top aide Digvijaya Singh tells a Pakistani journalist that if Congress comes to power they will reconsider the decision of abrogating Article 370. Really? This is what Pakistan wanted," Malviya tweeted. The chat was released on Twitter by a handle @LeaksClubhouse (ClubHouse Leaks). Interestingly, Twitter profile of Clubhouse Leaks mentioned that the handle has been treated today. In the chat, Singh said, "Decision of revoking 370 and reducing statehood of Jammu and Kashmir was an extremely sad decision and the Congress party would certainly relook the decision." The Saffron party claimed that Digvijay Singh was replying to Pakistani journalist Shahzeb Jillani. Kevin Kishore Kaul, a Kashmiri Pandit who arrived in South Dakota on a student visa 30 years ago is wading into a crowded field of candidates betting that California will likely hurtle into a recall election for Governor in 2021. Kaul, an electrical engineer from Regional Engineering College in Warangal, Andhra Pradesh, who made his millions as an entrepreneur in the US West Coast, is upbeat about his chances - if the recall election happens. "I have a good shot at it" he told IANS over phone from Long Beach, Los Angeles. "We've got commitments for more than $1 million." Kaul said he filed his documents in late May, signalling intent to enter the gubernatorial race. Weeks ago, California officials announced that current Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom would face an almost certain recall election that could send him packing. Newsom's tough virus restrictions that shuttered schools and sunk businesses sparked calls for the recall last year. California, the most populous state in the US, is one of nearly 20 states that provides for the recall of elected state officials. By April 2021, recall advocates had cobbled together more than the necessary 1.6 million petition signatures to put the election on the ballot. The review process is now on to certify the recall for the ballot. In the election, likely this Fall, voters would be asked whether Newsom should be recalled and who should replace him. If their answer to the first question is a yes, the candidate with the most votes becomes the next Governor. More than 20 Republican challengers are preparing to take on first term Governor Newsom, a dear friend of Vice President Kamala Harris. Kaul's LinkedIn profile lists him as Founder and Chairman of US Global Business Forum. Before travelling to the US, Kaul worked with the Indian Navy and at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust in Navi Mumbai. Drawn by the appeal of a quickie MBA in South Dakota, Kaul says he came to the United States in September 1991. He found the place "too cold", dropped out of his MBA and headed further west. Kaul got some early breaks with big construction projects; his business website is splashed with pictures of him with the Obamas, Clintons and other A-listers. Kaul plans a "big launch" for his Governor run on his 60th birthday, this August. I like to amuse myself by identifying the strange parallels between Machiavellis life and my own, almost exactly five hundred years later. by Jonathan Powell Niccolo Machiavelli is much misunderstood. Even in his own lifetime his views were caricatured, and Machiavellian became a term of abuse not long after his death. In fact, Machiavelli wasnt at all Machiavellian. He was the son of a Florentine lawyer born under Medici rule who became secretary to the Second Chancery in 1498 and later secretary to the Ten of War, two of the key bodies governing the republic after the Medici had been thrown out and the radical friar Savonarola, who succeeded them, had been deposed. He served in these posts for fourteen years, playing the role of a civil servant and a diplomat, dabbling in administration, politics and military matters. Machiavellis Florence was at the centre of the Renaissance and he rubbed shoulders with thinkers and artists like Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, and on his diplomatic missions he met the great leaders of the age including King Louis XII of France, the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian, and Cesare Borgia, the son of Pope Alexander VI, and observed their triumphs and failings. For most of his time in office he served under the gonfaloniere (first minister) for life, Piero Soderini, but it is clear from his later writings that he had little respect for the indecisive Soderini, and most of Machiavellis diplomatic missions were failures. When the Medici were restored to their former domain by the Pope in 1512, Machiavelli lost his job and was thrown into a sort of internal political exile. He took on occasional negotiating missions for Florentine businessmen to neighbouring states and retired to his farm at San Casciano to write The Prince. I like to amuse myself by identifying the strange parallels between Machiavellis life and my own, almost exactly five hundred years later. I served as a civil servant and diplomat for sixteen years around the turn of a century and carried out a series of negotiating missions for the British government, including the return of Hong Kong to the Chinese, the two-plus-four talks on German unification, and negotiations with the Soviet Union on arms control and on human rights. I met many of the great figures of the time from Reagan and Thatcher to Gorbachev and Yeltsin, and closely observed their characters and actions. I was sent to the British Embassy in Washington in 1991 and attached myself to Bill Clinton, a long-shot candidate in the presidential race, because he had been at my college at Oxford. As a diplomat I joined the press pack accompanying him on his first campaigning visit to New Hampshire that same year, where we all travelled around in a little minibus, and I stayed on his campaign until his eventual triumph in November 1992. Having been a voyeur of American politics, I aspired to leave diplomacy and become a practitioner in British politics and had ambitions to become a Labour MP. I watched Neil Kinnocks defeat with despair on television in the large rotunda at the British Embassy in May 1992. It was clear that Gordon Brown and Tony Blair were the two big hopes for dragging the Labour Party back to the centre and making it electable, and I chaperoned Gordon Brown round the Democratic Convention in New York as his Embassy minder in the summer of that year. Gordon and Tony visited Washington six months later, and I was able to introduce them to the team around Bill Clinton that had helped win him the presidency. I kept in touch with Tony thereafter and was surprised when I got a call from Peter Mandelson after Tonys victory in the Labour Party leadership election in 1994, asking if I would like to come and work for Tony. I said I would, as long as the job was a big one like chief of staff. I was invited to London for an interview, although I had to pay for my own plane ticket, and had a rather desultory conversation with Tony in the bare and soulless office of the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons. I was then sent to the grandeur of the House of Lords to see the terrifying figure of Derry Irvine, the Shadow Lord Chancellor, for a rather more rigorous grilling. Derry told me that I spoke too fast for the brothers to understand, but he recommended me and I was chosen over other more obvious candidates even though I did not know Tony well and had not been brought up in the bosom of the Labour Party. Tony wanted to have someone in the job who was not a traditional political hack but had experience of government in order to demonstrate that he was serious about getting to Number 10, even if that meant he was taking on someone who was naive about Labour Party politics. Three years later I created the job of chief of staff in 10 Downing Street and filled it from May 1997 until Tony left government in June 2007 and the job was abolished by Gordon Brown. Some half a millennium after Machiavelli, I followed the same trajectory as he had at the centre of government, dealing with administration and politics, diplomacy and war, and when my leader was deposed I too went into a sort of internal political exile and in that exile I wrote this book. I studied Machiavellis The Prince as a student, and in Number 10 I often felt the need of a modern handbook to power and how to wield it. There are many excellent guides to the principles of the British state, from Anthony Sampson to Vernon Bogdanor and Peter Hennessy, but they tell you how the system is supposed to operate rather than how it operates in practice. What I wanted was something that told me what previous practitioners had discovered by experience, and to learn lessons from their triumphs and failures. No such guide existed. For a book of less than a hundred pages written in a few months between July 1513 and January 1514, The Prince has had a remarkable influence on subsequent political thinking. From then on political philosophers, and rulers who fancied themselves as philosophers, have attacked or praised it, but what they have not been able to do is to ignore it. Francis Bacon wrote in 1605 that we are much beholden to Machiavelli and others, that write what men do and not what they ought to do. The English Republican James Harringtons 1656 work The Commonwealth of Oceana was inspired by Machiavelli. Frederick the Great of Prussia wrote a Refutation du Prince de Machiavel in 1739, in part to convince his people that he himself was not at all Machiavellian. Rousseau described The Prince as a book of republicans. Napoleon reportedly said that The Prince is the only book worth reading and was reputed to keep a copy under his pillow. For Hegel, he was a man of genius who saw the need to unite a chaotic collection of feeble principalities into a coherent whole. The historian Thomas Macaulay thought he was a liberal pragmatist. Karl Marx tried to appropriate his ideas, and Engels described him as free from the petit bourgeois outlook. The philosopher Bertrand Russell dismissed The Prince as a handbook for gangsters. Mussolini called it a vade mecum for statesmen, and Antonio Gramsci, the Italian Communist leader whom Mussolini imprisoned, suggested that The Prince predicted the coming dictatorship of the proletariat and, rather improbably, described Machiavelli as the pre-incarnation of Lenin. The philosopher Isaiah Berlin has pointed out how extraordinary it is that such a short and clear book should have so many different interpretations. In an essay in 1972, he counted more than twenty, depicting Machiavelli as everything from the Antichrist to a humanist. Machiavelli was misunderstood exactly because he was so original. He was the first to escape from the straitjacket of the Augustinian universe that had imprisoned writers before him, and the first to consider a world where the natural order was not set down by God but dominated by unchanging human nature. Machiavelli did not contest the rules that had bound those who went before him; he simply ignored them. He was not an atheist; but God and religion were irrelevant to what he was writing about, except as a tool of social control. He was the first writer to consider power and how it should be used and retained in a utilitarian rather than a utopian way. There is no evidence that Machiavelli knew about Martin Luther and the Reformation, but it is striking that he was writing at the time of the the monks quarrel. Certainly his works were considered dangerous by the Catholic Church and were banned by the Pope in 1559. He was particularly misunderstood in Britain, in part because of the way his works were introduced here. It is possible that British thinkers in the sixteenth century first learned of his ideas not from The Prince itself but from Innocent Gentillets Anti-Machiavell. Gentillet was an exiled Huguenot who caricatured The Prince as a glorification of amorality. The word Machiavellian first appeared in an English dictionary in 1569, defined as practising duplicity in statecraft and general conduct, and there it has been stuck ever since, despite occasional attempts by historians and philosophers to persuade people to take a fresh look at his ideas. Machiavell was a pantomime figure representing calculating evil or hypocrisy in the plays of Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare, and Machiavellis name is still synonymous with scheming, manipulation and a lack of principle. Even today, if the media want to insult politicians or advisers they will describe them as Machiavellian. In fact, what Machiavelli wanted to do in The Prince was to advise a ruler on how to acquire a princedom and hang on to it. He described the different sorts of princedoms and the best ways to govern them. He listed the qualities required of a prince and offered advice on how to exercise power. As Isaiah Berlin put it, Machiavelli believed that there was such a thing as the art of government and that it was indispensable to achieving the goals men seek and to getting things done. The Prince is full of useful maxims, precepts, practical hints, historical parallels and general laws for a ruler: you may excite fear but not hatred, for hatred will destroy you in the end; when you confer benefits do it yourself, but leave the dirty work to others so they get the blame; do what you have to do anyway, but try to represent it as a special favour to the people; if you have to do something tough, do not advertise it in advance or your enemies will destroy you before you destroy them; if you have to do something dramatic, do it in one fell swoop, not in agonising stages; a wise leader needs both courage and guile; and so on. Machiavelli set out his guiding principle very clearly in Chapter 15 of The Prince: It now remains for us to consider what ought to be the conduct and bearing of a Prince in relation to his subjects and friends. And since I know that many have written on this subject, I fear it may be thought presumptuous in me to write of it also; the more so, because in my treatment of it I depart from the views others have taken. But since it is my object to write what shall be useful to whosoever understands it, it seems to me better to follow the real truth of things than an imaginary view of them. For many republics and princedoms have been imagined that were never known to exist in reality. And the manner in which we live, and that in which we ought to live, are things so wide asunder, that he who quits the one to betake himself of the other is more likely to destroy than to save himself. It is this stark realism that makes Machiavelli so interesting still. Even now we are inclined to live by myths; but, if you try and govern by myths, you will certainly fail in whatever you undertake. In Number 10, I used to be deeply irritated by the myths propagated about Cabinet government versus sofa government, about the supposed lack of parliamentary accountability and about the role of spin. If those myths are believed and acted on, future governments will fail. Part of the aim of this book is to impose a dose of realism and honesty on those who describe a system of government that was never known to exist in reality. Machiavelli was focused on human nature, and his writings capture eternal verities in the same way that Shakespeares plays do, and he draws general lessons by combining observation of his contemporary world with parallels of similar instances drawn from the past. To quote Isaiah Berlin again, Machiavelli thought the best source of information is a shrewd observation of contemporary reality together with whatever wisdom may be gleaned from the best observers of the past, in particular the great minds of antiquity. Machiavellis was an empirical approach and he loved to generalise from his reading and personal experience. He would set out a general rule for some aspect of the exercise of power and endeavoured to prove it by quoting examples from fifteenth-and sixteenth-century Italy or from his reading of classical antiquity. The book is full of anecdotes of contemporary events he had experienced or heard about, and he was prolific in assembling them. In a letter to his friend Francesco Vettori he wrote: This study of mine, were it to be read, it would be evident that during the fifteen years I have been studying the art of the state I have neither slept nor fooled around. He thought his experience gave him an insight into human nature and the way it affected both those wielding power and those on the receiving end. As he wrote to Giovan Battista Soderini, the nephew of the gonfaloniere, My fate has shown me so many and such varied things that I am forced rarely to be surprised or to admit that I have not savoured either through reading or through experience the actions of men and their ways of doing things. And he was often quite indiscreet in passing on the anecdotes he had learned in his official role. He quotes, for example, Father Luke, the royal confessor in the court of Emperor Maximilian, who had been quite frank in his private criticisms of his own ruler and almost certainly never expected to see those criticisms in print. Machiavelli was particularly fascinated by the Roman Republic and its historians, the subject of The Discourses, and he thought the study of the past held important lessons: whoever wishes to foretell the future must consider the past, for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. In a letter about the writing of The Prince, he described himself stepping inside the courts of the ancients to ask them questions about their experiences and then recording their answers. Machiavelli thought that history could provide the key to understanding the present and the future: if the present be compared with the remote past, it is easily seen that in all cities and in all people there are the same desires and the same passions as there always were. So that, if one examines with diligence the past, it is easy to foresee the future of any commonwealth, and to apply those remedies which were used of old; or, if one does not find that remedies were used, to devise new ones owing to the similarity between events. But, since such studies are neglected and what is read is not understood, or if it be understood, is not applied in practice by those who rule, the consequence is that similar troubles occur all the time. He dedicated his book to Lorenzo de Medici, the new ruler of Florence and grandson of Lorenzo The Magnificent, in a not very subtle and entirely unsuccessful job application, saying that he had looked for a token to present, and I have found among my possessions none that I so much prize and esteem as a knowledge of the actions of great men, acquired in the course of a long experience of modern affairs and a continual study of antiquity, which knowledge most carefully and patiently pondered over and sifted by me, and now reduced into this little book, I send to your Magnificence. Machiavellis realism came with a cost: his disregard for the conventional pieties led to his reputation for amorality. He did not think that the rules of personal morality could be applied to governing a country precisely because men in general are not good. A wise prince should not just focus on being good, Since anyone who would act up to a perfect standard of goodness in everything, must be ruined among so many who are not good. It is essential, therefore, for a Prince who desires to maintain his position, to have learned how to be other than good, and to use or not to use his goodness as necessity requires. He took a Hobbesian view of human nature long before Hobbes and advises princes that since men are naturally weak and evil, they have to learn to manipulate those weaknesses to stay in power: men are so simple, and governed by their present needs, that he who wishes to deceive will never fail in finding willing dupes. It is this attitude that led to his fascination with Cesare Borgia, the bloodthirsty and mercurial ruler of Romagna, exactly because unlike Machiavellis old boss Soderini he was decisive, had no regard for morality, and was clever enough to play on other mens weaknesses to stay in power and extend his territories. Many commentators take this attitude to mean that Machiavelli himself was immoral. But even his critics concede that Machiavelli never called evil good or good evil, nor did he positively encourage princes to be bad. A wise prince ought not to quit good courses if he can help it, but should know how to follow evil courses if he must. In his view the end justified the means, and the end was stable government because only with stable government can laws be respected and life enjoyed. Public morality was different from private morality. He gives it as a sound maxim that, when an action is reprehensible, the result may excuse it, and, when the result is good, always excuses it. He argues that a few acts of cruelty may be better than weak rule for the majority in a state, and a prince should therefore disregard the reproach of being thought cruel where it enables him to keep his subjects united and obedient. For he who quells disorder by a very few signal examples will in the end be more merciful than he who from too great leniency permits things to take their course and so result in rapine and bloodshed; for these hurt the whole State, whereas the severities of the Prince injure individuals only. A prince then has to be ruthless when the occasion requires it if his power is to be maintained, but Machiavelli was not a cynical manipulator or a shallow defender of power politics in favour of cruelty for its own sake. He had a clear end in mind. Cruelty might be well employed if done once for all under the necessity of self-preservation and . . . not afterwards persisted in. As he says in The Discourses, when the very safety of the country depends upon the resolution to be taken, no considerations of justice or injustice, humanity or cruelty, not of glory or of infamy, should be allowed to prevail. But putting all other considerations aside the only question should be: What course will save the life and liberty of the country? Machiavellis approach shocked his contemporaries and continues to shock later generations. He was not, however, as neutral on the outcomes as The Prince would suggest. The saying What do you know of Machiavelli, who only The Prince have read? is absolutely right. The Prince is short and well known while The Discourses on the First Ten Books of Titus Livy is long and less well known, but in the latter Machiavelli makes clear his strong views on what is right and what is wrong. He favoured republics over monarchies; he thought that the intrinsic virtue of the Roman people led to a virtuous state; and he believed in the unification of Italy more than three centuries before it happened. Machiavelli was not therefore morally neutral. In The Prince he was merely trying to be honest about what he saw rather than describe the world he wanted to live in. It was not Machiavelli who corrupted the rulers of Europe or the Church. Machiavelli was just being frank in observing the corruption around him and in advising a prince on how to survive in such a world. Isaiah Berlin summed up his argument :a man must choose . . . one can save ones soul, or one can found or maintain or serve a great and glorious state; but not always both at once. As I discovered in government, leaders are repeatedly faced with the choice between the lesser of two evils. Not only is ideal virtue frequently not an option, its naive pursuit will bring disaster to prince and people alike. Much of The Prince is, of course, no longer relevant. The issue of whether a state should use condottori (mercenaries) or its own army to defend itself a particular bugbear of Machiavellis, given his experience in charge of the Florentine army is of little practical use to modern leaders, and the way to go about lifting sieges has been overtaken by technology. Society and politics today face very different and more complex challenges. In addition, like all handbooks, The Prince is far from perfect. In places Machiavelli contradicts himself in disconcerting ways and, like the Bible, his works can be quoted selectively and taken out of context to prove any point you want. But there are many reasons why The Prince is still read: its capacity to transcend the period in which it was written, its radicalism and starkness make the book seem modern. In the dedication Machiavelli writes: I have not adorned or amplified with rotund periods, swelling and high-flown language . . . it is my desire that it should either pass wholly unhonoured, or that the truth of its matter and the importance of its subject should alone recommend it. The Prince is almost all black and white; there are seldom shades of grey. He writes in The Discourses of the Romans that they always avoided a middle course, and preferred the extremes and so does he. He thought that Florence had made a mistake in trying to follow a via media in dealing with the revolt in Arezzo in 1502 with leniency; they should have razed the area to the ground to prevent future trouble, but the Florentine leadership didnt want to, because it wouldnt look good. Machiavelli couldnt stand such arguments . . . based on appearances, not on the truth. In his view, cities which are powerful and accustomed to a life of freedom, either they should be eliminated or they should be caressed. Any other decision is futile. At all costs should the middle course be avoided. Francesco Guicciardinis criticism of his friend Machiavelli was as the writer who always greatly delights in extraordinary and violent remedies. But that was the point: Machiavelli was trying to be sweeping and radical. Although Fortuna plays an important part in his writings, Machiavelli did not believe that free will could be wholly set aside, and he was an anti-determinist, a utilitarian and a pragmatist. In his dedication to The Discourses, he argues we should admire those who know how to govern a kingdom, not those who, without knowing how, actually govern one. What interested him was not what was right or wrong, but what worked. That is the real reason why The Prince is still interesting and relevant and why it remains for all its bleak view of human nature the best practical guide on how to wield power that has yet been written. In this book I have sought to establish whether Machiavellis morality of tough choices still applies in modern politics. I have tested his maxims against my experience of Tony Blairs time in government and my personal knowledge of the Clinton and Bush administrations. The world has changed dramatically in the intervening five hundred years since Machiavelli, but many of the qualities required of leaders and the methods of governing for good or ill are remarkably similar. Above all, Machiavelli is right to point out the dangers of governing on the basis of myths rather than reality, and what a modern practitioner needs is a guide that helps him distinguish between the two and to learn how to wield power on the basis of the experience of his predecessors. As well as attempting to prove Machiavellis generalisations against a new generation of statecraft, I have also tried to derive some lessons from my own experiences which may be useful for future practitioners. These lessons apply every bit as much to leaders in business, sports, the military and other fields as they do to political leaders. I have focused entirely on the how rather than the what and why of government. The substance of policy and the ideology of politics are, of course, of greater significance, but there is also an art of government and it deserves to be contemplated more carefully than it has been. I have considered only what Walter Bagehot called the efficient parts of the constitution and not the dignified parts like the monarchy. And I have tried to do it in a light and humorous way, more in the style of Yes, Prime Minster or Gerald Kaufmans wonderful book How to be a Minister than of a traditional constitutional textbook. In undertaking this exercise, I have been guided by the words of Machiavelli in his dedication to The Prince: Nor would I have it thought presumption that a person of very mean and humble station should venture to discourse and lay down rules concerning the government of Princes. For as those who make maps of countries place themselves low down in the plains to study the character of mountains and elevated lands, and place themselves high up on the mountains to get a better view of the plains, so in like manner to understand the People a man should be a Prince, and to have a clear notion of Princes he should belong to the People. Tony Blair certainly understood the people. I have made it my business to try to understand princes. *** Click here to buy the book *** After studying history at Oxford and the University of Pennsylvania, Jonathan Powell worked for the BBC and Granada TV before joining the Foreign Office in 1979. In 1994 Mr Blair, then Leader of the Opposition, poached him to join his `kitchen cabinet' as his Chief of Staff. When Labour achieved its landslide victory in 1997 Powell was at the heart of the Downing Street machine. He was the only senior member of staff to remain at Blair's side throughout his time at the top of British politics. He has always maintained a low profile and has never before told his story. by Slavoj Zizek The supposedly liberal wokeness and cancel culture have little to do with awakening to whats going on in the world and trying to change it its just noise for the sake of noise, while the status-quo is carefully preserved. The usual liberal-conservative reproach to the so-called woke cancel culture is that it is too radical: Its partisans want to destroy all statues, cleanse our museums, rewrite our entire past in short, they want to deprive us of our entire collective memory and purify our everyday language into a flat, heavily censored jargon. However, I think Ben Burgis is right in his claim that the woke agents of cancel culture are Canceling Comedians While the World Burns: Far from being too radical, their imposition of new prohibitions and rules is one of the exemplary cases of pseudo-activity, of how to make sure that nothing will really change by pretending to act frantically. No wonder new forms of capital, in particular anti-Trump tech capitalists (Google, Apple, Facebook), passionately support anti-racist and pro-feminist struggles woke capitalism is our reality. One does not really change things by prescribing measures which aim at establishing a superficial just balance without attacking the underlying causes of the imbalance. Here is a fresh case of the politically correct struggle against privilege: Californias Department of Education proposed that the gap between well-performing students and their less able peers must disappear. Professors should hold well-performing students back and push their less intellectual peers forward, as if they were all equal in abilities. Justification? We reject ideas of natural gifts and talents, since there is no cutoff determining when one child is gifted and another is not. The goal is thus to replace ideas of innate mathematics talent and giftedness with the recognition that every student is on a growth pathway. This is a showcase of fake egalitarianism destined to just breed envy and hatred. We need good mathematicians to do serious science, and the proposed measures certainly dont help in this regard. The solution? Why not more access to good education for everyone, better living conditions for the poor? And it is easy to imagine the next step in this direction of the false egalitarianism: Is not the fact that some individuals are much more sexually attractive than others also a case of supreme injustice? So should we not invent some kind of push towards equity in enjoyment also, a way to hold the more attractive back, since there is no cutoff determining when one person is sexually attractive and another is not? Sexuality effectively is a domain of terrifying injustice and imbalance Equity in enjoyment is the ultimate dream of false egalitarianism. There are rare voices of authentic Left opposition to this drive towards false justice apart from Burgis, one should mention Angela Nagle and Katherine Angel. The only problem I have with Angels Tomorrow Sex Will Be Good Againis its title, which seems to imply that sex was once good (not-antagonistic) and will be that again. Ive rarely read a book with whose basic premise I agreed so fully since this premise is formulated concisely in the publicity paragraph for the book, I will shamelessly quote it: Women are in a bind. In the name of consent and empowerment, they must proclaim their desires clearly and confidently. Yet sex researchers suggest that womens desire is often slow to emerge. And men are keen to insist that they know what womenand their bodieswant. Meanwhile, sexual violence abounds. How can women, in this environment, possibly know what they want? And why do we expect them to? Katherine Angel challenges our assumptions about womens desire. Why, she asks, should they be expected to know their desires? And how do we take sexual violence seriously, when not knowing what we want is key to both eroticism and personhood? The parts italicised (by me) are crucial: Any feminist theory should take into account not-knowing as a key feature of sexuality and ground its opposition to violence in sexual relationship not in the usual terms of yes means yes, but by evoking this not-knowing. This is why the motto that women must proclaim their desires clearly and confidently is not just a violent imposition on sexuality but literally de-sexualizing, a promotion of sex without sex. This is why feminism, in some instances, enforces precisely the same shaming and silencing of womens sexuality that it seeks to oppose. What lies under the direct physical (or psychological) violence of unwanted male sexual advances is the patronizing assumption he knows what the confused woman doesnt know (and is thereby legitimized to act upon this knowledge). It could thus be argued that a man is violent even if he treats a woman respectfully as long as its done under this presumption of knowing more about her desires than she does herself. This in no way implies that womens desire is in some sense deficient compared to that of men (who are supposed to know what they want): The lesson of psychoanalysis is that a gap always separates what we want from what we desire. It may happen that I not only desire something but want to get it without explicitly asking for it, pretending that it was imposed on me demanding it directly would ruin the satisfaction of getting it. And inversely, I may want something, dream about it, but I dont desire to get it my entire subjective consistency depends on this not-getting-it: Directly getting it would lead to a collapse of my subjectivity. We should always bear in mind that one of the most brutal forms of violence occurs when something that we secretly desire or fantasize about (but are not ready to do in real life) is imposed on us from outside. The only form of sex that fully fits the politically correct criteria is a sado-masochist contract. Leftist partisans of political correctness often reproach to its critics that their focus on PC excesses, on the prohibitive aspect of cancelling and woke culture, ignores a much graver threat of censorship. Just in the UK, we have police infiltrating trade unions, regulation of what gets published in the media and appears on TV, underage children from Muslim families questioned for terrorist links, up to single events like the continuing illegal imprisonment of Julian Assange While I agree that censorship is much worse than the sins of cancel culture, I think it provides the ultimate argument against the woke culture and PC regulations: Why does the PC Left focus on regulating details of how we speak, etc. instead of bringing out the above-mentioned much bigger things? No wonder Assange was also attacked by some PC feminists (not only) from Sweden who did not support him because they took seriously the accusations about his sexual misconduct (which were later dismissed by the Swedish authorities). An unproven infraction of PC rules outweighed the fact of being a victim of state terror However, when the woke stance touches on a really important aspect of the reproduction of the hegemonic ideology, the reaction of the establishment changes from ridiculing the opponent for its excesses to a panicky attempt of violent legal suppression. We often read in our media complaints about the excesses of critical gender and race studies which try to reassess the hegemonic narrative of the American past. But we are now in the middle of an ongoing reactionary counter-offensive to reassert a whitewashed American myth. New laws are proposed in at least 15 states all across the US that would ban the teaching of critical race theory, the New York Times 1619 Project, and, euphemistically, divisive concepts. Are the prohibited theories really divisive? Yes, but only in the precise sense that they oppose (divide themselves from) the hegemonic official myth which is already in itself divisive: It excludes some groups or stances, putting them in a subordinate position. Furthermore, it is clear that to the partisans of the official myth, truth does not matter here but only the stability of the founding myths these partisans, not those dismissed by them as historicist relativists, are effectively practicing the post-truth stance: They like to evoke alternate facts, but they exclude alternate founding myths.While criticizing the PC cancelling culture, we should thus always bear in mind that we share their goals (for feminism, against racism, etc.), and that we criticize their inefficiency in reaching these goals. With advocates of the founding myths, the story is a different one: Their goals are unacceptable, and we hope they will fail to reach them. Slavoj Zizek is a cultural philosopher. Hes a senior researcher at the Institute for Sociology and Philosophy at the University of Ljubljana, Global Distinguished Professor of German at New York University, and international director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities of the University of London. by a well-wisher of the Walpola Rahula Institute The multi religious and multi ethnic approach taken by the Walpola Rahula Institute (WRI) to advance social healing amongst all people in Sri Lanka and elsewhere is set to take a major step forward with the increasing focus on online programs. The spread of COVID in Sri Lanka provided an opportunity for Venerable Galkande Dhammananda, the head of the Walpola Rahula Institute and the Chairperson of the Walpola Rahula Trust, to commence online programs to spread the message of social healing via a YouTube channel, Rahula Dhammavahini. Monthly Metta sessions, discussion sessions and discourses conducted by Ven Dhammananda and other learned, erudite Monks, and opportunities provided via this same medium for individuals and families to remember their loved ones on birthdays, death anniversaries and other commemorative occasions, have been ongoing and have become very popular. The technical aspects related to conducting these have been managed by Ven Dhammananda himself and a few other volunteers within the limitations associated with the COVID related restrictions. Each session conducted online required a lot of physical activity before and after each sessions involving moving cameras and the sound system around as most recordings were conducted outside the WRI building and in the backdrop of the serenity and tranquillity of the Diyawanna Oya which borders the WRI building. The three cameras that the WRI now has, were all purchased with donations received, and Ven Dhammananda has ventured to expand and expedite the work, particularly online programs. For that, the WRI proposes to recruit two specialist staff members to expand the online programs and enhance production capabilities and present high quality podcasts and video programs targeted at different age groups, including targeted programs for children, novice Monks, inter religious discussions on social healing, joint programs on this topic with Monks living overseas, and widen the audience amongst people to carry the message of social healing and critical thinking in a more formal and continuous manner. Each of these products will have Tamil subtitles. Ven Dhammananda is no stranger to Australia and he has visited the country on two occasions, and travelled to Perth, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne to conduct programs on social healing. Over the last 6 years, the Walpola Rahula Institute, its volunteers, and staff have been working tirelessly conducting projects, programs and discussions to achieve Social Healing. The Twin Schools Project that was done linking two under privileged rural schools, one a Tamil medium school in Therankadal, near Killinochchi and the other, a Sinhala medium school in Kebithigollewa, near Anuradhapura, epitomised the objective of social healing through joint activities between the two schools, transcending man made barriers that stood in the way of social healing through closer human interaction. It needs to be noted that these two schools were located in areas that experienced the hostilities during the last war between LTTE combatants and the Sri Lankan Forces. The Walpola Rahula Trust also boasts of a library that has a collection of over 6000 valuable books, collected by late Venerable Walpola Rahula over many years. The Library is now the corner stone of the Walpola Rahula Research Centre and its catalogue may be accessed via the WRI website (http:www.walpolarahula.institute/library/). Books that will be of interest to a research library focussing on Social Healing would be welcome and the Research Officer Mr Kamal Jayashantha (wriprogcoordinator@gmail.com) may be contacted in advance if donors have any books they wish to donate to the library. Ven Dhammananda is unique in that he became a sought after speaker at events that promote social healing organised by progressive minded individuals and organisations belonging to different ethnic and religious groups. He was one of the few Buddhist Monks who ventured to visit locations that were subjected to disturbances in the recent past and console communities who were affected The Easter bombings and the anti-Muslim violence in 2019 are two such instances. Due to COVID restrictions, the need to meet requests made by individuals and groups, and to conduct the different monthly and periodic programs, the WRI moved to conducting them online via Rahula Dhammavahini. The WRI has now taken the next step to improve and expand online programs by taking steps to construct a small recording studio that would facilitate the conducting and broadcasting of a variety of planned programs in a more efficient way, allowing the few individuals associated with these, to focus more on the content and quality of the programs. As a temporary measure, Ven Dhammananda has found an area within the existing premises to function as a small recording area, and to begin broadcasting programs from August onwards. It is expected that in the coming months after that, with the support of well-wishers, construction of a more permanent, small recording studio will commence and will be commissioned soon. The programs conducted in the recent past could be viewed by going into Rahula Dhammavahini in YouTube. More information on the Walpola Rahula Institute and ongoing and planned activities, and the Walpola Rahula Research Centre may be obtained by contacting Venerable Galkande Dhammananda (galkandedhammananda@gmail.com) and/or Kamal Jayashantha , WRI Program Coordinator & Research Officer (Email wriprogcoordinator@gmail.com) The Walpola Rahula Institute (WRI) is located at Buddhist Institute Avenue, Parliament Road, Sri Jayawardhanapura Kotte 10100, Sri Lanka A 'tall story' from Turkey The Camlca TV-Radio Tower in Istanbul stands 369 meters tall, a futuristic, state of the art structure being heralded as the tallest telecommunications tower in all of Europe. At its inauguration, the Turkish President praised the high-tech structure for its ability to carry 100 FM broadcasts simultaneously, noting that it replaces numerous outdated facilities that had previously stood on the same hill. The mass of older towers had long been criticized as marring the city's skyline. The tower is located on the Asian side of the city and its highest point is more than 580 meters above sea level. WIA You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 In Andre Archats case, he doesnt own a business in an insurance category as his loan listed. He told the South Florida Sun Sentinel the loan was supposed to be for his marketing consulting group called Innov8. He says someone at SBA must have made a mistake. A spokeswoman for SBA declined to comment. Facebook and Instagram profiles connected to Wall were removed from the platforms on Thursday, a Facebook spokesperson said. They declined to say when Wall posted the threats on his account or whether his account was public. Over the years, I have stayed in touch with families of the victims and with the survivors who have turned their pain into purpose, and who remind us that we must do more than remember victims of gun violence and all of the survivors, family members, and friends left behind; we must act. Everyone, myself included, was very surprised by how strong the impact of Wilma was in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area, said David Nolan, chairman of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Miami. The idea was its hitting the land over there, its going to weaken drastically by the time it gets to us, and that really was not the case. Wilma barely weakened at all. It was very fast-moving. Thats a very good case of where a poor understanding of decay over land led to a surprise. Keeping internet crooks from ripping off identities, stealing credit card numbers or installing malware on personal computers has become a necessary obsession. Fending off sneak attacks has become such an ordinary aspect of modern life, one hardly gives it much thought until the American Express rep calls, wondering about the purchase of a widescreen television in Minneapolis. But no worries, my third replacement card in six months was in the mail. Like I say, modern life. Costa del Sol-based Anne Hernandez has been awarded an MBE for services to British nationals in Spain in the Queen's birthday honours list published this Friday, 11 June. Anne has been at the helm of the organisation Brexpats in Spain since it was founded to keep British residents informed of their rights and responsibilities prior to the UK's exit from the EU. A retired university lecturer, Anne moved to Spain over 30 years ago and is now based in Mijas Costa. As president of Brexpats in Spain, Anne has been honoured, not just for making sure residents have all the right information, but also for championing key issues, helping UK nationals to access services, lobbying the Spanish local authorities for improvements and supporting the embassy and consulates to disseminate accurate information, according to the British embassy in Madrid. British Ambassador to Spain Hugh Elliott said: Anne has given freely and selflessly of her time, actively and practically supporting UK nationals, the Embassy, and the Spanish authorities. As the driving force behind Brexpats in Spain, Anne has brought together a body of trusted experts to provide free and accurate information to members; ensuring UK nationals are aware of their rights and take the necessary actions to protect them. Her work has had an indisputably positive effect on the lives of so many UK nationals living in Spain. Anne Hernandez said: I have never in my life refused help to anybody and, to think that just by offering that same kindness to my fellow Brits in Spain could result in this prestigious award, it is honestly overwhelming. Steering ones way through the maze of requirements and changes since Brexit hasnt been easy for many and I am honoured that my help to them has been recognised in this way. Three more MBEs come to Spain Like Anne, the other three British nationals in Spain to receive MBEs in the birthday honours list also run prominent citizens rights organisations. Sue Wilson. / SUR As Chair of Bremain in Spain, Sue Wilson is one of the most visible campaigners for the rights of UK nationals in the EU. When moving to Spain to retire over 10 years ago, she had no experience of advocacy, campaigning work or speaking in public. However, the result of the 2016 EU referendum affected her deeply and since then she has worked on the issue of UK nationals rights in various different ways. Sue has lobbied UK and EU influencers and made great efforts to inform the UK Governments work on citizens rights, including appearing in front of the Select Committee for Exiting the EU. Based in Madrid, Michael Harris is the founder and Vice-President of EuroCitizens and a British in Europe committee member. Michael Harris. / SUR A long-time resident of Spain, and a former teacher and writer of English-language textbooks, Michael founded the grassroots organisation EuroCitizens in September 2016. The groups purpose was, and remains, to defend the rights of UK nationals in Spain and has particularly provided a forum for those of working age. Debbie Williams. / SUR A former member of the armed forces, Debbie Williams, based in the Valencia region, set up the grass roots organisation Brexpats - Hear Our Voice (BHOV) as a pan-European group a few days after the EU Referendum in June 2016. Moving from Belgium to Spain shortly afterwards, she continued her lobbying, engagement and awareness-raising efforts, considering the impact of the UKs departure from the EU on both UK Nationals in Europe and EU Nationals in the UK. Unlimited website access 24/7 Unlimited e-Edition access 24/7 The best local, regional and national news in sports, politics, business and more! With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Philippines' national carrier Cebu Pacific today (June 12) launched a special AED1 seat sale promotion for Dubai-Manila flights to commemorate the country's 123rd Independence Day. The offer, which runs until June 14, will provide travellers the option to fly to their local and international destination of choiceincluding Dubai to Manila flights - for as low as AED1 one-way base fare. Announcing the sale offer, Cebu Pacific said this was a special treat for UAE-based Filipinos and other residents from the flag carrier this Independence Day. It will allow UAE-based Filipinos and other residents to mark the most patriotic date in the Philippine calendar by booking their flights to over 30 domestic routes and 16 international routes for travel between November 1 until March 26, 2022. "As we continue celebrating our 25th anniversary amidst this pandemic, we want to keep doing what we can to support the recovery of our countrys travel and tourism industry. We look forward to enabling more people to travel to their favorite places again so we may all paint the skies yellow again for #MoreSmilesAhead," remarked Candice Iyog, Vice-President for Marketing & Customer Experience. "Apart from this, we are also offering 25 per cent off on Cebu Pacific's fare bundles so that everyone can travel conveniently for less - GoEasy when you have pre-booked your CEB Prepaid Baggage for that guaranteed hassle-free experience, or GoFlexi with our new and improved CEB Flexi that gives you the benefit of converting to a travel fund if you wish to postpone your trip," stated Iyog. "The airfare deal allows everyone to plan ahead their vacation to explore the Philippines, which is home to some of the worlds most renowned tourist destinations such as Boracay, Bohol, Cebu, and Siargao," she stated . UAE-based Filipinos can also grab this opportunity to visit their hometown and spend quality time with their loved ones," she observed. "Also we have permanently removed change fees to allow passengers to avail of unlimited rebooking, providing that much-needed flexibility during this time," stated Iyog. "Guests are encouraged to make use of their Travel Funds to book new flights. Online payments will be accepted on all three days, whilst payment center options will be made available starting the second day," she added. Cebu Pacific currently flies to 32 domestic destinations from its Manila and Cebu hubs, apart from six other international destinations from Manila, namely Dubai, Hong Kong, Nagoya, Narita, Seoul, and Singapore.-TradeArabia News Service Chandigarh, Jun 12 (UNI) In a bid to wrest power from the Congress party in Punjab, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Saturday announced to contest the upcoming Assembly elections in the state as alliance partners. The ruling-Congress and the Opposition Aam Aadmi Party termed the coalition as 'opportunistic' and 'unholy' saying the BSP chief Mayawati has again 'betrayed' the Dalit community for her own survival. Announcing about the new alliance at a joint press conference with the BSP here, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said BSP would contest elections on 20 seats out of the 117 seats. These 20 include eight seats from the Doaba region, seven in Malwa and five in Majha. "This is a new day in Punjab politics as Shiromani Akali Dal is forming an alliance with the BSP after 25 years and will continue this alliance even in the future," the SAD chief said. BSP leader and Rajya Sabha Member Satish Mishra called it as a 'historic' alliance. "Both the parties have same ideologies and have been fighting for the rights of farmers, labourers and Dalits," he said. Notably, Akali Dal had parted its ways from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on September 26, last year, to register its protest against the saffron party's decision to enact the three agricultural reform laws in the country. Akali Dal leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal had tendered her resignation from the Union Cabinet as Food Processing Minister, just 10 days before the SAD-BJP severed their decades-old ties. So, according to political pundits, it was very crucial for the SAD to have an alliance partner for the 2022 election. Pertinent to mention here that in the SAD-BSP alliance, BSP has got fewer seats than what BJP got in the 2017 elections. The saffron party, five years ago, contested 23 seats. In a bid to woo the Dalit community, which makes 31 per cent of the total population in the state, Mr Badal promised to work for the downtrodden sections of the society if voted back to power. "We will ensure the welfare of the disadvantaged sections of society and farmers besides working to develop the trade and industry to bring the States economy back on track," he averred. He also mentioned that his father and former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal always developed places of worship of all religions and had developed Bhagwan Valmiki temple at Amritsar besides starting Rs 200 crore project to develop the Guru Ravidasji memorial at Khuralgarh which he alleged was stopped by the Congress government. SAD's newly formed ally leader Satish Mishra accused Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh-led Congress government in the state of discriminating against Dalits by not releasing funds reserved for Scheduled Castes to them, deleting lakhs of Aata Daal and Old age pension cards, not filling SC and OBC vacancies, not releasing SC scholarship fee to students and not implementing the Shagun scheme and houses for the houseless scheme. Mr Mishra also trained guns towards the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which is currently the principal Opposition in Punjab. Both the leaders -- Badal and Mishra -- maintained that they would struggle hand in hand to ensure the three "anti farmer" agriculture laws were not implemented. Strongly reacting over this alliance, AAPs Punjab affairs co-incharge and MLA from Delhi Raghav Chadha alleged the alliance has been formed on the directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to obstruct the way of the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab. The party further said by forming an alliance with Akali Dal, the BSP has snuffed out the ideology of Babu Kanshi Ram and Baba Sahib Bhim Rao Ambedkar. "It was the Akali Dal, which had burnt copies of the constitution written by Baba Sahib Bhim Rao Ambedkar and staged protests against Baba Sahib and today the BSP is preparing to contest the elections by forming an alliance with them, said the AAP leaders in a press conference. Ruling-Congress leaders voiced similar sentiments and assured the populace that the alliance of SAD-BSP would not able to succeed in its alleged nefarious political designs. UNI JAL GK 2131 remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. KCTCS Board Votes To Freeze Tuition By West Kentucky Star Staff MCCRACKEN COUNTY - Students and parents can breathe a little easier this fall because the 16 colleges of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, including West Kentucky Community and Technical College will not be raising tuition.The KCTCS Board of Regents approved the decision to freeze tuition for 2021-2022 academic year at the current rate of $179 per credit hour. Several factors went into the decision, including the financial hardships many families suffered due COVID-19"The pandemic has taken a toll on our students who've been affected in numerous ways, including job loss," KCTCS Board Chair Gail Henson said. "The board wanted to help students, and we felt keeping our tuition at the same rate would help thousands of families."WKCTC President Anton Reece agreed, and thanked the Board of Regents for recognizing students may still have financial barriers to higher education even as CDC and others are lifting restrictions put in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic."The timing of the tuition freeze is important as students continue to balance financial impact through and beyond COVID19 and enroll in classes at WKCTC," Dr. Reece said. "And as a college, we are committed to working collaboratively to reduce and remove financial barriers and provide access to education."Out-of-state students from counties contiguous to Kentucky will continue to pay $358 per credit hour. All other out-of-state students will pay $627 per credit hour."Kentucky is recovering fast from the pandemic, but we can't forget the lessons learned from the past year," Aaron Thompson, president of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, said. "Even with our rally, many students still face extreme financial hardships that could derail their education. That's why I want to thank KCTCS for holding the line on tuition. Their leadership and commitment to affordability helps ensure that we don't leave anyone behind."The board also voted to give faculty and staff a merit bonus of $2,000 or 2%, whichever is greater, for each regular, full-time employee who earns at least the "Fully Met Job Requirements (M)" rating in the 2020-21 KCTCS performance evaluation process. Employees have not had a recurring raise since 2017-18."We really wanted to give a raise to our hardworking employees who stepped up last year to meet their students' needs during what was one of the most difficult times in history," Henson said. "We know they are deserving of a pay increase. Unfortunately, in a pandemic year, there were too many financial uncertainties to make it happen, but we will continue to look at how we can reward our hard-working employees."Henson's board appointment and term as chair end June 30. The board elected a new slate of officers that will serve a one-year term beginning July 1. Elmdale Rd. Murder Suspect Turns Himself In By West Kentucky Star Staff PADUCAH - The suspect in a murder investigation from earlier this month is now in custody.The Paducah Police Department says 20-year-old Khalil A. Griffin of Murray turned himself in at the police department just after 11 am on Friday. He was arrested on a warrant charging him with murder, stemming from an incident on June 10.Police responded to the intersection of Elmdale Road and Jameswood Drive and found 28-year-old Thomas Willett, who died later that day at Mercy Health Lourdes Hospital. Police say Griffin shot Willett and then fled the scene.Another man, 25-year-old Justin C. Wells, of Lone Oak, was arrested shortly after the shooting and faces charges of complicity to murder and tampering with physical evidence.Previous Story (Thursday, June 24):The Paducah Police Department is still requesting the public's help in locating a man charged with murder, and West Kentucky Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information.Detectives obtained a warrant on June 11, charging 20-year-old Khalil A. Griffin of Murray with the murder of 28-year-old Thomas Willett.Willett was shot June 10 near the intersection of Elmdale Road and Jameswood Drive. He was pronounced dead a short time later at Mercy Health Lourdes Hospital.The police investigation shows that Griffin shot Willett and then fled the scene.Another man, 25-year-old Justin C. Wells, of Lone Oak, was arrested shortly after the shooting and is charged with complicity to murder and tampering with physical evidence.Anyone with information on Griffin's whereabouts is asked to call the Paducah Police Department at 270-444-8550. Information also may be provided anonymously through West Kentucky Crime Stoppers.The reward is offered to anyone providing information leading to the arrest of Griffin. Metropolis Tax Preparer Sentenced To Prison By West Kentucky Star Staff METROPOLIS - A Metropolis man has been sentenced to one year in prison for assisting in the preparation of false federal tax returns.Court records show that 55-year-old Shawn Nowlin was an unauthorized tax preparer and operated under various names, including Snowlin Tax and Prep, LLC. From 2014 to 2018, he prepared approximately 291 federal tax returns and falsified wage and withholding amounts and other W-2 information, resulting in a loss to the United States of nearly $2 million dollars.Tax preparers who abuse the system for their own gain must be held to account, said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. Prosecutions like this one send an important message to fraudulent tax preparers: if you break the rules, you will face the consequences.IRS Criminal Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Norman R. Smith prosecuted the case. Ft. Campbell Soldiers Suffer Heat-Related Injuries By West Kentucky Star Staff FORT CAMPBELL - Officials with the 101st Airborne Division say more than two dozen soldiers at Fort Campbell sustained heat-related injuries during a road march on the Army post Friday morning.According to WKDZ, the 101st Airborne Division posted on social media that 28 soldiers were treated by medical professionals on-site and, out of an abundance of caution, they were taken to Blanchfield Army Community Hospital for treatment.Army officials say all were in stable condition as of noon, and 18 were released.Fort Campbell officials say the health of their force is not something they take lightly. Every precaution is taken to ensure the soldiers are able to train safely under all conditions, to produce the most highly-trained, disciplined, and fit soldiers in the world. Lyon Co. Pair Arrested on Warrants, Drug Charges By West Kentucky Star Staff LYON COUNTY - Reports of gunshots and an explosion Tuesday afternoon led to the arrest of a Lyon County couple on warrants and other charges.Lyon County deputies, Eddyville police officers, and Kentucky State Police troopers responded to the 2000 block of US 62 East in Eddyville to investigate reports of gunshots and an explosion.At the scene, deputies found 29-year-old Donnie R. Adams of Kuttawa and 38-year-old Rose A. Russell of Eddyville sitting in a car. Deputies say Adams was wanted on several active arrest warrants. As deputies approached, Adams reportedly fled from the vehicle into a nearby house.Deputies searched the home a short time later and arrested Adams on a parole violation warrant and a Caldwell District Court warrant for contempt of court. In addition, he was charged with first-degree possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), possession of marijuana, and drug paraphernalia possession.Russell was also arrested and charged with second-degree hindering prosecution, first-degree possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia.They were both taken to the Lyon County Jail. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron speaks at a press conference to discuss his office's role as special prosecutor in the investigation of the death of Breanna Taylor. PHOTO:Cynthia Howe Kentucky AG Files Suit Challenging New Parole Rule By The Associated Press FRANKFORT - Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron has challenged a new state parole board rule. His lawsuit claims the policy gives the worst of the worst a second chance at having life-in-prison sentences cut short.The rule applies to dozens of inmates, including convicted murderers.Cameron filed the lawsuit Friday in Laurel County Circuit Court. He's asking a judge to invalidate the policy.The rule has sparked an outcry from prosecutors statewide. Commonwealths Attorney Jackie Steele joined Cameron in filing the suit. State corrections officials said they cant comment on pending litigation. Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-11 17:52:48|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Naval personnel remove debris from the X-Press Pearl ship at Negombo beach in Negombo, Sri Lanka, on June 11, 2021. Sri Lankan authorities have taken steps to investigate a possible oil leak from the sinking X-Press Pearl ship that caught fire on May 20 while anchoring 9.5 nautical miles off the Colombo harbor, local media reported here Friday. Suspicions of an oil leak were raised after international media showed satellite images of a suspected oil patch around the ship. Sri Lanka's Minister of Environment Mahinda Amaraweera told local media that the Chairperson of the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) informed him that a team from the MEPA has been sent to the ship to investigate and obtain the relevant oil and water samples. (Photo by Gayan Sameera/Xinhua) COLOMBO, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan authorities have taken steps to investigate a possible oil leak from the sinking X-Press Pearl ship that caught fire on May 20 while anchoring 9.5 nautical miles off the Colombo harbor, local media reported here Friday. Suspicions of an oil leak were raised after international media showed satellite images of a suspected oil patch around the ship. Sri Lanka's Minister of Environment Mahinda Amaraweera told local media that the Chairperson of the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) informed him that a team from the MEPA has been sent to the ship to investigate and obtain the relevant oil and water samples. The X-Press Feeders, operators of the container ship X-Press Pearl, on Thursday confirmed that the situation on the scene remains under observation with no signs of debris and no confirmed reports of fuel oil pollution. Sri Lanka's State Minister of Urban Development, Coast Conservation, Waste Disposal and public Sanitation Nalaka Godahewa said that both the Sri Lankan Navy and Indian Coast Guards who had anchored near the ship confirmed that the media reports of an oil spill were incorrect but authorities have dispatched experts to the scene to verify it. The X-Press Pearl, registered under the flag of Singapore and carrying 1,486 containers with 25 tons of Nitric Acid and several other chemicals and cosmetics, departed from the port of Hazira, India on May 15. 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 then dispatched vessels to bring the fire under control. The MEPA said that the burning of the X-Press Pearl vessel has caused a massive environmental disaster as beaches along the southern and western coast have been damaged due to the debris being washed ashore. The government said a large number of marine life have been killed as a result of the pollution caused by the fire while the Fisheries Department has imposed a temporary ban on fishing from the southern coast to the western coast. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 00:25:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, June 11 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden will host German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House on July 15, Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Friday. "Chancellor Merkel's visit will affirm the deep bilateral ties between the United States and Germany," Psaki said in a statement. "The leaders will discuss their commitment to close cooperation on a range of common challenges, including ending the COVID-19 pandemic, addressing the threat of climate change, and promoting economic prosperity and international security based on our shared democratic values," she added. The announcement came as Biden is on his first foreign trip as president in Britain, where he met with Merkel in person at the Group of Seven (G7) summit on Friday. The relationship between the two allies was strained under the previous Trump administration over burden-sharing and the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project between Germany and Russia. Calling Berlin's "delinquency" on military spending, former President Donald Trump last summer ordered to withdraw nearly 12,000 troops from Germany. Biden reversed the pullout decision in February. Last month, the Biden administration waived sanctions against a company and its CEO behind the pipeline project, citing the importance of relations with Germany and the difficulty to stop the nearly completed pipeline. The 1,230-km Nord Stream 2 pipeline is designed to pump natural gas from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea and deliver 55 billion cubic meters annually. Both Germany and Russia point out that the project is purely economic, while the United States calls it a geopolitical maneuver by Russia. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 10:26:35|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Hyping up the so-called "China threat" is Washington's habitual trick as it needs excuses for expanding military prowess and budget to seek regional and global hegemony. Recently, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin issued an internal directive to laser-focus Department of Defense efforts to address China as the United States' number one pacing challenge. The absurd logic behind Washington's frequent claim of being threatened by other countries is just like a thief crying "stop the thief!" The fact is that the United States has been ranking first in the world in military spending for years. Figures show that between the end of World War II and 2001, 201 of the 248 military conflicts in 153 countries and territories were launched by the United States. In addition, the United States owns the largest and most advanced nuclear arsenal in the world. The U.S. administration has not only refused to fulfill its special and primary responsibilities in nuclear disarmament, but also wantonly pulled out of international treaties and organizations, spent trillions of U.S. dollars in upgrading its nuclear arsenal, lowered the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons, and expanded the scope of a nuclear strike. All these have undermined global strategic security and stability. Moreover, the United States has set up more than 800 overseas military bases around the world. Specifically, in Asia, the U.S. military presence poses a serious threat to regional peace and stability. It has stationed troops in some Asian countries for a long time. Under the guise of the so-called "freedom of navigation," it sent warships and military aircraft to stir up tensions in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, which has seriously jeopardized the sovereignty and security interests of regional countries. Ironically, in a sharp contrast, China has always followed a path of peaceful development, and has consistently pursued a national defense policy that is defensive in nature. China's efforts to strengthen national defense do not target or threaten any other country. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the country has never initiated any war or occupied any inch of another country's land. Besides, China is the only country in the world that has written peaceful development into its constitution. China's unremitting pursuit of world peace as well as its positive contribution are widely recognized by the international community. It is not hard for the whole world to distinguish who is a real threat to world peace and security. The so-called "China threat" is merely one of the many tricks adopted by Washington to smear China and contain China's development. For the sake of peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and the world at large, Washington must abandon its zero-sum game mindset, view China's development objectively and rationally, and stop its absurd crying of being threatened by other countries. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 10:54:20|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Containers of China COSCO Shipping Corporation Limited are seen at the Port of Long Beach in Los Angeles County, the United States, Feb. 27, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Ying) The Chinese side is committed to working with the United States to achieve a relationship of non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, and will staunchly safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests at the same time, said Yang Jiechi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee. BEIJING, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, on Friday held a phone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the latter's request. Noting that dialogue and cooperation should be the mainstay of China-U.S. relations, Yang said cooperation must be mutually beneficial and address each other's concerns in a balanced manner. The Chinese side is committed to working with the United States to achieve a relationship of non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, and will staunchly safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests at the same time, Yang said. China urges the U.S. side to follow the spirit of the telephone conversation between the two heads of state on Feb. 11, and to jointly bring bilateral relations back to the right track of development, Yang added. The Taiwan question concerns China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and involves China's core interests, said Yang, adding that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inseparable part of China. Yang said that the Chinese side firmly defends its national sovereignty and territorial integrity. China urges the United States to adhere to the one-China principle, honor its promise and cherish its credibility, handle issues related to Taiwan in a prudent and proper manner, and take concrete actions to maintain the overall situation of China-U.S. ties as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, Yang said. Yang pointed out that recent signs indicate that some anti-China forces are trying to stir up one after another sinister waves to smear China under the excuse of the so-called Xinjiang and Hong Kong-related issues, and they are doomed to failure. Tourists and a performer dance at the Grand Bazaar in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, July 24, 2019. (Xinhua/Wang Fei) Noting that the issues related to Xinjiang and Hong Kong concern China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and involve China's core interests, Yang urged the U.S. side to respect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, not to interfere in China's internal affairs under any pretext, and not to damage China's core interests in any way. The issues related to Xinjiang are not so-called human rights or religion issues, Yang stressed. Seeing violent and terrorist incidents on the rise in Xinjiang, the Chinese government took resolute actions to safeguard public safety, Yang said, adding that the Chinese moves are totally justified. The U.S. side has fabricated various lies about Xinjiang in an attempt to sabotage the stability and unity in Xinjiang, which confuse right and wrong and are extremely absurd. China is firmly opposed to such actions, Yang said. Yang said Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China, and Hong Kong affairs are purely China's internal affairs. The aim of improving the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) is to safeguard the constitutional order of the HKSAR as defined in the Constitution of the People's Republic of China and the Basic Law of the HKSAR, and ensure that "Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong" with patriots as the mainstay, he said. It is a common practice in the world to make strict requirements on the patriotic stance and political qualifications of those who govern, Yang said, adding that those clamoring for "Hong Kong independence" are not eligible to participate in the administration of Hong Kong and must be punished by the national security law in Hong Kong. Yang stressed that there is only one system and one order in the world: the international system with the United Nations (UN) at the core and the international order based on international law, not the so-called system and order advocated by a handful of countries. He said that there is only one set of rules: the basic norms of international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, not the so-called rules formulated by a small number of countries. A security guard patrols at the United Nations headquarters in New York, Sept. 22, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) Yang also said that there is only one kind of multilateralism, which is genuine multilateralism based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law, and featuring equal treatment, cooperation and mutual benefits, not pseudo-multilateralism based on interests of small cliques and group politics, letting alone practicing unilateralism in the name of multilateralism. Peace and development, fairness and justice, democracy and freedom are the common values of all humankind, said Yang. Respect for sovereignty is a prerequisite for the realization of human rights, which is a principle affirmed by the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Yang said. The U.S. side should fix the serious human rights violations on its own territory, instead of wilfully interfering in the internal affairs of other countries under the pretext of so-called human rights, said Yang. Yang pointed out that China has actively participated in and supported international anti-epidemic cooperation, and firmly opposes any despicable acts that use the epidemic as an excuse to slander China and to shift blames. Some people in the United States have fabricated and peddled absurd stories claiming Wuhan lab leak, which China is gravely concerned about, he said. China urges the United States to respect facts and science, refrain from politicizing COVID-19 origin tracing and concentrate on international anti-pandemic cooperation, Yang said. He noted that China is about to celebrate the centenary of the CPC, saying that the Chinese people have made great achievements under the strong leadership of the CPC, and will be more closely united and work harder, unswervingly follow the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, build a more prosperous country and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. For his part, Blinken said the recent series of contacts between the United States and China is beneficial to bilateral relations, and the U.S. side looks forward to increasing contacts and exchanges with China at all levels. The United States adheres to the one-China policy and abides by the three Sino-U.S. joint communiques, Blinken said, adding that the United States hopes to maintain communication and coordination with China on important international and regional issues. The two sides also exchanged views on other issues of common concern. Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 11:03:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A U.S. Marines assault amphibious vehicle participates in a landing exercise as part of the Philipines-U.S. Balikatan 2019 in Zambales Province, the Philippines, April 11, 2019. (Xinhua/Yu Mengchen) The absurd logic behind Washington's frequent claim of being threatened by other countries is just like a thief crying "stop the thief!" It is not hard for the whole world to distinguish who is a real threat to world peace and security. BEIJING, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Hyping up the so-called "China threat" is Washington's habitual trick as it needs excuses for expanding military prowess and budget to seek regional and global hegemony. Recently, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin issued an internal directive to laser-focus Department of Defense efforts to address China as the United States' number one pacing challenge. The absurd logic behind Washington's frequent claim of being threatened by other countries is just like a thief crying "stop the thief!" The fact is that the United States has been ranking first in the world in military spending for years. Figures show that between the end of World War II and 2001, 201 of the 248 military conflicts in 153 countries and territories were launched by the United States. Photo taken on Feb. 19, 2020 shows the Pentagon seen from an airplane over Washington D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) In addition, the United States owns the largest and most advanced nuclear arsenal in the world. The U.S. administration has not only refused to fulfill its special and primary responsibilities in nuclear disarmament, but also wantonly pulled out of international treaties and organizations, spent trillions of U.S. dollars in upgrading its nuclear arsenal, lowered the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons, and expanded the scope of a nuclear strike. All these have undermined global strategic security and stability. Moreover, the United States has set up more than 800 overseas military bases around the world. Specifically, in Asia, the U.S. military presence poses a serious threat to regional peace and stability. Iraqi protesters take part in a demonstration against the presence of U.S. troops in the country, in Baghdad, capital of Iraq, Jan. 24, 2020. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood) It has stationed troops in some Asian countries for a long time. Under the guise of the so-called "freedom of navigation," it sent warships and military aircraft to stir up tensions in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, which has seriously jeopardized the sovereignty and security interests of regional countries. Ironically, in a sharp contrast, China has always followed a path of peaceful development, and has consistently pursued a national defense policy that is defensive in nature. China's efforts to strengthen national defense do not target or threaten any other country. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the country has never initiated any war or occupied any inch of another country's land. Besides, China is the only country in the world that has written peaceful development into its constitution. China's unremitting pursuit of world peace as well as its positive contribution are widely recognized by the international community. Chinese peacekeepers march during a medal ceremony in Hanniyah village, southern Lebanon, April 3, 2019. (Xinhua) It is not hard for the whole world to distinguish who is a real threat to world peace and security. The so-called "China threat" is merely one of the many tricks adopted by Washington to smear China and contain China's development. For the sake of peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and the world at large, Washington must abandon its zero-sum game mindset, view China's development objectively and rationally, and stop its absurd crying of being threatened by other countries. Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 11:06:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Total sales of China's major excavator manufacturers reported stable expansion in the first five months of the year, industry data showed. China's 26 leading excavator makers sold 200,733 excavators from January to May, up 37.7 percent year on year, data from the China Construction Machinery Association showed. During the period, excavators sold in the domestic market rose 31.7 percent year on year to 176,735 units, while excavator exports totaled 23,998 units, surging 106.3 percent from a year earlier. In May alone, China's excavator sales came in at 27,220 units, with a yearly decline of 14.3 percent, according to the association. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 13:04:14|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BRUSSELS, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) is working hard to regain its driving seat in the world's semiconductor industry, EU Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton said on Friday. Europe used to produce 30 to 40 percent of the world's semiconductor needs, and the ratio today stands at roughly 10 percent due to globalization, said Breton when visiting the Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC) in Leuven, Belgium. With its strength in research and development, the EU is to engage in mass production again and balance the supply chains that have allegedly been reliant on Asian countries. "Today, we produce 10 percent of what is needed in the world in Europe in terms of semiconductors. We will double it in the next 10 years," Breton told a press conference together with Luc Van den hove, president and chief executive officer of IMEC. Breton and Van den hove said IMEC will present a paper next week on a technology to produce a 1.4 nanometer transistor, which will likely be used in the under-two-nanometer processor. "The first production line of below two nanometers will be here in IMEC," hailed Breton. Expressing gratitude for the EU's strategy to revive the industry, Van den hove said it would be very challenging for the continent to "move fast enough" without the support. "It is clear that other regions are also moving fast. We know what is happening in the U.S. and I think therefore it is extremely important to get maximum sense of urgency also in Europe to make progress on this," he said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 13:27:21|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a teleconference at Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia, on May 11, 2020. (Sputnik via Xinhua) "We have a bilateral relationship that has deteriorated to its lowest point in recent years," says Russian President Vladimir Putin. WASHINGTON, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin in an interview with NBC News on Friday said that Russia-U.S. relations are at their lowest point in years. "We have a bilateral relationship that has deteriorated to its lowest point in recent years," Putin said in the interview via translation. Meanwhile, Putin noted he can work with U.S. President Joe Biden, according to NBC News. Photo taken on March 26, 2018 shows the Russian national flag at Embassy of Russia in Washington D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Yang Chenglin) He denied a Washington Post story saying that Russia is preparing to supply Iran with an advanced satellite that would enable Tehran to track military targets in the region. "It's just fake news," Putin said. "At the very least, I don't know anything about this kind of thing. Those who are speaking about it probably know more about it. It's just nonsense, garbage." Biden is on the first foreign trip of his presidency to Europe, and his highly anticipated meeting with Putin is scheduled on June 16 in Geneva, Switzerland. U.S. President Joe Biden addresses a joint session of Congress in Washington, D.C., the United States, April 28, 2021. (Melina Mara/Pool via Xinhua) 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. In his Wednesday remarks to U.S. troops and their families at Royal Air Force Mildenhall base in Britain, Biden said that the United States wants a stable and predictable relationship with Russia. "But I've been clear: The United States will respond in a robust and meaningful way if the Russian government engages in harmful activities," he warned. Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 13:40:47|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KUNDUZ, Afghanistan -- The Afghan security forces repelled an overnight attack by Taliban on two districts in northern Kunduz province, killing at least 27 militants and injuring 15 others, the provincial police confirmed on Saturday. One member of the security forces was also killed in the operation, the provincial police said. (Afghanistan-Kunduz-Taliban Attack) - - - - WASHINGTON -- Russian President Vladimir Putin in an interview with NBC News on Friday said that Russia-U.S. relations are at their lowest point in years. "We have a bilateral relationship that has deteriorated to its lowest point in recent years," Putin said in the interview via translation. Meanwhile, Putin noted he can work with U.S. President Joe Biden, according to NBC News. (US-Russia-Ties) - - - - NEW YORK -- The 2021 Pulitzer Prizes were announced Friday via streamed video, highlighting news stories themed on the COVID-19 pandemic and the protests that followed the murder of George Floyd. The staff of the Minneapolis Star Tribune won the Pulitzer for breaking news reporting. The Pulitzer board praised their "urgent, authoritative and nuanced coverage" of Floyd's death and the protests that followed. (US-Pulitzer-Winners) - - - - ABUJA -- A polytechnic in northwest Nigeria on Friday suspended academic activities indefinitely following an attack by unknown gunmen on the institution late Thursday. At least one student was killed, another injured, and 10 others, including teachers kidnapped at the Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic in the town of Zaria in the northwestern state of Kaduna, local officials said. (Nigeria-Attack-Institute) Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 16:33:33|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, June 12 (Xinhua) -- It is mutually beneficial to advance Iran-China cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which could accelerate both Iran's development and the China-proposed initiative's implementation, a senior Iranian business leader told Xinhua in a recent interview. The deepening of cooperation between Iran and China under the BRI could help promote "the country's infrastructure, particularly in the transportation sector, such as roads, railways, ports, airports and means of transportation," said Majidreza Hariri, president of the Iran-China Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ICCCI). "Such collaborations would also help boost employment in Iran, which is among the problems faced by the country's youths as well as educated and skilled workforce," he added. In addition, Iran's participation in the BRI helps develop the country's mining sector, thus increasing their share in the domestic economy, he said. "Iran's ideal geographical position is the first and most important advantage," which makes the country's participation in the BRI beneficial for the China-proposed initiative, as it appropriately connects West Asia to East Asia through land and sea, Hariri said. Among Iran's other advantages include the country's good political and economic relations with its Eastern and Western neighbors, he said. "If these advantages are used appropriately and maximally, they can help accelerate the BRI's implementation," Hariri added. Despite the shadow cast by the COVID-19 pandemic, the ICCCI has gradually learned to take part in online exhibitions and hold virtual meetings with their Chinese partners to increase its presence in the Chinese market, he said. The Iranian business leader, who has interacted with the Chinese people for roughly 40 years and visited China regularly for almost three decades before the pandemic, said that "the Iranian and Chinese people, owing to their behaviors and characteristics, can work together" and make friends with each other. As this year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), he said that the Chinese ruling party "has helped considerably improve the quality of people's lives in China. " "The present level of development and progress witnessed in China could not be possible without such a CPC-led united country," he noted. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 16:56:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, June 12 (Xinhua) -- More than 1.18 million overseas Chinese in more than 150 countries have been inoculated with Chinese or foreign vaccines against COVID-19, a foreign ministry spokesperson said recently. "Ever since the COVID-19 outbreak, the safety and health of overseas Chinese nationals have been close to the heart of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government," Wang Wenbin told a press conference on Thursday. "On March 7, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced the launch of the 'spring sprout' program," he noted when asked about the progress of the vaccination program targeted for overseas Chinese nationals. "In the meantime, the Chinese government attaches great importance to protecting the safety and health of foreign nationals in China," he said, adding "so far, more than 200,000 foreign nationals have been vaccinated in China." Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 17:30:47|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close The Qixinghe National Nature Reserve in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province has become a paradise for wild birds, thanks to environmental protection efforts. Produced by Xinhua Global Service Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 17:48:38|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A wandering herd of 15 wild Asian elephants in southwest China's Yunnan has caught global attention. The herd traveled approximately 500 km from their forest home in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture before reaching Kunming last week. Drones have captured footage of the elephant herd sleeping and a baby elephant getting stuck. Earlier, drones shot footage of adult elephants helping a baby elephant get out of water. For over a month, authorities have sent police to escort the herd, evacuated roads to facilitate their passage and used food to distract them from entering densely populated areas. To help the government guide the wild elephants, some villagers have donated their own corn to feed them. Asian elephants are under A-level state protection in China, and are mostly found in Yunnan. Thanks to enhanced protection, wild elephant population in the province has grown to about 300, up from 193 in the 1980s. Produced by Xinhua Global Service Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 18:18:29|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HONG KONG, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection (CHP) reported three cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, all imported, taking the tally in Hong Kong to 11,877. Hong Kong has seen no new local COVID-19 cases for five consecutive days. The three imported cases involved three women who arrived from Indonesia, according to the CHP. A total of 38 cases were reported in Hong Kong in the past 14 days, including three local cases, of which one was from an unknown source, the CHP said. Hong Kong launched a COVID-19 vaccination drive on Feb. 26 and more than 2.83 million doses have been administered so far. Some 1.67 million people, or about 25.5 percent of the eligible population, have taken at least one shot of the vaccine, including more than 1.16 million people fully vaccinated. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 19:20:50|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KABUL, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Two explosions struck public mini-buses along busy roads in western part of Kabul, capital of Afghanistan Saturday, and the casualties were still unknown, the capital police confirmed. The explosions occurred in Dashti Barchi locality in Police District 13 and nearby Police District 6 at midday, causing panic among the residents in the neighborhood, which has witnessed serial explosions in recent weeks, Basir Mujahid from Kabul police told reporters via a text message. "The Kabul police will release more information as appropriate," he said. Government troops cordoned off the area shortly after the blast, keeping people from gathering at the scene where a thick gray smoke was seen. On June 3, nine civilians were killed and 10 others wounded after two public mini-buses were hit by bomb explosions in the western part of Kabul. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks yet. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 19:58:15|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close As the Communist Party of China (CPC) celebrates its centenary this year, Xinhua correspondents have retraced the footprints of the Party's founders and early leaders in Western Europe in pursuing a new China. Produced by Xinhua Global Service Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 20:58:12|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close -- Under the Diligent Work-Frugal Study Movement, Chinese students began arriving in Western Europe more than a century ago, seeking a way out for the war-torn, poverty stricken China. -- In October 1920, the 16-year-old Deng Xiaoping, who later became a Chinese leader and chief architect of China's reform and opening-up drive, arrived in France. -- Memories of Chinese communist pioneers are kept in city squares, statues, and universitiy libraries across Western Europe. BRUSSELS, June 12 (Xinhua) -- A hundred years after the Communist Party of China (CPC) was founded, there are those who continue to cherish their collective memories of the early communists as young students in Europe in the early 20th century. These students, under the Diligent Work-Frugal Study Movement, began arriving in Western Europe in 1919. They worked a variety of jobs to finance their studies and meanwhile were eagerly seeking a way out for China, a country then torn by war, poverty and imperialist invasions. Some of them, inspired by Marxism, established the earliest Chinese communist groups in Europe and became pioneers to save the Chinese nation in the decades to come. Today, their pioneering spirit continues to motivate a new generation of Chinese. EARLY SEEDS IN EUROPE Montargis, a city with some 15,000 residents about 100 km south of Paris, was one of the places where the dream of the Chinese communists began. Memories of the early Chinese communists are kept in a 300-year-old townhouse at 15 rue Raymond Tellier. The former residence of the Chinese students in the 1920s has been renovated into a museum and houses a collection of nearly 1,000 photos, documents and other exhibits, an illustration of the friendship between China and France. "Visitors to the museum often marvel at these young students' ambitions and perseverance in their pursuit of dream and faith," said Wang Peiwen, head of the museum and president of the China-France Friendship Association in Montargis. Deng Xiaoping, the former Chinese leader widely regarded as the chief architect of China's reform and opening-up drive, was only 16 when he first arrived in France in October 1920. He moved to Montargis in 1922 and worked at the Hutchinson rubber factory while pursuing his study, where his communist faith took root. Photo taken on April 8, 2021 shows Deng Xiaoping Square in front of the railway station of Montargis, France. (Xinhua/Gao Jing) To commemorate the Chinese students' work-study movement, Montargis named the square in front of its central railway station after Deng in 2014. In 2019, a massive centenary monument was inaugurated on the square to mark the 100th anniversary of the movement. "The monument depicts the young Chinese, who, having stood out as the best students from their respective provinces, came to France to explore ways to advance their country," Mayor of Montargis Benoit Digeon told Xinhua. "They were inspired by Communism and worked for the founding of a communist party peculiar to China." France, well-known for the Industrial Revolution, the Enlightenment and the spirit of the French Revolution, was one of the major destinations for Chinese students in their work-study movement. Historical documents kept at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences and other institutes show that approximately 1,600 students left Shanghai for France between March 1919 and the end of 1920. The first group of 89 students boarded a ship from Shanghai on March 17, 1919, making headline news. A CHANCE TO LEARN A small room on the ground floor of Hotel Neptune in downtown Paris witnessed the life of Zhou Enlai, the first premier of the People's Republic of China (PRC) who lived a meagre life here between 1922 and 1924 as a young student. In the small room which could barely accommodate a bed, a desk and a chair, Zhou studied and worked, writing for a newspaper based in north Chinese city of Tianjin to promote new ideas he learned in Europe and organizing communist activities. Nearly 100 years later, the hotel is now run by Chinese-French Li Jianle, who felt it his obligation to protect the historic building and present it to Chinese and foreign guests when he bought the hotel in 2001. Photo taken on April 11, 2021 shows a memorial plaque outside the Hotel Neptune commemorating Zhou Enlai, the first premier of the People's Republic of China (PRC) who lived here between 1922 and 1924 as a young student, in Paris, France. (Xinhua/Gao Jing) Today, with a bronze statue of Zhou carved by noted French sculptor Paul Belmondo in 1979 on its wall facing the street, the roughly 160-year-old building on rue Godefroy in Paris remains intact, telling the story of its former tenant. The Chinese students, who worked hard to eke out a living, had acquired through their experiences in Europe a profound understanding of the plight of the working class and defects of capitalism before they came to know Marxism. Cai Hesen became one of the first Chinese students to follow Marxism after a close reading of the works of Karl Marx. He translated many of Marx's work into Chinese and actively kept Chinese people informed of the October Revolution of Russia in 1917 and other worldwide movements of the working class. In Lyon, the third largest city in France, some Chinese students had to fight for their right to study in 1921, after they were rejected by the Franco-Chinese Institute, a school created exclusively for Chinese students. The school, built with funds from China, rejected the work-study students that year who were unable to make ends meet and only accepted better-off students. After a failed attempt to occupy the institute, many students were arrested and 104 were repatriated to China in October 1921. "It was a fight for equality and justice, as the students were fighting for their own rights to study," said Alain Labat, head of the Federation of Franco-Chinese Associations and vice-president of the New Franco-Chinese Institute. "Despite their failure, they grew and gained experience. Some of them played a leading role in promoting Marxism and Communism in China," Labat said. MEMORIES KEPT ALIVE The university town of Goettingen in central Germany guards the distant memory of Marshal Zhu De, another founding father of the PRC who entered the University of Goettingen in 1923 in his 30s. Today, the university library still keeps a registration paper in Zhu's own handwriting, showing that this native of southwest China's Sichuan Province was studying sociology in the philosophy department. Zhu met Zhou in Berlin in 1922, and joined the CPC through Zhou's introduction. "Zhu was not young, and he had spent many years in the military," said Rolf Kohlstedt, a historian at Goettingen City Archive. "He wanted to expand his vision here, in an industrialized Western country." A pedestrian walks past the former residence of Marshal Zhu De, one of the major founders of the People's Republic of China, in Goettingen, Germany, June 26, 2015. (Xinhua) The city archive shows Zhu's residence registration paper from the local police, a yellowed document with his photo. He lived with a local family at Planckstrasse 3. The red brick house has attracted many tourists to this university town with a population of 120,000. In 1986, a marble plaque was attached to its facade, with inscriptions reading "Zhu De, Marshal of the People's Republic of China, 1923-1924," in commemoration of his 100th birthday. Memories of the Chinese communist pioneers were also kept at the Charleroi University of Labor, 60 km south of Brussels. Founded in 1903 as a polytechnic school for the working class, it hosted many Chinese students in the 1920s, including one of China's marshals Nie Rongzhen, a then chemical engineering major who came to know communism and became a member of the CPC on the campus in Belgium. Through their time in Europe, several of the students realized that only socialism could save China. Photo taken on March 22, 2021 shows a monument marking the 100th anniversary of the Chinese students' work-study movement, in front of railway station of Montargis, France. (Xinhua/Gao Jing) Experts have said that the movement played an important role in history and contributed to the founding of the CPC in 1921 and the PRC in 1949, leaving behind a heritage that continues to inspire younger generations today. For Duanmu Mei, a historian from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, these outstanding representatives of the movement played an epoch-making role in China's future revolution, development and reforms. "Their experience in Europe gave them a far sight, a broad vision and an open heart -- three important qualities that enabled them to stand out as leaders of the revolution, of the party and the country," she said. In the run-up to the CPC's 100th founding anniversary, more than 40 Chinese and French teenagers joined a virtual conference on Zoom to review the lives of the early Chinese communists in Europe a century ago. For French-language student Wang Ziyan, the revolutionaries are a source of hope. "There's so much we can learn from those role models of the past century -- their ability to adapt rapidly to a new environment, their passion to learn, and more importantly, their patriotism and desire to repay their country with what they learned." (Video reporters: Jin Jing, Liang Xizhi, Li Xiaopeng, Liu Fang, Tang Ji, Xu Yongchun, Chen Chen, Hu Xue, Xiao Yazhuo, Gao Jing, Ren Ke, Zhang Yuan; video editors: Peng Ying) Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 21:29:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DHAKA, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The Bangladeshi government has further extended the ongoing closure of educational institutions as the COVID-19 infection rate has risen substantially in parts of the country. The country's Ministry of Education announced the decision on Saturday, saying that "all secondary and higher secondary level educational institutions, including Islamic schools, would remain closed till June 30." Previously the closure was extended in phases till June 13. The ministry's notification said the decision was taken upon the advice of a technical committee as the pandemic situation worsened in some parts of the country bordering India. The decision is aimed at ensuring the safety of students, teachers, institution employees and guardians, it said. Online academic activities of all schools and colleges will continue as usual, it added. In a notification, the country's Ministry of Primary and Mass Education also said the ongoing closure of all primary schools and kindergartens has been extended to June 30. Bangladesh on March 16 last year first announced to close all educational institutions in the country in an effort to halt the spread of the COVID-19. Since March last year, the virus has spread to nearly every Bangladeshi district, and the total number of cases has risen to 824,486 with 13,071 deaths including 39 recorded on Saturday. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 21:43:57|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Video: The 2021 Pulitzer Prizes were announced on June 11, 2021 via streamed video, highlighting news stories themed on the COVID-19 pandemic and the protests that followed the murder of George Floyd. (Xinhua) Notably, Darnella Frazier, the teenager who recorded the murder of George Floyd, is honored with a special citation. NEW YORK, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The 2021 Pulitzer Prizes were announced on Friday via streamed video, highlighting news stories themed on the COVID-19 pandemic and the protests that followed the murder of George Floyd. The staff of the Minneapolis Star Tribune won the Pulitzer for breaking news reporting. The Pulitzer board praised their "urgent, authoritative and nuanced coverage" of Floyd's death and the protests that followed. Floyd was an African American killed in May 2020 after a white police officer had knelt on his neck for over nine minutes. After his death, protests against police brutality, especially towards black people, quickly spread across the United States. The Pulitzer for breaking news photography went to photography staff of the Associated Press for their photos documenting the response in the United States to Floyd's killing. Notably, Darnella Frazier, the teenager who recorded the murder of Floyd, was honored with a special citation. Meanwhile, The New York Times won the 2021 Pulitzer for public service for its coronavirus coverage. Columnist Ed Yong at The Atlantic was a winner in the explanatory reporting category for "a series of lucid, definitive pieces on the COVID-19 pandemic that anticipated the course of the disease, synthesized the complex challenges the country faced, illuminated the U.S. government's failures and provided clear and accessible context for the scientific and human challenges it posed." Emilio Morenatti of the Associated Press won the feature photography prize for his photos about how Spain's elderly struggled during the pandemic. The Pulitzer Prizes award achievements in newspaper, magazine and online journalism, literature and musical composition within the United States. The prize was established in 1917 and is administered by the Columbia University. Public service award winners receive a gold medal and the other awards carry a prize of 15,000 U.S. dollars each. Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 21:49:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RABAT, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank approved a loan of 100-million-U.S. dollars to Morocco to strengthen its capacity of responding to environmental disasters, official news agency MAP reported on Saturday. The report quoted Jesko Hentschel, World Bank Maghreb Country Director, as saying that protecting Morocco against natural disasters can save its economy over 800 million dollars a year. Morocco is exposed to the risks of natural disasters related mainly to climate changes, and has launched over the last years a solidarity fund to alleviate the financial impact of natural disasters on households and businesses, the report said. The new loan will strengthen the country's resilience to natural disasters, and bolster its investments in flood protection infrastructure, early warning systems, hazard mapping and capacity building, it added. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 22:38:52|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TAIPEI, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Taiwan on Saturday reported 251 COVID-19 cases, including 250 local infections, the island's disease monitoring agency said. A total of 26 deaths were also reported, including four that showed no signs of life before arriving at hospitals and another four that died before they could be hospitalized. Taiwan is struggling to contain its worst COVID-19 outbreak amid a lack of vaccines and strained medical resources. By Saturday, Taiwan's COVID-19 mortality rate was 3.2 percent, much higher than the global average. The total number of confirmed cases on the island since the epidemic began has risen to 12,746, including 11,539 local ones. A total of 411 deaths have been recorded, the agency said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-13 00:14:18|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RIMINI, Italy, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Lang Ping's Chinese team denied a late comeback of the Netherlands to claim their second victory in a row at the women's Volleyball Nations League here on Saturday. The reigning Olympic champions wrapped up the straight-set victory of 25-12, 25-18, 33-31, thanks to a tight angle spike from star middle blocker Yuan Xinyue and an error from the opponent side in the dying seconds. Li Yingying, who scored match high 19 points, combined with Gong Xiangyu's 17-point collection to lead the Chinese team's box score, while Nika Daaderop was the Dutch team's top scorer with 11 points. With the victory, China temporarily moved to the eighth place from the tenth before three other matches of the same round kick off late on Saturday. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-13 02:31:51|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, June 12 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday expressed his sadness over the death of William Swing, a former leader of the UN migration agency. "I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of my dear friend William Swing, the former director-general of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and past leader of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo," he said in a statement. "A true humanist, Bill Swing dedicated his life to serving the most vulnerable of the vulnerable in our world. I will never forget his dedication and compassion as we worked together side by side in the face of some of the worst displacement crises," he said. "To his wife, his family and his former colleagues, I send my deepest condolences and profound solidarity." Swing, an American diplomat who had served as U.S. ambassador to various countries, died on Saturday at the age of 86. He was IOM director-general between 2008 and 2018. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-13 02:37:10|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Iran has begun importing electricity from its northern neighbor Azerbaijan to tackle its power shortage, official IRNA news agency reported Saturday. On Thursday, the electricity grid of Moghan in the northwest of Iran was synchronized with an electricity grid in Azerbaijan to feed 73 megawatts of electricity to Iran's power grid, Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi, spokesman for Iran's Power Generation, Distribution, and Transmission Company, was quoted as saying. Recently, increasing demand in the summer, among other factors, has caused discontinuities in power supply across Iran. Mashhadi called on household consumers to control their consumption, especially during the peak hours, to reduce the pressure on the power grid. According to the report, more than 50 percent of electricity consumption in Iran is allocated to household consumption. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-13 03:27:28|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CAIRO, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that Egypt has sent a letter to the UN Security Council to reaffirm its "complete rejection" of Ethiopia's unilateral measures on the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). The letter sent on Friday accuses Ethiopia of frustrating efforts to reach a tripartite agreement on the rules of filling and operating the dam and attempting to impose "a fait accompli" on the two downstream countries Egypt and Sudan "through unilateral measures and steps that constitute a clear violation of the rules of international law," according to a ministry statement. Ethiopia plans to go ahead with the second filling of the GERD in July, while Egypt and Sudan are concerned that the move might affect their share of the Nile water resources. Last week, Egyptian Manpower Minister Mohamed Saafan told a virtual conference of the International Labor Organization that Ethiopia's unilateral filling of the dam without a prior agreement would significantly harm the agriculture sector in the two downstream countries. Decade-long negotiations failed to reach an agreement regulating the filling and operation of the dam, including those hosted earlier by the United States and recently by the African Union. Egypt and Sudan currently seek to form an international quartet that includes the African Union, the United States, the European Union and the United Nations to mediate in the tripartite GERD talks, but the proposal has been rejected by Ethiopia. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-13 03:45:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RABAT, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing diplomatic rift between Morocco and Spain, beginning with issues of illegal immigration, has now widened into the agricultural sector. In mid-May, around 9,000 illegal immigrants, many of whom were thought to be minors, crossed from Morocco into Ceuta, a Spanish enclave bordered by Morocco on the north coast of Africa. In response, the European Parliament on Thursday passed a resolution accusing Morocco of violating the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child by "use of minors" in the incident. Later, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita slammed the resolution as "counterproductive" and "part of a logic of short-sighted political escalation." Making waves of the diplomatic fallout, some Spanish farmers have mobilized against their southern neighbour by launching the Origen Marruecos (Origin Morocco) boycott campaign and rallying behind Clara Aguilera, a Spanish member of the European Parliament who suggested enforcing more stringent import quotas for EU-bound Moroccan goods. Aguilera suggested in a statement to the European Commission that Moroccan tomatoes threaten "the stability of the EU tomato market." "Indeed, there were threats against Moroccan farmers and exporters from Spanish farmers," said Rachid Aourras, a former founding member of the Moroccan Institute for Policy Analysis. "Sometimes the Spanish farmers block the Moroccan trucks when they arrive on the Spanish territory," Aourras told Xinhua. However, he believed that the current crisis between the two Mediterranean countries won't last long. "I think other parties, like France especially, will intervene to mediate between them," the Moroccan economist said. As for Morocco, Aourras said the country's agricultural sector is unlikely to retaliate since "Moroccan producers prefer to have government support" and "they will not act in a personal capacity." A boycott movement is "a possible scenario," but for now the "conflict is under control," he added. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-13 04:05:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BUENOS AIRES, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The Argentinean government decided on Saturday to extend the closure of the country's borders to non-resident foreigners until June 25 in an attempt to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. The measure also continues the suspension of all direct flights to and from the United Kingdom due to the variant of COVID-19 that was discovered there. The flights from Brazil, Chile, and India will also be suspended in addition to the suspension of flights from Turkey and African countries. The government warned that "in the current epidemiological context, the risk of introducing new, even more transmissible variants could generate a sharp and high increase in cases, which would inevitably lead to higher mortality." At least 15 of Argentina's 24 jurisdictions have reported intensive care unit occupancy of over 80 percent, and 23 of the 24 jurisdictions have had an incidence of over 250 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over the last two weeks. Argentina had registered 4,093,090 cases and 84,628 deaths from COVID-19 as of Friday. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-13 04:12:50|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Wang Qun (2nd L, Front), Chinese envoy to the United Nations and other international organizations in Vienna, attends a meeting of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) Joint Commission in Vienna, Austria, on June 12, 2021. The United States should stop shilly-shallying by moving decisively to complete and thorough sanction-lifting, Wang Qun said Saturday as a new round of talks to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), started. (EU Delegation Vienna/Handout via Xinhua) VIENNA, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The United States should stop shilly-shallying by moving decisively to complete and thorough sanction-lifting, a Chinese envoy said Saturday as a new round of talks to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), started. Wang Qun, Chinese envoy to the United Nations and other international organizations in Vienna, made the remarks after the latest meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission, chaired by European Union (EU) official Enrique Mora and attended by representatives from China, France, Germany, Russia, Britain and Iran. The talks have entered the 11th week and are in the final stages, but negotiations over sanction-lifting and related issues have been dragging on and yet to be resolved, Wang said. "Iran's concerns about this issue are legitimate and reasonable," Wang said, noting that in order to resume full compliance with the JCPOA, the United States should first lift its unilateral sanctions against Iran, including "long-arm jurisdiction" against third-party entities and individuals. The U.S. conventional arms embargo on Iran, which is inconsistent with the JCPOA and relevant resolutions of the United Nations (UN) Security Council, should also be completely removed, said the Chinese diplomat. The United States lifted some sanctions on Thursday, but it looks somewhat like they were "shilly-shallying," Wang said. Now that the United States has made the political decision to return to the JCPOA, all relevant sanctions should be lifted "in a complete, clean and thorough manner," he added. At the same time, through negotiations, practical and effective measures should be taken to prevent the relevant parties from arbitrarily withdrawing from the JCPOA again and re-imposing sanctions, noted the Chinese diplomat. In the current final stage of the negotiations, it is hoped that all parties concerned will redouble their efforts, maintain a rational and pragmatic attitude and reach a package of solutions as soon as possible, he added. Alain Matton, an EU spokesperson, told journalists on Saturday that the EU will continue with the talks with all the participants to the JCPOA and separately with the United States "to find ways to get very close to a final agreement in the coming days." Matton quoted Mora as saying a few days ago at a UN Security Council meeting that they are "working non-stop to revive the JCPOA in all its aspects, specifically the nuclear activities and the sanction-lifting." "We are making progress but the negotiations are intense on a number of issues including on how steps are to be implemented," said the spokesperson. The U.S. administration under former President Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in May 2018 and unilaterally reimposed sanctions on Iran. In response to the U.S. moves, Iran gradually stopped implementing parts of its JCPOA commitments from May 2019. The JCPOA Joint Commission began to meet in offline format on April 6 in Vienna to continue previous discussions in view of a possible return of the United States to the JCPOA and on how to ensure the full and effective implementation of the JCPOA. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-13 04:45:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Cellphone photo taken on June 11, 2021 shows people selecting consumer durables at the Diarna Exhibition at Cairo International Fair in Cairo, Egypt. "Our goal is to help the couples find all needed furnishings for new apartments at reasonable prices," said Ibtisam Abdel Monem, chairwoman of the ongoing Diarna Exhibition at Cairo International Fair that displays and sells furniture, upholstery, and consumer durables. The expo, which opened on June 1 and will run until June 13, is organized by the Social Solidarity Ministry and hosts 300 exhibitors from several provinces in Egypt, according to Abdel Monem. (Photo by Mahmoud Saeed/Xinhua) CAIRO, June 12 (Xinhua) -- "Our goal is to help the couples find all needed furnishings for new apartments at reasonable prices," said Ibtisam Abdel Monem, chairwoman of the ongoing Diarna Exhibition at Cairo International Fair that displays and sells furniture, upholstery, and consumer durables. The expo, which opened on June 1 and will run until June 13, is organized by the Social Solidarity Ministry and hosts 300 exhibitors from several provinces in Egypt, according to Abdel Monem. With a 15-percent to 50-percent discount on many products, Furniture and electric appliances for a four-room apartment could only cost 30,000 Egyptian pounds (1,918 U.S. dollars), she told Xinhua. Amal and Samir, a newly engaged couple who plan to get married by the end of 2021, bought a sofa, a table with four chairs and several items for their bedroom for an equivalent of 600 dollars. "Our apartment is very small and simple furniture will be suitable for us," said the fiancee Amal, a 24-year-old real estate broker, adding furniture outside the expo is too costly and often too large for a small apartment. The number of couples getting married in Egypt has continued to slide because of the high costs of marriage preparations. Latest figures released by the country's Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics showed the number of marriages fell from 912,606 in 2017 to 887,315 in 2020, down 2.8 percent. "Economic and social reasons are blamed for the decline. The high rate of unemployment of young people has made marriage too expensive for many of them," Hameed Zaki, a professor of sociology at Alexandria University, told Xinhua. In some cases, families even borrow to buy unnecessary furnishings for their sons and daughters to keep up with the Jones, he said, adding in some Egyptian cities, the cost of getting married can run up to an equivalent of almost 30,000 dollars. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-13 05:05:15|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BAGHDAD, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi security forces on Saturday launched an operation to clear the Islamic State (IS) militants from the rural areas in the eastern province of Diyala, the Iraqi military said. A joint force from the Iraqi army, police, and paramilitary Hashd Shaabi brigades pushed into an agricultural area south of Diyala's provincial capital Baquba, some 65 km northeast of the capital Baghdad, to chase IS militants, Diyala's police command spokesman Nihad al-Mahdawi told Xinhua. Meanwhile, Tahseen al-Khafaji, spokesman of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command, told the official Iraqi News Agency that the Iraqi forces "have been working for some time ... in the border areas with Syria by setting up towers and thermal cameras for surveillance to prevent the extremist militants from infiltrating from neighboring Syria." IS militants are still active in the vast Anbar desert that stretches to the borders with Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, where IS remnants have been infiltrating Iraq across the border in an attempt to regroup in the country again. The security situation in Iraq has been dramatically improved after Iraqi security forces fully defeated the extremist IS militants across the country late in 2017. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-13 05:08:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LIMA, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Peru began a vaccination campaign on Saturday against the COVID-19 pandemic that focuses on pregnant women over 18 years of age, Health Minister Oscar Ugarte announced. "Today we are starting with pregnant women and that will be a very important protection for all future mothers," the minister said during the start of the campaign in Lima. Ugarte urged all pregnant women who are at least 28 weeks into their pregnancies to get vaccinated to protect themselves from the disease. Peru has registered 1,998,056 cases and 188,100 deaths from COVID-19 so far. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-13 05:41:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BOGOTA, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The bodies of seven miners were found on Saturday after an explosion in a coal mine in the Colombian department of Boyaca, bringing the death toll to nine, local authorities reported. Three workers were rescued and the other two bodies were found on Friday. The director of the National Mining Agency (ANM), Juan Miguel Duran, sent his condolences to the families of those who died in the mine, which is located near the municipality of Socha. "We deeply regret the deaths of the nine miners trapped in the Socha mine, Boyaca. (We send our) solidarity to their families and we wish a speedy recovery for the three miners rescued alive. To the mining rescue team and relief organizations, thank you for your work," the official wrote on Twitter. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-13 05:41:34|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RIYADH -- Saudi Arabia announced on Saturday at a press conference to limit the upcoming Hajj season to domestic pilgrims only of a maximum of 60,000 individuals. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah decided to limit the availability of registration for those wishing to perform the Hajj rituals this year to citizens and residents inside the country only, due to the global COVID-19 outbreaks and the new virus mutations. (Saudi-Hajj-COVID19) ---- RAMALLAH -- A Palestinian woman was killed on Saturday by Israeli soldiers at an Israeli army checkpoint between the West Bank city of Ramallah and East Jerusalem, medical sources and eyewitnesses said. The eyewitnesses said that several gunshots were heard at Qalandia checkpoint near the city of Ramallah, adding that Israeli soldiers opened fire at a woman at the checkpoint and seriously wounded her. (West Bank-Palestinian Woman-Killing) ---- CAIRO -- The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that Egypt has sent a letter to the UN Security Council to reaffirm its "complete rejection" of Ethiopia's unilateral measures on the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). The letter sent on Friday accuses Ethiopia of frustrating efforts to reach a tripartite agreement on the rules of filling and operating the dam and attempting to impose "a fait accompli" on the two downstream countries Egypt and Sudan "through unilateral measures and steps that constitute a clear violation of the rules of international law," according to a ministry statement. (Egypt-UN-Ethiopian Dam) ---- TEHRAN -- Iran has begun importing electricity from its northern neighbor Azerbaijan to tackle its power shortage, official IRNA news agency reported Saturday. On Thursday, the electricity grid of Moghan in the northwest of Iran was synchronized with an electricity grid in Azerbaijan to feed 73 megawatts of electricity to Iran's power grid, Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi, spokesman for Iran's Power Generation, Distribution, and Transmission Company, was quoted as saying. (Iran-Electricity Import-Azerbaijan) Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 02:27:43|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RABAT, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The number of people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 reached 7,047,704 on Friday in Morocco, the Moroccan Ministry of Health said in a statement. So far, a total of 9,362,000 first doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Morocco, the statement added. The North African country launched a nationwide vaccination campaign on January 28 after the arrival of the first shipment of China's Sinopharm vaccines. Meanwhile, Morocco's COVID-19 tally rose to 523,165 as 400 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours, and the number of recoveries increased by 324 to 510,623, the statement said. The death toll from the coronavirus in Morocco rose to 9,202 with 10 fatalities added during the last 24 hours, while 207 remained in intensive care units, it said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 03:22:54|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TUNIS, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Tunisian navy rescued 54 illegal immigrants of different African nationalities off the country's southeast coast, the defense ministry said in a statement released on Friday. "The rescue operation took place 14 km southeast of the city of Zarzis in the province of Medenine," said the statement. The immigrants are aged between 15 and 40, including three women, according to the statement, adding that they were attempting to sail from Libya towards the Italian coast. Attempts of illegal immigration from the Tunisian coasts towards Italy usually multiply during the summer season because of favorable weather conditions. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 05:51:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TUNIS, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Tunisian Health Ministry on Friday reported 2,161 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of infections in the country to 364,819. The death toll from the virus rose by 60 to 13,365 in Tunisia, while the total number of recoveries reached 319,475, the ministry said in a statement. A total of 1,549,014 lab tests have been carried out in Tunisia so far, according to the ministry. Since the start of the national vaccination campaign against the coronavirus on March 13, 1,274,840 people have received the vaccines, with 352,873 of them having received both doses, according to the latest figures published by the ministry. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 11:00:48|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TRIPOLI, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Libyan Foreign Minister Najla al-Mangoush on Friday met with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita in the capital Tripoli, stressing the importance of the partnership between the two countries. "The Minister stressed the importance of the strategic partnership between Libya and the Kingdom of Morocco, which is an important partnership in the entire region against extremism and terrorism," said al-Mangoush in a statement issued by the Libyan Foreign Ministry. She also expressed aspiration for Morocco's support for Libya's stability, and stressed the possibility of convening an economic forum to enhance joint cooperation, the statement said. The Libyan minister called for the reopening of the Moroccan embassy in Libya and easing procedures for granting entry visas to Morocco for Libyans. Bourita stressed Morocco's support for Libya, confirming that his country believes Libyans are capable of ending the crisis in their country. The Moroccan minister said a future meeting of the joint consular committee to resolve a number of consular issues between the two countries was also raised. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 11:04:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ABUJA, June 12 (Xinhua) -- A polytechnic in northwest Nigeria on Friday suspended academic activities indefinitely following an attack by unknown gunmen on the institution late Thursday. At least one student was killed, another injured, and 10 others, including teachers kidnapped at the Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic in the town of Zaria in the northwestern state of Kaduna, local officials said. "Students have been directed to vacate the institution immediately," Mahmud Kwarbai, spokesman for the polytechnic, said in a statement. Kwarbai said that the attack had created serious tension among the students, hence the indefinite suspension of academic activities at the institution. Citing a brief by the security agencies, Samuel Aruwan, the commissioner for internal security and home affairs in Kaduna, said earlier that the gunmen invaded the staff quarters of the campus, shooting sporadically. "In the process, two students were hit and sustained gunshot injuries," he said, adding one of the students died after they were rushed to a local hospital for medical attention, while the other one is still receiving treatment. The most populous African country has witnessed a series of gunmen attacks on schools and universities in recent months with hundreds of students kidnapped. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 16:08:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MOGADISHU, June 12 (Xinhua) -- A total of 17 al-Shabab insurgents were killed and several others wound in two separate security operations in Somalia's central region on Friday, Somali National Army (SNA) has said. The SNA said 10 al-Shabab militants were killed and an unknown number were injured during an operation in the Hiran region. The army said its forces also killed seven al-Shabab insurgents and destroyed their hideouts during an operation conducted in villages near Mahas district in the Hiran region. "(The) SNA destroyed al-Shabab bases near Mahas district where they used to carry out attacks on civilians and army," the SNA said through its military radio. The government forces have intensified operations to flush out al-Shabab insurgents from their hideouts in central and southern regions of Somalia in the past three weeks, which resulted in the militants losing grounds and suffering heavy casualties. The al-Qaida allied group has lost many areas previously under its control, but is still capable of staging attacks in Somalia. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 22:59:39|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ADDIS ABABA, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Inadequate access to COVID-19 vaccines is causing growing worries over the huge vaccination gap in Africa as total confirmed cases in the continent topped five million amid a third wave of COVID-19 infections. In an update, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said that as of Saturday noon, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases had reached 5,011,502 as the death toll from the pandemic hit 134,239. Meanwhile, recoveries stood at 4,504,296. COVID-19 THIRD WAVE SPURS SURGE IN NEW INFECTIONS Ahmed Ogwell, deputy director of the Africa CDC, told Xinhua on Saturday that the continent is now experiencing a third wave of COVID-19 infections, which could further exacerbate the infection rate. "What we see in general is that we are slowly getting into the third wave of the pandemic as the numbers continue to increase," he said. In the past week alone, African countries reported a total of 94,145 new cases, up 26 percent from the previous week. In comparison, the figure stood at just 59,879 in the first week last month, according to Africa CDC statistics. The southern Africa region accounted for 51 percent of new cases registered in the past week. Countries including South Africa, Zambia, and Uganda, in particular, have all seen new infections surge in recent weeks. In Zambia, new cases topped 2,000 in both of the past two days. Kennedy Malama, permanent secretary of technical services at the Ministry of Health, said isolation facilities were filling up at an alarming rate and health workers were being stretched. In Uganda and South Africa, some of the lockdown measures have been re-imposed as cases are rapidly increasing. The Africa CDC attributed the recent spikes to the fast-spreading new COVID-19 variants across the continent, as some 13 African countries are presently facing the B.1.617.2 variant, originally reported in India. INADEQUATE VACCINE ACCESS WORSENS VACCINATION GAP According to the Africa CDC, African countries have acquired around 54.9 million COVID-19 vaccines so far. However, only about 0.6 percent of Africa's population have received a full vaccine regimen. "We do not have enough vaccines on the continent. In fact, we are lagging behind in a very significant way from the plan that we had at the beginning and this is creating a lot of concern," Ogwell said. Ogwell said countries manufacturing vaccines are not making vaccines available as per earlier agreements, and some countries are blocking the vaccines from going to Africa because their domestic use is prioritized. Cavince Adhere, a Kenya-based international relations scholar, said that as vulnerable groups, such as health care workers and the elderly, as well as people with underlying conditions, have been missing the vital jab, the COVID-19 situation in Africa could be further exacerbated. "I think it is important to point out that vaccine nationalism is really an affront on human rights," he said, adding that it is also an economic matter. "As long as this virus remains in circulation, the economic viability of the countries concerned is not assured. Social restrictions slow down economic activities, meaning more countries, more populations are facing economic hardships." Costantinos Bt. Costantinos, who served as an economic advisor to the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, said that the developed nations and other countries capable of producing vaccines should ramp up the vaccine supply to Africa. "It is very important that we have to have the vaccines as soon as possible," the expert said, adding that developed countries hindering the flow of vaccines to the third world is "a shame." CHINA CALLS FOR GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS IN HELPING AFRICA China has thus far been an important source of vaccines for Africa. Government data show more than 30 African countries have received or are set to receive vaccines produced by Chinese manufacturers. On June 4, Chad received a donation of vaccines from the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinopharm. Chadian Minister of Public Health and National Solidarity Abdoulaye Saber Fadoul thanked China for the donation of vaccines and many batches of medical equipment to the West African country. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi last month called on all countries that are capable of doing so to provide COVID-19 vaccines to Africa as quickly as possible. In the face of this unprecedented pandemic, China and Africa are willing to jointly launch a partnership initiative to support Africa's development, Wang said during a United Nations Security Council open debate on Peace and Security in Africa. Wang added that 46 Chinese medical teams based in Africa had immediately stepped up to the plate to support local response efforts, and China has sent 15 ad hoc medical expert teams to Africa and swiftly set up a cooperation mechanism for Chinese hospitals to pair up with 43 African hospitals. China is donating COVID-19 vaccine doses to different African countries and these donations are contributing to the continent's vaccination drive for the population, Ogwell said. Adhere believes that China has demonstrated tangible commitments to assist Africa in its fight against the pandemic as per its initial promises to make the vaccines "a global public good." The expert also welcomes China's move to help Africa with the production of COVID-19 vaccines. Last month, Egypt received the first batch of raw materials to manufacture China's Sinovac vaccine. Moreover, a new shipment of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines also arrived at the Cairo International Airport. Costantinos said China's COVID-19 vaccine support to Africa and elsewhere across the developing world is saving lives and helping control the pandemic globally. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-13 05:20:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TRIPOLI, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Libyan President of the Presidency Council Mohamed Menfi on Saturday met and discussed with a senior Turkish delegation security cooperation between the two countries. The visit of the Turkish delegation, including Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu and Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, follows a series of mutual previous ones between Libya and Turkey in 2021 that started with Menfi's visit to Turkey in March, according to a statement issued by the Presidency Council. During the meeting, Menfi stressed the depth of the historical relations between the two countries and highlighted the importance of enhancing cooperation and developing bilateral relations between the two countries, the statement said. The Turkish delegation stressed the continuation of cooperation in training security and police institutions, demining, and combating illegal immigration and organized crime, it added. The meeting also covered the upcoming Berlin conference on Libya, support of the political track in Libya, and uniting regional efforts for an international consensus that supports the stability, security and unity of Libya. The Turkish delegation also met Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-11 22:16:09|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Xinhua writers Ren Jun, Zhang Jiye NUR-SULTAN, June 11 (Xinhua) -- "Sons and daughters of China, who among you is willing to be slaughtered like pigs and sheep? We must resolve to be victorious, to defend the Yellow River! To defend northern China! To defend all of China!" "The Yellow River Cantata," written by legendary Chinese composer Xian Xinghai, inspired tens of millions during World War II (WWII) to fight against fascist invaders after it was first performed on April 13, 1939 in northwest China's Yan'an. Music knows no borders. Xian, who was stranded in the southern part of what was then the Soviet Union, and today belongs to Kazakhstan, for the last two years of his life, gave local people courage and strength through his music amid the brutal war. When war broke out between Nazi Germany and the former Soviet Union in 1941, the composer was working on a documentary for the Communist Party of China under the alias of Huang Xun in Moscow. Forced to abort his mission and evacuate, he was left alone in the Kazakh city of Almaty where he knew no one, had no place to stay and couldn't return home. During the most difficult moment in Xian's life, it was Kazakh musician Bakhitzhan Baikadamov and his family who provided Xian with accommodations and food despite their limited food rations. "It was sometime in the middle of November 1942. When my father was passing by a fence, he saw a thin man sitting on his suitcase, wearing a light sweater and holding a violin," Baldyrgan Baikadamova, Baikadamov's daughter, said about the fateful encounter. "My father spoke Kazakh and Russian, the composer responded in English and French. But it was obvious that the Chinese musician really needed help and had nowhere to go. So my father just took his hand and led him to us," she said. Baikadamova recalled that Xian was never treated like an outsider in the family. Everybody loved him and took care of him. As a Kazakh saying goes, "in times of trouble, people share the last piece of bread." This is the spirit behind the story between Xian and Baikadamov's family. Ding Haijia served as the first secretary of the cultural department of the Chinese Embassy in Kazakhstan during the late 1990s. He was the Chinese official who "discovered" Xian's story and conducted research about his life in Kazakhstan. "It was widely known that Xian Xinghai went to the Soviet Union in 1940 and died in Moscow in 1945. When I came to Kazakhstan in 1996, I was so surprised to find that Xian had stayed in the cities of Almaty and Kostanai for two and a half years. Then I decided to make it clear how Xian spent his last years in Kazakhstan and began collecting clues and meeting insiders," Ding told Xinhua at his home in Beijing. After arduous efforts, Ding met Kalamkas Arislanova, a cousin of Baldyrgan Baikadamova. She is the only person still alive who had met Xian at that time. "The first time when I met Kalamkas was in the late 1990s. Recalling Xian, she burst into tears and even was unable to talk. Kalamkas told me how Xian warmed her feet in the chilly winter and treated her as his own daughter," said Ding. Ding said the generosity of the Kazakh people made it possible for Xian to continue composing. Some of his most famous works were composed during that time, including "Amangeldy," a symphony in honor of Kazakh national hero Amangeldy Imanov, which served as a rallying call to fight the fascists and proved immensely popular with locals. "Xian and my father always sat together. My father played the dombra, and Xian took notes for the melody. Then Xian played the violin and my father checked whether Xian was right or not. That's how they learned the Kazakh national folklore and culture together," Baikadamova said. Xian was finally overcome with homesickness and suffered from lung disease. He died in a hospital in Moscow at the age of 40 in October 1945. Xian did not have the chance to return to China although WWII had ended. In today's Almaty, two boulevards are named after Baikadamov and Xian. Visitors to Baikadamov's old house can find letters Xian wrote to his daughter in China's Yan'an, which were never mailed. A monument has been erected to commemorate the Chinese composer. The words engraved on it read: "Xian Xinghai has built a bridge of friendship between the two peoples with his music. May his name be remembered forever, and the China-Kazakhstan companionship be passed on from generation to generation." Now the strong friendship between Xian and his Kazakh friends has been made the subject of a movie named "The Composer," the first film co-produced by China and Kazakhstan and screened in 2019. Concerts performing works of Xian and Baikadamov, especially "The Yellow River Cantata" and "Amangeldy," have been frequently held to commemorate the two composers. Just as Baikadamova has said, "China and Kazakhstan are neighbors. The neighborhood lasts forever." Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 11:14:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Staff members monitor wind farm equipment status in the control center of central Asia's largest wind farm built by a Chinese firm near the city of Zhanatas in the Zhambyl Region, Kazakhstan, May 24, 2021. (Photo by Kalizhan Ospanov/Xinhua) NUR-SULTAN, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Central Asia's largest wind farm built by a Chinese firm is nearly complete in south Kazakhstan despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The landmark project demonstrates how the Belt and Road Initiative is transforming Kazakhstan's power matrix and bringing green energy to the country. Located on a hill-surrounding steppe near the city of Zhanatas in the Zhambyl Region, the wind farm, with a capacity of 100 megawatts, will power 1 million Kazakh homes with clean electricity when all 40 wind turbines are slated to be installed by the end of this month. Each turbine tower weighs over 300 tons, and is nearly 150 meters tall, comparable to a 50-storey building. The 60-meter-long blades cover an area as big as the London Eye observation wheel. Upon completion, it will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 300,000 tons annually. The construction began in July 2019 and is now at its final stage. Full production capacity is expected to be reached in June this year despite the impact of COVID-19, Guo Qiang, general director of the Zhanatas wind power plant, told Xinhua. "Chinese engineers are mainly involved in the installation of equipment. Most of the work is carried out by Kazakh construction firms. The cooperation between Chinese and Kazakh colleagues is based on equality, mutual learning and mutual trust," said Guo. The windmill is one of the first batch of key energy projects under the China-Kazakhstan production capacity cooperation framework, with the largest installed capacity in Central Asia and a total investment of around 150 million U.S. dollars. The plant, with China Power International Holding and Visor Kazakhstan as shareholders, is co-funded by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (Almaty) and Green Climate Fund. Almas Chukin, managing partner of Visor Kazakhstan, said that the launch of the Zhanatas wind farm will ease power shortage in the south of the country, with 70 percent of electricity nationwide generated in the coal-rich north. He said that a big energy demand in the south has forced the Kazakhstan Electricity Grid Operating Company to build three lines to transport electricity from north to south, which is very expensive. "The Zhanatas new wind power plant is a big part of Kazakhstan's energy solution to the north-south imbalance and over-dependence on coal use in power generation," Chukin said. Kazakhstan is boosting the implementation of renewable energy projects. At a meeting on May 26, 2021, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev pledged to increase the share of green energy to 15 percent by 2030 in the total electricity consumption. According to Chukin, China makes significant contributions to the development of renewable energy in Kazakhstan. Over the past four years, of the 1,500 megawatt new renewable energy capacity in Kazakhstan, two thirds were built along with Chinese partners. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 15:27:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Afghan security force members stand guard at the site of a bomb attack in Mazar-i-Sharif, capital city of north Afghanistan's Balkh province, June 12, 2021. At least one civilian was killed and five others were wounded in a bomb attack outside a local bank in Afghanistan's northern province of Balkh on Saturday, the provincial police confirmed. (Photo by Kawa Basharat/Xinhua) MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan, June 12 (Xinhua) -- At least one civilian was killed and five others were wounded in a bomb attack outside a local bank in Afghanistan's northern province of Balkh on Saturday, the provincial police confirmed. An improvised explosive device (IED) attached to a bicycle was detonated in front of New Kabul Bank branch in Police District 6 of provincial capital Mazar-i-Sharif city roughly at 10:20 a.m. local time, the police told reporters via a text message. The casualties were transported to hospital. An investigation is still on. The security forces members, who were visiting the bank, may have been the likely targets of the attack, according to local residents. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, Afghan officials blame the Taliban militant group for bomb explosions in recent years. The province has been the scene of heavy clashes between security forces and Taliban militants in recent months. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 16:48:25|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Two policemen and two civilians were killed, while four others including three police personnel wounded Saturday in a militant attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said. The attack was carried out at Sopore town about 50 km northwest of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir. "This afternoon militants fired upon a police party here in which two policemen and two civilians were killed on the spot," a police official said. "Three policemen and a civilian were also wounded and they were immediately removed to hospital." Following the attack contingents of police, paramilitary and army rushed to the spot to carry out searches for the attackers. Eyewitnesses said no sooner the attack took place were people seen running away from the spot to save themselves from being caught in the crossfire. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 18:57:38|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Photo taken on June 12, 2021 shows boxes of Chinese COVID-19 vaccines arriving at the Phnom Penh International Airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Cambodia Saturday received another batch of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine, boosting the Southeast Asian nation in its inoculation drive. Cambodian health ministry's secretary of state Yok Sambath, who welcomed the vaccine's arrival at the Phnom Penh International Airport, said the vaccine was purchased from Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinopharm. (Photo by Sovannara/Xinhua) PHNOM PENH, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia Saturday received another batch of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine, boosting the Southeast Asian nation in its inoculation drive. Cambodian health ministry's secretary of state Yok Sambath, who welcomed the vaccine's arrival at the Phnom Penh International Airport, said the vaccine was purchased from Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinopharm. "It's a new testament to the unbreakable ironclad friendship between Cambodia and China," she said. Cambodia has so far acquired more than 8 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from China and the World Health Organization's COVAX Facility. The kingdom launched an anti-COVID-19 inoculation drive on Feb. 10. Health ministry's secretary of state and spokeswoman Or Vandine said that to date, some 5.22 million vaccine doses have been administered in the kingdom, with 2.39 million people having been fully vaccinated with two doses. The country is targeting to inoculate at least 10 million out of its 16 million population by the end of this year or early next year at the latest, she added. Cambodia registered 638 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, pushing the national caseload to 37,959 with 320 deaths and 31,222 recoveries, according to the health ministry. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 21:04:03|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Afghan security force members inspect the site of an explosion in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, June 12, 2021. Seven civilians were killed and six others wounded after two explosions struck public mini-buses along a busy road in western part of Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, on Saturday, the capital police confirmed. (Photo by Sayed Mominzadah/Xinhua) KABUL, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Seven civilians were killed and six others wounded after two explosions struck public mini-buses along a busy road in western part of Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, on Saturday, the capital police confirmed. The explosions occurred in Sari Pul and Mahtab Qala localities in Dashti Barchi, in Police District 13 and Police District 6 at midday, causing panic among the residents in the neighborhood, which has witnessed serial explosions in recent weeks, Basir Mujahid from Kabul police told reporters via a text message. One woman was among the killed and one woman was among the wounded. One of the targeted buses caught fire and was destroyed while several other vehicles driving along the road were also damaged by the force of the blasts. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. This was the second such explosion that hit Kabul this month. On June 3, nine civilians were killed and 10 others wounded after two public mini-buses were struck by bomb explosions in the western part of Kabul. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 21:54:58|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Brunei reported one new confirmed case of COVID-19 on Saturday, bringing the national tally to 249. According to Brunei's Ministry of Health, Case 249 is a 33-year-old woman who arrived in the country from Indonesia on May 30. She has experienced a cough symptom for one day on June 11. Investigation and contact tracing have confirmed no close contacts for the new case, as she was quarantined upon arrival in the country. The new case is being treated and monitored at the National Isolation Center with six other active cases, who are all in a stable condition. With the detection of the new case, a total of 108 imported cases have been confirmed since the last local infection case on May 6, 2020. Brunei has recorded 402 days without local COVID-19 infection cases. There have been three deaths and 239 recovered patients reported from COVID-19 so far in Brunei. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 11:50:32|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LONDON, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Ahead of the in-person Group of Seven (G7) summit in southwest England, both the United States and Britain have separately revealed their plans to donate COVID-19 vaccines, as public pressure continues to pile up on developed countries to share more vaccines with the low-income world. On Friday, the British government announced that it will donate at least 100 million surplus COVID-19 vaccine doses within the next year. The move came as U.S. President Joe Biden said Thursday that his country will donate 500 million COVID-19 vaccines to 92 low- and lower middle-income countries and the African Union. In an authored article published on Friday, the same day when the three-day G7 summit would kick off in Cornwall, England, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wrote: "So I want the G7 to adopt an exacting yet profoundly necessary target: to provide one billion doses to developing countries in order to vaccinate everyone in the world by the end of next year." Over the past few months, developed countries have been widely criticized for hoarding vaccines. In an opinion article published on Monday, Will Hall, global policy and advocacy manager at charitable foundation Wellcome, said that COVID-19 vaccine access is currently far from equitable, and the G7 countries have purchased over a third of the world's vaccine supply, despite making up only 13 percent of the global population. To put it into further context, the rate of vaccination in high-income countries is 75 times that of low-income countries, Hall said. Nine out of 10 African countries could miss the target of vaccinating 10 percent of their population against COVID-19 by September, dimming hopes of containing the pandemic on the continent, said Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organization regional director for Africa, on Thursday. Moeti said in a statement that Africa required 225 million doses to achieve the 10 percent vaccination target, adding that the continent is banking on donations and replenishing the COVAX facility to ramp up inoculation targeting high-risk groups. The WHO-led COVAX is a global coalition that works to ensure fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines around the world. "It seems to me that spreading the vaccines as widely as possible is now absolutely imperative. But I think it needs to be done quickly," Uma Kambhampati, a professor of development economics at the University of Reading, told Xinhua. It is a positive step that major developed countries are committing to sharing more vaccines with the world. But some experts say the pledged doses might not be enough, as the risk of contracting COVID-19 remains high among the most vulnerable people in many low-income countries. Prior to Biden's announcement, media reports revealed the U.S. planned to donate 500 million vaccine doses. Responding to these reports, Niko Lusiani, Oxfam America's vaccine lead, said in a statement that the 500 million doses "are welcome as they will help more than 250 million people, but that's still a drop in the bucket compared to the need across the world." Despite challenges, many countries and international organizations have been working hard to address vaccine shortage issues in the past few months. China has been taking concrete steps to deliver on its promise to make Chinese vaccines a global public good, and implementing with practical actions the concept of a global community of health for all. China is organizing and carrying out vaccine aid work for 88 countries and four international organizations, said Qian Chunying, an official with China's Ministry of Commerce, on Monday. For example, Chinese vaccines have helped boost Cambodia's vaccination drive. Cambodia has received a new batch of Chinese vaccines on Tuesday, including Sinopharm vaccines donated by the Chinese government and those purchased from Chinese biopharmaceutical firm Sinovac Biotech, according to a Cambodian government official. "As long as the virus is circulating anywhere, we are all at risk of dangerous variants developing that may spread around the world and bring us back to the start of the pandemic once again," said Hall, adding that equitable access to vaccines "will have the biggest impact on tackling the pandemic this year." Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 13:01:38|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin in an interview with NBC News on Friday said that Russia-U.S. relations are at their lowest point in years. "We have a bilateral relationship that has deteriorated to its lowest point in recent years," Putin said in the interview via translation. Meanwhile, Putin noted he can work with U.S. President Joe Biden, according to NBC News. He denied a Washington Post story saying that Russia is preparing to supply Iran with an advanced satellite that would enable Tehran to track military targets in the region. "It's just fake news," Putin said. "At the very least, I don't know anything about this kind of thing. Those who are speaking about it probably know more about it. It's just nonsense, garbage." Biden is on the first foreign trip of his presidency to Europe, and his highly anticipated meeting with Putin is scheduled on June 16 in Geneva, Switzerland. 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. In his Wednesday remarks to U.S. troops and their families at Royal Air Force Mildenhall base in Britain, Biden said that the United States wants a stable and predictable relationship with Russia. "But I've been clear: The United States will respond in a robust and meaningful way if the Russian government engages in harmful activities," he warned. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 21:03:42|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BUCHAREST, June 12 (Xinhua) -- China firmly opposes excluding any country or enterprise via non-technical standards and discriminatory terms, as well as the abuse of the "national security" concept to undermine the principle of fair competition and the spirit of the rule of law, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Romania said late Friday. The spokesperson made the statement soon after the Romanian president on Friday signed the country's 5G law passed earlier by the parliament. Many in Romania believe that although the law does not mention Chinese companies, it actually excludes Chinese companies from participating in the building of Romania's 5G network. China respects Romania's right to legislate on cybersecurity, but it is also highly concerned about whether Chinese companies can obtain a fair, just, open and transparent business environment in the country, said the spokesperson. "Judging cybersecurity in isolation from industry norms and technical standards is against scientific common sense, denying the principles of market economy and fair competition," said the spokesperson, stressing that "this is typical political discrimination and repressive behavior," as it abuses the concept of "national security" to exclude specific countries and enterprises. "We call on the Romanian side to firmly uphold the spirit of the rule of law, treat Chinese enterprises in a fair, just and non-discriminatory manner, and take practical actions to safeguard the overall situation of practical cooperation between the two sides," said the spokesperson, stressing that the Chinese government will continue to firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies. The Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Romanian Parliament passed the bill on 5G network construction on May 19 and June 7 respectively. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-13 03:56:35|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ROME, June 12 (Xinhua) -- When the coronavirus pandemic hit Italy last year, the well-being of young people was put on the back burner, as community and government leaders focused on slowing the spread of the pandemic and caring for those infected. But since then, they have been making up for the lost time. A series of studies released in recent months have shown that Italian adolescents have been hurt particularly hard by the lockdowns and quarantines. Without the routine of school and social engagements, youths are more likely to be depressed and feel anxiety, resulting in sleep loss, binge eating, and even the risk of suicide, the studies showed. "We are just beginning to understand the complex impacts the pandemic is having on our adolescents," Antonella Gritti, president of the Cognitive Psychology program at the Suor Orsola Benincasa University in Naples and the architect of one of the recent studies, told Xinhua. Others, including a study from United States-based Harvard University in conjunction with Italy's Gaslini Pediatric Hospital and the University of Genoa, found that a broad majority of young people are showing symptoms of "psychological regression" during the pandemic. Another study, from Cesvi, a child welfare advocacy group, noted a marked rise in the need for psychological assistance for young people during the pandemic, especially during the second wave that started in October 2020. In January, a series of news reports indicated that adolescent suicide and suicide attempts had risen to levels that had not been seen in recent memory. Maura Manca, a member of the Lazio chapter of the Order of Psychologists, told Xinhua it was understandable that at the start of the pandemic, the government did not necessarily focus on the psychological well-being of young people, who were forced to switch to at-home learning. But she said she is encouraged that authorities appear to be catching up. "The Ministry of Education and the Order of Psychologists are working together to come up with guidelines and processes for making sure those in need of help can get it," said Manca, who is also president of the National Adolescent Observatory. "The efforts include close monitoring of well-being at school and away from school and encouragement to those suffering to seek help." Last month, the government's coronavirus decree made big steps to strengthen child and adolescent neuropsychiatry services, creating incentives for schools, regions, and local officials to coordinate with the National Health Service. Gritti applauded those efforts and others, but she warned that the need to focus on adolescent welfare will not end as the pandemic fades. "The things that happen during our adolescent years will stay with us forever," she said. "The adolescent's brain is still in development. We cannot yet know what the effects will be, but we can say they will stay with these young people in some form for their entire lives." Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 05:36:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HAVANA, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Cuba registered on Friday 1,288 new COVID-19 infections and eight more deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the total caseload to 154,866 and death toll to 1,065. "We still have bad results because the number of confirmed cases is increasing," the ministry's director of hygiene and epidemiology Francisco Duran said during his daily report. Havana, with 460 new cases in the last day, had an incidence rate of 314.7 per 100,000 inhabitants, the highest in the country. The ministry, which has been carrying out a vaccination campaign against COVID-19 in seven of Havana's municipalities, will extend immunization to the entire capital on June 14. Havana's 2.2 million residents are expected to be completely immunized by the end of July. The drive also continues in the provinces of Pinar del Rio, Matanzas, Santiago de Cuba and the Special Municipality of Isla de la Juventud. To date, 3.1 million doses of the most advanced Cuban vaccines, Soberana-02 and Abdala, have been administered, with 1.8 million Cubans receiving at least one dose. Meanwhile, three other Cuban candidates, Soberana-01, Soberana Plus and Mambisa, are in different phases of clinical trials. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 06:30:41|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The White House said on Friday that it returned more than 2 billion U.S. dollars of military funds to the Pentagon that former President Donald Trump had diverted for building controversial border wall between the United States and Mexico. The funds will now be used for 66 military projects in 11 U.S. states, 3 U.S. territories and 16 countries, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) said in a statement. "The effort diverted critical resources away from military training facilities and schools, and caused serious risks to life, safety, and the environment," said the statement. "It also took attention away from genuine security challenges, like drug smuggling and human trafficking." During the Trump administration, the federal government built 52 miles of new wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, according to the OMB, with some stretches of barrier costing as much as 46 million dollars per mile. "Building a massive wall that spans the entire southern border and costs American taxpayers billions of dollars is not a serious policy solution or responsible use of Federal funds. Most contraband is likely to come through legal ports of entry. And many families fleeing the violence in Central America are voluntarily presenting themselves to border patrol officials," OMB said in its fact sheet. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is canceling 20 contracts for border wall construction, their commanding general Lt. Gen. Scott Spellmon testified to Congress this week. Recipients of the restored funds include two Marine battalions in North Carolina; an Air Guard marksmanship training program in Indiana; two missile interceptors in Fort Greely, Alaska and an elementary school for the children of U.S. service members stationed in Germany. The fiscal year 2022 budget of the administration of President Joe Biden includes more than one billion dollars for border infrastructure improvement, but no additional funding for border wall building. In one of his first actions after swearing in, Biden ordered a halt in border wall construction, calling for a review of relative projects and funds. Enditem Public health authorities believe there are undiscovered branches of coronavirus still lurking after a Melbourne man with a young family tested positive for the virus ahead of the citys long weekend. The single new locally acquired case of COVID-19 in Victoria was found in a man who got tested as soon as he felt symptomatic. Outdoor mask-wearing rules remain. Darrian Traynor Based on interviews so far, the case will likely be connected to the Kappa strain outbreak, the outbreak that started when a Victorian who stayed in a South Australia quarantine facility later travelled to Melbourne. Health officials the Boyd Community Hub in Southbank, McDonalds Freshwater Place and Woolworths Melbourne Square to their current exposure site list on Saturday night. The maternal, child and family health services section at the community hub is listed as a tier-one site for anyone who attended on June 8 from 2.45pm to 3.45pm needs to get a COVID-19 test and quarantine for 14 days. People who visited other parts of the Boyd Community Hub or the park play area on June 8 from 2.45pm to 3.45pm need to get a COVID-19 test and isolate until receiving a negative result. McDonalds and Woolworths were both listed as tier-two sites as a person who tested positive for COVID-19 attended the Woolworths between 4pm and 5.30pm on June 8 and attended the McDonalds on June 11 between 5pm and 5.30pm. COVID-19 fragments have been discovered in wastewater from the Heidelberg area in samples taken on June 10. The chief health officers update email on Saturday night said anyone who was in the Balwyn North, Bulleen, Bundoora, Eaglemont, Heidelberg, Heidelberg Heights, Ivanhoe, Ivanhoe East, Kew East, Macleod, Rosanna, Viewbank, Watsonia and Yallambie areas between June 9 and 10 should get a COVID-19 test if they have any symptoms then isolate until receiving a negative result. Officials dont know if the fragments could come from someone who has already had the virus or if it has come from an unidentified case. The email also said North Melbourne Primary School would re-open on Tuesday after multiple year levels along with teachers and family members had to undergo 14 days of quarantine when a student tested positive for the virus. As of late Friday, 2300 active primary close contacts remain in isolation around Victoria with more than 4500 cleared after spending 14 days in quarantine and testing negative in their day 13 tests. Health Minister Martin Foley said that while the source of infection has not been discovered, the new case would likely be linked to the Kappa strain as the man lives in proximity to cases that have been genomically identified as carrying the variant. The man was caring for his young family and rarely ventured outside. This case has done all the right things from our initial interviews, the individual recognised that they had symptoms, got tested and had a test result all within the same day, Mr Foley said. Health Minister Martin Foley and COVID-19 Commander Jeroen Weimar have provided an update on the state's response to coronavirus and floods. COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar said there were also some instances of social overlap that offered authorities strong reason to believe the man would be linked to existing outbreaks. However, the emergence of mystery cases like the mans continues to concern authorities because they can linger and build. Mr Weimar said he believed there were more cases in the community that need to be flushed out - a task requiring at least 20,000 tests to be conducted daily. What Im a little bit concerned about is being well-advanced now - were almost two and a half to three weeks into this outbreak - but were still finding new branches, he said. My personal view is that there are certainly more cases out there, I think were talking very small numbers, but we really need to track them down, he said. Victorian COVID-19 testing commander Jeroen Weimar. Asanka Ratnayake I think Im a little bit concerned that testing numbers are starting to drop, and I would I think whilst were still dealing with new cases emerging, I would really encourage everyone to help us keep those testing numbers up. He urged Victorians to call people out if they demonstrated symptoms. If your colleagues at work or your employees are coming to work symptomatic, send them home to get tested immediately. If youre being served by people who are symptomatic, call them out in the nicest possible way. Investigations into the acquisition source of the positive Reservoir family of four and the Melton couple who travelled to Queensland - all genomically linked to the Kappa variant - are continuing. Id ask people to check those new tier 2 exposure sites, and it goes back to the conversation from earlier, we believe there are other branches (of the virus) that may be out there that we have not yet discovered, he said. There were 15,110 test results received on Friday and 20,660 vaccines administered. Three cases were reported in hotel quarantine on Saturday bringing the states number of active cases to 74. The Department of Health also added 19 new exposure sites late on Friday, including a takeaway shop at Southern Cross Station, a souvlaki shop in Thornbury, and a medical centre, service station and chemist in Taylors Hill. Traces of the virus have been found in wastewater unexpectedly across Bendigo, in the Glenroy-Pascoe Vale area and in some eastern suburbs in the local government areas of Whitehorse, Manningham and Monash in recent days. The health department is urging anyone in those areas with COVID symptoms to get tested immediately. Western Australia reclassified Victoria as a low risk state from 6pm Friday, but Victorians making the trip will still need to isolate for 14 days. Victorians will also have to complete a G2G pass confirming they do not have COVID-19 symptoms and undergo all virus testing requirements. Stay across the most crucial developments related to the pandemic with the Coronavirus Update. Sign up to receive the weekly newsletter. Within the framework of the 2021 general elections, the agency guaranteed an equal coverage of both presidential candidates Pedro Castillo (Peru Libre) and Keiko Fujimori (Fuerza Popular). During the second round of elections between April 12 and June 7 Andina's main version published 288 articles related to the electoral process; 119 articles about Pedro Castillo and his representatives and 119 articles about Keiko Fujimori and her representatives. Likewise, it published articles based on information issued by electoral organizations, civil society organizations, the church, and other political parties. The agency acted as the designated media outlet by the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE) to photograph the presidential candidates when they were casting votes during the first and second rounds. In this sense, both national and international media outlets had access to these documents free of charge and without restrictions. Andina also interviewed 15 of the 18 presidential candidates on its online channel. Three candidates did not accept the invitation. Information and pandemic The news agency has carried out its duties during the COVID-19 pandemic by spreading information to Peruvian citizens. Given the "new reality," a process of digital transformation was started, which resulted in new concepts such as Unified Newsroom, which is also used by El Peruano staff. Currently, the journalists work from home. Editors and writers coordinate permanently through diverse platforms such as WhatsApp, Zoom, and phone calls in order to analyze the situation, make decisions, and organize future coverages. #Andina40anos Estamos de aniversario! La Agencia Andina cumple 40 anos de labor informativa. Hoy renovamos nuestro compromiso con ustedes. Gracias por seguirnos! pic.twitter.com/smoFOpUSbw YEREVAN, JUNE 12, ARMENPRESS. The Defense Ministry of Armenia has commented on the information about the deployment of Turkish forces near Black Lake. ''There are media reports that it's already two days that special forces of the Turkish army are being deployed in Syunik Province, near Black Lake. The Republic of Armenia, and particularly the Defense Ministry of Armenia, has referred to the issue numerous times, including on various international arenas, that the Turkish armed forces have great involvement in the training, instruction and even management of the Azerbaijani army. The best proof of this was the war unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh, where the Turkish armed forces had a direct involvement. The presence of the Turkish servicemen in the units of the Azerbaijani armed forces has been long ago proved, including by the Defense Ministry of the Republic of Armenia. From this viewpoint, the accusations that the Defense Ministry of Armenia tries to conceal any facts over the presence of Turkish servicemen in the Azerbaijani armed forces are just groundless. As refers to the photo of a servicemen with Turkish military logo, it has been taken on non-Armenian section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the movement of the troops was controlled by the units of the Armenian armed forces, while in the mentioned region there is no question of "deployment of a Turkish army unit" in the area, ARMENPRESS reports, reads the statement of the MoD Armenia. These agendas seem broad and separate but they meet at a single point, well over seven million points Papua New Guineas citizens. Another familiar voice of PNG Attitude, Martyn Namorong, is likewise a doer with his championing of the PNG extractive industries transparency initiative (EITI) through the Papua New Guinea Resource Governance Coalition. More importantly, thinkers like Naith are also doers; working towards addressing the issues hes talking about. THE RECENT article by Nathan Lati, extracted from a paper based on his Divine Word University graduate thesis, reveals there are many thinking Papua New Guineans who are aware of their culture and the how it is being diminished by modernisation. It is clear that Papua New Guineans are still defining what it means to be a PNG citizen or even Melanesian. This continuing self-discovery requires us all to do what Naith and Martyn are doing, not necessarily through a thesis or a full-time job, but by finding ways of participating in our community, country and democracy. It is only through participating in our nationhood that we can take control of our destiny as a nation. Naith understands this about the need to preserve our unique culture. Martyn understands this about the need for us to be more responsible about our resource use. Me, I feed pigs. But that gives me time and lots of olfactory inspiration to write stuff stuff which gets published by my generous friend, Keith Jackson. As writers and poets participating in the Crocodile Prize, it is our citizen duty and philosophical prerogative to participate in writing that helps to define us as a nation. That brings to mind Dolarose Atai Wootongs recent poem, Perfect Gentleman. Dolaroses poem describes her personal thoughts about the characteristics of a Papua New Guinean gentleman. There is real socio-cultural value in the issue Dolarose addresses in her poem: what does the modern Papua New Guinean gentleman look like? What does he do? What does being a gentleman mean in our culture today? In our male dominated society, predominantly afflicted by male insecurity, I think the agenda is worth exploring and Im really looking forward to reading PNG writers thinking on this topic, especially with crimes such as witch hunting, rape and domestic violence being on the national agenda. I was musing on Dolarose work initially posting three modified lines and this made me think that perhaps I was adding my own impression into the creation. While reading the Crocodile Prize website, I found an excellent example of Chip Mackellars editing on Jimmy Awagls poem, People of the back page. It is very instructive for poets to do work with Chip Mackellar, who can impart his fine skills through the editing process. Thats a valuable service hes providing freely. Mr Mackellars skill transformed Jimmys poem into a very eloquent ballad. But I have to admit I really enjoyed the ruggedness of Jimmys original work. It was so clearly a Simbu man talking to me. Thats an important dimension of poetry voice. Heres what President Barack Obama said about using your voice: Voting is the most fundamental and sacred right of our democracy. I believe it should be almost as easy as voting on American Idol. But when we choose not to vote, we surrender that right to someone else. Freedom of expression is a famous pillar of democracy. So, when writing poetry, try to know your voice: listen to the poem as you write it; think of your audience; write the sound of how you would speak your words to them. I have written what my take was on Dolaroses poem and also translated it into Tok Pisin (in spite of those ignorant gnats who still say the language is no good). Theres a lot to be said about the creative process and about being Papua New Guinean. And about how we can move forward as a responsible nation filled with good, respectful citizens gentlemen and ladies. A PNG gentleman Inspired by Dolarose Atai Wootongs 'Perfect gentleman' His claim to skill does not shout Nor do his eyes deny his truth He stands within himselfimmovablehis will is rock But at his speech enemies dissolve In his one flaw magnanimity to all. His name is well known in the hausman And the wood smoke recalls his tears As he regales the youth with stories While old folk bake him their largest sweet potatoes And sleep by the fireplace to tell him their secrets at dawn. The stone-washed Levis, scuffed at the knees, Are handed down to his cousins (The suit and tie he left in town.) But his uncle holds his feathered head-dress Which no one else dare touch. They sought him far, his brides to be, Many were willing, many still are. But she knows well who holds his heart When she hears his gentle breathing: She knows this with or without his speaking. Man em igat gutpela pasin Tingting ikam long ridim 'Perfect gentleman', Dolarose Atai Wootong i bin raitim Wokmak bilong em ino save bikmaus Na bel tingting em i stap stret long ai Em i sanap insait long em iet strong tru olsem ston Na ol birua i save pinis nating tru Long wanbel pasin bilong em tasol. Em igat nem long hausman Na simuk paia tingim ai wara blong em tu Taim em i stori wantaim ol yangpela Ol lapun i putim traipela kaukau long as bilong paia Na silip wetim em long liklik toktok long tulait. Gutpela jean trasis, emi save laikim long em, Em i givim igo long ol kasen barata (Jaket na nektai em lusim long taun.) Tasol unkol i holim kastom het-bilas bilong em We inogat wanpela man bai putim han antap. Ol yangpela meri i save painim em Planti ibin igat laik, planti igat laik iet. Tasol wanpela meri i save gut tru, em holim lewa bilong man Taim em i harim man i pulim win isi tru: Na toktok o nagat, meri ia em i save stret. Perfect gentleman Original poetry by Dolarose Atai Wootong Quiet, but confident with his profession, An honest expression and eyes that dont lie, Remains true to himself and the things for which he stands for, Not brutal but he will prove all his enemies they are wrong without force but by solving all his problems with no violence, Pays attention to all his family, friends, colleagues, and workers in the same building for no one is beneath his attention, Never forgets about his tradition, heritage, identity and roots, Never forgets about the things, struggles and people that made him who he is today, Dressed in his best attire whether in suits and polished shoes to work or just jeans, sweater and sneakers to visit friends or in his traditional bilas to singsings With gentle deeds, gentle smile, and gentle gesture he will make your problems melt away, He remembers to always be a gentleman and treat all ladies with respect, Treats his woman right, whether its dancing in the rain or on romantic dates and tells her shes beautiful, Thats my idea of a perfect gentleman. Police believe the death of a man in a house fire west of Brisbane was not suspicious. Officers along with fire and ambulance crews were called to a property on the outskirts of Ipswich, at Lowood, shortly before 4pm on Friday where they found the home fully engulfed in flames. A man was found dead inside the Walnut Crescent residence, while a woman managed to escape uninjured. Ambulance officers assessed the female for the effects of smoke inhalation and minor injuries. However she declined transport to hospital. Local media reported that the single-storey house was located within a gated complex and that its roof had completely collapsed by the time firefighters arrived on scene. Police will prepare a report for the coroner. They said on Saturday morning detectives had spoken to a female witness and that while investigations were continuing, initial information indicated the man's death was non-suspicious. A man and his mum have been found shot dead as he was awaiting trial over the death of a teenage girl. Paul Murdaugh, 22, and his 56-year-old mum, Maggie, were found shot dead near dog kennels at the familys home near Islandton, in the US state of South Carolina, on Monday night (local time). Police have not said if there are any suspects in their deaths or who found their bodies, but, according to US news media, it is being treated as a double murder. Paul Murdaugh, 22, and mum Maggie Murdaugh, 52, were both found shot dead. Source: WSAV3 Murdaugh was awaiting trial on a charge of boating under the influence causing death in a February 2019 crash that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach. According to a police report obtained by WMBF News, Murdaugh and other underage people on the boat between 19 and 20 were all grossly intoxicated on the evening of the crash. The boat had also been speeding, news site The Island Packet reported. Ms Beach was reported missing at the time and her body was found seven days later. The wreck led to stories questioning whether his family's ties to the legal system in the area affected the investigation. The Murdaughs are one of South Carolinas most prominent legal families. Mallory Beach, 19, died in a boat crash involving Paul Murdaugh in 2019. Source: CBS 17 Prosecutor dies just days after grandson, daughter-in-law killed Randolph Murdaugh III, a longtime South Carolina prosecutor, died just days at the age of 81 after his grandson and daughter-in-law. He served as the elected solicitor in the 14th Circuit from 1987 to 2005. His father and grandfather also held the job as prosecutor for Allendale, Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper counties. Randolph's son Alex, the husband and father of the victims in Mondays shooting, is a part-time prosecutor in the same office. The announcement of Randolphs death came from his law firm Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth & Detrick on Thursday. Story continues The firm didnt give a cause of death, but Democratic state Senator Margie Bright Matthews of Colleton County said the 81-year-old was in intensive care when she asked for prayers for the family on Tuesday on the Senate floor. Randoph's death came the day before the graveside service for his grandson and daughter-in-law. Ms Beachs family said they hoped anyone with information would come forward so the killer could face justice. The Beach family extends its deepest and warmest sympathies to the Murdaugh family during this terrible time. Having suffered the devastating loss of their own daughter, the family prays that the Murdaughs can find some level of peace from this tragic loss, the family said in a statement issued through their lawyer, Mark Tinsley. with The Associated Press 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. Many American Flags were mounted on telephone poles and line Owasco Road all the way to the village. They were placed there by our highway department in honor of Memorial Day. I was at Hoopes Park recently to view over 600 American flags placed by families in honor of a veteran. Members of the Owasco chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution met there to see the flag they purchased to honor all of our patriot ancestors. Joan Panek brought the flag to give to the town of Owasco. She met me at the town hall to donate the flag to fly over our Memorial Park. The picture shown with this column is Joan presenting the flag. We walked out to the park adjacent to the town hall in beautiful sunshine. I shared with Joan some of the stories of the men and womens names inscribed on the brick pavers, and how we found a huge box in the cupboard containing hundreds of veterans names and their tax exemptions. We initially started with 150 names and after John Leonard and I found the box, the list exploded. There are now over 700 names, and each one could tell us a story. Senior Chinese foreign policy adviser Yang Jiechi and Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a phone call Friday that revealed wide divisions in a number of contentious areas, including the curtailing of freedoms in Hong Kong and the mass detention of Muslims in the northwestern Xinjiang region. Yang said China was gravely concerned over what he called absurd stories that the virus escaped from a lab in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where cases were first discovered. The U.S. and others have accused China of failing to provide the raw data and access to sites that would allow a more thorough investigation into where the virus sprung from and how it initially spread. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates Saudi Arabia says this years hajj pilgrimage will be limited to no more than 60,000 people, all of them from within the kingdom, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The kingdom made the announcement Saturday on its state-run Saudi Press Agency. It cited the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah for making the decision. It says this years hajj, which will begin in mid-July, will be limited to those ages 18 to 65. Those taking part must be vaccinated, the ministry says. People living in congregate settings like state prisons or group homes have endured the COVID-19 year with fewer resources and greater risks. The close quarters, limited options for maintaining hygiene, and slow rollout of vaccines to inmates and residents made them more vulnerable. Even as the rest of us look ahead to easing restrictions, their uncertainty continues. One factor: Too many of the workers who guard and care for them arent getting vaccinated. That lapse in responsibility falls, ultimately, on the state. As the Times Unions Rick Karlin reports, only about 26% of people working in New Yorks prisons have gotten at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Among those working in residential facilities operated or certified by the state Office for People with Developmental Disabilities, its 31%. The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision says that by now all inmates have had a chance to get the vaccine, though only 36 percent have done so. That effort which started much too slowly must continue, and at an accelerated pace. And the inoculation campaign must include health counseling and education to address vaccine hesitancy. LOS ANGELESGayVN Best Actor winner and reigning Performer of the Year DeAngelo Jackson plans to unveil a sneak peek of forthcoming documentary Being Black in Porn, which he executive produced, over Juneteenth weekend. To be distributed by Mile High Media in association with Novo Novus Productions, the movie's trailer will premiere on the Instagram channel of Mile High production banner Noir Male, located here. Narrated by DeAngelo, Being Black in Porn follows the lives of four gay men of color as they navigate their way in the competitive and often complicated adult industry. Through interviews with the men in NYC, Chicago, Las Vegas and L.A., the movie examines their unique experiences including their encounters with racism, stereotypes and inequality. In addition to their time behind the camera, Being Black in Porn delves into the personal lives of the men, exploring the impact their careers have on their real worlds, on social media and in the global Black Lives Matter movement. I had to share this story, Jackson said. He selected the main cast for the documentary: Dillon Diaz Max Konnor and Rock Rockfella, an industry legend who directed Jacksons first scene. I had to do this for my fellow brothers and sisters in the entire adult industry. I learned early on that if we dont stand for something, we will fall for anything. Jackson is the first black man to win a GayVN Best Actor Award (in 2020). He started his career in 2009 and is now in his third year as Noir Males exclusive contract performer. Jackson was born in Germany, raised in Georgia and studied Criminal Justice at Florida State University. He entered the adult industry as a way to make extra money in college. Having never been with a man or woman, Jackson lost his virginity on camera. He doesnt regret any choices he has made and maintains a happy relationship with his supportive family who say they are proud of all of his success in the industry. Our favorite porn stars have the same struggles as all working professionals, says Jacksons co-executive producer on Being Black in Porn, Dwight Allen ONeal. Our hope is that our documentary creates a better understanding of these men and sends a message to everyone inside and outside of adult film that Black Lives Matter everywhere, in everything, and within every industry. Jerry Remy is an institution in New England, where hes been a regular color commentator for NESNs Red Sox broadcasts since 2001. Over the years, however, various health concerns and issues have popped up that have taken him away from the booth for extended periods of time. In 2008, Remy had surgery to remove a cancerous area from his lung and then suffered from pneumonia while recovering, which prevented him from broadcasting until 2009. Remy took time off again in 2013 when pneumonia returned but returned a few weeks later. In 2017, Remy announced that his lung cancer was back and he was going to receive treatment. After another cancer diagnosis in August 2018, he underwent further treatments and announced in November of that year that he was cancer-free. All of which is to say that when the 68-year-old commentator suddenly disappeared during the third inning of Friday nights broadcast of the Red Sox Blue Jays game, many viewers noticed and started wondering what might have happened. Kind of weird that @Jerry_Remy just went silent from tonights broadcast. Can @NESN let us know whats going on? Very strange to not have any announcement of any kind. Mike Meilleur (@PronouncedMayor) June 12, 2021 Reports of Jerry Remy unexpectedly and without any announcement exiting NESNs TV booth during bottom of the 3rd inning at Fenway last night. As of now, no word from NESN as to whether this was a health issue, personal matter or work-related issue. Boston Radio Watch, Part 2 (@bostonradio2) June 12, 2021 Remys boothmates, Dave OBrien and Dennis Eckersley, did not make any mention of Remys absence during the broadcast at the time. NESN did eventually release a statement on Saturday, saying that Remy experienced shortness of breath and stepped away from the broadcast as a precaution. The statement also notes that he is currently as Mass General Hospital and resting comfortably. From NESN on why Jerry left the broadcast last night: pic.twitter.com/F22NkaBeXV Chad Finn (@GlobeChadFinn) June 12, 2021 That statement was also read on the air on NESN. As noted in the statement, there is currently no timeline for Remys return to the booth, let alone when he will be released from the hospital. [NESN] Northern Arizona University President Rita Cheng announced on Friday, June 4, that she would rename two on-campus buildings after former university presidents before exiting her position. Past presidents Clara Lovett and John Haeger will have the Campus Art Museum and the Health and Learning Center, respectively, named after them. It is with great pride I recognize Dr. Lovett and Dr. Haeger, whose exceptional accomplishments and noteworthy legacies contributed tremendously to our educational mission and left a lasting impact on NAU, Cheng said in a press release. Lovett and Haeger were chosen for their contributions to NAUs students, staff and campus during the time they served at the helm. I can think of no better exemplars of the characteristics and accomplishments that merit a naming honor, Cheng said. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Lovett was the first woman to become president of an Arizona institution, serving from 1994 to 2001. She brought a Pew Higher Education Roundtable to NAUs campus and restructured the universitys mission and goals for the 21st century. After leaving NAU, Lovett became president and CEO of the American Association for Higher Education, and is now chair of the board of directors for the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. Should the City of Flagstaff consider raising the minimum wage for workers contributing to city-funded projects? That was the question posed to Flagstaff City Council during Tuesdays work session. It is a type of minimum wage known as prevailing wage and it already exists for laborers who work on federally funded projects. Prevailing wage determines basic hourly rate of wages and benefits paid to a number of similarly employed workers in a particular area. It exists to ensure the federal government does not undercut local standards related to costs-of-labor. Recently, there is a growing interest in cities across the country to implement the federal prevailing wage for projects funded by local tax dollars. Supporters argue it is a cost-effective way to improve economic conditions for workers while promoting local hiring. Flagstaff Mayor Paul Deasy seemed to agree, noting that lower wages could give outside companies an edge in bidding for city contracts and result in lower-quality work. Contracts as we know go to the lowest bidder by law. Without standards this leads to companies being incentivized to cut corners on safety, benefits, pay and potentially even engage in labor abuse to win the contracts, Deasy said. The Slate Fire may still be growing but firefighters are making progress in containing the blaze. Coconino National Forest managers announced Friday that the fire, located about 23 miles north of Flagstaff, is now 17% contained. Simultaneously, the fire grew from an estimated 5,000 acres on Wednesday afternoon to 6,200 acres as of Friday morning. Highway 180 remains closed but after days of officials saying there is no estimated time the road could reopen, that changed Friday. Officials now say could reopen as soon as Sunday, although that could still be delayed. The road was first closed Monday when firefighters began lighting prescribed burns along it. According to a media release, the Arizona Department of Transportation will need to install a new guardrail, and crews will need to remove potentially hazardous dead trees alongside the road before the stretch of the180 can be reopened. Crews planned to spend Friday conducting burning operations on the west side of Slate Mountain to bring the fire out to control lines. The firing operations are expected to last 24 to 48 hours, and will allow crews to hold control lines on the west side of Slate Mountain and then shift remaining resources to the east side of the fire. PHOENIX (AP) The sheriff of metro Phoenix will not contest a claim that he is in civil contempt of court in the same racial profiling case in which his predecessor, Joe Arpaio, was found to be in contempt. Without explicitly saying Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone was in contempt, his lawyers said in court papers filed Thursday night that the lawman understands that a judge intends to hold him in contempt for noncompliance with a court-ordered overhaul of his agencys much criticized internal affairs operation. Penzones lawyers said he would not dispute a contempt finding and agrees with U.S. District Judge Murray Snows suggestion a week ago that it was more reasonable to focus on remedying the problems stemming from noncompliance. The judge previously suggested it would be a waste of time to argue over whether Penzone was in compliance. The lawyers who won a profiling verdict eight years ago over Arpaios immigration patrols say Penzone is out of compliance because it has a backlog of 1,800 internal affairs cases, each taking an average of 500 days to complete. The court requires the sheriffs office to complete the investigations within 60 or 85 days, depending on which operation within the agency handles the cases. Birthday wishes Call 281-422-8302 or email david.bloom@baytownsun.com to wish someone a happy birthday. We will print your birthday wish on Page 2 of The Sun. Happy Birthday Wishes McCartt-Jackson said her poetry is often about humans place in nature and how they interact with the landscape, and that residencies has helped her focus on her work while also exploring those themes. One of my favorite things about the Artist in Residency with the Parks Service is you learn so much, McCartt-Jackson said. So you think you know a place until you actually go thereI came here thinking I was just going to write about the tall grass prairie, but theres so much more involved, especially with the human interaction with the landscape. At the end of McCartt-Jacksons residency, Homestead will host a program where the public can read her work and learn more about poetry. A date for that program will be announced on the Homestead National Historical Park Facebook page. McCartt-Jackson said shes planning for the program to be a meet-and-greet, as well as an opportunity for attendees to write a poem together. I like to make poetry accessible to everybody and get people to explore, McCartt-Jackson said. So even if you dont think you can write a line to add to a poem, you can think about an image or a word or something like that. Both leaders have taken heat at home over Keystone, with Republicans slamming Biden for shutting it down while construction was underway, costing hundreds of jobs. The project was meant to expand oil exports for Canada, which has the third-largest oil reserves in the world, and provincial officials in Alberta wanted Trudeau to do more to save it. The White House declined to comment on the cancellation. Spokesman Vedant Patel declined to say if Biden plans to address increased crude exports from Canada or intervene in other pipeline disputes. His action on Keystone signals at least some appetite to get involved," but pipelines that have operated for years would be tougher targets, Raimi said. Winona LaDuke, executive director of the Indigenous-based environmental group Honor the Earth, called on Biden to withdraw an Army Corps of Engineers permit for Line 3 and to order a new study. He could stop the project, she said. Dont ask us to be nice to Enbridge. Theyre all over our land. Theyre hurting us. The Biden administration has been disturbingly quiet on Line 3 and the Dakota Access line, said Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club. He urged the administration to declare both unacceptable. He pointed to Cherry's disciplinary record while in county jail. Cherry allegedly attacked a guard on Christmas Eve and has more than 75 write-ups for misconduct. "I think people would say (this sentence) is less than appropriate," Todd said. "But I agreed to follow it, so I'm going to follow it." The judge was referring to the plea agreement made between Cherry and Yellowstone County prosecutors. Cherry had initially pleaded not guilty in the case but switched to a plea of no contest in September, a week before his trial was set to start. As part of the plea deal, Cherry admitted he and Haverty had robbed Knight and together had caused Knight's death. Knight had $6 on him when he was killed. Under the deal, prosecutors dismissed charges of witness tampering, evidence tampering and intimidation. The parties jointly recommended 65 years in prison. Cherry will get credit for 1,290 days or over 3.5 years for time served. Prosecutors also agreed not to file charges against Cherry in separate cases. In those cases, he was suspected of robbery and drug possession. Haverty and Cherry met Knight at the Montana Lils Casino on King Avenue West on Oct. 26, 2017. Soldiers and airmen of the Montana National Guard will be eligible to apply for a tuition waiver at Rocky Mountain College as part of a new agreement between the organizations. The agreement will be formally announced during a Monday press conference with RMC President Dr. Robert Wilmouth and Montana National Guard Director of the Joint Staff, Brig. Gen. Jamie Wilkins. RMCs approval of the Montana National Guards new 100% Tuition Fee Waiver will mean the National Guardsmen and women attending Rocky Mountain College will potentially receive a debt-free college education. Active and qualified Montana Guard servicemembers are now eligible to receive a tuition waiver to attend Rocky Mountain College provided that they meet the following criteria: Must be an active service member who is in good standing with the Montana National Guard at the beginning of each eligible term. Does not currently hold a baccalaureate degree or higher; Maintains satisfactory academic progress towards degree completion as defined by the institution; The Group of 7 is an informal group of seven powerful democracies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. The presidents of the European Commission and European Council also attend G-7 meetings because several of Europes largest countries are also members. Membership, which is decided internally, hasnt changed much since the groups founding in 1975. At the time, it included only six countries, all of which still belong. Canada joined a year later. Russia joined as an eighth member in 1998, temporarily changing the groups moniker to the G-8, but Russia was ousted after it annexed Crimea in 2014. Together, these seven wealthy nations form the foundation of the modern global economy and the cooperative rules-based system on which it is built. Why the G-7 matters The G-7 countries make up about 40% of the world economy, down from nearly 70% a few decades ago. Moreover, there was huge variation around the averages. Examples of countries that performed very well with high levels of debt are common. Moreover, in myriad cases countries with debts well below these thresholds got into deep problems. Some successes are salient. Remember that no one really tabulated GDP until the late 1940s, so numbers for earlier periods are estimates, often rough ones. But in 1815, England came out of 25 years of war with debt-to-GDP ratio of around 240%. The 1800s were the period of greatest output and income growth in British history. Our nation had debt of some 110% to 125% of GDP at the end of World War II, depending on metric used, and the succeeding 1950s and 1960s decades saw output growth rates higher than any succeeding decade. All this may seem a minor point of dispute among a few scholars. It is not. Ideas have consequences. The flawed Reinhart-Rogoff article was used to justify the Paul Ryan budgets that emphasized spending limits as the U.S. economy remained hung over from the financial binge of the 2000s. It has been cited in other nations, particularly by Germany in the European Union, in calls for austerity. We face an economic mess with deep roots, We steadfastly refused to deal with problems in federal finances for 35 years. We cut tax rates so that the proportion of national income paid in general taxes is well below levels prevailing in past, including the 1950s or 1990s. We have eaten our seed corn by failing to keep up and improve infrastructure or provide health care more efficiently. There is much room for debate on many aspects of Bidens plans, but lets discard the threat of tripping some catastrophic debt-to-output trigger. St. Paul economist and writer Edward Lotterman can be reached at bismarck@edlotterman.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 He likened the new office to the Drug Enforcement Administration opening a call center to help drug dealers get lawyers and amnesty for their crimes." The Department of Homeland Security is a law enforcement agency, not a legal help center for criminals and lawbreakers," Miller said. Jon Feere, an ICE official during the Trump administration, said he referred a man to VOICE whose sister was killed by an intoxicated driver and that the office helped families understand the status of immigration cases. The change of tone regarding immigration has been striking between the two administrations. While studies suggest immigrants are less likely to commit crime than native-born, Trump relentlessly sought to establish a link. He launched his 2016 presidential campaign by portraying Mexicans in the country illegally as violent criminals and frequently highlighted the MS-13 gang, which was started by Salvadoran immigrants. To advance his immigration agenda, Trump invited angel families people whose loved ones had been victims of crimes by immigrants to campaign rallies and high-profile speeches. Trump's office for victims of violent crimes appears to have had little impact. Chief Leonard Crow Dog, a renowned spiritual leader and Native American rights activist who fought for sovereignty, language preservation and religious freedom, has died at age 78. Crow Dog, Sicangu Lakota Oyate, died June 6 at Crow Dogs Paradise on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota after a battle with cancer, Indian Country Today reported. As a youth, Crow Dog learned about cultural traditions and ceremonies from his father and Lakota elders. He later became a spiritual leader for the American Indian Movement. He did not go to school. Instead his parents enlisted four medicine men to guide his education, Rosebud Sioux Tribe President Rodney Bordeaux said in a statement. Throughout his life, Crow Dog learned from the University of the Universe, as he would say, and he shared his understanding of WoLakota with our Sicangu Oyate, the Oceti Sakowin, and Peoples of all Nations. Crow Dog attended and spoke at countless rallies, marches and protests over the years. He also co-authored a book, Crow Dog: Four Generations of Sioux Medicine Men, which tells the story of his ancestors and his life. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is asking a federal judge to keep open its lawsuit against the Dakota Access Pipeline while an environmental study is underway, and it wants the line's operator to file monthly updates on the review. Dakota Access and a federal agency say the case should be dismissed, and they argue they should not have to file regular updates with the court. U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg had asked the parties involved in the case to tell him the steps they planned to take after he declined to shut down the pipeline, and they all did so Friday by filing documents with the court. He ruled in May against Standing Rock's request for an injunction that would have required oil to stop flowing through the line during the review process, concluding that the tribe had not demonstrated a "likelihood of irreparable injury" from the line's continued operation. Standing Rock and other Sioux tribes fighting the pipeline have not indicated whether they plan to appeal. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is conducting the court-ordered review of the pipeline's Missouri River crossing. It expects to wrap up the process in March 2022. Boasberg revoked a key permit known as an easement for the line's river crossing last year, and the review will determine whether the Corps reissues it. The Tribune can see a number of reasons for the increase in homicides. One, the states population has been growing so there are more people available to get into mischief. Secondly, drug tracking has played a role in a number of homicides. There are some dangerous people, some from out of state, involved in the drug trade. Third, the pandemic cant be ruled out for some of the increase in 2020. Stenehjems correct in promising to dig deeper into a possible connection between the pandemic and the homicides. Some might want to blame the availability of guns for the increase. Gun ownership has been common throughout the states history and North Dakotans have been protective of their gun rights. It would be dicult to convince most people the availability of guns is to blame for the homicides. The fact remains that its not dicult to acquire a weapon. Finally, the rise in homicides could be related to the seemingly increased level of anger across the nation. Its reected in a number of high-prole mass shootings and protests by all political groups, some of which have turned violent. The existence of anger can be seen in the state with the increase in aggravated assaults and simple assaults during 2020. Three Western New York Scout councils will have to pay into a $425 million pot to settle sex abuse claims, under a bankruptcy reorganization plan proposed by the Boy Scouts of America. The plan would protect 253 separately incorporated Scout councils across the country from abuse lawsuits. But if it falls apart, some councils, including those in Western New York, might end up pursuing their own Chapter 11 bankruptcies. Nearly 400 of the 82,500 sex abuse claims filed in the Boy Scouts of America bankruptcy allege the abuse happened within Western New York area Scout councils. The national organization has proposed settling all the claims with $120 million of its own funds, $425 million from the 253 local Scout councils and at least $625 million in insurance. It is not clear from court papers how much each council would pay under the current plan. Lawsuits over abuse allegations against the national organization and local councils would cease under the Boy Scouts' reorganization plan. But the plan hinges on the cooperation of all parties abuse survivors, insurance providers and local councils, as well as the national organization and not everyone is on board. The sides are in mediated negotiations, and if a deal is not reached an alternative plan offered by the national organization would cut local councils out of the deal and leave them to fend for themselves, against lawsuits in state courts or by filing their own Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases. Both scenarios raise questions about how the Boy Scouts of America reorganization ultimately will affect scouting operations in Western New York, where three councils employ 239 people and own and operate seven camp properties valued at more than $6 million. One of the biggest draws of area scouting programs is the chance for kids to camp at sites such as Camp Merz, a 350-acre facility on the shores of Lake Chautauqua near Mayville, and Camp Scouthaven, which includes 400 acres on Crystal Lake in Freedom. Councils might be forced to sell or mortgage properties to help pay the proposed national BSA bankruptcy settlement or to resolve lawsuits in state court. Court papers filed by the Boy Scouts of America last month warned that its alternative plan, which is a backup in case abuse claimants reject the preferred reorganization plan, would lead to local council bankruptcies in states, including New York, that have statute of limitations windows allowing lawsuits in sex abuse cases from many years ago. The Greater Niagara Frontier Council, which has 6,000 scouts in Erie and Niagara counties, was connected with 258 abuse claims filed with Boy Scouts of America. The Allegheny Highlands Council, which includes Allegany, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties, was identified in 79 claims. Iroquois Trail Council includes the eastern part of Niagara County, as well Orleans, Genesee and Wyoming counties. It was named in 61 claims, according to federal court papers. 'Salt to the wounds' Hamburg resident Scott Miller is among the 82,500 former scouts who have filed abuse claims with the national organization. He also filed a Child Victims Act lawsuit in State Supreme Court in Erie County, naming the Greater Niagara Frontier Council, the Boy Scouts of America and the United Methodist Church, which sponsored the Scout troop, as defendants. At least 38 former Scout volunteers have been accused of sexually abusing children in about 60 Child Victims Act lawsuits filed in state courts in Western New York, The News has found. Miller said what the Scouts have proposed so far shows no real accountability. It only adds salt to the wounds, said Miller. They just keep trying to manipulate a way to stay viable, and their viability is more important to them than all the lives that were destroyed. If litigated, the claims filed in the Boy Scouts bankruptcy would cost an estimated $2.4 billion to $7.1 billion, according to an analysis by an economic consulting firm Bates White. The tort claimants' committee, which represents abuse survivors, has argued that the claims amount were worth more than $100 billion. What is on the table so far amounts to $1.1 billion. Seattle attorney Jason P. Amala said the councils, especially, should be offering much more money if they seek to settle cases. Collectively, the councils have net assets of $3.3 billion, according to court papers. But Amala said he believes that is a conservative accounting based on book values of properties that are worth far more now than when councils first acquired them. That appears to be the case with the Iroquois Trail Council, which listed net assets of $1.5 million, even though the combined appraised value of its two camps, Camp Sam Wood and Camp Dittmer was $2.2 million, according to court papers. What local councils say Officials at the Greater Niagara Frontier Council in Cheektowaga and at the Allegheny Highlands Council in Falconer told The News that they have not been made aware of how much their councils will be asked to provide. We dont know what the actual number is going to be, said Nathaniel Thornton, Allegheny Highlands Council executive. We dont know if were going to be asked to contribute or anything like that. Thornton said hes also not sure what would happen if the councils were left out of the national bankruptcy case altogether. Obviously we want to compensate the victims the best way that we can, but other than that I dont really have a preference how it gets done necessarily, he said. I want to be able to help and I want to make sure that scouting can continue to survive. And I think those are the two most important factors that were looking at. Greater Niagara Frontier Council Executive Gary A. Decker declined to be interviewed by phone about the bankruptcy, but he said in an email that the councils local contribution is not yet known, because it has not been determined. Iroquois Trail Council Executive James McMullen did not respond to a phone message. If all councils paid in at the same amount under the current proposal, they each would owe about $1.7 million. But the bankruptcy is complicated by the fact that some local councils are in states that have statute of limitations windows for sex abuse lawsuits, while others are not. Amala said he suspects councils located in states that do not have windows are simply declining to contribute anything, leaving it to councils in states such as New York, New Jersey and California to pony up. Minneapolis attorney Jeff Anderson, who represents about 800 former scouts, said the collective council contribution continues to be problematic. The position taken by the councils is so deficient as compared to their exposure, its shameful, said Anderson. Anderson said a tort claimants' committee and the Boy Scouts are still far apart on many issues. And theres even a broader gap between the parties and the insurers, he said. At this point in time there is a deadlock. If progress does not pick up, he added, the tort claimants' committee will likely ask U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Laurie Selber Silverstein to submit its reorganization plan for the Boy Scouts. The committees plan would allow for some recovery now and seek additional recovery later from insurance companies, he said. Anderson said he also would prefer that any reorganization plan give survivors an option to move ahead with lawsuits in state courts. The reorganization process will have to accommodate a differential between the state laws that makes this challenging and complicated, at the same time, like no other thats gone before, he said. A victim, for example, from New York, which has window legislation, may end up receiving much more than a victim from Oklahoma, which does not, Anderson added. "That is a reality we didnt create," he said. "It is harsh. It is unfair. It is inequitable. But it is the way it is. Miller said in a lawsuit that Scout leader Hal Wright repeatedly molested him on Scout camping trips and at troop meetings in Orchard Park when he was a boy in the mid-1970s. The bankruptcy took away an opportunity for Miller and other abuse survivors to stand up in a courtroom and tell the world what happened, he said. "It basically silenced all of us," he said. Miller said the local councils are as responsible as the national organization for allowing abuse. The way I see it, this is one organization. If we were talking about Amazon, we wouldnt be thinking about which distribution center did what, were talking about Amazon. This is the same thing," he said. "These councils are subunits of the major organization and they are equally responsible for the things that happened under their watch. Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Saturday was the first day of early voting for the June 22 primary election, but the scene bore little resemblance to those at early voting sites last year. In 2020, 25.4% of Erie County registered voters almost 168,000 people took advantage of the nine early voting days before the presidential election. This year, with only local offices on the line, the numbers are dramatically smaller. Erie County Board of Elections commissioners Ralph M. Mohr and Jeremy J. Zellner announced after the polls closed at 6 p.m. Saturday that just 904 voters cast first-day ballots. Lines, which last year were long and common, were rare and short at the polling places The Buffalo News visited Saturday. "I dont know what kind of response were going to get. Primaries just dont get a lot of people," said Lew James of Clarence Center, who was one of the few voters at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church in Clarence at midafternoon. Its easy but I think there should be more people out here. They should be out here voting because its important," said Margo Warr of Buffalo, who voted at the Delavan Grider Community Center. Now they are running on a slate as "2 Bobs 4 Hamburg." In the town council race, Mahoney, a business representative for SEIU Local 200 United and member of the town Planning Board, is running in a Democratic primary against the endorsed Democrats, Carly Whalen Story, a family advocate for Adoption STAR, and Megan A. Comerford, a special education teacher for Frontier Central School District and member of the town Planning Board. "Why I was snubbed the way I was is beyond me," Mahoney said. "I'm the only Democratic committee member running for office in Hamburg." He said he believes he deserved the Democratic endorsement and earned the endorsement working for the party over the years, and that's why he is challenging the endorsed candidates. Hamburg Democratic Chairman Terrence MacKinnon said the endorsement process took several months, with candidates having plenty of time to talk to committee members before they voted on the endorsement. "It was the most open and transparent process we have ever had," MacKinnon said. "They voted overwhelmingly for our endorsed team." He added that all three candidates said if they did not win the endorsement they would not run in a primary, and the supervisor primary was unexpected, too. Read the full story from News Staff Reporter Mark Sommer Kayaks, canoes and a motor boat meandered down the Buffalo River on a recent sunny day, passing the Archer Daniels Midland grain elevator that loomed large on one side of the river bank and passing Ohio Street's shoreline on the other, where a backhoe was moving boulders at a construction site. After years of industrial contamination, the river's rebirth has made activity on the waterway a common sight. Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper, which has led the decades-long clean-up effort, is now embarking on the Buffalo Blueway project to create or upgrade public access sites for paddle sports, anglers and others. The Ohio Street Boat Launch under construction is the fourth Blueway site and, at a cost of $2 million, the first created from scratch. "There is so much activity on this water now that it's absolutely mind-boggling," said Katherine Winkler, Waterkeeper's senior program manager and the project manager for the Blueway sites. "To be able to bring people here is going to be absolutely incredible." Waterkeeper received $10 million to develop the Blueway from the state's Buffalo Billion II economic development program. Investing in the region's environmental and recreational assets was seen as an important way to spur economic activity. "The grand vision is to really market Western New York as a Great Lakes region," said Jill Jedlicka, Waterkeeper's executive director. That is a challenge, Jedlicka said. The region has been cut off from its waterways and must combat the perception "real and imagined," she said that the river is contaminated and unhealthy. New Yorks $10 million investment to create a network of public access points along the waterways of Buffalo and Niagara is paying off," said Eric Gertler, Empire State Development's acting commissioner. "Just ask the kayakers, fishermen and hikers who are finding new ways to enjoy the water and surrounding areas." The Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation gave $2.75 million to the Blueway, with Waterkeeper involved in the creation of a site at Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park, formerly LaSalle Park. A river turnaround Waterkeeper wanted to build public access connectivity along the river for years. But the organization knew it needed to wait until the river was healthier. There is still a long way to go. The Buffalo River was found to be the fifth unhealthiest river in New York State in an analysis conducted four years ago by the Natural Heritage Program of the State Department of Environmental Conservation. But the federal government's more than $50 million investment last decade to remove lead, mercury, PCBs and other poisons from the river continues to make a big difference. So has the removal of invasive plants from the river's banks replaced by native trees and shrubs and the boosting of fish habitats and small mammal nesting areas. The ongoing improvements allowed the organization to turn its attention to building the city's recreational economy and providing quality-of-life enhancements. "Water is the reason why our economy developed here several hundred years ago," Jedlicka said. "Water defined our history, and water will define our future." Jedlicka said people don't have to fish or go boating to enjoy the emerging Blueway. "You can be a birder who wants to watch wildlife," Jedlicka said. "You can just want to watch the sunset or sit in the park and watch the world go by. We want equitable access for so many parts of our community who have been cut off from their own waterfront for generations." Seeking access The Blueway's first three projects offered site enhancements, public access and signage to existing boat launches. The first was at Buffalo RiverWorks on Kelly Island, followed by Mutual Riverfront Park in the Old First Ward and Wilkeson Pointe on the Outer Harbor. Progress was slowed by the pandemic, but design work was able to be completed for the Ohio Street site and three new projects. At the Ohio Street Boat Launch, Winkler said, the arched, 77-foot long cantilevered fishing pier and overlook being built will be the first that's fully accessible and ADA-compliant on the river. A new paddle sport launch and wooden slide to help put boats into the water is also under construction, with debris reflectors being installed at the bottom of the launch to keep it from filling with detritus. A nearby area will have benches and replanted native wildflowers, trees, shrubs, meadow mix and grass. The site is owned by the state Department of Environmental Conservation, which is working with Waterkeeper on the project. Local history is also being commemorated. Stamped railroad tracks on a sidewalk will signify that a rail line once went through the site. Four archways made from rail tracks and rail ties will also mark the site's past. "It's really as much about making connections to the community, because the parks are as much for them as they are for the people who come in from the outside to launch their boats," Winkler said. The target date for completion is late August. "I grew up in Buffalo and I didn't come to the Buffalo River," Winkler said. "There was no reason to. Now, there is a reason to. There is freighter traffic that goes through here once a week. How often do you get to see that? Well, you can see that from this spot." Work is expected to begin at Erie County-owned Red Jacket Riverfront Natural Habitat Park farther upstream in September. A terraced step-stone paddle launch will replace a gravel slope to allow easier entry and departure for boats. There will be new benches, an improved parking area and concrete paths. The $250,000 project is expected to be completed in November. Waterkeeper is also designing an ADA-compliant paddle boat launch and fishing pier at Seneca Bluffs Natural Habitat Park, also owned by the county. A recent virtual public meeting explained that the plan received "very positive feedback," Winkler said. Construction on the $1.5 million project is expected to start in April 2022. Both parks offer the kind of naturally quiet upstream locations that Waterkeeper encourages to avoid conflicts with power boats, sailboats and the commercial boating traffic found in the lower river. County Parks Commissioner Troy Schinzel said the Blueways aligned with the county's own plans for the parks. "We fully anticipate an increase in park use as a destination to enjoy these areas on the Buffalo River," Schinzel said. There are also plans to improve waterway access at Higgins Park, at the juncture of Buffalo River and Cazenovia Creek. The biggest project Waterkeeper is involved in is creating site and shoreline access for paddle craft and fishing at Centennial Park. The anticipated cost is $1.5 million, which includes engineering work to stabilize the compromised shoreline and an emphasis on building "living infrastructure" that benefits the waterway's ecology. The project at Centennial Park is expected to be completed by 2024. Waterkeeper is also looking during its current phase for sites upstream to connect into West Seneca. For Waterkeeper's second phase, the organization is hoping to develop public access in Lackawanna, the Tonawandas and Grand Island. For now, the focus is on the new Ohio Street fishing pier and paddle sport launch. Winkler said it is going to be a special place. "At night, when you're looking down at the city, it is just beautiful," she said. Mark Sommer covers preservation, development, the waterfront, culture and more. He's also a former arts editor at The News. The Buffalo News: Good Morning, Buffalo The smart way to start your day. We sift through all the news to give you a concise, informative look at the top headlines and must-read stories every weekday. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. More could join that list soon. About half the states had emergency orders set to expire before the Fourth of July. And over a dozen additional states have open-ended emergency orders, which could be canceled at any time by governors. Massachusetts has been in an indefinite state of emergency for 15 months. But Gov. Charlie Baker has said that will come to an end Tuesday. He credited the state's high vaccination rate with helping turn the tide in the fight against the coronavirus. Unless something odd happens, I would say that it is pretty much over, said Baker, a Republican. Coronavirus emergencies also could expire Tuesday in Kansas and Vermont. Top Republican lawmakers in Kansas, whose approval is needed for an extension, have signaled they wont continue an emergency order issued by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, though she prefers it remain through August. Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, has said he will end all remaining emergency restrictions once 80% of eligible residents receive at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine a threshold the state is close to reaching. But scientists and researchers say that is not the case. Dr. Daniel Kaul, an infectious disease expert at the University of Michigan, noted that the vaccines have been proven safe and effective through clinical trials and the millions of people who have so far received the vaccines in the U.S. "In terms of the spike protein itself being pathogenic in some way that's just simply not true," he said in response to Bridle's claims. All the vaccines that received emergency use authorization in the U.S. do not contain live COVID-19 virus. Nor do they contain actual spike protein from the virus, which is what allows the virus to easily infect the human cell and replicate. The vaccines work by teaching the immune system to identify and fight off the spike protein in the body. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines rely on messenger RNA, often referred to as mRNA, that delivers a set of instructions to create spike proteins so your body can learn to combat them. Unlike the mRNA vaccines, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine carries its genetic instructions for the spike protein through a modified adenovirus. Posts online shared quotes of Bridle's interview to further push the false narrative that COVID-19 vaccines are dangerous and attack the body. In the interview, Bridle says that the spike proteins generated by the vaccines don't stay in the shoulder muscle, but spread and cause "so much damage in other parts of the bodies of the vaccinated." But Dr. Adam Ratner, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at NYU Langone Health, said that vaccines are mostly concentrated at the site of injection or the local lymph nodes. "What was said in the radio show was completely inaccurate," Ratner said. "There is no spike protein in the vaccines first of all. The amounts that are made after the mRNA is injected are very small and it almost exclusively stays locally. It is nowhere near the amount he was talking about." Bridle did not respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press. An auto-reply email from his account said that a more comprehensive report on his comments would soon be published. "My answer to the question posed by the host was objective and founded on multiple reliable scientific sources," the email reads. Earlier, we didnt have to think twice about spending money when we went to the market with our children or went out to eat, said Bijender. But now, the situation is so bad that we are somehow just trying to survive. We dont know if we will be able to keep our business, he said. On a wider scale, such setbacks on a wide scale may undermine confidence and future growth, said CMIE's Vyas. You need that aspiration or drive to go to college, get a good job, save money to buy a home -- you need that ambition to make your life better than what your parents had. This is what makes the economy thrive, and this is a crucial thing that has taken a big hit, he said. Babu says he fears his life is now moving in reverse. He had hoped his youngest daughter, aged 13, might become a pilot. Now that he's had to pull her out of her school in New Delhi, that seems impossible. His dreams of buying a home in the city have been crushed by the loans he can no longer repay, he said in a phone call from his village. Im not used to living in the village now. Everything we own, everything we are, its all in Delhi, he said. I should have just continued working as a driver, maybe then I wouldnt be in this mess." Associated Press journalists Rishabh R. Jain and Neha Mehrotra contributed to this report. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. For all their good intentions and they are good neither of Browns opponents has a background that inspires confidence in their ability to manage so complex an operation as the City of Buffalo. In that regard alone they rule themselves out from serious consideration. Walton, the more experienced of the two challengers, is a public school nurse who is tough-minded, genuinely concerned about her community and familiar with issues related to such subjects as police reform, housing, infrastructure and more. She radiates a self-confidence that outstrips her experience. There is surely a role for her in public life, but it may not by in elected office and certainly doesnt begin with mayor. Some people are more effective on the outside. Durham works for the city she wants to lead, previously in the police department and now handling calls to the 311 complaint line. Like Walton, she has a big heart and a familiarity with a number of public issues, but she has even less experience to suggest a credible candidacy. Asked about previous leadership roles, she cited her position atop a city block club. That qualifies as honorable undertaking, but as an argument for the Buffalo mayoralty, not at all. This colourized scanning electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 (round gold objects) emerging from the surface of cells cultured in the lab. (NIAID - image credit) As Alberta speeds up rollout of second COVID-19 vaccine doses, concerns are mounting about a small but growing number of cases of the more infectious delta variant, and questions are emerging about the level of protection vaccines offer and which second dose is best for those who have a choice. Calgary is the hot spot in the province with 189 of 222 confirmed B1.617 cases, the majority of which are delta (B1.617.2), the variant behind the latest wave of COVID-19 in the U.K. And it's driving a COVID-19 outbreak at Foothills hospital, where 16 patients on two units as well as six health-care workers have tested positive for the delta variant. Alberta's chief medical officer of health confirmed Thursday that 10 people (as of Tuesday) connected to one of the outbreak units had been fully immunized. Dr. Deena HInshaw said the province is monitoring these breakthrough infections. "While we can see a few cases that have broken through the vaccine, the vast majority of people who are vaccinated will have protection. And that's part of the reason we are expanding our second dose opportunities," she said. According to provincial data, since the beginning of the year, 0.1% of people with two doses (513 of 598,139 cases) were diagnosed with COVID-19 two weeks after their second immunization. Dr. Jim Kellner, infectious disease specialist at the University of Calgary and member of the federal COVID-19 immunity task force, is keeping a close eye on the delta variant. "It's a very small number of cases overall so far, but there is a focus of them here in Calgary that is of concern, for sure, and we have to do what we can to make sure that doesn't spread further," he said. Vaccine efficacy Kellner said there haven't been enough cases in Alberta to provide local evidence on how well the vaccines work against delta variant here. But studies out of the United Kingdom show that only about a third of people are protected against delta after a single shot. Story continues After a second dose of an mRNA vaccine (either Pfizer or Moderna) that protection jumps to just under 90 per cent. With AstraZeneca, the second dose provides roughly 60 per cent protection against delta, he said. According to Kellner, it's unclear whether mixing AstraZeneca with a second shot of Pfizer or Moderna will give people protection similar to a double dose of AstraZeneca (60 per cent) or closer to the protection offered by two mRNA shots (almost 90 per cent). "Possibly you'll have higher protection against the delta variant if you get one dose of the AstraZeneca and second dose of mRNA. It's simply not known yet. So I can't say with black-and-white certainty whether, yes, you should do that." What is clear, Kellner said, is people need to be fully immunized, and he hopes the province continues to push first doses, too. "With the emergence of the delta strain, you need two doses to be decently protected." 'Just get a bloody second dose' Dr. Jia Hu, a Calgary-based public health physician and chair of the non-profit organization 19 to Zero, believes delta will likely overtake alpha (also known as B.1.1.7) as the dominant strain in Alberta, although when that could happen, he said, is hard to predict. "I think now is clearly a very important time a window. That's why I think a very fast and efficient second dose rollout is going to be critical," said Hu. He believes Albertans who've received a first dose of AstraZeneca should follow their gut when it comes to what they choose for their second dose. "I think if there is more of an uptick in the delta, based on what I know about the vaccines, I might push for people to get the second mRNA as opposed to completing the AZ series," he said. "I think the main thing is that people just get a bloody second dose." He said if evidence emerges showing an mRNA vaccine is necessary to protect against the delta variant, the province would likely recommend an mRNA booster shot for those fully immunized with AstraZeneca. "Follow your heart," he said. "And follow it quickly to a vaccine clinic." Toronto police have arrested a 41-year-old man in connection with a string of break-ins. (Charles Contant/Radio-Canada - image credit) Toronto police have arrested a 41-year-old man in connection with a string of break-ins. Between April 13 and June 2, police allege the man broke into several businesses in Brockton Village, Little Portugal, Roncesvalles, Corktown, the Danforth, Cabbagetown and Leslieville. Police say he also committed other break-ins in the downtown core. In total, police say the man broke into 39 businesses by smashing through windows and doors. Police say the man appeared in court Saturday morning. He is facing dozens of charges including multiple charges for breaking and entering, failure to comply with probation orders and theft under $5,000. The charges have not been proven in court. Even as the COVID-19 pandemic recedes, the courts decision provides a critical correction that ought to prevent future abuses of power in an emergency, said Rick Esenberg, president of the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty. That group brought the lawsuit on behalf of five private schools and eight families in Dane County, School Choice Wisconsin Action and the Wisconsin Council of Religious and Independent Schools. Dane County Health Director Janel Heinrich said the ruling "hinders the ability of local health officers in Wisconsin to prevent and contain public health threats for decades to come. The lawsuit targeted an order issued in August by the county health department prohibiting in-person instruction for grades 3-12 at any public or private school. The Supreme Court in early September put that order on hold while it considered the case. While many private and public schools in the county resumed in-person classes, Madison's school district remained entirely virtual until March. Its school year ended this week. I dont know about you but this weekend caught up to me. It seems that Memorial Day was just here and now we are looking at the middle of June. There were many things going on this past week and I am just trying to stay even. This should be a quiet time of year for municipal governments. There are no elections, no budgets to prepare, it should be summer time and the living should be easy. But it appears that there are things to do. The first thing to do is to attempt to try and figure out how towns, villages and cities in Wisconsin are supposed to get the funds from The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, also called the COVID-19 Stimulus Package or American Rescue Plan. To keep things simple I will call it The Plan from here on out. No municipal clerk for one minute believed that this would be a simple process. There is always a catch to any government money that comes a communities way. Money from The Plan is supposed to be used for water projects, sewer projects broadband upgrades and to offset money/revenue that local governments lost due to the pandemic. Many local governments would like to use it for roads. Using it for roads is questionable though. Maybe that would have been too easy. The Town of Hallie would like to use the money for fixing up 10th Ave. Cloud computing has been around for approximately two decades, and although it isnt new to the market, it has gained enormous demand and popularity in recent years. Coming on strong as well is cloud communications and edge computing that requires local mesh networking in some cases and edge-to-cloud networking in other cases. With the proliferation of edge nodes and devices, using wired networks or trusting WiFi (News - Alert) is no longer an option. Going wireless with adequate resiliency and security, and economic efficiency is the new game in town, and were starting to see a mass movement towards the confluence of edge computing and communications (decentralized) with cloud computing and communications (centralized). This week Monogoto, an innovator and developer of a secure, global cloud-based cellular network platform, announced they have closed a round including venture capital and strategic investment, enabling them to expand their customer base from 100 to thousands, as they have proven their global cellular infrastructure and software has proven to be a powerful alternative to legacy solutions. The $11M in funding was led by Team8, with participation from Telefonica (News - Alert) Tech Ventures and Singtel Innov8, as well as Alter Venture Partners, Triventures, and Planven Entrepreneur Ventures. Categorizing themselves as Cloud-based Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) with APIs that work for both public and private cellular networks, including 5G and CBRS, Monogoto is tapping into high-growth markets, already enabling their customers to create, monitor, manage and maintain connected systems for transformational 5G and CBRS applications while enabling modern architectures such as Zero Trust Network Architecture (ZTNA) and Secure Access Service Edge (SASE). The companys comprehensive connectivity solution supports edge implementations including IoT, Industrial IoT (IIoT), industry 4.0, including manufacturing and cyber-physical infrastructure, and spans vertical industries including precision agriculture, energy, automotive, M2M, telematics, transportation, and healthcare. The funding will be used to expand Monogotos presence in the U.S. with a headquarters in San Francisco and to grow its product sales and bolster brand awareness and market penetration. It will also be used to enrich the platform with more APIs, documentation, and developer tools, while extending its global points of presence, with the company also contributing to the acceleration of 5G networking digital infrastructure. We enable enterprises and developers to design, build, manage, control, and scale their IoT applications quickly and securely, said Itamar Kunik, Monogoto co-founder and CEO. The cloud revolution and communications (voice calls/ SMS) revolution demonstrated that infrastructure accessible via APIs can be extensively leveraged to innovate products, optimize solutions and offer new business models, and a similar revolution is happening in connectivity. Enterprises across all sectors use the Monogoto platform to connect and control cellular-based sensors and devices. These include retail Point of Sale systems, Automatic Teller Machines, wearables, and other connected medical devices, smart lights, automotive fleets, and more, with cybersecurity features built-in, along with productivity tools for efficient back-office activities, including procurement and IT management. Enterprises and developers today are hungry for a cloud-native experience that leverages the power of cellular connectivity, using APIs that are centrally managed, self-served, and completely secure, says Liran Grinberg, Team8 co-founder, and managing partner. With full inspection of network traffic and secure computing capability at the edge, all accessible via APIs, Monogoto is able to provide advanced visibility and security controls out-of-the-box while integrating with the enterprises security controls. Team8 is proud to be backing one of the strongest and most secure connectivity platforms in the world, in 5G specifically and cellular generally. In addition to enabling global, secure, high-quality, and flexible IoT connectivity today, Monogoto is also preparing for the projected 5G network revolution. As the first-ever, cloud-native single cloud for public and private cellular networks, Monogoto is uniquely positioned to help enterprises and developers create, monitor, manage and maintain connected systems for transformative 5G and CBRS applications while enabling modern architectures such as Zero Trust and SASE for cellular IoT and connectivity. With hundreds of ready-to-use APIs, Monogoto offers cellular connectivity with edge to the cloud security for IoT, Private LTE (News - Alert) , and 5G use cases. Its services include full audit for all network events with anomaly detection and alerts automation, with Monogotos enterprise-driven solution enabling customers to consume advanced cellular VAS with zero CAPEX and an as-a-Service business model. We are proud to welcome Monogoto to the Telefonica Tech Ventures family as they are one of the most promising Israeli and global startups within the IoT ecosystem and the first in the IoT field to join our portfolio of invested companies, says Guenia Gawendo, director of Telefonica Tech Ventures. The Monogoto network is distributed globally with public connectivity in 180 countries. Helping companies to comply with regulation, the Monogoto solution supports on-premise local breakout topology for private LTE/5G networks. The company has already signed more than 100 customers worldwide in various scaling stages, accessing the platform to drive IoT growth and innovation, including Sodaq, Connected You, Origin GPS, and Tvilight. Cloud computing has evolved over the years to better serve businesses that leverage this transformational technology. In todays competitive environment, companies need a way to improve their efficiency, productivity, and overall performance. To realize the full benefits of this revolution and drive new product and business model innovation, enterprises need much more than high-quality connectivity - they need to be able to control every aspect of that connectivity to enable new use cases, added Kunik. Battery-optimized sensors, changing quality-of-services on demand, bridging the gap between public and private cellular networks, embedding cybersecurity from the infrastructure, and much more. Capabilities that our customers are already implementing using our APIs. Edited by Luke Bellos Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 12) - A Philippine consular officer based in New York City was "verbally assaulted" in a supposed anti-Asian tirade by a fellow passenger on the train, Philippine Consul General Elmer Cato said on Saturday. The passenger allegedly asked Cato's colleague where she was from in anger, and told her "We don't need you here! F**ck you! I hope you all die and everybody on this train." The incident was later reported to the New York City Police Department. Cato said it was the 14th attack against a Filipino reported to the Consulate this year. A few days ago another Filipino was injured after he was assaulted in a subway platform, he added. "We call on authorities of New York City to take additional measures to make our kababayan and other Asian-Americans feel safe when outside their homes by increasing police presence especially in the subways," said Cato. Additionally, special attention should be given to mental health concerns that particularly target the homeless since several have been involved in hate crimes against Asian-Americans, the diplomat suggested. Attacks against Asians, Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders have been rampant amid the coronavirus pandemic. Among the notorious cases was the assault of a 65-year-old Filipino American in Manhattan in April by a man who was out on parole for killing his mother. The crime was caught on tape and the suspect is facing 25 years in prison. In May, US President Joe Biden signed a bill called the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which will create a new position at the Justice Department to expedite review of potential COVID-19-related hate crimes and incidents reported at the federal, state or local level. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 11) Health facilities in Cagayan De Oro are seeing an influx of COVID-19 patients, with some forced to wait in line for vacancy, the city's health officer told CNN Philippines on Friday. "Even 'yung city-owned JR Borja General Hospital ay tumatanggap na rin po ng COVID cases at puno na rin po 'yung most of the tent na nilalagay namin doon [Even the city-owned JR Borja General Hospital is now accepting COVID-19 patients and most of the tents we placed there are already full]," said City health officer Lorraine Jungco-Nery. "Most of the hospitals, the private hospitals, actually are still full of patients." Among those hit is the Northern Mindanao Medical Center, a COVID-19 referral hospital for the entire region. The NMMC released a statement on Thursday alerting the public that its operating capacity had reached maximum level, meaning its emergency rooms and wards for COVID-19 patients were operating "beyond limits." Three weeks ago, the facility declared code red status, meaning it increased operating capacity dedicated solely in treating COVID-19 patients from 40% to 50%. Of this capacity, 65% is currently filled. Jungco-Nery also said some hospitals have patients waiting in line to be admitted. "If you want to be admitted, maghihintay kayo ng maba-vacate sa isang [you will have to wait for a vacancy in a] hospital," she said. "As per record po, nasa 74.56% 'yung healthcare utilization ngayon [our healthcare utilization rate is at 74.56%]." The health officer reminded that teleconsultations are available and for those who have no access to the internet, they can approach barangay health centers to avoid crowding hospitals. As for vaccination, Jungco-Nery said the city is focusing on the A1 to A3 sectors: healthcare workers, senior citizens, and those with comorbidities. She reported that more than 90% of healthcare workers have already received their doses. (CNN) -- McDonald's is the latest high-profile company to be affected by a data breach, leading to the exposure of private information of customers and employees in South Korea and Taiwan. The burger chain said in a statement Friday that an investigation revealed a "small number of files were accessed," some of which had personal data. McDonald's is contacting affected customers and regulators in the two areas and said that payment information wasn't accessed. The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news, said that a data breach also affected its operations in the United States. Data that was reportedly accessed included restaurant information, such as square footage, but not "sensitive or personal" customer or employee data. McDonald's credited its "substantial investments" it made on its cybersecurity measures for finding this breach. "These tools allowed us to quickly identify and contain recent unauthorized activity on our network," a spokesperson told CNN Business. "A thorough investigation was conducted, and we worked with experienced third parties to support this investigation." In the future, McDonald's will "leverage the findings" from this investigation and further improve its security measures. Other well-known companies have been targeted by hackers and causing data breaches. On Thursday, video game maker Electronics Arts said that hackers broke into its systems and took source code used in its games. JBS USA, a meatpacking company, and Colonial Pipeline have also been affected by similar attacks. This story was first published on CNN.com "McDonald's hit by data breach". Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 12) The construction of a "wall of heroes" bearing the names of healthcare workers who died battling the COVID-19 pandemic is underway at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, President Rodrigo Duterte announced on Saturday. "Meron tayong wall of heroes...pumayag ang Armed Forces na magtayo tayo ng wall of heroes diyan sa Libingan ng mga Bayani," Duterte said during the Independence Day rites in Bulacan. [Translation: We have a wall of heroes...the Armed Forces allowed us to build a wall of heroes at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.] "Lahat 'yung namatay, 'yung mga doktor, mga nurses, 'yung mga attendants ng nahawa ng (All those who died, the doctors, nurses, attendants of those with) COVID, will be honored by their name inscribed in that wall," he added. "It is now being built." As the country celebrates its 123rd Independence Day, Duterte also called on Filipinos to honor modern-day heroes health workers, law enforcers, and other frontliners who have been "instrumental" in the fight against COVID-19. "In the past year, they have risked their own lives and sacrificed their own comfort and security to ensure that our society will continue to function despite this crisis," the chief executive stressed. Unity amid the pandemic For her part, Vice President Leni Robredo said Independence Day serves as a reminder for Filipinos that unity can help a nation succeed amid challenges. "Saksi ang kasaysayan sa layo ng kaya nating marating, at sa tayog ng mga pangarap na kaya nating abutin basta sama-sama at tulong-tulong tayo, basta iisa ang direksyong tinatahak natin," Robredo said in a separate message. "Paalala ang Araw ng Kalayaan: Walang Pilipinong nag-iisa." [Translation: History has witnessed how far we can reach, the dreams that we can attain, for as long as we unite and work together, as long as we are going in one direction. Independence Day reminds us: No Filipino is alone.] Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 12) The Philippine flag is waving proudly on Google's front page as the country marks its 123rd Independence Day. The doodle shows the Philippine flag waving in the sky. "Filled with symbolic meaning, all of the flag's colors stand for a unique element of Philippine pride," the US-based tech giant said in a statement. Google has been paying tribute to the country's freedom day celebration since 2009. It is observed on June 12, marking the end of more than 300 years of Spanish rule in 1898. (CNN) -- New revelations suggesting that the Trump administration abused Justice Department powers to target his political enemies underscore just how far the ex-President went to destroy cherished principles of American republican government. They show that the true extent of assaults on democracy by Donald Trump are still coming to light and are probably even now not fully known. But this is not just a drama about the alleged misbehavior of a former President. Taken together with the Republican Party's refusal to hold Trump -- who remains the GOP's dominant figure -- to account for the Capitol insurrection and its nationwide efforts to restrict voting, the new allegations also indicate that the freedoms and core values that have underpinned American life for two-and-a-half centuries remain in almost unprecedented peril. In some of the most chilling exposes yet of Trump's autocratic tendencies, The New York Times late Thursday unveiled a secret scheme by prosecutors against members of Congress conducting presidential oversight. In pursuit of leaks of classified information about contacts between Trump associates and Russia, the Justice Department subpoenaed Apple for data from the accounts of Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee, their staff and even their families, including a minor. In a sinister twist to the story, prosecutors also secured a gag order against Apple, preventing it from informing customers their metadata had been seized. The story sent shockwaves through Washington and lawmakers are now scrambling to understand the scope of what looks like one of the gravest scandals of an former administration steeped in political corruption. If the new drama is at it seems, it would validate fears of those who argued that Trump -- or his staff -- used the Justice Department as a personal political enforcement mechanism rather than the guarantor of the rule of law. It would also add fuel to arguments of those who warned that a second term for Trump would have further endangered the survival of American democracy, In this case, prosecutors were not probing the disastrous exposure of a secret weapons system or some secret war plans. According to the Times reports, they were investigating members of Congress, including California Rep. Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, and Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, also from California. "You had the President calling on his opponents to be investigated," Schiff said on CNN's "Cuomo Prime Time" on Thursday. "One guardrail after another just smashed by this unethical former President." Swalwell, who told CNN Thursday night he had been notified that his data had been seized, told CNN's Jim Sciutto on Friday morning that he had never leaked classified information and laid out why citizens should care. "This is about everyday Americans who don't want to see their government weaponize law enforcement against them because of their political beliefs," Swalwell said. Why it matters so much The reason this latest issue is so important is that it appears to show the executive branch of the government wielding presidential power to target the legislative branch, and the President's personal political enemies. It would be hard to find a more clear and flagrant abuse of presidential power. This behavior would not only be a perversion of the DOJ's critical role in ensuring the neutral and apolitical application of justice -- a key requirement for a democratic society. It would also mirror the actions of autocrats across the world, many of whom Trump openly admired. Furthermore, all of this was taking place at a time when Trump was railing against a "Deep State" of intelligence professionals and officials and as he was repeatedly lying. And the only reason why the revelations are emerging now is that gag orders on this and other investigations started by the former administration are expiring and are not being renewed by the Biden Justice Department. In the Biden administration's first on-camera reaction Friday, White House communications director Kate Bedingfield called the reports "appalling." During an appearance on MSNBC from Cornwall, England, Bedingfield suggested President Joe Biden has a "very different relationship" with the Justice Department than his predecessor, calling out the Trump administration's "abuse of power" with the department, and adding that the Biden administration's Justice Department is "run very, very differently." The newest revelations raise the question of whether there are even more alarming abuses of power by Trump that are yet to be uncovered -- an issue that is going to hike pressure on new Attorney General Merrick Garland to provide an accounting. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco has asked the Justice Department's inspector general to investigate the department's handling of the investigation, a Justice Department official briefed on the matter told CNN Friday. At first sight, the new scandal appears to deserve a place in the pantheon of the most out-of-bounds uses of government power for political purposes in modern US history, including the Watergate scandal that felled President Richard Nixon and Trump's own long list of transgressions. The latter category includes one impeachment for trying to get a foreign power, Ukraine, to interfere in a US election and another for inciting a mob insurrection at the US Capitol that shattered the tradition of peaceful transfers of power. Trump tried to bully GOP officials in Georgia into overturning a fair election in 2020 -- part of a campaign of lies about fraud that has soured millions of his supporters on the American political system. And he fired FBI Director James Comey and said he did it because of the Russia investigation. The new reports are not just fresh examples of assaults on the guardrails of American democracy by the Trump White House. They come as the same goal is being pursued by GOP state lawmakers making it harder to vote and easier to steal elections and by the ex-President's insurrection deniers in the Capitol. More revelations about Trump's autocratic instincts In another insight into the depth of the assault on democratic values in the US, it emerged this week that the Trump Justice Department obtained a gag order to prevent CNN disclosing another secret leak investigation that swept up its Pentagon reporter Barbara Starr. Journalists working for the Washington Post and New York Times have also recently been informed that the Trump Justice Department pursued their email records and metadata without informing them. Governments have the right to investigate leaks of national security. And leakers, whose whistleblowing may be needed for accountability in a democratic society, know they face potential prosecution for breaking the law. But it is not clear that was the case here, and the predicate for a Justice Department investigation is opaque. That fact alone will renew scrutiny on former Attorney General William Barr, whose initial appointment was greeted with relief in Washington given Trump's previous lawlessness, but who often appeared to act mostly as a personal lawyer for Trump. In the most famous example of this, he publicly misrepresented Robert Mueller's report into Trump campaign ties with Russia and the Kremlin's 2016 election meddling effort. The current leak storm is yet another Trump abuse of power that appears to have been motivated by a desire to cover up what remain mysterious links between the former President's orbit and Moscow, which meddled in the election five years ago in an attempt to help Trump win. The key to understanding the new case is whether it was justified by any provable evidence of leaking by top Democrats, or was instead a vindictive effort by a President who constantly pressured the Justice Department to investigate his enemies. The notion that the investigation was justified seems to be undermined by the staggering scope of the subpoenas -- even extending to family members of Congress. It also appears to have turned up no wrongdoing. The most concrete outcome of yet another Trump abuse of power scandal may be to underline the truism about American democracy revealed again and again by one of the most corrupt administrations in history. The structures of US government are fragile and the guardrails that separate a President from wielding absolute, almost monarchial power are often only as strong as a commander-in-chief's respect for democracy itself. When an aberrant president is in office, those restraints become far less effective. The new reports of abuses of power will provide yet another test of the Republican Party's consistent choice to defend the outlandish behavior of its former President instead of standing up for the traditional principles of US democracy. If recent history is any guide, there is only one way most members of a party comprehensively bought into Trump's personality cult will react. This story was first published on CNN.com "New Trump scandal shows the depth of his assault on America's democratic foundations". (CNN) US President Joe Biden's attempts to talk up democracy in Europe this week are facing headwinds from back home, where revelations about the Justice Department's attempts to obtain Democrats' data have raised new concerns about the state of American politics. Throughout his time here, Biden is making the case to American allies that democracy must prevail over a rising tide of authoritarianism. His argument has been that democracies are better at providing for their people and the world. He has openly acknowledged that democracies are often messy. But he said this week that the world had reached an "inflection point" where the competition between democracy and autocracy is coming to a head. Yet as challenges back home bubble up, he is finding it harder to point to his own country's own recent history, including the lingering remnants of President Donald Trump's tenure. As he was preparing to attend his first G7 meeting on Friday, reports emerged from Washington that prosecutors in Trump's Justice Department, beginning in February 2018, subpoenaed Apple for data from the accounts of House Intelligence Committee Democrats, their staff and family members, including at least one minor, as part of a leak investigation. The subpoena included a gag order, which was renewed three times before it expired this year and Apple notified the customers in May. The development immediately drew accusations the Trump administration was abusing its power in a decidedly undemocratic fashion. The attempts by the Justice Department to secretly gather information about Trump's political rivals came after revelations it took similar steps to obtain information from reporters at outlets Trump frequently denigrated. It was the kind of step American officials often decry in the authoritarian regimes Biden is hoping to minimize in his European tour this week. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who's set to meet with the President next week and is a fan of using whataboutism in order to deflect criticism of his regime, no doubt read the reports with interest. With such reports and the hangover of the last four years still fresh in world leaders' minds, Trump whose name has gone unspoken here has nonetheless provided the subtext for Biden's attempts at restoring American alliances strained during his predecessor's term. European leaders remain skeptical at the durability of Biden's message of friendship, highly aware that another president perhaps even Trump himself could reverse it all in January 2025. Still, they are relieved and eager to work with Biden for now. "It's a breath of fresh air," said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the summit's host, after meeting Biden on Thursday. That Biden once deemed Johnson the "physical and emotional clone" of Trump went unsaid. Nearly as soon as he arrived in Britain this week, Biden laid out the sky-high stakes he sees for his debut trip abroad. "We have to discredit those who believe that the age of democracy is over, as some of our fellow nations believe. We have to expose as false the narrative that decrees of dictators can match the speed and scale of the 21st (century) challenges," he told troops at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, home to an American refueling wing whose history stretches back to World War II. "You know, and I know, they're wrong," Biden said. "But it doesn't mean we don't have to work harder than ever to prove that democracy can still deliver for our people." It's a message he plans to carry from the Group of 7 summit on the Cornish coast this week to a NATO meeting in Brussels next week and onward to his highly anticipated summit with Putin in Geneva next Wednesday. "Top to bottom, the driving, animating purpose of this G7 summit is to show that democracies can deliver against the biggest challenges we are facing in the world," a senior administration official said as the G7 was getting underway. Biden was hoping to lend credence to the notion when he unveiled a major new pledge of 500 million vaccine doses that will be donated to lower-income nations, proof in his mind that democracies like America can better help the world than countries like China or Russia. Unveiling the pledge, he made clear the doses wouldn't come with the same baggage that those offered by Beijing or Moscow. "Let me be clear: Just as with the 80 million doses we previously announced, the United States is providing these half billion doses with no strings attached. Let me say it again: with no strings attached," he said. "Our vaccine donations don't include pressure for favors or potential concessions. We're doing this to save lives, to end this pandemic. That's it. Period." Biden made his announcement in an attempt to goad other G7 nations into making their own pledges to share vaccines. Britain pitched in another 100 million, and the group as a whole pledged 1 billion doses starting this summer. But the pledges might not be as large as some observers would have hoped and reveal the dual-track recovery from the pandemic across the world and even in this gathering of the world's richest democracies, as some members of the G7, including Canada, are still struggling to vaccinate their own populations. Biden has also come to this summit after a breakdown in negotiations over an infrastructure package that he has said is needed to keep up with China. Just as he was departing the United States this week, talks with Republicans over infrastructure collapsed, a blow to his pledge to work across the aisle to deliver results for Americans. Biden immediately began new negotiations with a different set of lawmakers, but it was a setback for a president determined to demonstrate both at home and abroad that democratic governments are able to bridge divisions and produce results. The news of the subpoena to Apple from Trump's Justice Department and the messy legislative process over his infrastructure complicates Biden's sales pitch on the benefits of democracy. His communications director, Kate Bedingfield, took to MSNBC to emphasize that this President is different than the last, and called the reports "appalling." "President Biden has said many times on the campaign trail and then again when he swore in his Attorney General, Merrick Garland the Justice Department should be independent. The Justice Department is not the President's lawyer, the Justice Department is the people's lawyer." She suggested Biden has a "very different relationship" with the Justice Department than his predecessor, calling out the Trump administration's "abuse of power" with the department, and adding that the Biden administration's Justice Department is "run very, very differently." But the news from across the Atlantic will no doubt leave Biden's counterparts in the G7 skeptical of whether Biden's promises of America once again leading the way for democracy around the world can be fulfilled. This story was first published on CNN.com "Biden's preaching the benefits of democracy in Europe, but new concerns rise back home" (CNN) China unveiled new photos of its Mars rover exploring the surface of the red planet on Friday, with state media hailing it as a sign of the mission's "complete success." The Zhurong rover, named after a god of fire in Chinese mythology, landed on the Utopia Planitia region of Mars on May 15. This is China's first Mars mission making it only the second country to land a rover on the planet, after the United States. The rover sent back its first images of Mars in May, several days after landing, showing a deployed ramp and the flat landscape where it arrived. The new photos this Friday included a 360-degree panorama of the landing area, stitched together from a number of images the rover took after landing before it began driving through the area, according to state-run news agency Xinhua. Another image showed the orange Martian surface, with scattered rocks, a circular crater on the far side, and dunes in the distance. A third image shows the Chinese flag near the landing platform. The rover also took a selfie using a wireless camera, showing its extended solar panels and a tiny Chinese flag emblazoned on its equipment. The six-wheel solar-powered rover is intended to last three months, during which it will search for signs or evidence of ancient life on Mars' surface. While the rover explores the planet, its orbiter is also conducting scientific detection operations. "China will publish the related scientific data in a timely manner to let humankind share in the fruits of the country's space exploration development," said Zhang Kejian, head of China's national space agency, in the Xinhua report. China's Mars mission succeeded in entering the planet's orbit and landing a rover that could traverse the Martian surface in one go. It took NASA multiple missions to complete those challenging steps, albeit decades before China, between 1971 and 1997. China launched its Tianwen-1 probe, carrying Zhurong and other equipment, last July along with two other international Mars missions: NASA's Perseverance rover and the United Arab Emirates' Hope Probe. All three missions launched around the same time due to an alignment between Mars and the Earth on the same side of the sun, making for a more efficient journey to the red planet. While Zhurong is not as technologically advanced as NASA's Perseverance, which is also currently roving Mars, its presence sends a clear signal that China's space capabilities are catching up with those of the US. Chinese astronauts have long been excluded from the International Space Station and one of the country's ambitions is to build its own space station. In April, it took a step closer to that goal, successfully launching the first module of the planned facility. The core module is currently the largest spacecraft developed by China. But the station will need to be assembled from several modules launching at different times; the station could be fully operational by the end of 2022, according to Chinese state media. This story was first published on CNN.com "China releases new images of Mars taken by its Zhurong rover" (CNN) -- Each day, Devika wakes up and prepares breakfast for her six siblings. As they sit on the floor of their brightly painted Delhi home, she places another plate of food in front of a framed photo of her parents. They died just a few weeks ago from Covid-19. The 23-year-old teacher has become the primary caregiver and breadwinner for five of her siblings, between 4 and 14 years old, and a major pillar of strength for her eldest 20-year-old sister. She's barely had time to grieve. "My biggest fear is whether I will be able to love them like Mom and Dad or not," said Devika, who is only using her first name over privacy concerns. "I will earn money; I have faith in myself. My sister will also earn money; I have faith in her. We can do what needs to be done in terms of money, but the absence of parents in their lives is a huge gap to fill, how can we ever fill that void?" she said. They are among at least 577 Indian children who lost both parents to Covid between April 1 and May 25, when India was battling its second wave of the outbreak, according to government figures. But non-government organizations fear that many other orphans -- potentially thousands -- have been missed in the official count due to the difficulty in tracing children who have lost both parents. Social workers are scrambling to track them down, worried they may be vulnerable to traffickers or end up on the streets if left to fend for themselves. 'They're together now' Just a few months ago, life looked very different for Devika and her family. Devika was focused on studying for a bachelor of education degree, and teaching children in her spare time. Her father worked as a pandit -- or Hindu priest -- at a temple, and visited homes to perform rituals. He insisted on going out to work, even as cases soared in the capital. Her mother mostly stayed home, taking care of the children, and sometimes helped out at the temple, too. At the end of April, when India was reporting more than 350,000 daily cases, leaving hospitals overburdened and oxygen in desperately short supply, Devika's 38-year-old mother gave her some worrying news: she had a fever. Devika tried to isolate the children upstairs, but it was too late. The whole family -- including her 53-year-old father -- developed a fever. Although the children were never screened for Covid-19, Devika's mother later tested positive in hospital. The children recovered, but their mother's condition deteriorated and getting her proper medical care proved impossible. After visiting three hospitals in one night, Devika eventually found one in a nearby city that would take her mother, although it didn't have oxygen or ventilators. "We were so helpless. We did whatever we could possibly do. But we failed," she said. Around the same time, her father was admitted to a Delhi hospital. When her mother died on April 29, Devika didn't have the courage to tell him. He had a phrase he would say a lot to his wife: "Without you, there's no fun in living." Devika recalled the moment her mother's body was taken to the Delhi hospital where her father was being treated, so he could see her one last time before she was cremated. "Mom was in the ambulance, Dad came out of the hospital and then he saw. He lowered his eyes, and he didn't say anything," Devika said. After that, she thinks her father lost the will to live. Just a week later, on May 7, he died of Covid, too. "We really think he wanted to go with Mom," Devika said. "My father doted on Mummy. They're together now," she added, crying. After her parents died, Devika worried the authorities would remove her siblings from her. She called up a government-run child care hotline for advice. They told her she was the primary guardian -- and it was up to her to decide what to do. The past few weeks have been a blur. Devika took out loans to pay for her parents' hospital treatment, and now that money is helping to keep the family going. She juggles caring for her siblings with her university workload and her part-time job. The family also gets dry rations from non-government organizations, Prayaas and Childline. Devika hasn't had time yet to process her own grief; she wants to be strong for her siblings. "So much has happened that the tears don't come," she said. What's being done to help Devika told the child hotline that she had lost both her parents -- but that's not always the case. Organizations are searching for children who may need their help, and are relying on social media, hearsay and calls to Childline, a Ministry of Women and Child Development service which existed before Covid. For rural children, accessing help can be hard. They have less internet access and fewer safety nets, says Save the Children India chief executive Sudarshan Suchi. "The ones we don't know of is what worries me more," Suchi said. They also have to contend with restrictions on movement, incorrect information, and fear of contracting Covid from neighbors who might have otherwise helped. In one instance, Save the Children staff found out about two children whose father died in hospital and whose mother died at home, both from Covid. Both children were suspected of having Covid, so the neighbors in their slum avoided helping them and the children were unable to use the common bathroom spaces, Suchi said. "If previously an earthquake or flood came into a small village or colony, everybody came together and found ways to rescue. When Covid comes, the first thought everybody has is keep away," Suchi said. "It's an unknown ghost. People with collective spirit and traditions of community action are partly wary today of these kinds of things." If things go smoothly, children can be connected with their extended family -- the general principle is that institutional care cannot be the first resort, and that a family environment is better for the child, said Anurag Kundu, the chairperson for Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights. But organizations worry about what happens if vulnerable children fall through the cracks, leaving them at risk of winding up on the streets or being trafficked. In May, Union Cabinet Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Z Irani urged people who hear about orphaned children to tell the authorities -- and not to share information about them online, lest they are targeted by traffickers. "We all must ensure legal adoption, otherwise children can be trafficked in the name of adoption," she tweeted. There's little data on the numbers of children being trafficked due to the pandemic, but there are already signs of more homeless children. That could be because their parents have died from Covid, or because their parents can no longer care for them as they've lost their job. "Before the pandemic, under normal circumstances, there were more than 2 million children in distress as such on any day on the streets," Suchi said in May. "If anything in the pandemic it could only go worse, not better." Even before the second wave, more children were living on the streets, Kundu said -- mostly likely victims of India's months-long lockdown that left the country's millions of daily wage earners without work. "I have never seen so many children on the streets in my whole life as many as I've seen in the last 12 months," Kundu said. "The socioeconomic aspect of it will be felt in the times to come." What the future looks like For now, the focus is on keeping children safe. But India's Covid orphans demonstrate how the devastation of the past year will likely be felt long after the pandemic is over. India's government has rolled out financial support for children orphaned by Covid, offering them free education and a $13,732 personal fund to be given as a monthly stipend for five years once they turn 18. "Children represent the future of the country and the country will do everything possible to support and protect the children so that they develop as strong citizens and have a bright future," said a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May when those measures were announced. Suchi said the first priority was survival. "These children, being already vulnerable, are going to get into a spiral in this. It's not just a question of their sickness from Covid -- it's about their education, it's about their health, it's about their basic social security fabric has come apart suddenly," Suchi said. After that, there needed to be support for their future. "You can't rescue a child from midstream and then let them drown towards the end of the stream or somewhere towards the bank." UNICEF India's representative Yasmin Ali Haque agreed, saying it was important to look at not just the child's physical needs -- adequate shelter, food, education, for example -- but also the psychological impact. "The child is deprived of the loving care of their parents, of growing up in a family environment," she said. "The psychosocial impact on a child can be long lasting, can be lifelong." The future of her siblings weighs heavily on Devika. She hasn't told her youngest siblings that their parents are dead -- for now, they've been told their parents have gone back to their village in the countryside. When her parents were alive, Devika questioned why they went out as the pandemic raged -- the day her mum developed a fever, Devika had asked her not to go to help at the temple. Devika told them it was more important to be alive and safe than to earn. "I never understood why," she said. "Now that I am where they were, I finally understand them. I get why they left the house." This story was first published on CNN.com "Covid orphans are a tragic legacy of India's pandemic". (CNN) -- The US Food and Drug Administration announced Friday it was authorizing for use two batches of Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccines that were produced at the troubled Emergent BioSolutions facility in Baltimore. This is a significant development given not a single usable dose of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine from that facility had been approved yet. "Before making this decision, the FDA conducted a thorough review of facility records and the results of quality testing performed by the manufacturer. Based on this review and considering the current COVID-19 public health emergency, the FDA concluded these batches are suitable for use," the FDA said in a statement. CNN reached out to Johnson & Johnson and the company declined to comment. The agency said it determined several other batches of the vaccine from the plant were not suitable for use, and said that additional batches are still under review. It added that it was not yet ready to fully clear the facility as an authorized manufacturing facility, and that it was continuing to "work through issues there with Janssen and Emergent BioSolutions management." Janssen is a pharmaceutical company based in Belgium and owned by Johnson & Johnson. The FDA said it also revised the letter of authorization for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to help facilitate potential export to other countries. "These actions followed an extensive review of records, including the production history of the facility and the testing performed to evaluate the quality of the product," said Peter Marks, the director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research in a statement. Marks continued: "This review has been taking place while Emergent BioSolutions prepares to resume manufacturing operations with corrective actions to ensure compliance with the FDA's current good manufacturing practice requirements." CNN previously reported that the FDA was preparing to clear around 10 million doses. In March, Johnson & Johnson said the quality control process at the plant identified one batch of drug substance that did not meet quality standards. The statement followed a New York Times report that said as many as 15 million potential doses of vaccines had been ruined, delaying FDA authorization of the Baltimore plant. An FDA inspection report released in April detailed numerous concerns at the facility, including that Emergent had not thoroughly investigated cross-contamination of a viral vaccine drug substance batch, and there was not a thorough review of how people moved in and around the facility as a potential source of contamination. No shipments of Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine have gone out from the federal government in several weeks because the vaccine is in short supply, CNN has reported. The lack of shipments is directly linked to the issues related to the plant in Baltimore. The lag in shipments comes as the pace of vaccination in the US has slowed in recent weeks. In five states -- Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Wyoming -- fewer than half of adult residents have received one dose of Covid-19 vaccine, according to data published Thursday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the US overall, 64% of adults have received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine and about 53% are fully vaccinated. The President has set a goal of 70% of US adults getting at least one Covid vaccine shot by July 4, but the US may not reach that goal at this current pace. Johnson & Johnson said this week that the FDA had authorized an extension of the shelf life of its Covid-19 vaccine. The move increases the refrigerated storage time for the vaccine from three months to four-and-a-half months, and comes as some states had said currently available doses were set to expire at the end of June, potentially before being used. This story has been updated with additional information. This story was first published on CNN.com "FDA authorizes two batches of Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine doses from Baltimore plant". Editor's note: Julian Zelizer, a CNN political analyst, is a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University and author of the book, "Burning Down the House: Newt Gingrich, the Fall of a Speaker, and the Rise of the New Republican Party." Follow him on Twitter @julianzelizer. The views expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion at CNN. (CNN) -- It looks like former US President Donald Trump was willing to go even further than we knew in his war against leaks. According to the New York Times, prosecutors in the Justice Department obtained, via subpoena from Apple, information from the accounts of at least two members of the House Intelligence Committee--Representatives Adam Schiff of California and Eric Swalwell of California-- and also looked into the metadata of their aides and family members (including at least one minor). The administration was consumed with discovering the sources of leaks that the media was reporting on about contacts between associates of Trump and Russia. This story comes on top of recent revelations that this spring, the Justice Department notified reporters at CNN, The Washington Post and The New York Times that records had been seized in different investigations. Trump's Justice Department had pursued what appears to be a national security leak investigation that aimed to sweep up tens of thousands of a CNN reporter's email logs, as well as phone records, from 2017. These new reports are another reminder of the extreme exercise of presidential power that took place under Trump. Although it is easy to dismiss his four years in office as defined by a lot of loud Twitter noise and vicious political invective, this period also witnessed the aggressive deployment of presidential authority, sometimes conducted in secret, and in ways that threatened our fragile balance of power and the rights of American citizens. The unfolding story about the Justice Department follows on many other well documented instances of abuse of power between 2017 and 2021. During Donald Trump's first impeachment the world witnessed the former president's willingness to use foreign aid as leverage for obtaining "dirt" about a political opponent. Trump repeatedly used his Twitter bully pulpit to go after institutionssuch as the mediaand specific political opponents who were causing him trouble, even ultimately inciting a mob that attacked Congress and attempted to prevent the peaceful transfer of presidential power, based on fraudulent claims of a stolen election. His invocation of national emergency powers to obtain funding for a border wall, despite bipartisan congressional opposition to spending money on this project, showed that he would let few things stand in his way. And in more familiar fashion, Trump turned to executive power to roll back initiatives meant to stop climate change, as well as workplace regulations and more that had been put into place by Democratic administrations. How has this all happened? The former president was a product of two long-term trends that converged during his administration. The first has been the ongoing expansion of presidential power. Over the course of the twentieth century, the power, staff and regulatory authority accorded the president has vastly expanded. During the Cold War and then in the "war against terror," the growth of the national security apparatus handed the inhabitant of the Oval Office unprecedented resources with which to take action without congressional oversight. Even the elevation of the bully pulpit in the 20th century meant that the president, through his words, could affect public opinion in dramatic fashion. The second trend was the triumph of smash-mouth partisanship within the GOP, creating a mentality at the highest levels of leadership that it was now permissible to do whatever was necessary to maintain power. This was a style that started to take hold with Congressman Newt Gingrich in the 1980s, accelerated with the Tea Party in the 2010s and culminated with the Trump presidency. It placed partisanship above the needs of governance or the health of political institutions. There was no longer a need for elected officials to balance all three responsibilities, according to this logic: every process and procedure could be weaponized when necessary. If a president wanted to have his branch of government investigate members of another branch, for example, then so be it. As dramatic as this new story of the seizure of records from journalists and members of Congress story might be, it flows out of a basic dynamic that was well-established under the Trump presidency. So far it seems that President Joe Biden, at least from what we know, is trying to pull back on his form of presidential power. He wants to be less Richard Nixon and more Jimmy Carter, someone who understands and respects the need to operate within boundaries, even if doing so comes at certain political costs. But the bigger forces at work in this story all remain at play. Presidential power has reached levels that are not healthy for the nation. It is too easy for that power to be abused. In an age of intense political polarization, congressional oversight is unlikely. The partisanship-without-guardrails of former President Trump remains the guiding force for the GOPas was evident when Senator Mitch McConnell decided to kill the creation of a bipartisan commission to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection at the US Capitol. And if Trump decides to run again in 2024, voters should understand that this is the kind of power they would be legitimizing for another four years. He might be anti-establishment and he might be the politician who says what he thinks, but he is also a president who can be fearsomely Nixonian. Too much presidential power is a dangerous thing. We have learned about this so many times over the decades. As in previous instances, the question remainswill American voters do anything about it, insisting to their representatives that the commander-in-chief be held accountable, or will they just wait for the abuse of power to happen again? This story was first published on CNN.com "Will Trump be held accountablethis time?". During testimony in Bakers 2019 hearing, Sunocos engineer had said such a system was feasible but just not practical. Barnes expressed skepticism of Sunocos reasoning, but acknowledged in her ruling that there was no legal standard by which to require the pipeline operator put additional alarms in place. Sunoco officials also declined to address specific claims of property damage remediation, citing ongoing litigation such as that being pursued by Rolfe Blume, who said his Upper Frankford Township farm continues to experience well contamination from the drilling of the Mariner East II and IIx lines. Environmental impacts from the construction of the pipelines have been frequent. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has logged dozens of drilling violations in Cumberland County alone, totaling thousands of gallons of drilling fluid contaminating multiple areas of the county, including the Locust Creek watershed in Lower Frankford Township. Mud and shale debris that leaked to the surface during the drilling of the pipelines has hardened over his land, Leach demonstrated to The Sentinel in 2018. It was a wetland, now its a hard shale road and the grazing land for his cattle continues to be restricted, Leach said Tuesday. Many of the 350 newspapers in the collection are now defunct, and hail from 108 of Missouris 114 counties and St. Louis. They can be found at https://shsmo.org/collections/newspapers/mdnp. The access is free and the content is searchable by keywords. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The Democrat News pages alone number 16,050. The digital newspaper content from Fredericktown will engage citizens to reflect on the events that have shaped their community, read the SHSMO release. Newspapers are the first draft of history and serve as primary sources for historical research, and provide a glimpse into society at that point in time. One can also see what kinds of clippings, or screen-captures, have been made of the various pages. The picture that accompanies this article, for instance, is a clipping of advertisements from the Aug. 6, 1898, edition of the Democrat News. Another person clipped a news item from 1930 about social visits paid in the long-gone Madison County village of Faro. Another clipping was from four days before Armistice Day (predecessor to Veterans Days), Nov. 7, 1918: Sears lives in the Winchester area, where she runs an appliance, plumbing and electric company. She will join GOP gubernatorial nominee Glenn Youngkin and attorney general nominee Jason Miyares on their partys ticket. Staunchly conservative, Sears generally opposes abortion rights and gun control, and would support overhauling education funding to increase school choice. In an interview Friday, she seemed unfazed about the possibility of making history again in November. Once you win, its history. What matters is going forward. What do you do with the office now that you have it? Im going to be focusing on education, she said. Lieutenant governor, a position first in the line of succession to the governor, mainly involves presiding over the procedural flow of bills through the Senate and breaking tied votes, though the job can also be used to advocate on policy issues. The role is often a stepping stone to higher office, and with the Senate closely divided, it's an important one. Outgoing Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax has broken ties on a number of bills of significance, including Medicaid expansion and marijuana legalization. While some on the left see the slim victories by Democrats at the national level in the 2020 election as proof of the advancement of progressivism, McCarthy sees the opposite. He writes the Democratic Party has no leaders more appealing than a 78-year-old Joe Biden. Who will replace him? There is no second Obama. Biden has said he wants to run for a second term. He would be 82 in 2024. Are voters ready to re-elect someone that old? Who on the left has broad public support? Most of the nationally known progressives have loud voices, but virtually no legislative records. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, is the most familiar among this small group, but some people believe she and the others are largely media creations with few accomplishments. Pre-pandemic, a Republican president and Republicans in general were on a roll. In virtually every category that matters from the economy, to immigration, to foreign policy Republicans were winning. Were it not for the virus and Donald Trumps caustic personality, Republicans almost certainly would still be in power. Yes. I will do my part to conserve household energy usage, even if I'm uncomfortable in my home. No. It is too hot to conserve household energy usage. I already conserve, even before ERCOT requested it. Maybe, depending on the reason ERCOT provides and whether or not I am home during that time. Vote View Results SEATTLE (AP) A company backed by the Chinese government on Friday ended its seven-year effort to build one of the worlds largest methanol plants along the Columbia River in southwestern Washington, following a series of regulatory setbacks and a long debate over its environmental footprint. Northwest Innovation Works proposed a $2.3 billion project to take fracked natural gas from Canada and convert it into methanol, which it would then ship to China to make ingredients for plastics used in everything from iPhones to clothing to medical devices. The state Department of Ecology denied a key permit for the project in January, saying it would create too much pollution and have negative effects on the shoreline. On Friday, the company notified the Port of Kalama it was terminating its lease, saying the regulatory environment had become unclear and unpredictable. Economic development officials in southwest Washington blasted the state for dooming the project, saying that the company's methods of making methanol from natural gas would have been cleaner than making it from coal, as is done elsewhere. That would have benefitted the environment while creating 1,400 construction jobs and 200 family-wage permanent positions, they argued. Denton featured You spin me right round: Residents go back and forth on how to maneuver city roundabouts Jeff Woo/DRC Vehicles drive on a roundabout on North Bonnie Brae Street and Scripture Street on Thursday. For some, theyre baffling and even vexing. The name alone seems to bring out the worst or possibly the best in drivers. Were talking about roundabouts, and Denton currently has five of them. Two on North Bonnie Brae Street and Hinkle Drive are designed differently and in different districts. Facebook interactions with residents tell us how they feel about roundabouts in general and the two on Bonnie Brae and Hinkle specifically. Their responses range from the hilarious to the serious and even tragic. Median ramps Denton has roundabouts? Derek Garrison said. I thought they were median ramps. That comment came with a GIF from a viral video of a driver leapfrogging the island of a roundabout. Could be an American driving in another country who had not experienced a roundabout before. Used for traffic-calming tools Roundabouts are typically built at high-traffic intersections where accidents, including fatal ones, are common. Theyre also used for traffic calming, a term used by traffic engineers and others to describe efforts to slow traffic to minimize accidents. Mostly, the roundabouts are considered for maintenance [reasons] for the long term, said Chandrakanth Muruganandham, the citys senior traffic engineer. They also create less pollution and replace traffic signals where fatal accidents have happened. They are traffic-calming tools. The issue is so controversial that Denton has devoted a section on the city website about traffic circles, including videos on drivers maneuvering roundabouts, how to use them and why the ones in Denton were built. The city also has distributed a document explaining them, including a diagram of how people should drive around them. Roundabouts and traffic circles are often [used] as a solution to reduce congestion and increase safety, according to the document. While they appear to be the same, there are differences between a modern roundabout and a traffic circle. Neighborhood traffic calming circles are much smaller than modern roundabouts and often replace stop signs at a four-way intersection. Modern roundabouts are designed to accommodate vehicles of all sizes, including cars, buses and trucks with trailers. Jeff Woo/DRC Motorists navigate a roundabout on Bonnie Brae and Scripture streets, where some road construction continues on a stretch of Scripture. The roundabout cost just over $3.5 million to build. Other Denton roundabouts The citys other roundabouts are at Shoreline Drive and Unicorn Lake Boulevard, Shoreline Drive and Clubhouse Drive, and Teasley Lane and Shady Oaks Drive. Those circles unfortunately make you rely on the intelligence of the other drivers around you, Faye Grace said. Its making bad drivers worse. Denton City Council member Brian Beck did agree on one point of Graces comment. Brian Beck They do a good job, actually, of calming traffic and permitting flow, he said. But people arent used to them. How to operate one is strange and foreign to them until they get used to them. The one on Bonnie Brae, I think, is fine. It works well. The Hinkle roundabout is considerably smaller than the Bonnie Brae roundabout just like the price tags to build them. And commenters on Facebook have varying opinions on both. I like the one on Bonnie Brae because it saves time, but the public needs more education about how to appropriately use roundabouts, which lane to be in for what purpose, Julie Seeley said. Too many people just accelerate to prevent someone from Scripture merging in. People seemingly do not understand the cooperative nature of driving in roundabouts. Getting it right Heres how the one on Bonnie Brae at Scripture Street works: Whichever direction theyre coming from, drivers must slow down as they approach the roundabout and yield to traffic already in the circle. (Bonnie Brae was intentionally designed with curves to force drivers to slow down.) With two lanes, drivers are supposed to pick one lane and remain in it. Unless a driver is yielding to another vehicle, they do not need to stop. I use the Bonnie Brae roundabout [two] times a day and have seen some remarkable things, Sharon Long said. [Three] times I have seen drivers in the roundabout completely stop as if they dont know what to do. On Hinkle, that roundabout was designed and built after receiving input from residents who live in that neighborhood, council member Paul Meltzer said. The Hinkle situation is an entirely different matter, he said. There was a big community outcry over the Fireside development, and we had two community meetings that were packed with residents who were very concerned. One of their biggest was that drivers would use Magnolia [Street] as a cut-through and would change the character of their neighborhood. Go big or go home? The result: Building a small roundabout that council members have found needs improvements so that drivers not familiar with the area know its there. Paul Meltzer The key challenge with the roundabout on Hinkle, located at Mimosa Drive and at one entrance to the new Fireside Park development, is that its just really not very visible, and its low, Meltzer said. The initial response to those complaints from staff was to create lighting from above, he said. The issue its just below your eyeline when youre driving. But we have a number of improvements to visibility from council. Those include adding reflectors, signs and other elements. I also thought, initially, there would be something in the middle of the roundabout that would be visible and tall, Meltzer said. But firetrucks [can] go over the middle, so you cant have anything there. The Hinkle roundabout is in the middle of a neighborhood in District 2, whereas the Bonnie Brae roundabout is a two-lane structure near Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Denton. That area remains under construction as the city widens the road as part of a bond proposition. The Hinkle roundabout is too small but thats really my main complaint, Phillip Thornton said. Hope Currin agreed. The one on Hinkle does not make sense, and I think it was poorly planned from the start, she said. I can deal with the one on Bonnie Brae provided everyone else learns how to use it. Susie Dobson Autry shared the same opinion. The one on Hinkle is not necessary, is not visible and creates an unsafe passage for bike lane riders, she said. Their lane comes to an abrupt dead end at the circle and picks back up on the opposite side. Denton roundabouts Hinkle is awful Laci Covington said more is needed to alert drivers of the existence of the Hinkle roundabout. Theres no good signage for them, she said. You can tell by all the tire skids going right across the top of them. The one at Hinkle is awful. Too small of an intersection for a roundabout in my opinion. According to data provided by the city, the Hinkle roundabout cost $144,582, including improvements. The Bonnie Brae structure cost just over $3.5 million. That one [at Bonnie Brae], I think, is a good example of what we should be building at similar intersections, council member Jesse Davis said. The streets there are roughly equal sizes and traffic hitting each other. It is less expensive to maintain than stoplights, and theres an environmental component to that when cars arent sitting at stoplights. Jesse Davis Davis is talking, of course, about emissions. When vehicles are idled, they produce more components harmful to the environment although some residents still are loath to credit roundabouts for avoiding those additional emissions. Roundabouts are useless, cost too much and cause tornadoes, Paul Juarez said. Davis said the Bonnie Brae roundabout which is in his District 3 is getting a bad rap. They are pretty intuitive when you are used to them, he said. Once you catch the flow of it, its pretty intuitive. We have a little issue right now with construction going on there, but its not fair to the poor roundabout. He also said the curve at the Bonnie Brae roundabout was built to force drivers to slow down. It lines you up to slow down as you approach, but some people hate slowing down, Davis said. They get mad at anything that makes them slow down. * Username This is the name that will be displayed next to your photo for comments, blog posts, and more. Choose wisely! A recent letter writer dismissed my column about evolution by invoking ideas of Young Earth Creationists who believe that the Earths history is more accurately described by the Book of Genesis. He is, of course, welcome to believe whatever folklore that he wants, but the magnitude of willfu ROYAL PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) A man fatally shot a grandmother and her 1-year-old grandson inside a Florida supermarket before killing himself, authorities said, causing dozens to flee the store in panic. The shooting happened shortly after 11:30 a.m. Thursday at a Publix located in a strip mall that also houses small shops and restaurants. Authorities initially said the shooter and the victims may have known each other. A later update from the Palm Beach County Sheriffs Office said there was no known motive or relationship between the suspect and the victims, but detectives were still investigating. The sheriffs office identified the suspect as Timothy J. Wall, 55, of Royal Palm Beach. The names of the grandmother and her grandson wont be released. Their family invoked Marsys Law, the sheriffs office said, which allows victims of crimes to block information that could be used to locate or harass them or their families from being made public. Juan Guardia told the Palm Beach Post he was in the deli area when the shooting happened in the produce aisle. The following people were booked into the Jackson County jail during the latest available reporting period, June 9-11: Douglas Pelham, 49, 1018 White Ave., Graceville, trafficking in methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia. Taquavius Robbins, 27, 26221 SW 139 Court, Homestead, driving while license suspended or revoked, resisting officer without violence, fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer, leaving the scene of an accident, reckless driving. Justin Stephenson, 39, 4463 Fairfax Road, Marianna, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (domestic). Bobby Bettis, 50, 7339 Green Acres Road, Donalsonville, GA, failure to appear (petit theft, trespass). Meredity Dooley, 38, 14 Marina Cove Drive, Niceville, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Kenshare Grant, 33, 2784 Cobblestone Court, Marianna, failure to appear (altering/removing serial number from firearm), violation of conditional release. Stephon Johnson, 23, 4210 Cedar Street, Marianna, no drivers license, no vehicle registration. A Mississippi woman was killed and two fellow residents of that state were seriously injured Friday morning after the vehicle they were travelling in collided with a bridge pillar as the driver tried to avoid an unknown semi tractor-trailer that left the scene after the incident. The Florida Highway Patrol reports that the woman killed, 75 years of age, was a passenger in a Buick Envision that was eastbound in the inside lane of Interstate 10 in Washington County when it encountered the semi ahead just after 10 a.m. The accident occurred in the area of Mile Marker 125 and Overpass Road Bridge. Officials say the male driver of the Buick, 32, of Biloxi, took evasive action to avoid crashing into a semi ahead. In a press release, FHP said the tractor-trailer was eastbound in the outside lane ... partially in front of the Buick. The phantom semi began to change lanes from outside to inside lane without ensuring a clear path of travel, the release continued. The Buicks driver steered to the left in his attempt to evade, entering the grass median, officials said. The driver was then unable to regain control of the Buick, which led to the front right ... colliding with the bridge pillar of Overpass Road. The semi, with an empty flatbed, continued eastbound on I-10. Voting right groups already have filed several lawsuits challenging the laws. Garland's comments come as the Justice Department is shifting its priorities to focus more on civil rights issues and ensuring equal protection under the law after a tumultuous four years in the Trump administration. Along with tightening voting rules, Republicans also have pushed measures to expand the role of poll watchers, following complaints that their monitors did not have adequate access during the 2020 election. In Florida, a new law allows each candidate to have one watcher present during canvassing board meetings, which caused concerns about overcrowding and slowing ballot tabulation. In a bill that eventually failed but is expected to be revived during a special legislative session, Texas Republicans pushed broad new criminal penalties for election workers who impede poll watchers. Trumps claims also have led Republican state senators in Arizona to use their subpoena power and launch a partisan review of the 2.1 million ballots cast in Maricopa County. The audit will not change the outcome of the election, which was certified by the states Republican governor after multiple reviews, a standard procedure following every election. But Trump has called for more reviews in other states he lost, including Georgia and Pennsylvania. The woman wearing glasses in photo No. 24 was Eva Collins, who died about four months ago, according to Mary Anne Wright Patrick, whose family ran the pictured Wrights Grocery Store. She said she wished her parents and grandparents could have seen the photographs, and many others in attendance Sunday echoed the sentiment. These are forever photographs, said Alicia Martin, who left the center with copies of photographs containing family members. I had chills when I first saw them, she said. I just wish they could see them. When Shelia Dallas walked into the center, she did not expect to see her mother, Ruth, in one of the photographs. And when she saw herself, holding her mothers hand, she had no words. Thats my front porch, thats our house, said Dallas said, guessing she was about 6 years old. Ive never seen a photo of me this young. Dallas and other former residents of Draketown said they dont have many photographs of themselves as young children. She says she hopes to grab a copy to show other family members. Ha Anh Phuong, 30, teaches English at the Huong Can high school in Thanh Son District of the northern Phu Tho Province. She has become one of 499 people elected as legislators for the National Assembly (NA)s 2021-2026 term. "This is such an honor for me yet it comes with great responsibility and I must try harder. I realize that I do not just represent educators but ethnic minorities, women, and the younger generation." Phuong, an ethnic Muong, became the first Vietnamese ever to be shortlisted among 10 finalists for the Global Teacher Prize of the London-based Varkey Foundation last year. She had decided to become an English teacher after watching a Vietnamese documentary on how teachers knocked on peoples doors in remote mountainous areas to persuade them to send their children to school. She had been offered a position as a representative director of a Pakistani pharmaceutical firm in Vietnam, but turned it down to pursue a career as a teacher. In 2016, she quit her previous job as an English teacher at a major language center in Hanoi and an interpreter to teach at the Huong Can high school, where 90 percent of students are from ethnic minority backgrounds. Usually, members of ethnic minorities have little chance to practice English with foreigners, leading to low language competence, shyness, poor intercultural awareness and lack of interest. Phuong taught herself how to utilize IT tools to connect teachers and students, even from different countries. She also made use of films and online classes, even creating a YouTube channel to teach English for free. She has taught students in four continents - Africa, Europe, Asia, and America - and is an active member of a Microsoft educational community of global teachers that designs lessons and engages in professional development. Now, as an NA deputy, Phuong said she will continue to explore and listen to make recommendations and solutions to improve the effectiveness of English teaching and learning in schools in particular, while improving the quality of education in Vietnam in general. "I am also concerned about issues that Vietnamese students usually struggle with, such as reading culture, preserving national cultural traditions, and internet safety," Phuong said. Currently, in addition to the cross-border classroom model, she is working on other online projects such as "Happy Library" and "Safety in Cyberspace" to encourage students to read more and learn how to protect themselves online. Phuong said she is also interested in ensuring the rights of teachers and would support policies to this end. As a member of ethnic minority communities, Phuong said she would pay special attention to priority policies for ethnic minorities, because a majority of the groups are still facing a lot of difficulties, especially in achieving financial independence. "I will actively learn the thoughts and aspirations of those groups to become a bridge so that their voices will be heard in the parliament," she said. At a press conference Thursday, Bui Van Cuong, Secretary General of the NA and Chairman of the NA Office, said that on the election day on May 23, voters nationwide elected all 500 delegates for the 2021-26 term. However, the National Electoral Council decided not to confirm the eligibility of one candidate who did not meet the standards of NA deputies. In addition to Phuong, the 15th National Assembly has 24 teachers and officials working in the field of education. No media source currently available The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. The United States is deeply concerned over Haitis ongoing political impasse, lack of accountability for human rights violations, and deteriorating security conditions. Any entity wanting to disturb the land must first obtain a reclamation permit, backed by a financial bond. Getting a reclamation permit requires that every project present a feasible and achievable closure plan. Today there are a lot of regulations that are in place to make sure that the environment is protected, Partey said. Once a mining company wants to operate, they look at how they operate and how they are going to close it. Regulators are going to review that and they are going to hold you by the standards. The bureau analyzes proposals and site conditions using the best environmental science in the region, Process said. After approval, the state conducts regular inspections and monitoring to ensure all operators are adhering to the agreed-upon plans. One tool the state team uses is the Nevada Reclamation Cost Estimator, which helps determine how much a mine or exploration site would cost to reclaim at closure. It is one of a kind, developed in Nevada in Reno and recognized around the world, Process said. [It was developed] to make sure the public never has to pay to clean up a mine site. Messes of the past CLOVER VALLEY One spring Saturday afternoon, Kari Brough pulled up to a ranch house in Clover Valley after delivering lunch in the field to the crews at Brough Ranch. Spring is branding season on the fifth-generation cattle ranch, and family and friends had spent the day together to get the work done. Brough Ranch raises Angus and Wagyu beef in the foothills of the East Humboldt Mountains, where the Brough family members take care of each other and their cattle to produce quality meat. As ranchers who take pride in the quality of their product, close attention to animal welfare begins with rotating night watches during calving season and extends through humane processing and sales. The result, according to Jordon and Kari Brough, is high-quality and delicious food. Youre going to be able to taste the quality and the care that my husband and his family has put into raising this animal that we have prepared; whether its our Angus or our Wagyu beef, youre going to notice the difference, Kari said. And, hopefully, you feel like you are being taken care of with that same quality and respect that you deserve. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} It is so good to be back and to see all the faces out there, Over said. Were so happy to do this for the community. Were so happy to be part of the community. But we need to thank the Boys and Girls Club for all that they do every day, every month and every year for this community is incredible. Bahr told the crowd 3,000 children were supported by the club that also supported distance learning for its members during the school year. We dont turn our back on anybody, regardless of ability to pay. Everybody here today is supporting the Boys and Girls Club of Elko and the youth of Elko County, so let me have a big hand for that, Bahr said to cheers from the crowd. Country Under the Stars has been a traditional staple of the Mining Expo for several years. It was postponed last year due to Covid-19 restrictions a couple of months after it was announced that Atkins would headline the event. Since 2016, the event has featured Chris Janson, Troy Bullock, Joe Nichols, Mark Mackay, Dylan Scott, A Thousand Horses, Chancey Williams and the Younger Brothers Band, and Lonestar. The concert marked the Fairgrounds return to pre-pandemic use with seating throughout the venue and food and beverages offered by prepaid ticket. Countries such as Spain derive much of their economic income from tourism and the sector, while opening up slowly, has been decimated by the pandemic. In light of the US vaccination campaign, a handful of European Union member states are opening their borders to fully vaccinated individuals from the US. On 3 May, the European Commission -- one of the EUs governing bodies -- proposed changes that would allow states to begin lifting restrictions on non-essential travel. In light of historic vaccination campaigns taking place in some countries like the US, indicate that there is room to ease travel restrictions, particularly for those already vaccinated. The Commission acknowledged that re-opening Europe for tourism, particularly this summer, is critical to the economic recovery of the block. Which countries allow vaccinated visitors? As of 12 June, five European Union member states allow fully vaccinated visitors from the US. Croatia Croatia allows tourists from the US to visit so long as they have paid for their accommodations in advance, in the case of a multi-destination visit, documentation showing paid accommodation for the first location is sufficient. To enter the country travelers will be asked to present: A negative PCR or rapid antigen test taken within 72 hours of entering. PCR or rapid antigen test taken within 72 hours of entering. Proof of full vaccination (both doses for mRNA vaccines) The government also states that if travelers are looking to facilitate faster processing at the Croatian border they can complete the Enter Croatia web form which allows travelers to upload their health information. Cyprus According to the US Embassy in Nicosia, from the US who have been vaccinated and hold a valid vaccination certificate from certain countries (including the United States), regardless of their nationality, will be able to travel to the Republic of Cyprus. Those visiting are asked to provide details on vaccination status to Cyprus Fight Pass. Travel is also allowed for unvaccinated individuals but a covid-19 test will need to be presented and a minimum fourteen-day isolation period must be completed. Those who hope to visit the Republic of Cyprus on holiday should be aware that as of 11 June, a curfew and other mobility restrictions remain in place. France On 9 June, France opened its borders to full-vaccinated travelers from the US. However, a negative covid-19 test will still need to be provided along with proof of vaccination which can take the form of the CDC vaccination card. Children under the age of eleven, and those between the ages of eleven and seventeen are treated as vaccinated regardless of their vaccination status as long as they are traveling with a parent or guardian who is protected against the virus. Greece Travel to Greece is allowed and a negative covid-19 test is not required for those who are fully vaccinated. However, the government manatees that all travelers fill out an online Passenger Locator Form (PLF) at least 48 hours before entering. Spain As of 7 June fully vaccinated travelers and their children over twelve looking to soak up the Spanish sun are allowed to visit. To enter, US tourists will be required to present a QR code generated through the Spain Travel Health portal, obtained through the website or by downloading the SpTH app in Google Play or App Store for each traveler and Vaccination certificate showing they have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 more than 14 days before the flight to Spain. Children over twelve must abide by the same rules as adults, while those younger will be considered vaccinated will only need to present the QR code. To ensure you are in compliance with these regulations is it best to check if any updates have been made to the countrys US embassy webpage US NEWS Who won Ohio vaccine lottery? Will Ohio's vaccine lottery help them meet the President's goal of having 70% of adults at least partially vaccinated by the Fourth of July? As of 12 June, no. In April, on average the Buckeye state-administered 99,598 vaccine doses. The vaccine lottery was launched on 10 May in hopes of encouraging residents to get their shots. In May, the average dropped by more than half to 44,355. Did the vaccination rate among adults increase after the launch of the vaccine lottery? According to data from the CDC, no significant upward trends have been seen. After the vaccination lottery was launched, the average number of doses of covid-19 vaccines has continued to drop to 31,688. Currently, the percent of adults who have received at least one dose of vaccine is thirteen points short of the President's target. Since 1 June, the percentage has only increased 1% from 56 to 57 percent. In order to meet the 70% goal, the state would need to administer six times as many doses. Read our full coverage for details on the Ohio vaccine lottery. Indonesia on Friday received another batch of COVID-19 vaccine doses from Chinese firm Sinopharm for use in a private vaccination program. With the arrival of the vaccine, Indonesia now has about two million doses of vaccine used for the so-called "Gotong Royong" (mutual cooperation) private vaccination scheme. The Indonesian government has so far secured 94.7 million doses of vaccines from various producers. It aims to vaccinate 181.5 million people by next year. More than 11 million people in the country have received two shots of vaccines until Friday. The world's fourth most populous country has recorded 1.89 million coronavirus infections and 52,566 deaths since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country in March 2020. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky may meet with U.S. President Joe Biden at the end of July, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said. "The date at the end of July is being discussed," Kuleba said on the air of the Ukraine 24 television channel. He said this is an official visit of the president to the United States. "This will be an official full-fledged visit, within which there will be not only a meeting with President Biden, but also a number of other events," the minister said. Kuleba said the agenda of the visit is very broad. "We are preparing this visit very carefully. We have already started to prepare it, we are already working on key elements of the program. But, most importantly, we are already working on key agreements, because President Zelensky always has the attitude that we are not engaged in political tourism, we do not go for no special reason, we go for results. And we are already actively working with the U.S. Administration to make this visit as effective as possible for Ukraine," he said. Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova signed an agreement on the lease of the premises, which will house the new consulate of Ukraine in the state of Texas, according to the Ukrainian Embassy in the United States. "Today we took another important step towards the opening of the Consulate General of Ukraine in Houston, Texas. Ambassador Oksana Markarova signed a lease agreement for the premises where the new foreign diplomatic institution of Ukraine in the United States will officially be located," the message on the Facebook social network says. "We are very pleased with the opportunity to increase and develop the Ukrainian presence in the American regions. South America has a large and active Ukrainian society, as well as great potential for the development of new strategic directions of the Ukrainian-American partnership," the embassy said. Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Taran calls the "timely and well-grounded" U.S. decision to provide the second part of its security assistance to Ukraine as a "clear message of support." As reported, the U.S. Department of Defense approved the second part of assistance to Ukraine in the amount of $150 million under the program "Ukraine's Security Assistance Initiative." Taran, quoted by the Press and Information Department of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine, said this assistance will be aimed at taking measures to ensure the territorial integrity of Ukraine, the defense of borders and deepening compatibility with NATO. "This aid package is aimed at increasing the combat capabilities of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, managing units, elements of electronic warfare. We are talking about replenishing our arsenals with anti-artillery radars, anti-drones, secure communications, electronic warfare and evacuation of the wounded from the battlefield, as well as training and equipment to improve the security of units of the Air Force of the Armed Forces," Taran said. The Defense Minister also noted the importance of Ukraine's implementation of defense reform measures, strengthening democratic civilian control over the Armed Forces of Ukraine within Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. He said the strategic dialogue at the level of the heads of the defense departments of Ukraine and the United States is dynamically developing and this is the key to strengthening the defense capability and the practical implementation of Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic aspirations. "Our partners in the United States provide us with unprecedented support in strengthening our defenses and national resilience. During 2014-2021, Ukraine received nearly $2.5 billion in defense assistance from the U.S. government. Recently, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the bill on partnership with Ukraine in the security sector, which, after being signed in the House of Representatives, Senate and the U.S President, will increase annual military aid to $300 million. I am grateful to our American friends for colossal diplomatic, political, financial support and practical steps to preserve sovereignty and restore territorial integrity of Ukraine," Taran said. He also said that already on June 14, the leaders of the member states will gather in Brussels to participate in the NATO Summit and said Ukraine expects to understand that the Ukrainian issue should find its proper place on the agenda of the summit. There are attempts to agree on the agenda for the meeting of the presidents of Ukraine and Russia, Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin, but the place of their meeting has not yet been discussed, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said. "Now the meeting place of Presidents Zelensky and Putin is not being discussed. There are certain contacts, attempts to agree on an agenda for the meeting, but they have not yet reached the geography," Kuleba said on the air of the Ukraine 24 television channel on Friday. The Foreign Minister said it would be extremely difficult to organize such a meeting. "But if we see that at this meeting we can really resolve the issues necessary to end the war in Ukraine, Russian aggression against Ukraine and the resumption of our territorial integrity, we will certainly not spare any effort to ensure that such a meeting takes place," Kuleba said. He also said that one should not be afraid of the meeting between Presidents Zelensky and Putin. "We all understand that the issue of peace in Ukraine must be resolved with Putin personally. The question is in what format. The President of Ukraine has repeatedly proved that he very clearly defends the Ukrainian 'red lines' and issues of fundamental importance to us, therefore I am personally ready organize a meeting between President Putin and President Zelensky, because I know that we will come out of this meeting either with victories, or at least without defeats," Kuleba said. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky signed decree No. 232/2021 on the establishment of the Museum and Cultural Center for Contemporary Art of Ivan Marchuk. According to the President's Office of Ukraine, in this way Zelensky supported the initiative of representatives of the creative community to create a museum and cultural center of contemporary art in Kyiv, where the artist's works will be presented. "According to the document, the Cabinet of Ministers, together with representatives of the creative community, should develop within a month a concept of a museum and cultural center and an action plan for its creation. In addition, the government should ensure a promotional campaign for this center," the office said. The government should provide funds in 2021-2022 for the reconstruction of buildings to create a museum and cultural center and may consider raising funds from benefactors. The State Administration of Affairs should ensure the reconstruction of the buildings in which the museum and cultural center will be located, and transfer them to the management of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy. Ivan Marchuk is a laureate of Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine and a member of the Scientific Council of the International Academy of Contemporary Art in Rome. The artist's works number about 5,000 works, he has held more than 150 personal and about 50 collective exhibitions. OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Ann Linde will pay a working visit to Ukraine on June 13 to June 15. "This will be the second visit of Ann Linde to our country from the beginning of the Swedish chairmanship in the OSCE, which confirms Sweden's priority attention to the issue of ending the Russian Federation's armed aggression against Ukraine," the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said. The key subjects of the talks between Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Ann Linde will be the security situation in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, efforts for a political and diplomatic settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict, the activities of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, and freedom of navigation in the Azov and Black Seas. The ministers will also discuss the development of the political dialogue between Ukraine and Sweden, the increase in trade and investment, the strengthening of interaction in international organizations, the intensification of cooperation in the cultural and humanitarian sectors. The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office will visit, along with the Ukrainian MFA leadership, the area of the Joint Force Operation, where she will personally get acquainted with the activities of the OSCE SMM in Ukraine and the consequences of the Russian armed aggression, the peculiarities of the movement of ships in the Black and Azov Seas. On June 15, Kuleba and Linde will hold a joint press conference. Egypt is planning to launch two remote sensing satellites, Nexsat 1 and Misrsat 2, in 2022, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Khaled Abdel Ghaffar said in a statement Friday. The minister was addressing the Europe-Africa Space Earth Observation High-Level Forum, held in Portugal. Abdel Ghaffar called for boosting relations binding Africa and European countries in the field of space technologies. "Building a strong and fair partnership in the space field will be beneficial to all parties and will help stabilize African countries, achieve sustainable development goals and improve life for all residents of the continent," he said. Hosted by Egypt, the African Space Agency will be an essential accelerator for cooperation with Europe, the minister said. Egypt will spare no effort to promote multilateral cooperation in the space field, he added. Abdel Ghaffar urged the European Union to mull the establishment of the "European-African Space Training Program" in Egypt, stressing that the Egyptian Space Agency will provide full logistical support for such a program, which can provide annual training courses and qualification degrees for African students and researchers. Search Keywords: Short link: Arab foreign ministers will hold an extraordinary meeting in the Qatari capital of Doha on Tuesday on the disputed Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) upon a request from Egypt and Sudan. Ambassador Hossam Zaki, assistant secretary-general of the Arab League, told state-run MENA news agency that the meeting will be held on the sidelines of a consultation meeting between the Arab foreign ministers on Tuesday. Negotiations between Ethiopia and downstream countries Egypt and Sudan stalled in April after Addis Ababa had refused the two countries' request to include the US, the EU, and the UN in mediation talks. Tensions are running high over Addis Ababa's plan to go ahead with the second filling of the GERD's reservoir with or without a legally binding instrument with Cairo and Khartoum. The Arab foreign ministers' meeting also comes on the back of the Arab League's decision to support both downstream countries' stances in the long-running issue, former assistant foreign minister Mohamed Hegazy told MENA. Egypt and Sudan, Hegazy added, will brief the Arab ministers on the latest developments concerning the dispute in light of the Egyptian-Sudanese efforts to contact regional and international parties after GERD negotiations had faltered due to Ethiopia's intransigence, he added. As a result of the stalling of the latest round of GERD negotiations, held in Kinshasa in April under the brokerage of the African Union (AU), Egypt and Sudan urged concerted international efforts to help resolve the dispute with Ethiopia. After officials from the two downstream countries met in Khartoum for joint consultations on the dam crisis, they have urged the international community to recognise the dangers associated with the ongoing Ethiopian policy, which is based on forcing a fait accompli on the downstream countries. The Arab ministers, Hegazy noted, are expected to be posted on the latest contacts held by Cairo and Khartoum with African countries as well as the latest efforts at the international level to prompt the international community to shoulder its responsibility towards the crisis. Hegazy added that Tuesday's meeting is also aimed at alerting the Arab parties to the danger of the current scene on the stability of the strategic region of the Horn of Africa. The former assistant minister said both downstream countries are set to brief the Arab ministers on "the dangers of leaving this strategic region, which is located at the east of the continent, to Ethiopian intransigence." Hegazy asserted that the region's instability affects Arab security in the Gulf and the Red Sea because East Africa is contiguous to oil and gas supply lines as well as the movement of oil fleets through the Bab El-Mandab strait. "This matter requires the intensification of Egyptian and Sudanese efforts and their contacts with Arab and international parties to work to contain the scene that threatens the entire region," he stressed. Hegazy noted that Egypt will continue its efforts to brief all regional and international parties on the matter, including the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) as the situation threatens world security and peace. Egypt and Sudan have been negotiating for almost a decade now with Ethiopia to reach a legally binding and comprehensive deal on the GERDs construction, which Addis Ababa started to build on the Blue Nile in 2011. On Friday, Egypts Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel-Ati said the current path of African Union- (AU) sponsored negotiations between Cairo, Khartoum, and Addis Ababa over the dam will not lead to a breakthrough, calling for widening the mediation to include the US, the EU, and the UN. He blamed Ethiopian "intransigence" for the faltering of the negotiations over the past 10 years. Ethiopias rejection of several proposals by Egypt and Sudan on the negotiation mechanism, which includes international quartet mediation, has led to the collapse of the Kinshasa talks sponsored by the AU in April. Ethiopia plans to hold 13.5 billion cubic metres of water during the second filling of the GERDs reservoir in July, despite the objections of Egypt and Sudan to the move in the absence of a legally binding agreement. Egypts 100 million-plus population depends on the Nile for over 95 percent of its fresh water. Sudan fears the GERD will put the operation of its Roseires dam and the lives of 20 million Sudanese citizens at a very high risk if an agreement regulating the operation and filling of GERD is not reached before the second filling. It warned that it will take legal action if Ethiopia moves forward with the second filling of the GERD in July without first signing a legally binding agreement. Short link: Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi told the heads of African constitutional courts, supreme courts, and constitutional councils on Saturday that judicial institutions are imperative in the fight against terrorism and extremism. According to a presidential statement, El-Sisi stressed the necessity of creating the appropriate judicial frameworks to deal with the phenomena due to their debilitating impact on the state. El-Sisi's statements came during a meeting with the chiefs of African constitutional courts in Cairo on the sidelines of the fifth high-level African Constitutional Conference, hosted by Egypts Supreme Constitutional Court. El-Sisi reviewed Egypts vision in the past few years to combat terrorism and extremism, the impact of which has gone beyond the security, intellectual, and religious challenges. Egypt has been constructing projects, improving infrastructure, and enhancing the economic and social conditions of Egyptians as some of the key means to combat terrorism, El-Sisi said. He added that Egypt has maximised the judiciarys role to enable it to combat the threat. El-Sisi expressed Egypts readiness to back African states suffering from the scourge of terrorism as part of its moral and religious responsibility. This responsibility falls under Egypts efforts to harness its potential to help its African counterparts, being a beacon of moderate Islam globally and as part of its essential role to fight attempts to defame Islam through terrorist crimes, he said. The participating heads of African courts hailed the conference for its role in strengthening judicial cooperation between African constitutional courts, the presidential statement read. They added that the conference has become an important annual tradition that reflects Egypts unwavering position towards Africa. Short link: Egypt sent a letter to the president of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) expressing its objection to Addis Ababa' plan to move ahead unilaterally with the second filling of the the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in July in the absence of a legally binding agreement with downstream countries Egypt and Sudan. A statement by the Egyptian foreign ministry on Saturday said the letter explained the latest developments concerning the long-running dispute over the controversial dam. "The letter includes recordings of Egypt's refusal of the Ethiopian announcement that it intends to forge ahead with filling the Renaissance Dam during the current flood season," read the statement. The letter expressed "Cairo's utter rejection of the Ethiopian approach, which is based on forcing a fait accompli on the downstream countries through unilateral measures tantamount to explicit violation of international law," the ministry added. The statement noted that the Egyptian step was taken out of the UNSC's responsibility to maintaining international peace and security. Foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez said the letter reveals to the international community Ethiopias "intransigent" positions that scuttled the efforts exerted over the past months to reach a fair, balanced and legally binding agreement on the dam under the auspices of the African Union. "A detailed file on the GERD issue and Egypt's vision towards it was lodged with the UNSC to be a reference for the international community... [and] to document the constructive and responsible stances Egypt has adopted over a decade of negotiations to reach an agreement that preserves the interests of the three nations," Hafez added. Tripartite negotiations sponsored by the African Union (AU) stalled in April after Addis Ababa had refused a request by Cairo and Sudan to widen the mediation of the talks to include the US, the EU, and the UN. Egypt and Sudan believe the current path of AU negotiations will not lead to a breakthrough, calling for the formation of quartet mediation. Tensions mounted recently over Addis Ababa's plan to go ahead with the second filling whether or not a deal is reached with Cairo and Khartoum. Ethiopia plans to hold 13.5 billion cubic metres of water during the second filling of the GERDs reservoir in July, despite the objections of Egypt and Sudan to the move in the absence of a legally binding agreement. The three countries have resorted to international diplomacy in the past weeks, briefing regional and international counterparts on their stances and developments in the latest deadlock in negotiations. On Wednesday, following a meeting in Khartoum between the Egyptian and Sudanese foreign and irrigation ministers, the two downstream countries released a joint statement urging concerted international efforts to help settle the GERD dispute with Ethiopia. Egypt and Sudan called on the international community to recognise the dangers associated with the ongoing Ethiopian policy, which is based on forcing a fait accompli on the downstream countries. Arab foreign ministers will hold an extraordinary meeting in the Qatari capital of Doha on Tuesday upon a request from Egypt and Sudan to discuss the latest developments in the Nile row. In June, the UNSC held an open session over the GERD dispute upon Egypt's request due to what it described as Ethiopia's "intransigence" in negotiations. During the session, the council urged the three countries to reach a consensus and warned against unilateral actions. The three countries agreed to continue negotiations under the aegis of the AU. Last year, Ethiopia held 4.9 billion cubic metres of water in the reservoir without coordinating with Egypt and Sudan. The northern highlands of Ethiopia became a global byword for famine in the mid-1980s, when drought and conflict combined to create a disaster that killed as many as one million people. Now hunger is stalking the Tigray region again, and a senior UN official alleges that starvation is being used as a weapon of war. More than 350,000 of Tigray's nearly 6 million people are living in famine conditions, according to an analysis by United Nations agencies and global aid groups first reported by Reuters on Thursday. Nearly 2 million others are one step away from such dire deprivation, they said. Ethiopia has disputed these estimates. Fighting since November between Ethiopia's government and the region's ousted ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), has displaced more than 2 million people. The conflict broke out just before the main harvest, with each side blaming the other. The neighbouring country of Eritrea and the next-door Ethiopian region of Amhara sent forces in support of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government. In some of his strongest public comments to date on the crisis, the UN's top humanitarian official, Mark Lowcock, accused Eritrean forces of "trying to deal with the Tigrayan population by starving them." In an interview with Reuters on Thursday, Lowcock said Eritrean soldiers and local fighters are deliberately blocking supplies to the more than 1 million people in areas outside government control. "Food is definitely being used as a weapon of war." Ethiopia's government, the United Nations and aid agencies have delivered food and other help to some 3.3 million Tigray residents since March, according to the UN humanitarian agency OCHA. But most of that aid is going to government-controlled areas, Lowcock said. Eritrea - which fought a brutal border war against Ethiopia in 1998-2000, when the TPLF dominated the central government - didn't respond to questions for this article. Minister of Information Yemane Gebremeskel has previously said accusations that Eritrean soldiers are blocking or looting aid are "fabricated." The Ethiopian military, the prime minister's office and the head of a national taskforce on Tigray did not respond to requests for comment on Lowcock's remarks. At a June 3 news conference, Abiy's spokesperson, Billene Seyoum, dismissed accusations that the country's defence forces are using food as a weapon as baseless and politically motivated. Mitiku Kassa, head of Ethiopia's National Disaster Risk Management Commission, which manages the government's crisis response, accused the TPLF, the former ruling party, of attacking food trucks and aid personnel, but didn't respond to a request for examples. He told reporters on Wednesday that more than 90% of people in Tigray had been provided aid. "We dont have any food shortage," he said. The UN, however, has said it has received reports from local Tigrayan officials of more than 150 people starving to death. Lowcock said he believed many more had died but could not provide a figure. He is already seeing echoes of the "colossal tragedy" of the 1984-85 famine in Ethiopia, he said. "Its not outlandish to think that could happen (again) if action to tackle the problem doesn't improve." In the fertile lands of western Tigray, farmers abandoned fields full of sorghum, teff and sesame to escape the violence, Reuters reporting shows. Some residents accused Amhara forces of stealing their crops and livestock, or chasing them off their farms. In northern and eastern Tigray, farmers told Reuters that soldiers from Eritrea had torched their crops and grain stores, and slaughtered oxen needed for ploughing. An estimated 90% of the harvest for 2020 was lost, according to the UN's analysis. Some farmers said they were now eating the seeds they needed to plant the next crop. Gizachew Muluneh, spokesman for the Amhara regional administration, told Reuters that Amhara forces would never steal crops, livestock or block aid. GROWING NEED In the paediatric ward of Adigrat General Hospital, about 30 km from the Eritrea border, Adan Muez huddled beneath a warm blanket in mid-March, his skeletal frame too weak to lift up his head and eyes closed despite the chatter around him. The 14-year-old used to be "strong as a lion," his uncle Tadesse Aregawi said at the boy's bedside, as Adan laboured to breathe. But when he was admitted earlier that month, he weighed barely 14.9 kilograms, or 33 pounds - about a third of the normal weight for his age. The family had spent more than three months hiding in a cave to escape Eritrean soldiers, who they heard had been killing and raping people, Tadesse said - charges denied by the Eritrean government. They survived on a handful of roasted barley per day; six other people from their village of Tsasie died of hunger and illness while in hiding, Tadesse said. "When we came back to the village, there was nothing left - no cattle, no food, no water. Someone donated clothes to us," he said, a coat hanging off his skinny frame. He said the family had received food aid only once since then - 20 kilos of wheat for 10 people. Like many malnourished children, Adan had a complicating health issue - he has a gastric ulcer that makes it hard to digest some food, including certain types of grain, his medical records showed. On May 4, the hospital referred him to another facility in the regional capital, Mekelle, a doctor at Adigrat told Reuters. Adigrat had run out of the fortified milk used to treat malnourished children. But doctors in Mekelle could find no record of Adan's admission. Reuters was unable to reach the family to find out what happened to him. Officials at Adigrat hospital say they don't know what happened after Adan's discharge. Information on the extent of malnutrition in Tigray is spotty. Healthcare facilities were heavily damaged in the fighting, and many are barely functioning. Soldiers block main roads for weeks at a time, and much of the region still has no functioning cell phone service. Figures collected by the UN children's agency UNICEF and shared with Reuters offer a rare snapshot of the worsening crisis. In March, 1,187 children were treated for "severe wasting" at hospitals covering about a third of Tigray. That's about the same number who would have been treated in the entire region before the war, UNICEF said. In April, the number rose to 1,723. In May, it reached 2,931. The international medical aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), which runs mobile clinics in some remote rural areas, said it had seen "alarming" levels of malnutrition. About 19% of children visiting its clinics in May were malnourished, MSF told Reuters. More than 4% were suffering from the most severe form of malnutrition and could die without care. AID BLOCKED, LOOTED Hunger is a perennial threat in Tigray, a heavily agricultural region prone to drought and locust plagues. Its population is overwhelmingly ethnic Tigrayan. The TPLF dominated Ethiopia's government for almost three decades until 2018, when protests swept one of Africa's most repressive regimes from power. The TPLF then retrenched to its home region. In November 2020, the federal government drove the TPLF from the regional capital and installed a new interim administration in Tigray. Most people are subsistence farmers whose stone houses dot carefully terraced fields. Nearly a million were already dependent on food aid before the conflict between the federal government and the TPLF began. The number in need of emergency food has now soared to 5.2 million, or 91% of Tigray's population, according to the UN World Food Program. The government refused to let aid convoys into the region for the first five weeks of fighting, citing safety concerns. Although access has improved since December, weekly reports from OCHA show swathes of Tigray remain out of reach. Persistent clashes have blocked access to many rural areas, according to the UN. By the end of May, OCHA had recorded some 130 incidents of aid agencies being turned away at checkpoints and of staff being assaulted, interrogated or hindered from working in the region, Lowcock told Reuters. He said Eritreans were "clearly" responsible for 50 such incidents and men in Ethiopian military uniforms for 50 others. Volunteer militiamen from Amhara were responsible for 27 incidents, he said. Tigrayan opposition forces also hindered operations on at least one occasion. At least 10 aid workers have been killed in the conflict, Lowcock said. They include an employee of the Relief Society of Tigray - a partner of the U.S. Agency for International Development - who was shot dead on April 28 in the central Kola Tembien district. The U.S. Embassy released a statement on May 20 saying Eritrean and Ethiopian soldiers had reportedly shot him. "According to eyewitnesses, he clearly identified himself as a humanitarian worker and pleaded for his life before he was killed," the statement said. Neither the Ethiopian military nor the Eritrean government responded to Reuters' questions about the killing. Ethiopian soldiers and their allies from the Eritrean Defense Forces (EDF) were still turning away aid vehicles at checkpoints and assaulting and detaining aid workers in the northern, central and southeastern zones of Tigray this month, according to 11 internal UN reports reviewed by Reuters and interviews with five aid workers. The region's justice bureau head, Abera Nigus, a Tigrayan, said the issue of food-aid access was being discussed at weekly meetings between the military and the interim administration in Tigray. For the past two months, he said, he has repeatedly raised problems with Eritrean soldiers blocking food trucks along the road between two major towns, Axum and Adwa, with no results. "The food blockage is not an accident - it is very purposefully done," Abera said. Reuters sent detailed questions to government officials in Ethiopia and Eritrea about obstructions to food supplies but did not receive a response. NEXT YEAR'S CROP IN PERIL Abebe Gebrehiwot, deputy head of the Tigray interim administration, told Reuters that Eritrean soldiers were now preventing farmers from planting the next crop, while Amhara regional forces were blocking the transportation of agricultural supplies, such as seeds, into Tigray. "It is not Ethiopian national defence forces that campaign against farming, it is the Eritrean defence force. The other challenge is coming from Amhara region militia or special forces," Abebe told Reuters in a text message. "We are on good terms with the Ethiopian military force." But a senior Tigrayan regional official told Reuters that both countries' militaries were chasing farmers from their fields. "This is the case for the past month primarily Eritreans but also Ethiopian forces. They say, don't plough. Go away," he said. Eritrean and Ethiopian officials didn't respond to questions from Reuters. Billene, the Ethiopian prime minister's spokesperson, has previously denied that farmers are being prevented from going about their work. In the town of Ziban Gedena, in northwestern Tigray, Eritrean soldiers had burned 150 houses, killed 300 civilians, looted or slaughtered 90% of oxen and livestock, burnt and stolen harvests and set fire to animal fodder, according to notes from a UN briefing after a June 6 visit. Continuing harassment from Eritrean forces meant that no one was plowing the land for the next crop, farmers told aid workers. Many villages on the main road to Adwa are deserted, and no work on the land is taking place, a report from an aid agency noted last week. PROBLEMS IN THE WEST The UN's warning of famine conditions did not contain an assessment on western Tigray, now under the control of Amhara regional forces who claim the area as their own. The UN said it didn't have sufficient data from there. Driving through the area in March, Reuters saw fields of damaged crops left to rot. Hundreds of thousands of ethnic Tigrayans have fled the area, many saying they were driven out by Amhara forces, including a part-time militia known as Fano. Mizan Berhanu, 23, said he left the town of Division in March, finding shelter at an overcrowded school in Shire, a town 150 km to the northeast, to where many from western Tigray are fleeing. "Fano and Amhara police were robbing everyone's cows," he said. "Anyone who followed them was shot at." Gizachew, the Amhara regional spokesman, said western Tigray was now part of Amhara. He rejected the accusations that Amhara forces had taken grain or livestock. "Amhara forces are not robbers," he said. "They are keeping people from TPLF dangers." Neither Fano nor Amhara police responded to questions from Reuters. Fano has previously denied looting. Few of the new arrivals in Shire could find space in the crowded classrooms; even the space under trees had been taken. The town is hosting over half a million people, according to the UNs analysis. Local authorities said they are unable to feed them all. At a gathering of farmers at the agricultural office in Shire in March, representatives from nearby districts told Reuters that their crops had been torched, their ploughing oxen stolen and the seeds they would have planted burnt or eaten. Most were supporting relatives who had fled violence elsewhere. "The children are coughing and getting diarrhea. We eat once a day," said Mekonnen Lake, an Ethiopian Orthodox priest from central Tigray, who has 13 displaced relatives living with him. Half his harvest had to be abandoned due to fighting, and the half he had gathered in was burned, he said at the meeting. "I think about killing myself, but it is forbidden as a priest," he said. Short link: Two years after local emir Djibril Diallo fled his home in northern Burkina Faso following death threats from Islamist militants, he received an unexpected request: to return and take part in peace talks with the same people who wanted him dead. Adama Ouedraogo, deputy mayor of Diallo's hometown of Thiou, called him in January to help negotiate an end to years of attacks by jihadists against local militias and civilians that forced thousands of people to flee the area. "I told them that if everyone was sincere, I could return," said Diallo, a traditional chief to Fulani herders. For a decade, West African armies and their international allies have fought against militant groups active in the Sahel region, some linked to the al Qaeda and Islamic State networks. They have had limited success. Attacks on civilians still occur most weeks and large areas remain outside government control. Hundreds of soldiers have been killed since militants first seized control of swathes of Mali in 2012. Now, in the worst-hit parts of Burkina Faso and neighbouring Mali, local leaders are pursuing unofficial talks with militants. The governments do not publicly acknowledge the discussions, but five sources involved in them told Reuters the authorities have been quietly supportive. Military ally and former colonial power France, which has 5,100 troops in the region supporting local forces, says the militants will exploit truces to regroup, rearm and recruit. President Emmanuel Macron reiterated his opposition to talks on Thursday, telling reporters that French troops would not conduct joint operations with countries that "decide to negotiate with groups that ... shoot at our children". Yet there are tentative signs that the outreach may be helping stem bloodshed in localities where it is happening. Data collected by the U.S-based Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) for the Nord, Sahel and Boucle de Mouhoun regions show significant reductions in conflict-related fatalities, although other factors, including recent military offensives, could have played a role. In the Nord, the number of deaths from battles and violence against civilians dropped from 65 in the first quarter of 2020 to 26 in the first quarter of 2021. In the Sahel, they fell from 487 to 191 and in the Boucle de Mouhoun, from 66 to zero. Mahamadou Sawadogo, a researcher on security issues and former Burkinabe gendarme, said such truces had led to an easing of violence, but cautioned that their scope was limited to specific localities. A June 4-5 attack on Solhan village near the border with Niger, in which at least 132 people died, underlined how dangerous the region remains. The village was not known to have negotiated an agreement with jihadists. In Thiou, located on an expanse of arid scrubland about 20 km from the Malian border, Diallo and others struck a truce in February with militants who say they are connected to al Qaeda's regional JNIM affiliate. Commerce is flowing freely again and thousands of displaced people have returned, Diallo said. Idrissa Diallo, a restaurant owner in town who is not related to Djibril Diallo but shares a last name common among Fulanis, fled to Ivory Coast in 2019 after the jihadists began clashing with local vigilante groups. He came home following the talks. "Calm has been restored," he said, shifting small pieces of meat and onions over smouldering charcoals. "I started to work a little, and there are lots of clients who come." SECRET MEETINGS The first meetings took place in December in the secrecy of a forest outside Thiou, in Burkina Faso's Nord region, according to deputy mayor Ouedraogo. They were organised by Ouedraogo, who said he had kept in touch with some people who joined the militants. He was accompanied by the head of a group of volunteer fighters who are backed by the army and oppose the jihadists. "At the start of the negotiations, it wasn't at all easy," Ouedraogo recalled. "The jihadists came with lots of weapons." They met seven times before both sides agreed to more formal talks. Ouedraogo informed the mayor, village chiefs and Diallo, an authoritative figure among Fulani herdsmen whom the jihadists considered a worthy interlocutor despite having threatened him. Diallo joined the process and, after another meeting, jihadists reported back to their superiors, he said. Thiou's mayor updated the regional governor, a federal government appointee, according to Diallo and two others who participated in the talks but asked not be named. The mayor declined to comment when asked about the contacts, and the governor did not respond to requests for comment. A government spokesperson said the negotiations were a local initiative and declined to respond to specific questions. Then, in February, about 400 jihadist fighters, including some from Mali where al Qaeda's powerful JNIM branch is based, came to seal the peace, said Ouedraogo. The jihadists' main condition was that the volunteer fighters, whom the jihadists accused of stealing motorcycles and cattle and killing civilians suspected of sympathising with the Islamists, cease their patrols. The negotiators agreed and allowed the jihadists and their family members to trade at the market and receive medical care in town, according to Ouedraogo and Diallo. The jihadists vowed to cease attacks and to lift blockades. FRENCH OPPOSITION Authorities have been constrained by French opposition to negotiating with militants, said a source involved in talks in Burkina Faso and Mali, adding that time was of the essence while contact with militants appeared to be bearing fruit. At a news conference on Thursday where he announced France would end its military operation in the Sahel and incorporate its forces into a broader international campaign, Macron threatened to stop working with countries that negotiate with jihadists. "I don't know how to explain to the parents of a French soldier who fell on the battlefield that I am sending back his brothers in arms to fight alongside an army that has decided to negotiate with his assailants," Macron said. Decrying "ambiguity" on the matter, Macron said one condition for France to resume joint military operations with Mali's army - suspended after a coup last month - would be a Malian commitment not to negotiate with the militants. Mali's leaders have publicly endorsed the idea of talks, but they have kept concrete moves to pursue negotiations quiet. In the Niono Circle in central Mali, representatives of the High Islamic Council (HCI), the country's main Muslim body, led negotiations earlier this year with al Qaeda-linked militants that resulted in a peace deal in March, said Bocary Diallo, one of the HCI negotiators. Diallo said the organisation was given the go-ahead at a meeting attended by religious leaders and four government ministers, but that the government never officially signed off on it. Malis presidency and the ministry of national reconciliation did not respond to requests for comment. Short link: Here are some key facts about Algeria, a North African country of 44 million which was voting Saturday in its first parliamentary election since a popular uprising swept its longtime president from power in 2019. Africa's biggest country Algeria is Africa's biggest country, although most of its territory is desert. More than 80 percent of the population lives along the Mediterranean coast, where the capital Algiers is located. Nearly 54 percent are younger than 30. The country counts some 10 million ethnic Berbers, most of them living in Kabylie, a mountainous region to the east of Algiers. Algeria's official languages are Arabic and the Berber language Tamazight but not French, although it is widely spoken. Former French colony A French colony since 1830, Algeria became independent in 1962 after a vicious war which lasted nearly eight years. In 1963, Ahmed Ben Bella, secretary general of the National Liberation Front (FLN) which had led the struggle against French rule, became the first president. Two years later, the FLN's Houari Boumediene overthrew and jailed Ben Bella, continuing to run Algeria as a one-party state until his death in 1978. Colonel Chadli Bendjedid was then elected president, a post he held until 1992. Civil war In 1988, violent protests rocked Algiers, prompting the authorities to declare a state of emergency. The army clamped down on demonstrators but introduced political reforms which brought an end to the single-party system. However, when the country held its first multi-party parliamentary election in 1991, the army stepped in to prevent the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) from winning a sweeping majority. That sparked a civil war between 1992 and 2002 in which some 200,000 people were killed. The Armed Islamic Group (GIA) claimed responsibility for many massacres of civilians. At the height of the conflict, FLN veteran Abdelaziz Bouteflika won the 1999 presidential election. 'Hirak' protests Bouteflika won a fourth term in 2014 despite suffering a stroke the previous year which confined him to a wheelchair. His bid for a fifth term in 2019 sparked mass protests, which forced Bouteflika to resign on April 2 after he lost the support of the powerful military. On December 12 that year, Bouteflika's former premier Abdelmadjid Tebboune won the presidential election on an official turnout of less than 40 percent. The movement born out of the protests, known by the Arabic word Hirak, immediately rejected Tebboune, demanding an end to the system of governance in place since independence. The movement has called for a boycott of Saturday's parliamentary vote too. Oil-dependent The Algerian economy retains a large state sector from its long years of single party rule. It is Africa's third-biggest oil producer and among the world's top producers of natural gas. Oil revenues help subsidise fuel, water, health care, housing and basic goods. But they have fallen sharply in the face of the global economic slowdown triggered by the Covid pandemic. Oil and gas represent around 90 percent of Algeria's total exports. Its hard currency reserves have plummeted from $180 billion in 2014 to less than $50 billion this year. President Tebboune has acknowledged Algeria's continued "vulnerability" to oil price fluctuations after successive governments failed to take action to diversify the economy. Short link: Israeli occupation border guards Saturday shot dead a Palestinian woman approaching them with a knife at a checkpoint in the occupied West Bank after she ignored orders to stop, police said. The Palestinian Authority's prisons ministry identified the dead woman as Ibtissam Kaabneh, a Palestinian who was arrested and sentenced to 18 months in prison by Israel in 2016. Israeli occupation police alleged the woman kept walking towards the guards at Qalandiya crossing between Israel and the West Bank, despite repeated warnings to stop. She was aged 28 and from Aqabat Jabr near the West Bank town of Jericho, police said. On Friday, a 15-year-old Palestinian was killed by Israeli occupation army gunfire near Beita, south of Nablus. And on Thursday, three Palestinians were also killed in the West Bank by Israeli security forces on a mission to arrest suspected "terrorists". Violence in the West Bank increased in May, with at least 30 Palestinians killed in clashes with Israeli occupation forces and during alleged attacks. That came amid a flare-up in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem that led to an 11-day Israeli aggression against Palestinians in Gaza. Some 475,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank, home to more than 2.8 million Palestinians. Short link: Activists and a medical group said shells hit a hospital on Saturday in a northern Syrian town controlled by Turkey-backed fighters, killing at least six people, including two medical staff. It was not immediately clear who was behind the shelling, which came from areas where government troops and Kurdish-led fighters are deployed. The Syrian American Medical Association, an aid group that assists health centers in opposition areas, said al-Shifaa Hospital in the town of Afrin was targeted by two missiles, also leading to multiple wounded. At least four other medical staff were injured, including a seriously injured midwife, the aid group said. The polyclinic department and delivery room were completely destroyed, it added. Turkey and allied Syrian fighters took control of Afrin in 2018 in a military operation that expelled local Kurdish fighters and displaced thousands of Kurdish residents. Ankara considers the Kurdish fighters who were in control of Afrin terrorists. Since then, there has been a series of attacks on Turkish targets in the area. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 16 people were killed in the attack, most of them civilians. The governor's office of Turkey's Hatay province, which lies across the border from Afrin, said 13 civilians had been killed and 27 injured in the rocket and artillery attack on the hospital, which it blamed on Kurdish militants. The discrepancy in death tolls could not be immediately reconciled. Short link: Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven wealthy industrialized nations are gathering Tuesday in London - their first face-to-face meeting in more than two years - to grapple with threats to health, prosperity and democracy. Host country Britain has warned that the increasingly aggressive activities of Russia, China and Iran pose a challenge to democratic societies and the international rule of law. UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Britain's presidency of the G-7 this year ``is an opportunity to bring together open, democratic societies and demonstrate unity at a time when it is much needed to tackle shared challenges and rising threats.'' Top diplomats from the UK, the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan are holding two days of talks with an agenda that includes the coup in Myanmar, the Tigray crisis in Ethiopia and the precarious situation in Afghanistan, where US troops and their NATO allies are winding down a two-decade deployment. The UK Foreign Office said the group would also discuss ``Russia's ongoing malign activity,'' including Moscow's troop buildup on the border with Ukraine and the imprisonment of opposition politician Alexei Navalny. G-7 ministers will also try to agree on a way to make coronavirus vaccines available around the globe. Wealthy countries have been reluctant to give up precious stocks until they have inoculated their own populations. Organizers have taken steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at the London meeting, including setting up plastic screens between participants and making on-site coronavirus tests available. The British government invited the foreign ministers of Australia, India, South Korea and South Africa to join parts of the meeting, including a Tuesday dinner at the grand Lancaster House in central London. The guest list was intended to underline the G-7's support for democracies, as well as the UK government's attempts to build stronger ties with Asia in the wake of the country's departure from the European Union. The government hopes the resumption of in-person G-7 meetings _ after more than a year of disruption by the coronavirus pandemic _ will give the group a jolt of energy and bolster attempts to forge a post-Brexit ``Global Britain'' role for the UK. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to host the other G-7 leaders at a summit in Cornwall, England, in June. Opposition politicians and international aid organizations say the goal of Britain playing a bigger role in world affairs is undermined by the government's decision to slash its foreign aid budget from 0.7% of gross domestic product to 0.5% because of the economic hit from the pandemic. Raab said Monday that the aid cuts were a ``difficult decision'' but insisted Britain would become ``an even greater force for good in the world.'' Raab met Monday with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is due to hold talks with Johnson on Tuesday. The US and Britain both dismissed reports coming out of Iran that they are thrashing out a prisoner exchange deal with Tehran that could see the imminent release of British-Iranian woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and four Americans. Blinken said ``the reports coming out of Tehran are not accurate.'' Short link: Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, Albania, Gabon and Ghana were elected Friday by the UN General Assembly to be non-permanent member of the Security Council in 2022 to 2023, potentially shifting the power balance within the world body, diplomats said. "Brazil and the United Arab Emirates have strong positions in foreign policy, and Albania, which will sit on the Council for the first time in its history, is also a member of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation," a diplomat said, on condition of anonymity. The countries will in January succeed Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Vietnam and Estonia, and the shift will change the balance of power within the Security Council, diplomats predicted. "It will change things", another diplomat said. "Brazil is a force in itself" and it will replace the smallest country ever to have sat on the council. As for the Emirates, "they have a role in several conflicts", the diplomat said, referring to Yemen and Libya. In January, Gabon and Ghana will take seats currently held by Niger and Tunisia. Out of 193 members of the United Nations called on to vote, Brazil won 181 votes, the UAE 179, Albania 175, Gabon 183 and Ghana 185. The Democratic Republic of Congo and Chad had withdrawn as candidates, meaning that none of the positions available had multiple applicants. For years, regional groups have become accustomed to nominating candidates for their positions in advance to avoid fratricidal rivalries. After having counted in recent years up to five members of the Security Council, the European Union risks a loss of influence because in January when it will only have two, France and Ireland. The Security Council has 15 members in total, including five permanent members with a veto right (United States, China, Russia, France and Britain) and 10 non-permanent members, half of whom are replaced every year. Short link: The big powers' first face-to-face meeting since 2019 -- after the pandemic led to the cancellation of last year's summit -- will aim for a more unified stance towards an increasingly assertive Beijing and recalcitrant Moscow. The leaders opened the three-day meeting Friday with expectations of a pledge to donate one billion vaccine doses to poor countries this year and next, which campaigners said was much too slow to end the crisis immediately. US President Joe Biden arrived with a message of solidarity and resolve in stark contrast to the isolationist stance of his predecessor Donald Trump. After an opening session on "building back better" from Covid-19, the leaders spent the evening at a reception hosted by Queen Elizabeth II at Cornwall's Eden Project, a renowned attraction showcasing the world's ecological riches. The G7 will on Sunday discuss tackling climate change and safeguarding global biodiversity, laying the groundwork for the UN's pivotal COP26 environmental summit in Scotland in November. 'Alternative vision' On Saturday's foreign policy agenda, this year's coup in Myanmar and crackdown on pro-democracy supporters in Belarus are expected to figure, alongside tensions with Russia and China. Biden is expected to press allies to bolster cooperation in dealing with Beijing in various areas, from offering an alternative to its trillion-dollar Belt and Road infrastructure initiative to confronting its alleged forced labour practices. "This is not just about confronting or taking on China," a senior White House official said. "This is about providing an affirmative, positive alternative vision for the world." He added Biden would be urging "concrete action" on the forced labour accusations, calling them "an affront to human dignity, and an egregious example of China's unfair economic competition". The US president will also seek to address frayed relations with Moscow, in particular over its cyber activity. "There's uniform recognition that ransomware and the abuse of virtual currencies is an urgent threat and escalating threat," the US official said, noting the issue would feature prominently in every key meeting during Biden's eight-day overseas tour. Most of the leaders will reconvene Monday in Brussels for a NATO meeting, before Biden heads on to his first summit with President Vladimir Putin in Geneva, vowing to deliver a blunt message about Russian behaviour. "I'll tell you (about it) after I've delivered it," Biden told reporters Friday. In a rare interview with US media, Putin voiced hope Friday that Biden will be less impulsive than Trump, who faced criticism for being too soft on the Russian leader. "It is my great hope that, yes, there are some advantages, some disadvantages, but there will not be any impulse-based movements on behalf of the sitting US president," Putin told NBC News. 'Pandemic radar' The G7 is expected to finalise the "Carbis Bay Declaration" comprising a series of commitments to prevent a repeat of the devastation wreaked by Covid-19. "For the first time today the world's leading democracies have come together to make sure that never again will we be caught unawares," British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in remarks released ahead of the summit's second day. "That means learning lessons from the last 18 months and doing it differently next time around." The declaration will be published Sunday alongside the G7's final communique, following a beachside barbecue on Saturday night. The collective steps include slashing the time taken to develop and license vaccines, treatments and diagnostics for any future disease to under 100 days, while reinforcing global surveillance networks. The leaders will vow to boost genomic sequencing capacity, and support reforms to strengthen the World Health Organization, according to Johnson's government, which like the US wants China to allow new access to WHO experts to determine how Covid-19 first emerged. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, criticised in some quarters for being too accommodating of China, welcomed the health pact. And he said the UN agency would examine a British proposal to create a "Global Pandemic Radar" to send early warnings of future outbreaks. "The world needs a stronger global surveillance system to detect new epidemic and pandemic risks," Tedros said. However, Oxfam said the declaration "does nothing to address the fundamental problems that are preventing vaccines being accessible to the vast majority of humanity". "It's welcome that G7 leaders are planning measures to end future pandemics faster, but the lack of urgent action to end the current crisis is unforgiveable," its health policy manager Anna Marriott said. G7 leaders on Saturday confronted China and the threat of future pandemics as the elite club of wealthy nations advertised a newfound Western unity at its first physical summit since 2019. After an informal evening get-together featuring a Royal Air Force aerobatics display, beach barbecue, firepit marshmallows and a Cornish troupe singing sea shanties the leaders were to wrap up their three-day summit on Sunday. At their concluding session in Cornwall, southwest England, US President Joe Biden and his colleagues were set to promise more financial support for developing countries on the sharp edge of climate change. The G7 has been rallying behind collective action on the planetary crisis in the buildup to the UN's COP26 climate summit in Scotland in November. Such action was unthinkable under former president Donald Trump, but Biden is touting a message of revived US leadership on his first foreign tour. 'We're on the same page,' Biden told reporters as he met French President Emmanuel Macron on the summit sidelines, pushing to rally the West against a resurgent China and recalcitrant Russia. Asked if other G7 leaders agreed with him about a US diplomatic renaissance, Biden pointed to Macron, who replied: 'Definitely.' 'Build back better' Promising to 'collectively catalyse' hundreds of billions of infrastructure investment for low- and middle-income countries, the G7 leaders said they would offer a 'values-driven, high-standard and transparent' partnership. Their 'Build Back Better World' (B3W) project is aimed squarely at competing with China's trillion-dollar Belt and Road infrastructure initiative, which has been widely criticised for saddling small countries with unmanageable debt. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose nation has huge investments in China, called it an 'important initiative' that was much needed in infrastructure-poor Africa. Britain meanwhile hailed G7 agreement on the 'Carbis Bay Declaration' a series of commitments to curb future pandemics after Covid-19 wrecked economies and claimed millions of lives around the world. The collective steps include slashing the time taken to develop and license vaccines, treatments and diagnostics for any future disease to under 100 days, while reinforcing global surveillance networks. The G7 Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States will formally publish the pact on Sunday, alongside the summit communique containing further details on the B3W. Covid vaccines 'The #CarbisBayDeclaration marks a proud and historic moment for us all,' British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Twitter. World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, criticised in some quarters for being too accommodating towards China where the coronavirus originated, welcomed the health pact. The G7 leaders are also expected to pledge to donate one billion vaccine doses to poor countries this year and next although campaigners say the rollout is much too slow to end the crisis now. After briefing the leaders in Cornwall, Tedros said he had set them the challenge of vaccinating at least 70 percent of the world's population by their next summit in Germany in 2022. 'We welcome the generous announcement made by G7 nations about donations of vaccines but we need more and we need them faster,' he told reporters. 'Immediate donations are vital.' Aid charity Oxfam said the declaration 'does nothing to address the fundamental problems that are preventing vaccines being accessible to the vast majority of humanity'. 'Concrete action' The G7 was joined Saturday by the leaders of Australia, South Africa and South Korea, with India taking part remotely, for a wide-ranging discussion about foreign policy challenges. The regimes of Belarus and Myanmar are among those in the G7's sights. Biden pushed also for measures against China's alleged forced labour practices, including against the Uyghur minority. A US official said Biden wanted 'concrete action' on the forced labour accusations, calling them 'an affront to human dignity, and an egregious example of China's unfair economic competition'. China denies allegations that it is waging 'genocide' by forcing up to one million Uyghurs and people from other ethnic-Turkic minorities into internment camps in the region of Xinjiang. Putin weighs in The US president will also seek to address frayed relations with Moscow, in particular over its cyber activity. Most of the G7 leaders will reconvene Monday in Brussels for a NATO meeting, before Biden heads on to his first summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva, vowing to deliver a blunt message about Russian behaviour. In a rare interview with US media released Friday, Putin voiced hope that Biden would be less impetuous than Trump, who notoriously sided with the Russian leader against the views of his own intelligence chiefs. 'It is my great hope that, yes, there are some advantages, some disadvantages, but there will not be any impulse-based movements on behalf of the sitting US president,' Putin told NBC News. Short link: Egyptian-African relations witness 'unprecedented boom' under Sisi leadership: Al-Mashat MENA, , Saturday 12 Jun 2021 The private sector plays a major role in boosting these relations, Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat told a session of the first forum of the heads of African investment promotion agencies (IPAs) Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat said Friday the Egyptian-African relations are witnessing an unprecedented boom under President Abdel Fattah El Sisi's leadership and his open political diplomacy to boost ties with all partners. The private sector plays a major role in boosting these relations through major development projects launched within Egypts membership to the presidential initiative for Africa infrastructure development, she told a session of the first forum of the heads of African investment promotion agencies (IPAs). The Egyptian private sector is implementing some vital projects in Africa, covering many sectors, including transport and water resources, she added. For example, the Arab Contractors Company implements projects in 23 African countries in various fields of infrastructure with investments of more than $1.5 billion, the minister revealed. The ministry aims to promote Egypt's partnerships with multilateral and bilateral development partners, governments, international economic policy makers, the private sector and civil society to achieve the National Development Agenda 2030 in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, under the presidential decree regulating its role No. 303 of 2004, she added. Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly opened the IPAs forum on Friday in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh, which runs until 14 June. Ministers and heads of investment authorities from 34 African countries as well as representatives of leading institutions and economic blocs are attending the event. https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/414025.aspx Egypt congratulates UAE on election to UN Security Council Ahram Online, , Saturday 12 Jun 2021 This will be the Gulf countrys second time at the council after serving from 1986 to 1987 Egypt congratulated on Friday the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for its election to the UN Security Council for 2022-2023. We express our sincere congratulations to the UAE on the election to non-permanent membership at the UN Security Council during the elections on Friday at the UN General Assembly, foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez said in a tweet. The UAE, Albania, Brazil, Ghana and Gabon were elected to the UN Security Council for two terms after a 193-nation secret ballot by the UN General Assembly. Each candidate needed two-thirds of the votes to secure one of the non-permanent 10-member seats, with the UAE receiving 179. This will be the Gulf countrys second time at the council after serving from 1986 to 1987. https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/414039.aspx KYODO NEWS - Jun 13, 2021 - 00:07 | All, Japan Japan won support from other members of the Group of Seven industrialized nations to work together toward addressing the issue of North Korea's past abductions of Japanese nationals, the Foreign Ministry said Saturday. During a session of the three-day summit to end Sunday, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said the abduction issue is a top priority for his government and called for "full understanding and cooperation" on the matter, to which his G-7 counterparts agreed, the ministry said in a press release. Suga also expressed support for U.S. policy on North Korea, which the administration of President Joe Biden has come up with following its months-long review. KYODO NEWS - Jun 12, 2021 - 11:55 | All, Japan Eiichi Negishi, who shared the 2010 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work on reactions to create complex organic compounds, died in Indianapolis, Indiana, according to Purdue University in the United States. He was 85. Negishi, who was born in Japanese-ruled Manchuria in China, died on Sunday, the university said, without disclosing the cause of his death. He served as a professor in Purdue's chemistry department since 1979 and held a distinguished post since 1999, according to its official website. Negishi was appointed professor emeritus upon retiring from Purdue in 2019. He won the Nobel Prize along with Japan's Akira Suzuki, a professor emeritus at Hokkaido University, and Richard Heck of the University of Delaware for devising a method of building complex molecules with applications in pharmaceuticals, electronics and agriculture. Suzuki expressed sadness upon hearing news of Negishi's death, saying in a telephone interview Saturday, "I was shocked as he was someone I knew for a long time." When announcing the three as winners of the prestigious award in October 2010, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences called palladium-catalyzed cross coupling a "precise and efficient tool," hailing their achievement for having "vastly improved the possibilities for chemists to create sophisticated chemicals, for example carbon-based molecules as complex as those created by nature itself." Negishi joined Teijin Ltd. after graduating from the University of Tokyo in 1958. He received a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1963, and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Herbert C. Brown lab at Purdue University from 1966 to 1972. He worked as an assistant and then associate professor at Syracuse University from 1972 to 1979 before returning to Purdue. His wife, Sumire, died in an accident in 2018. According to Purdue, his family does not plan to hold a funeral service in the United States and will lay him to rest in Japan sometime in 2022. KYODO NEWS - Jun 13, 2021 - 06:45 | All, Japan Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga welcomed the commitment to the Indo-Pacific region expressed by Germany and France in his separate bilateral talks with the leaders of the two countries on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit on Saturday. In their first in-person talks, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Suga that she regards the Indo-Pacific as an important area for Berlin and that she wants to step up bilateral coordination in security and other areas, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry. Germany is planning to dispatch a navy vessel to the region this summer. The two leaders also affirmed cooperation in tackling the coronavirus pandemic, climate change and other issues, the ministry said. Suga sought Germany's assistance in ending import restrictions by the European Union on Japanese food products, especially as this year marked the 10th anniversary of the massive earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster that hit northeastern Japan, the ministry said. The talks, which covered situations in East Asia and Russia, came as Japan seeks to boost security ties with the United States and other like-minded countries, such as Germany, at a time when Beijing's military buildup and increasing territorial claims in the East and South China seas raise concerns about the stability of the region. Such concerns have grown stronger after China enacted a new maritime security law in February to allow its coastguard ships to attack foreign vessels in waters Beijing deems its territory. Last September, Germany released comprehensive Indo-Pacific strategy guidelines that signaled the country's shift away from its Asian policy heavily focused on China. Sending a frigate to the region is part of initiatives under the guidelines. As part of deeper defense cooperation, Tokyo and Berlin in March signed an agreement to mutually provide confidential intelligence concerning security. In their first so-called two-plus-two security talks under a virtual format in April, the foreign and defense ministers of the two countries vowed to deepen bilateral defense cooperation and underscored their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. During talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, Suga hailed France's increasing engagement in the Indo-Pacific, such as through the dispatching of naval vessels. The two agreed to continue to closely cooperate in the region, the Japanese ministry said. Macron, meanwhile, expressed his support for the Tokyo Olympics scheduled to begin next month amid the ongoing pandemic. The president said he is looking forward to attending the July 23 opening ceremony, according to the ministry. KYODO NEWS - Jun 12, 2021 - 13:55 | World, All North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has emphasized the need to bolster the country's military capability, as the situation surrounding the divided peninsula has rapidly changed, state-run media reported Saturday. According to the official Korean Central News Agency, Kim held a ruling party military meeting on Friday, one day ahead of the third anniversary of the first U.S.-North Korea summit in Singapore in 2018. At the meeting it was confirmed that it is important to bring about a "fresh turn" in the overall work of national defense "as required by the recent fast-changing situation around the Korean Peninsula," the news agency said. Kim "analyzed the prevailing situation and the real state of the work of the People's Army and indicated the strategic tasks to be permanently held fast to" and ways to develop the revolutionary armed forces, KCNA said. At the congress of the Workers' Party of Korea in January, held for the first time in nearly five years, Kim pledged to strengthen his country's nuclear arsenal and build an improved intercontinental ballistic missile that could reach the continental United States. North Korea has also expressed unwillingness to hold bilateral talks with the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden, who took office in January, unless Washington withdraws its hostile policy toward Pyongyang. At their first-ever summit in Singapore in 2018, Biden's predecessor Donald Trump and Kim agreed that Washington would provide security guarantees to Pyongyang in exchange for "complete" denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The following year, they fell short of bridging the gap between demands by the United States and North Korea's calls for sanctions relief at their second summit in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi. After Trump and Kim surprisingly met in June 2019 at the Demilitarized Zone dividing the two Koreas, negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang made little progress. The Biden administration, meanwhile, plans to keep its North Korea policy flexible, while building on the 2018 summit agreement that included Pyongyang's commitment toward denuclearization. KCNA did not elaborate whether Kim mentioned nuclear weapons and ICBMs at Friday's gathering. United Nations: US Ambassador Nikki Haley warned Iranian authorities on Saturday that the world is watching as Tehran responds to anti-government protests. "The Iranian regime is now on notice: the world will be watching what you do," Haley told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation in the Islamic republic. The United States called the meeting despite fierce criticism from Russia, which accused Washington of interfering in Iran's internal affairs. "The Iranian people are rising up in over 79 locations throughout the country," Haley told the council. "It is a powerful exhibition of brave people who have become so fed up with their oppressive government that they are willing to risk their lives in protest." Haley accused the government of funding a pro-regime military campaign in Syria, backing Shiite militias in Iraq and supporting a crony elite while ordinary Iranians struggle. The Iranian people are telling their government to "stop the support for terrorism, stop giving billions of our money to killers and dictators, stop taking our wealth and spending it on foreign fighters and proxy wars," said Haley. A total of 21 people have died and hundreds have been arrested since December 28 as protests over economic woes turned against the Iranian regime, with attacks on government buildings and police stations. Pro-regime rallies were held in Tehran after Friday prayers, the third straight day of marches in support of the government, which has declared the unrest over. Diplomats had expected Russia to call a procedural vote to try to block the meeting, but in the end, Moscow's envoy did not make that request. Also Read| Donald Trumps pressure on Pakistan may push it closer to China: Report Heading into the council chamber, Haley gave reporters a thumbs-up and answered "yes" when asked if she had the nine votes needed for the meeting to go ahead. Over the past days, the United States has lobbied hard to win support for the Security Council meeting, especially from the six new non-permanent council members, diplomats said. For a new agenda item to be discussed at the Security Council, at least nine of the 15 council members must support holding the meeting. No vetoes apply. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Bhopal: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend a top-level police conference on January 7-8 at the Border Security Force (BSF) Academy at Tekanpur in Gwalior. An official release said that the "Annual Conference of Director General of Police (DGPs) and Inspector General of Police (IGPs) of states" is an event where top police officers share and discuss security-related issues. The PM has earlier addressed the conference in Guwahati in 2014, in Dhordo in Gujarat's Rann of Kutch in 2015 and at the National Police Academy in Hyderabad in 2016. "During the last meeting, issues such as cross-border terrorism and radicalization were discussed in detail. The Prime Minister emphasized the importance of leadership, soft skills and collective training. He specifically mentioned the importance of technology and human interface for the police force," the release stated. Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Gwalior today to take part in the annual conference. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The contentious Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill that makes triple talaq (instance divorce) or talaq-e-biddat a criminal offence failed to clear the Rajya Sabha hurdle as the winter session of the Parliament ended on Friday. Both the govt and the Opposition led by Congress were locked in a standoff in the Rajya Sabha over the Triple Talaq Bill that sailed through the lower house on December 28. The Congress party wanted the government to make certain amendments in the bill and said the face-off could be resolved if the government agreed to make provisions for providing financial aid to Muslim women divorced through instant triple talaq, and their families. The Opposition insisted the government to send the bill to a Select Committee for detailed scrutiny. However, the government rejected the demand and accused Congress and other parties of showing double standards as they supported the bill in the lower house. Meanwhile, on the last day of the Winter Session of the Parliament, both Congress and the BJP have issued a whip asking all its MPs to remain present in both the houses. Here are the live updates on the last day of Parliaments Winter Session: # Parliament winter session ends, Triple Talaq Bill fails to sail through Rajya Sabha. # Rajya Sabha adjourned sine die. # Nine government bills passed in the Rajya Sabha this session. RS Chairman Venkaiah Naidu reads out statement reagrding the functioning of the Rajya Sabha. # Lok Sabha adjourned sine die. # Earlier on Thursday Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu had urged members to act responsibly to ensure smooth proceedings and assured them that whatever decision he takes including on the Triple Talaq Bill would be to enhance the image of the House. # Will the Tripple Talaq Bill see the light of the day in Rajya Sabha? Congress is stuck on its demand to send the bill to Select Committee for scrutiny. # BJP issues whip asking all its MPs to remain present in both the houses of Parliament. # Congress issues three-line whip for its members in Rajya Sabha, asking them to remain present in the house. # Today is the last day of Parliament's winter session which started on December 15. Triple Talaq Bill after sailing through Lok Sabha on December 28, is still pending in Rajya Sabha as the Opposition is stuck on its demand to send the bill to a Select Committee. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: RJD chief Lalu Prasad was on Saturday sentenced to three-and-a-half years in jail by a CBI special court in a fodder scam case relating to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from the Deoghar Treasury 21 years ago. CBI court judge Shiv Pal Singh, who had convicted Prasad, along with 10 others on December 23, also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on him for two cases in the scam. He was fined Rs 5 lakh for each case, failing which he would serve another six months in jail, a CBI counsel said. The court had convicted Prasad for offenses of cheating, along with criminal conspiracy, under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption Act. Here's how the political parties are reacting to this judgment on Fodder scam case: Congress has always waged war against corruption. As far as the alliance is concerned, it is with RJD and not particular individuals: RPN Singh, Congress #FodderScam pic.twitter.com/oG7tYZFz2W ANI (@ANI) January 6, 2018 Rather than practicing BJPs Simple Rule - Follow us or We will Fix you. I will die happily fixing myself for Social justice, harmony & equality: Lalu Yadav tweets ANI (@ANI) January 6, 2018 We are confident that he (Lalu Yadav) will get bail. We have full faith on judiciary. We are not going to be cowed down: Tej Pratap Yadav #FodderScam pic.twitter.com/WHG1VFsKam ANI (@ANI) January 6, 2018 We welcome this judgement, this will prove to be a historic decision in Bihar politics. It is the end of a chapter: KC Tyagi,JDU on #LaluPrasadYadav sentenced to 3.5 years in prison for #FodderScam pic.twitter.com/ODvPFhQXEA ANI (@ANI) January 6, 2018 The judiciary performed its duty. We will go to the High Court after studying the sentence and apply for a bail: Tejashwi Yadav, RJD on #FodderScam pic.twitter.com/17zxjyTQ2d ANI (@ANI) January 6, 2018 For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: A parliamentary panel has asked the government to "remove stumbling blocks" in resolving outstanding issues with Pakistan through dialogue, and pitched for a National Security Framework (NSF) and a coherent strategy towards the neighbouring country. The Committee on External Affairs also noted the fact that by neither publicly accepting not acting against terrorism emanating from its soil, Pakistan has displayed its unwillingness to create conducive environment for improving bilateral ties. "However, this should not deter the government of India from taking steps from its side so that the situation of stalemate does not linger," it said in its report on "Indo-Pak relations" presented in Lok Sabha on Friday. Noting that the government has reiterated its readiness for resolution of all outstanding issues peacefully and bilaterally, the report said, however, the government has not mentioned any fresh initiative undertaken by neither side to create conducive environment for engagement. "In the committee's view, the government of India as a responsible and credible stakeholder should continuously endeavour to utilise its diplomatic clout to create a conducive environment and to remove the stumbling blocks in resolving outstanding issues through dialogue and enforcement of the Simla Agreement and the Lahore Declaration in letter and spirit," it said. The panel also stressed on the need for India as well as Pakistan to engage afresh and proceed with a step-wise process to dialogue, moving from peripheral to core issues. Also read| J&K: Terrorists hurl grenade at PDP MLA Mushtaq Ahmad house in Tral, no injury reported It said, "In view of the repeated existence of multiple crises resulting from militancy, insurgencies, terrorist attacks, unsettled border disputes etc, the Committee had strongly felt the need for a NSF and a coherent strategy towards Pakistan." The panel also took note of the numerous threats like ceasefire violations, border incursions and drug trafficking that have serious implications for country's border security, and said the government should ensure proper and all-weather connectivity roads along the border to strengthen security. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Srinagar: Denouncing the killing of four policemen in an IED blast in Sopore, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday urged the people to work shoulder to shoulder to break the "vortex of violence" in the state. These young policemen were killed when they were on duty to protect the people in the town. It is highly unfortunate to see, Mufti said here. "The vortex of violence in the state needs to be broken and for that, every section of society has to work shoulder to shoulder," the chief minister said. She wrote on Twitter: "Pained to hear that four policemen have been killed in an IED explosion in Sopore. My deepest condolences to their families." Four policemen on patrol duty were killed when an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by militants went off in Sopore in north Kashmir. Militants had planted the IED near a shop in a lane between the 'Chotta Bazaar' and 'Bada Bazaar' in Sopore in Baramulla district and detonated it when policemen reached the scene, an official said. Former chief minister Omar Abdullah tweeted: "Very sad news from #Sopore. May the four brave J&K police personnel killed in the line of duty today rest in peace." ? J-K Congress chief GA Mir condemned the killing and said the incident had exposed the tall claims of the Mehbooba government about the Kashmir situation being normal. The central and J&K governments were engaged in concealing the truth, he alleged. Washington: The Trump administrations decision to suspend over USD 1.1 billion security assistance to Pakistan has nothing to do with Islamabad not taking action against Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, a US official has said. We have certainly expressed our concern about the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attacks being let out of house arrest in Pakistan. To my knowledge, that has nothing to do with that, State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert told reporters at her daily news conference. Nauert was responding to a question if the suspension of security assistance was related to Hafiz Saeed, the Mumbai attack mastermind who was released by Pakistan on November last year. There is a USD 10 million reward out for information leading to his re-arrest, the person who is the mastermind of the Mumbai attacks who was let go in Pakistan. So weve been very clear about our displeasure with that individual being let go, and thats why we like to remind people that there is a USD 10 million Rewards for Justice program out for him, Nauert said. A senior State Department official told reporters that the US continues to have conversation with Pakistan not only on Haqqani network, and Taliban, but also on India-centric terrorist groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. We cant continue to have a relationship that has a business as usual with Pakistan. This conversation is not new to this administration. There have been concerns about Pakistans issue of sanctuaries for the Haqqani network and the Taliban. But we have concerns about their nuclear programme. We have concerns about the ability of anti-Indian groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish e Mohammed to fundraise and operate, the official who spoke on anonymity said. Also Read | US suspends security assistance to Pak for harbouring terror groups Hafiz Saeed who was recently released from house arrest is among the issues that have been a feature of Americas conversation with Pakistan for many years. This administration felt that we needed to take additional steps to underscore that were not going to be able to continue the relationship on autopilot. We cant continue a status quo relationship. We need to be able to move beyond these challenges and put our relationship on a more solid footing, the official said. Responding to a question, the official disputed the general impression coming out of Pakistan that it will not rearrest Hafiz Saeed as being demanded by the US. I have not seen them say theyre not going to take any of these steps. What the Pakistani government has objected to is our characterisation of the situation on the ground. But I have never heard the Pakistani government say theyre not going to re-arrest Hafiz Saeed or theyre not going to prosecute him, the official said. The Pakistanis have clearly indicated that they are unhappy with the public rhetoric of the Trump administration. Also Read | US puts Pak on 'Special Watch List for violations of religious freedom What I would say to that is we had a number of months where we have had very serious conversations and private discussions with them and have not seen the responsiveness that we need. And at some juncture they knew that we were going to take additional steps if they did not respond to the requests that we made to them, the State Department official said. Appreciating the help of Pakistan in the release of Coleman family, the official said at the same time if there is an ongoing relationship between elements of the security forces in Pakistan and the group that took the Colin Boyle family hostage that is a concern. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Tekanpur (MP): Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said terror infrastructure in Pakistan continue to exist and the neighbouring country is leaving no stone unturned to instigate the youths of Jammu and Kashmir against India. He also asked the country's top police brass to take strong action in cases of riots and desecration of religious places. Addressing the annual conference of the DGPs and IGPs here, Singh said terror infrastructure in the form of training camps, launch pads and communication stations continue to exist in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK). He said the neighbouring country is leaving no stone unturned to provide all help, including finance, to terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and that youths of the state are being instigated against India, sources privy to the home minister's speech said. Singh said Pakistan's encouragement to the separatist anti-India sentiment in Jammu and Kashmir often lead to law and order problems. Highlighting the appointment of a representative for initiating dialogue in Jammu and Kashmir, he said it was a matter of satisfaction that security forces have been successful in tackling the situation in the state to a great extent. The home minister said the violence perpetrated by Naxals have come down to a great extent and assured that the government would encourage the surrender policy for Naxals in the coming days. Referring to the Northeast, Singh said insurgency has come down in the region but camps and hideouts of underground outfits in Myanmar was a matter of concern. The home minister said there has been a slight increase in communal violence in the country and asked the top police officers to take strong action wherever such incidents and desecration of religious sites take place. Singh also talked about growing incidents of cyber crime, use of internet and the social media by anti-social elements to create tension in the society and asked police officers to be vigilant. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the three-day conference tomorrow. The conference of the DGPs and IGPs is an annual affair, where senior police officers of the states and Centre meet and discuss issues. The Modi government has been organising the conference outside the national capital since it came to power in 2014. The last three conferences were held in Guwahati, Rann of Kutch and Hyderabad. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Kolkata: BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvergiya on Friday criticised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her remarks on the National Register of Citizens in Assam, saying it was an insult to the Constitution and the Supreme Court. Banerjee's comment was part of her "sinister political motives", Vijayvergiya charged. He also accused the Trinamool Congress of allowing cross-border infiltration into Bengal just to reap "political benefits" out of it. "The NRC is being updated in Assam after consultation with all stakeholders, communities, political parties and outfits. Such comments are not only an insult to the Constitution and Supreme Court but also against the spirit of the federal structure of our country," Vijayvergiya said in a statement. Addressing a meeting at Ahmedpur on Thursday, Banerjee had accused the BJP-led government at the Centre of "hatching a conspiracy" to drive out Bengalis from Assam by "excluding" their names from the first draft of the NRC published on the December 31 midnight. The NRC of 1951 is being updated in Assam under the supervision of the Supreme Court to identify original residents of the state in order to check illegal migration. Referring to Banerjee's continuous protests against various policies of the Narendra Modi government, Vijayvergiya urged the West Bengal chief minister not to interfere in matters related to other states. "The Assam government is competent enough to protect its citizens. Mamata Banerjee should concentrate on her own state and stop playing politics on each and every issue," he said. The Assam police had yesterday registered an FIR against the West Bengal chief minister on complaints over her allegation that the Centre was conspiring to drive Bengalis out of Assam with the state's NRC, that is being updated. The FIR sparked an angry response from the Trinamool Congress which said, such an action would not stop her from fighting for the cause of the Bengalis while the BJP accused Banerjee of trying to make an "issue out of an non-issue" for reaping political dividends. The BJP government in Assam had condemned Banerjee's statement, saying it was "derogatory, insulting to the people of Assam and against the Constitution as well as the spirit of the Supreme Court. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The Border Security Force (BSF) has launched 'Operation Alert' along the over 200 kilometer long International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir as a major step to thwart the increasing movement of infiltrating terrorists from across the border. "There are inputs that there is movement of militants and accordingly, we have declared 'Ops Alert' on the border," Inspector General of BSF Jammu Frontier, Ram Awatar told reporters in Jammu on Thursday. The BSF gave a military send off by organising Wreath-laying ceremony at Frontier headquarters in Jammu in the honour of the late Head Constable Radha Pada Hazara, who was killed in sniper firing by Pakistan rangers along the IB in Samba sector on Thursday. J&K DGP Dr S P Vaid, IGP Jammu Zone and Dr S D Singh attended the ceremony along with the IG BSF Jammu Ram Awtar and other senior officers and Jawans of BSF. "It is because of that alertness, that they have acted like that (resorting to sniper firing). The moral of the BSF is high and will continue to remain high," the IG said. He said the effort of the BSF was to maintain peace along the border, but Pakistan was always trying to disturb this peace. "It is because of this machination of Pakistan that they on Thursday martyred one jawan by sniping," he said. Giving details of the incident on Thursday, the IG said "this jawan was performing duty at a forward post and there were four to five rounds of fire from Pakistan and one of them hit him". "It was followed by automatic weapon fire. After getting intimation the neighboring mounts retaliated back and solid response was given by the BSF in which Pakistan has suffered large human and property loss", he added. #WATCH Indian Army launched a massive search operation to locate live bombs and IEDs along LoC in Rajouri's Nowshera sector,J&K (Jan 4) pic.twitter.com/xrbnjjYqQX ANI (@ANI) January 5, 2018 J&K: Indian Army launched a massive search operation to locate live bombs and IEDs along LoC in Rajouri's Nowshera sector; Live bombs and IEDs were defused by Indian Army to avert casualties (4.1.18) pic.twitter.com/RUnOXUONYP ANI (@ANI) January 5, 2018 For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Hyderabad : Three persons were on Thursday arrested for allegedly trying to dispose demonetised currency and obtain new notes in exchange. Police added that Rs 1 crore in demonetised notes was recovered from the arrested persons. A police release stated that businessman Kallam Rajesh (45) was unable to exchange the demonetised currency during the time such an exchange window was being operated by the authorities. He then approached another businessman Palamkula Anantha Reddy seeking help in exchanging the demonetised currency, police said. Police said that Rajesh, Reddy and one Ashangari Nagaraju conspired to exchange the old notes for new notes worth 20 per cent of the former's value. "The three persons came to Karkhana area as part of this plan and were arrested today on the basis of specific information," an official said. A case has been registered and further investigations were underway, police added. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Four policemen were killed while one was seriously injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast in Sopore town of Jammu and Kashmirs Baramulla district on Saturday. Militants had planted the IED near a shop in a lane between the Chotta Bazaar and Bada Bazaar in Sopore in Baramulla district, the official said. While three policemen died on the spot, the fourth, who was seriously injured in the blast, succumbed to the injuries later. They were patrolling the area in view of a separatist-sponsored strike there. Three of the four policemen who lost their lives were identified as ASI Irshad, Mohammad Amin and Gh Nabi. The identity of the 4th slain policeman was not immediately known. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said she was "pained" by the incident and expressed her condolences to the families of deceased policemen. Pained to hear that four policeman have been killed in an IED explosion in Sopore. My deepest condolences to their families. Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) January 6, 2018 No group has yet claimed the responsibility of the blast. This was the first major attack on the security forces in the valley in 2018. Five CRPF men were killed on December 31 when heavily armed terrorists carried out a suicide attack on a camp of the paramilitary force in Pulwama in south Kashmir. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Patna: The Bihar Congress on Saturday asserted that Lalu Prasad's conviction in a fodder scam case will not have any impact on the party's ties with the RJD in the state. "The special court's judgement to convict and sentence Lalu Prasad will not have impact on forces fighting for secularism and social justice. Congress-RJD alliance will continue in Bihar," Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee acting president Kaukab Qadri said. The Congress party respects the judicial process and will continue to do so in future, Qadri said in a statement. The RJD chief was today sentenced to three-and-a-half years in jail and fined Rs 10 lakh by a special CBI court in a fodder scam case relating to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from the Deoghar Treasury 21 years ago. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. London: A prominent Sikh group in the UK wants to ban Indian officials from entering Gurudwaras, alleging that they are "interfering" in the internal matters of the Sikh community. "Sikhs in the diaspora are fed up with Indian Government officials and their agents increasingly interfere in our institutions and Sikh affairs, undermining of Sikh campaigns for greater rights and internal matters for the Sikh community," said Bhai Amrik Singh, the Chair of the Sikh Federation (UK). Indian authorities also target Sikhs from the diaspora when they visit India, Singh said, citing the case of UK national Jagtar Singh Johal who was arrested for his alleged role in targeted killings in Punjab. Johal, who got married last month, was apprehended from Jalandhar in connection with the target killing. The draft declaration by the UK's Sikh Federation being considered states that anyone in their personal capacity can pay their respects to the Sikh Holy Scriptures. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: A new study carried out by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and based on the data collected from the Aura satellite claims that a decline in the ozone-depleting chemicals has resulted in a 20 per cent less depletion of the ozone layer since 2005. The study, which is published in Geophysical Research Letters, shows that the depletion of the ozone layer had reduced specifically due to a decline in chlorine levels by 0.8 per cent each year between 2005 and 2016. Susan Strahan, lead author and atmospheric scientist at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Centre, said, We see very clearly that chlorine from [chlorofluorocarbons] is going down in the ozone hole, and that less ozone depletion is occurring because of it. The chlorofluorocarbons, referred by Strahan, are the ozone depleting chemicals that are used in aerosol sprays, blowing agents for foams and packing materials, and refrigerators. The CFCs are broken down into chlorine by the suns ultraviolet rays, thus causing the depletion. The ozone layer hole was first discovered in 1980s and soon enough, the whole world joined in to solve the problem. The Montreal Pact was signed by several nations, which would ultimately ban the CFCs and the chemicals responsible for the depletion of the ozone layer. Also Read: NASA's Juno spacecraft clicks stunning Jupiter image, reveals atmosphere of the gas giant NASAs latest announcement came in November where it said that the layer measured was now smallest since that in 1988. This is very close to what our model predicts we should see for this amount of chlorine decline. This gives us confidence that the decrease in ozone depletion through mid-September shown by data is due to the declining levels of chlorine coming from CFCs, added Strahan. Anne Douglas, co-author and atmospheric scientist at Goddard, said, As far as the ozone hole being gone, were looking at 2060 or 2080. And even then, there might still be a small hole. The ozone layer protects the Earth from the suns ultraviolet radiations which can cause skin cancer and cataracts, supress immune systems and harm plants. For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Pune: The residents of Bhima-Koregaon village, the epicentre of caste violence in Maharashtra, on Friday blamed "outsiders" for the January 1 incidents and claimed there was inadequate security for the mega gathering that preceded the unrest. Sunita Kamble, 'sarpanch' (headman) of Bhima-Koregaon, said all the communities in the village, including Dalits and Marathas, have been living peacefully. The villagers also sought compensation for people who suffered losses in the rioting and vandalism. Earlier this week, the event to mark 200th anniversary of the Bhima-Koregaon battle, in which forces of the British East India Company defeated Peshwa's army, was marred by incidents of violence, in which one person was killed. Right-wing groups were blamed for the violence. Following this, Dalit organisations called for a Maharashtra bandh on January 3 during which normal life was crippled in Mumbai and other parts of the state. The bandh also saw attacks on police personnel and damage to public and private property by protesters. A group of residents of Bhima-Koregaon today organised a press conference and spoke about the entire episode, which has brought simmering caste conflict in the state to the fore. They alleged that "outside" elements unleashed the violence and destroyed and torched their shops and houses. The villagers sought a compensation of Rs 1 crore to the next of the kin of Rahul Phatangale, who was killed during the clashes. Sunita Kamble said, "All the communities in the village, including Dalits and Marathas, have been living peacefully. In the future too, we will continue to live in peace. The unrest in the village was unleashed by some outside elements." Also read: Cops deny permission to Jignesh Mevani-Umar Khalid's event in Mumbai "We appeal for peace and demand that the government pay compensation to the people whose properties such as shops, houses and vehicles were destroyed in the violence," she said. A villager accused the local authorities of "negligence" and said despite knowing that lakhs of people come to Bhima-Koregaon on January 1 every year, they failed to provide adequate security arrangements, which led to the violence. Recalling the ordeal, another resident Vrushali Gavhane claimed women, children and elderly people were attacked by mobs. "In the last three days, we have been facing a lot of issues. There is no water, electricity in the village but unfortunately the government has not taken any cognisance of the situation," Gavhane lamented. Also read: Maharashtra bandh ends after agitation, 1 killed in police baton charge; CM Fadnavis orders probe She alleged that some "outside" people even tried to assault a visually-impaired girl. Every year, villagers help the visitors who come to commemorate the battle of Bhima-Koregaon by facilitating parking places and providing eatables and drinking water to them, Gavhane added. Meanwhile, the villagers resolved to rebuild the 'samadhi' of Govind Gaikwad, a Dalit, in Vadhu Budruk near Bhima-Koregoan which was vandalised by a mob. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday urged members to act responsibly to ensure smooth proceedings and assured them that whatever decision he takes including on the Triple Talaq Bill would be to enhance the image of the House. During a meeting with members of various parties on functioning of the House, the Triple Talaq Bill was discussed and the chairman asked both the opposition and the treasury benches to sort out the issue between them, sources said. Naidu asked the parties to introspect if it is appropriate to cause frequent disruptions and adjournments of the House in order to press their political agenda. The sources said some members have also complained to the chairman that smaller parties are deprived of their chance to raise matters of public importance in the Upper House as the main parties try to push their agenda and cause disruption. Naidu, the sources said, has waived the time limit for moving a proposed amendment by Congress leader Anand Sharma on the Triple Talaq Bill. "Whatever decision I take will be guided by the aim to enhance the image of the House," he told the members, the sources said, adding that he urged the MPs to also follow this principle. The business advisory committee had fixed a time limit of four hours for the debate on the Triple Talaq Bill, but members wanted more time and the chairman said he was open to the idea, the sources said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Capping airfares will push up ticket costs, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said on Friday after a parliamentary panel recommended "fixing an upper limit" for air tickets and restricting cancellation charges to 50 per cent of the base fare. The report by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture noted that "airlines are charging more than ten times of the advance booking fare" and that "deregulatory environment does not mean unlimited freedom of exploitation", while urging the government to intervene. "The Ministry of Civil Aviation, though aware of the rampant exploitation is not showing any proactive role in regulating the airfares. Also read: Chennai-Doha IndiGo flight suffers bird hit after take off, passengers accommodated on different plane "The committee therefore recommends that Ministry of Civil Aviation consider fixing an upper limit of the air ticket for every sector," says the report which was tabled in the Rajya Sabha yesterday. The Aviation Minister told reporters that there were only 1.7 per cent of cases where fares were higher than normal, and putting a cap on them will result in pushing up fares for 98 per cent of the cases. "We did an analyses and we took up ticketing of an entire year and we realised 1.7 per cent of the ticketing was a matter of concern and that was mostly on certain sectors. If we go into floors and caps, we will be pushing up the cost for 98 per cent to reduce the cost for less than 2 per cent," Raju told reporters outside Parliament. Junior aviation minister Jayant Sinha said that dynamic pricing practised by Indian airlines is a global practice. "Dynamic pricing in our country is a global practice and we have not seen that our airlines are doing anything apart from global practices," he said. He added that if anyone had a complaint they could approach the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the Competition Commission of India. The parliamentary panel has said that "pricing mechanisms applicable in the developed countries may not be suitable for India", adding that despite a fall in Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) prices, airlines have not passed on the benefits to the passengers. The report has also highlighted "arbitrary" cancellation charges. "There is no uniformity or minimum standards to impose charges for rescheduling, cancellation and no-show. Attractive offers by private airlines veil the fact that passengers are charged the entire ticket amount if they want to cancel the tickets. "The airlines must be restricted to charging not more than 50 per cent of the base fare as cancellation charges," said the report titled "Issues related to improving consumer satisfaction of airlines". Also read: Air India ties up with foreign banks to acquire 3 B777 planes The committee also points out that often passengers standing in long check-in queues miss their flights and are forced to book afresh at exorbitant rates. Therefore, it suggested, that airlines must depute additional staff at counters to ensure passengers do not spend more than 10 minutes in a queue. The panel made a slew of other recommendations including improving the quality of food served onboard, monetary compensation for unservicable seats as well as cleaner toilets at airports. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Mumbai: Flying embers from illegal hookah being served at Mojo's Bistro was the probable cause of the massive fire in the Kamala Mills compound that claimed 14 lives on December 29, as per the preliminary investigation report by the Mumbai fire brigade. The fire probably started at Mojo's and spread to the adjacent rooftop pub "1 Above", the report indicates. Most of the victims were trapped in the toilet of the pub and died of suffocation, the police had said earlier. "It was revealed from most of the eyewitnesses that hookah was served at Mojo's restaurant at the time of fire. There is every possibility that during removal of lighted charcoal from the segree (stove) and or transferring it into Hookah or during the fanning of the charcoal the flying burning embers came in contact with the combustible curtains/decorative material nearby and started the fire," the report stated. The report has clarified that none of the two restaurants -- Mojo's and 1 Above -- had permissions to serve liquor and hookah but still they served them. Although there was an emergency exit, the pub staff seemed to be unaware of it, it said. Beer kegs near the exit path also blocked the escape and the kegs eventually exploded and escalated the fire, the report said. Use of bamboo and cloth to make the roof led to the quick spreading of the fire, while wind velocity and direction were the major contributors too, it said. Mumbai municipal commissioner Ajoy Mehta said the action against illegal alterations and constructions at commercial establishments will continue. "We will start taking action across the city against all commercial restaurants and pubs and those who have illegal alterations. They have respite for 15 days so that they have time to remove the illegal constructions on their own without damaging their reputation," he said. Ranchi: Even in the midst of proceedings to decide the quantum of sentence in a fodder scam involving RJD chief Lalu Prasad, the leader did not miss to crack a funny when he told the judge that it was very cold in jail to which the judge replied play tabla. A special court earlier deferred the sentencing of Prasad in the fodder scam case till Friday when it is likely to decide whether to pronounce the quantum of punishment over video conference or in court. Prasad, known for his funny liners, said in the court, It is very cold here (in jail). CBI Special Court Judge Shiv Pal Singh, hearing the case, was quick to reply, Then, play tabla (musical instrument). During the course of proceedings in the packed court room, the judge told Prasad that he had read the latters record and had vigilance remained tight, such a thing (fodder scam) would not have happened. The judge further commented that the RJD chief did not act promptly on which Prasad in his characteristic style said I am also an advocate. Prasad is an LLB from Patna University. The judge also informed Prasad about the contempt notices to RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, Prasads son and former Bihar deputy chief minister Tejaswi Yadav, Congress leader Manish Tiwari and RJD leader Shivanand Tiwari. On this, the RJD chief requested him to drop the notices. Before being taken away from the court room, Prasad urged the judge to think with a cool mind. When the judge said he could opt for video conferencing for hearing on arguments on the quantum of sentence on Friday, Prasad requested for personal appearance. The judge said he would decide on Friday about it. The fodder scam relates to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from Deoghar treasury 21 years ago. While the sentencing of Prasad was deferred for tomorrow, the arguments on quantum of sentence of IAS officer Beck Julius, political leader Jagdish Sharma, former treasury officer Krishna Kumar Prasad, fodder transporter/suppliers Gopinath Das and Jyoti Kumar Jha, ended on Thursday. On a plea by three former IAS officers---Beck Julius, Phoolchand Singh and Mahesh Prasad----the court directed to lodge them in the higher division of Birsa Munda jail where RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav is given. In all, 16 persons along with Yadav were convicted in the case on December 23 while six others, including former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra, were acquitted in the case. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Washington: There is a very high level of tension in Pakistan between the elements of the civilian government and the military which complicates the US' ability to have an effective dialogue with the country over combating terrorism, a senior American official said. The remarks by the Trump administration official came as the US stepped up efforts to put pressure on Pakistan to take decisive action against the Taliban and the Haqqani network. The US, the official said, will continue to engage with both the military and the civilian leadership and be clear and consistent about the things that it is looking for and about how it wants to work with Islamabad. "Pakistan right now is in a state of flux as we're looking at new elections maybe in six seven months' time. There is certainly a high level of tension between the military and many of the civilian elements. So, it does complicate our ability to have an effective dialogue," said the official on condition of anonymity. The official said it was important for the civilians and military leadership to work together to deal with extremist groups. "We recognise there are civil military tensions which complicate our ability, but we engage with both civilian and military leaders. We make our requests very clear to both institutions," said the White House official. "We are simply seeking to convince the Pakistanis to change their policies toward the Taliban and the Haqqani network and to cooperate more fully with us in our Afghanistan strategy. We're not you know evaluating the internal political situation," the official said. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Lucknow: Terming the Centre and Maharashtra government of being "casteist" in nature, BSP chief Mayawati on Saturday accused the latter of trying to save the two main accused in the violence that took place at Bhima-Koregaon near Pune in which one person was killed. Milind Ekbote of Samast Hindu Aghadi and Sambhaji Bhide, the founder of Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan, were booked under relevant sections of SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for allegedly "orchestrating" the violence at the anniversary celebrations of the battle fought 200 years ago in Bhima- Koregaon. In a statement here today, Mayawati said, "Non-acceptance of holding a discussion on Bhima-Koregaon incident in the Rajya Sabha (as demanded by the BSP), shows the casteist attitude of the both the Centre and Maharashtra government." "If the Maharashtra government failed in giving protection to the Dalits, the Centre failed to fix responsibility," she said. The BSP supremo also claimed that despite an FIR registered against the two leaders, no arrests have been made so far. "This proves that the BJP government in Maharashtra is trying to save the culprits," she said. Mayawati claimed that people in Gujarat have given a befitting reply to the BJP in the recently-concluded Assembly elections, and the people in Maharashtra too are fed-up with their government. "This will not stop here, as under the BJP governments, atrocities against Dalits, poor and backward castes are continuing," she said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday expressed concern over reports that Aadhar cards were easily available from fictitious agencies and asked the people to be more alert to prevent theft of data and violation of privacy. Banerjee in a Facebook post said she has been voicing her serious concern over the violation of privacy due to Aadhar from the very beginning and had urged to ensure a "foolproof mechanism" to ensure security of data. She said a section of the press has reported that Aadhar cards are now easily available from fictitious agencies upon payment of small amounts. "If this is true, then this is a huge infringement of individual privacy and data security," she said in her post. "I would like to request all citizens of the country to be more alert and cautious to prevent data theft and violation of privacy," she added. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Mumbai: Police have booked the owners of Mojo's Bistro for culpable homicide not amounting to murder in connection with last month's massive fire in Kamala Mills compound, a day after a probe revealed that the blaze started from the high-end pub. On Friday, a report by the Mumbai fire department stated that flying embers from illegal hookah being served at Mojo's Bistro was the probable cause of the deadly blaze, which claimed 14 lives on December 29. "On basis of the report by the fire bridge, we have booked owners of Mojo's Bistro pub for culpable homicide," Deputy Commissioner of Police and spokesperson of Mumbai Police Sachin Patil told PTI. A senior police official gave the names of Mojo's Bistro pub owners as Yug K Pathak and Nagpur-based businessman Yug Tulli. Yug Pathak's statement was recorded last week, he said. Additional Commissioner of Police (Central Region) S Jaykumar said the owners were booked under IPC sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), 338(causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) in the same case registered on December 29. Earlier, the police had booked owners of '1 Above' pub, Hitesh Sanghvi and Jigar Sanghvi, co-owner Abhijeet Manka and others on various charges, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Yesterday, the police had announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for providing information about Jignesh Sanghvi, Kripesh Sanghvi and Abhijeet Mankar, who are absconding. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Mumbai: State Bank of India (SBI) on Friday said it is looking at revising minimum balance amount and penalty charges in the wake of all-round criticism for raking in a windfall profit of over Rs 1,771 crore from customers in penalty for non-maintenance of monthly average balances in their savings accounts. The country's largest lender which has over 402 million savings account holders had reintroduced monthly average balance (MAB) charges from April 2017 after a gap of five years. Accordingly, the bank demands Rs 5,000 in MAB in metros and Rs 1,000 in rural accounts, failing which it charges a penalty. As a result, between April and November 2017, the bank had netted a windfall of Rs 1,771.67 crore, which is more than its second-quarter profit, as penalties from customers for non-maintenance of MAB, finance ministry data showed. "A review of the monthly average balance is something we've been looking at continuously since we had brought it back in April and we have already brought it down in October a bit. Now we are in the process of reviewing it again," MD for retail and digital banking PK Gupta told reporters here on Friday. He said the bank is doing a comprehensive review of the MAB and penalty for non-maintenance of the same, based on the feedback it has received and will soon announce it. Currently, the bank has a MAB of Rs 3,000 for the metro and urban accounts and the non-maintenance penalty varies Rs 30-50 plus taxes. For semi-urban and rural branches, the amount is fixed at Rs 2,000 and Rs 1,000, respectively and the penalty for non-maintenance is in the range of Rs 20-40 plus taxes. SBI has close to 40.5 crore saving bank account customers. SBI had reintroduced monthly average charges from April 1, 2017, but had to revise downwards the penalties for non-maintenance of the minimum balance from October 1, after facing a backlash from customers. While between April and October, the MAB was Rs 5,000 for metro accounts which was brought down to Rs 3,000 per account. The penalty was also reduced from Rs 50-100 to Rs 20 -40, plus taxes. The bank recently said on an average balance of Rs 3,000 in the metros, SBI earned only Rs 6 a month whereas for a minimum balance of Rs 1,000 in rural, it earned on Rs 2 per month which is meagre compared to the services offered and the corresponding costs incurred by the bank (free cheque books, 8 free ATM transactions, free branch transactions). The bank had said savings bank accounts such as Prime Minister's Jan Dhan Yojana, small accounts and basic savings bank deposit accounts, pensioners, minors and all social beneficiary accounts are exempted from MAB requirement and no charges ever have been recovered. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Chennai: After a hunt of 24 years, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) claims to have arrested the alleged key accused involved in the bombing of RSS Tamil Nadu headquarter in 1993 from Chennai outskirts on Friday. The arrested person has been identified as Mushtaq Ahmed. CBI said he is member of Ul-Ummah, a banned terrorist organisation based in Tamil Nadu. CBI spokesperson Abhishek Dayal said, Ahmed was arrested on Friday morning from outskirts of Chennai. He had managed to evade arrest for 24 years. Members of Ul-Ummah had triggered a RDX bomb at the multi-storeyed RSS office at Chetput in Chennai on August 8, 1993. Eleven people were killed in the blast. The agency has been in hunt for Ahmed, 56, after his name erupted in the case during their initial days of investigation. The CBI had announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh on him. Also read| Virendra Dixit ashram: CBI registers 3 cases According to CBI, Ahmed had allegedly procured explosive materials for assembling bombs and provided shelter to other accused persons. The investigative agency increased its pace to nab Ahmed after Chennai TADA court convicted and awarded life term to 11 persons. The court had earlier in 2007 had announced life term for three in 2007. CBI was entrusted with the probe in 1993 and it filed charge sheet against 18 persons. Also read: Special CBI Court to pronounce quantum of sentence for Lalu Yadav in Fodder scam case today After the trial in 2007, the special court had acquitted four persons, including SA Basha, founder of the banned al-Ummah for lack of evidence against them. New Delhi: The police today arrested Yug Pathak, the son of a retired IPS officer and one of the owners of the Mojos Bistro pub, in connection with the deadly fire at the Kamala Mills compound here on December 29, which had claimed 14 lives. Officials from the N M Joshi Marg police station arrested Pathak, the son of retired director general of police and former Pune police commissioner K K Pathak, the police said. Yesterday, the Mumbai Fire Brigade, in its preliminary probe report on the fire, which had engulfed Mojos Bistro and the adjacent 1 Above pub at the Kamala Mills compound in Lower Parel on December 29, had said the fire possibly started at Mojos Bistro due to the flying embers from a hookah. The police today booked Pathak and his partner, Nagpur-based businessman Yug Tulli, under IPC sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life and personal safety of others) and other relevant provisions. The police had recorded Pathaks statement in the case earlier. The names of Pathak and Tulli were added to the FIR, which was lodged on December 29 against the owners of 1 AboveKripesh Sanghavi, Jigar Sanghavi and Abhijeet Mankar -- said a police official. As of now, we have arrested Pathak, while his partner Tulli has been summoned as he is also wanted in the case, senior police inspector, attached to the N M Joshi Marg police station, Ahmed Pathan said. We will produce Pathak before a court soon, he added. Earlier, the police had arrested two managers of 1 Above in connection with the fire. The police have also announced a reward of Rs one lakh for any information about the three pub owners, who are on the run. New Delhi: Shortly after the special CBI court pronounced verdict in the fodder scam case, RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Saturday said that rather than practicing BJPs rule, he would die for social justice. Rather than practising BJPs Simple Rule - Follow us or We will Fix you. I will die happily fixing myself for Social justice, harmony & equality, Lalu tweeted after he was sentenced to 3.5 years in jail and was slapped with Rs 5 lakh fine in the fodder scam case. Ahead of the sentencing, RJD in a media briefing accused the BJP and Nitish Kumar of conspiring against Lalu. If Lalu had compromised with BJP, he would be the most truthful person for them like Raja Harishchandra. It is clear that the BJP-RSS combine is scared of Lalu even while he is in jail and is doing all that it can to silence his voice, RJD chiefs son Tejashwi said while addressing reporters. The court had convicted Prasad for offences of cheating, along with criminal conspiracy, under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption Act. The scam is related to withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from the Deogarh Treasury between 1990 and 1994 when Prasad was the chief minister of Bihar. The 69-year-old RJD supremo, in a written plea yesterday, had sought leniency from the CBI court citing illness and old age, according to his counsel Chittaranjan Prasad. The RJD went into a huddle immediately after the pronouncement of the sentence. RJD sources said that the party would appeal against the verdict. This is the second fodder scam case in which Prasad has been jailed. He was sent to prison for five years on September 30, 2013. Prasad was granted bail by the Supreme Court after having spent over two-and-a-half months in jail. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has paved the way for holding proceedings in a trial court in a defamation case filed by a journalist against a media house for publishing controversial tapped conversations of former lobbyist Niira Radia with politicians, corporates and scribes in connection with the alleged 2G spectrum allocation scam. The proceedings in the trial court were adjourned sine die as the special CBI court was holding the trial of the cases arising out of the alleged 2G scam which was decided on December 21, 2017, acquitting all the accused. The high court directed that the defamation case be listed before the magistrate concerned on February 3 and added that as the proceedings have remained stayed for over three years, the trial court is directed to expedite the matter and preferably conclude it within one year. The tapes of the controversial conversations were in the custody of the Supreme Court during the pendency of the trial and the media house had said that without producing the original tapes, it would not be in a position to defend itself in the defamation case. Accordingly, a magistrate's court in June 2014 had adjourned the proceedings sine die. The journalist, whose alleged conversation with Radia was also published by the news magazine, had challenged the order of the magistrate's court adjourning sine die the hearing in the defamation case filed by him. Taking note of the December 21 judgement of the trial court in the 2G cases, Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva said since there has been a change in the circumstances which earlier prevented the media house from accessing the tapes, the magistrate's court order adjourning sine die the defamation case filed by journalist Vir Sanghvi needed to be recalled. "In view of the above facts and the changed circumstance that the 2G scam case has culminated in a judgement, in my view, the order adjourning the complaint case filed by Sanghvi sine die needs to be recalled. Accordingly, the impugned order of June 30, 2014 is set aside," Justice Sachdeva said. In terms of the orders of the Supreme Court, the original recordings were kept under lock and key of its Secretary General during pendency of the 2G case. The media house had published the story on November 29, 2010 purportedly extracting certain tapped conversation allegedly between him and other individuals. The high court was informed by Sanghvi's counsel that as per the apex court's February 10, 2011 order, copies of the recordings, kept sealed under lock and key, were made available to the CBI and the Income Tax Department and could be summoned by the media house in their defence. The high court said that if the media house, in its defence, wishes to summon, produce or to prove the recorded conversation contained in the tapes, it would be open to them to summon it from the CBI or the Income Tax authorities, which have been made available copies of the recording by the apex court's order. "For which purpose, the media house would be at liberty to make an application to the trial court at the appropriate stage. "In case there is any impediment in the media house seeking production of the recordings from the CBI or the Income Tax authorities, it would be open to the media house to approach the Supreme Court for appropriate directions," it said. The journalist had filed the complaint case against the media house claiming that the extracted conversation was not correct and the alleged tape recordings, relied on by it and also made available on its website, were doctored and tampered. He had contended that the imputations made in the story were false and defamatory. The counsel for the media house had contended before the high court that as per law, truth is a defence to an allegation of defamation. To establish that the published conversation was the correct transcript of what is contained in the tapes, it would be necessary for the media house to summon and prove before the trial court the original of the tape recordings, the counsel said. The issue of Radia tapes had reached the apex court when two petitions were filed before it. The conversations were recorded as part of surveillance of Radia's phone on a complaint to the then finance minister on November 16, 2007 alleging that within a span of nine years, she had built up a business empire worth Rs 300 crore. One was filed by former Tata Sons Ltd chairman Ratan Tata claiming that some of these conversations, being private in nature, should not be allowed to be made public. The other petition, filed by NGO Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL), had sought that these transcripts be made public in larger public interest. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency probing the 'Kerala Love-Jihad' case on Friday decided to interrogate "some accused" jailed in connection with an Islamic State (IS) module case in the state. NIA sources said "some accused" in the 'Kanakamala IS module case' knew Shafin Jahan, a Muslim man facing probe into his marriage with Hadiya, a Kerala woman at the centre of the alleged love-jihad case. The sources said they had communicated with Jahan so that the probe agency has "to speak to them to verify true facts." The NIA's Kochi unit had earlier filed two charge sheets before the NIA special court in Kochi against eight people from Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the case relating to a secret meeting by the Kerala-based IS module (Omar Al-Hindi ISIS module) at Kanakamala in Kannur. The NIA had last month questioned Jahan, after the Supreme Court gave its nod to it to continue its probe into his marriage with Hadiya and her conversion. Also read: Hadiya's father to move SC against Salem college for allowing her to speak to husband Their marriage was annulled by the Kerala High Court in December 2016 after her father alleged that his daughter was being indoctrinated and may be taken to Islamic State territories in Iraq and Syria by extremist Islamic outfits. The Supreme Court in November last year had allowed Hadiya, who was placed under her parents custody since her marriage was annulled by the High Court, to resume her studies at a homeopathy college in Tamil Nadu?s Salem district. Born as Akhila, she converted to Islam and changed her name to Hadiya before marrying Jahan. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Mumbai: The Congress party in the state on Saturday demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on moral grounds for failing to prevent the violence that occurred at Bhima-Koregaon near Pune on January 1. "The state government failed to prevent this incident. We discussed the chain of events leading to the violence and how the government had failed to take precautionary steps," Congress' state chief Ashok Chavan said on Saturday. Demanding Fadnavis' resignation, Chavan added that all leaders of the Congress in the state were unanimous that the violence was a failure of the state machinery. Chavan alleged that attempts to stoke caste tensions in the state have been going on for the past three years in connivance with the government. He claimed that the government was not taking action against those involved. Informing about the party's plan to have district-wise shibirs (camps), Chavan said that the party wanted newly-elected chief Rahul Gandhi to address meetings in the state. He added that Gandhi might visit Western Maharashtra soon. Chavan also accused the government of "going soft" on investigations in the Kamala mill compound fire which claimed 14 lives. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. San Diego: The Trump administration has proposed spending USD 18 billion over 10 years to significantly extend the border wall with Mexico, providing one of its most detailed blueprints of how the president hopes to carry out a signature campaign pledge. The proposal by Customs and Border Protection calls for 316 miles (505 kilometres) of an additional barrier by September 2027, bringing total coverage to 970 miles (1,552 kilometres), or nearly half the border, according to a US official with direct knowledge of the matter. It also calls for 407 miles (651 kilometres) of replacement or secondary fencing, said the official, who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the plan has not been made public. Trump has promised "a big, beautiful wall" with Mexico as a centerpiece of his presidency but offered few details of where it would be built, when and at what cost. His administration asked for USD 1.6 billion this year to build or replace 74 miles (118 kilometres) of fencing in Texas and California, and officials have said they also will seek USD 1.6 billion next year. The 10-year plan, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, resulted from discussions with senators who asked the agency what it would take to secure the border, the official said. It comes as the administration intensifies negotiations in Congress on a package that may include granting legal status to about 800,000 people who were temporarily shielded from deportation under an Obama-era program, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. Trump said last year that he was ending DACA but gave Congress until March to deliver a legislative fix. The plan on border security came in response to a request by US Sen Jeff Flake, said Jason Samuels, a spokesman for the Arizona Republican. An administration official confirmed the document was prepared at the request of congressional negotiators and said funding for the wall and other security measures must be part of any legislative package on immigration. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the plan has not been made public. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the wall would be "first and foremost" in any package that includes new protections for DACA recipients. She also said the administration wanted to close "loopholes" on issues that include handling asylum claims and local police working with immigration authorities. Nielsen called the $3.2 billion requests for fencing during the administration's first two years a down payment. "This is not going to get us the whole wall we need, but it's a start," she said. Mexico has steadfastly rejected Trump's demand that it pay for the wall and few doubt that U.S. taxpayers will foot the bill if the wall is built. The Customs and Border Protection document calls for a total of USD 33 billion in new border spending, including USD 18 billion for the wall, USD 5.7 billion for technology gear, USD 1 billion for road construction and maintenance and USD 8.5 billion for 5,000 new Border Patrol agents, 2,500 border inspectors and other personnel, the US official said. The document doesn't specify where the extended wall should be built. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Karur/Chennai: Taking a tough stand, the Tamil Nadu government on Saturday asked agitating transport workers to resume work by tomorrow or face departmental action as the indefinite strike by some transport unions over wage-related issues entered the third day. State Transport Minister M R Vijayabaskar said many staff have returned to work today and expressed confidence that normal operations could resume tomorrow. "Many have returned today. We believe (more of them) will come tomorrow also. If not, departmental action will be initiated as per law," he told reporters in Karur. The minister claimed that despite the stir, 80 per cent buses were running in the state. "Many are getting back to work today considering the wage revision offered by us, besides respecting the High Court directive in this regard yesterday," he said. Reacting to the governments warning, M Shanmugam, the General Secretary of DMK-backed Labour Progressive Federation), said, "We know how to face them, we have faced them (in the past)." "We are not going to withdraw the strike till our problems end," he told reporters in Chennai after a consultative meeting with other trade unions. Shanmugam said it has been decided that various central trade unions such as CITU and AITUC will stage state-wide protests on January 8 in support of the striking transport workers. About some transport divisions reportedly issuing notices to their employees on the strike seeking their response, he said "such action is normal" during protests like these. "We will not budge. The strike will continue. The 2.57 factor (a wage determination technique) is our demand and talks should be held for that," he said. He also took exception to deploying temporary drivers for transporting passengers, saying there was a risk of accidents in this. Meanwhile, the Opposition DMK once again urged the government to hold talks with the trade unions and end the impasse. DMK Working President and Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly M K Stalin spoke to Chief Minister K Palaniswami over the phone and urged the government to hold talks with the trade unions to end the stalemate. Buses were being operated in some parts of the state with temporary drivers and conductors. In Coimbatore, Tirupur, Nilgiris and Salem districts, a majority of the buses stayed off roads. Some government buses, operated by staff affiliated to the ruling AIADMK, were operational. A similar situation prevailed in Erode district, where authorities appointed temporary drivers and operated some buses. The transport department had earlier invited those with valid driving license to approach the local depots for this purpose. A majority of the people continued to rely on trains, autorickshaws and private buses for their daily commute. Meanwhile, the Southern Railway, in an official release, said, "It is decided to operate weekday services instead of weekend reduced services in Chennai Beach-Tambaram and MRTS suburban sector to accommodate extra rush in view of the strike." Tomorrow, the frequency of local trains will be every 10 minutes on Chennai Beach-Tambaram section, instead of every 20 minutes, and a train every 15 minutes on MRTS section instead of every 20 minutes, it said. Suburban services will also operate normally on Chennai Central (Moore Market Complex)-Gummidipundi/Sullurupetta, Chennai-Beach-Tambaram/Chengalpattu sections and Chennai Beach-Velachery MRTS, today and tomorrow, the release said. As many as 17 trade unions had launched an indefinite strike since Thursday night, with scores of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) joining the protest. The striking unions want the factor for wage revision to be fixed at 2.57 times while government insisted it be 2.44. Yesterday, the Madras High Court had issued an interim order restraining the employees from striking work. Later, the government also issued an ultimatum, asking the workers to return to work, else it will not hesitate to take action as per law. The trade unions had, however, said their agitation would continue till their demands on wage revision were met by the state government. The unions, including DMK-affiliated LPF and CITU, rejected the state governments ultimatum to return to work or face "consequences" and also claimed they had not received the court order. New Delhi: In what is being viewed as a panic reaction to US President Donald Trumps New Year tweet, Pakistan government on Saturday said those providing funds to the banned groups, including the charities run by Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, will face up to 10 years in prison along with a hefty fine and their properties can also be confiscated. Pakistani newspapers on Saturday carried advertisements listing 72 groups, including Jamat-ud-Dawa, Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Jaish-e-Muhammed banning aid to them. It said that according to Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997 of Pakistan and under UN Security Council Act of 1948 it was a crime to provide funding to those groups which have been banned or are on the watchlist. Those giving funds to such individuals or groups may face "five to 10 years in jail or up to Rs 10 million fine or both", it said. Their movable or immovable property can also be confiscated. Pakistan has banned Hafiz Saeed-led Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF) from collecting donations after President Trump accused Islamabad of giving nothing to the US but "lies and deceit" and providing "safe haven" to terrorists. The advertisement reminds the people that they should make sure that their money given as charity does not end up in wrong hands. The US, at the direction of President Trump had on Saturday suspended about USD 2 billion in security aid to Pakistan for failing to clamp down on the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network terror groups and dismantle their safe havens. Trump is reportedly annoyed at Pakistan's inaction on terror groups. The US had said that the assistance would be resumed only after Pakistan took "decisive action" against terror groups it had long nurtured and harboured. Earlier on January 1, President Trump had tweeted, "The US has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid... and they have given us nothing but lies and deceit... No more!" (With Agency inputs) For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Washington: The US has placed Pakistan on a 'Special Watch List' for "severe violations" of religious freedom, the State Department on Thursday said, making it the only country to be put under the newly-formed list. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced re-designation of 10 countries as 'Countries of Particular Concern' (CPC). "The secretary also placed Pakistan on a Special Watch List for severe violations of religious freedom," State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said. This is for the first time, that the State Department announced its 'Special Watch List', a new category created by the Frank R Wolf International Religious Freedom Act of 2016. The department placed only Pakistan on this list. The Special Watch List is for countries that engage in or tolerate severe violations of religious freedom but may not rise to the level of the CPC. In far too many places around the globe, people continue to be persecuted, unjustly prosecuted, or imprisoned for exercising their right to freedom of religion or belief, Nauert said in a statement. "Today, a number of governments infringe upon individuals' ability to adopt, change, or renounce their religion or belief, worship in accordance with their religion or beliefs, or be free from coercion to practice a particular religion or belief," she said. In accordance with the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, she said Secretary of State annually designates governments that have engaged in or tolerated systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom as 'Countries of Particular Concern'. "Today, the Department of State announces that the Secretary of State re-designated Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan as Countries of Particular Concern on December 22, 2017," she said. Noting that the protection of religious freedom is vital to peace, stability, and prosperity, Nauert said these designations are aimed at improving the respect for religious freedom in these countries. "We recognise that several designated countries are working to improve their respect for religious freedom; we welcome these initiatives and look forward to continued dialogue," Nauert said. The US remains committed to working with governments, civil society organisations, and religious leaders to advance religious freedom around the world, she added. Also Read: US not enjoying dealing with Pakistan, ties have drifted over the years, says Rex Tillerson The US Commission for International Religious Freedom which has been seeking to designate Pakistan as CPS however expressed its disappointment with the decision of Tillerson in this regard. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom has been advocating for designating Pakistan as a CPC since 2002. It has argued that the government of Pakistan continues "to perpetrate and tolerate systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations. Religiously discriminatory constitutional provisions and legislation, such as the country's blasphemy and anti-Ahmadiyya laws, continue to result in prosecutions and imprisonments". "Pakistan continues to harass its religious minorities, has state-sanctioned discrimination against groups such as the Ahmadis, and tolerates extra-judicial violence in the guise of opposing blasphemy," USCIRF Chairman Daniel Mark said. Also Read: US ready for talks with North Korea without preconditions: Rex Tillerson "As USCIRF has said for many years, Pakistan should be designated by the State Department as a CPC. Given the strong stance that President Trump has taken on Pakistan recently, the failure to designate Pakistan as a CPC this year comes as a surprise and disappointment," Mark said. In November, Congressmen Randy Hultgren and James P McGovern, Co-Chairs of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, in a letter to Tillerson had urged him to designate Pakistan as CPC alleging it has engaged in systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom. In a report last year, the Pew Research Center determined that over an eight-year period Pakistan is one of a small group of countries that "stand out as having the most restrictions on religion...when both government restrictions and religious hostilities are taken into account". For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley after CSO projected Indias GDP growth at a four-year low of 6.5 per cent in 2017-18. Rahul Gandhi, who had coined terms like Gabbar Singh Tax for GST and Fake in India for Make in India, came up with one more, 'Gross Divisive Politics' to describe Modi's GDP. Rahul, sharing a link of GDP projection story in his tweet said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's "genius" and Modi's "Gross Divisive Politics" has severely dented India's economy. FM Jaitleys genius combines Mr Modis Gross Divisive Politics (GDP) to give India: New Investments at 13-year low, Bank credit Growth at 63-year low, Job creation at 8-year low, Agriculture GVA growth at 1.7% low, while Fiscal Deficit rose to 8-year high and the number of Stalled Projects also went up, said the Congress President in his tweet. FM Jaitleys genius combines with Mr Modis Gross Divisive Politics (GDP) to give India: New Investments: 13 year Bank credit Growth: 63 year Job creation: 8 year Agriculture GVA growth: 1.7% Fiscal Deficit: 8 year Stalled Projects https://t.co/bZdPnREYiE Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) January 6, 2018 Rahul Gandhis tweet came a day after the Central Statistics Office (CSO) projected India's GDP growth at four-year low of 6.5 per cent in 2017-18. Read More: India's GDP growth expected at four-year low of 6.5% in 2017-18 "The growth in GDP during 2017-18 is estimated at 6.5 per cent as compared to the growth rate of 7.1 per cent in 2016- 17," said the Central Statistics Office (CSO) while announcing the first advance estimates of National Income 2017-18. It was 7.5 per cent in 2014, the year Narendra Modi-led NDA government had assumed office. The growth of real Gross Value Added (GVA) in 2017-18 is anticipated at 6.1 per cent as against 6.6 per cent in the previous year. PM Modis sudden demonetisation move and unplanned tax reform GST have affected Economic activities. Rahul Gandhi has been overtly critical of Prime Ministers note ban move and implementation of the Good and Services Tax (GST). Earlier last year, Rahul had said that Modi destroyed Indias economy with two torpedoes note ban and GST. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Hyderabad : Police on Friday said that three naxals, including a woman, were apprehended from Eurnagaram area of Jayashankar Bhupalapally district in Telangana. Police said that 29-year-old Madvi Pande alias Susheela alias Laxmi was the "protection platoon commander" of Katakam Sudharshan, a member of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist). She was caught while returning from Mulugu village after getting treatment for an injury she sustained recently, police said. A police release said that she had participated in several offences in Chhattisgarh and Telangana. Maoist literature and Rs 35,000 in cash was recovered from the rebels, police said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The government on Friday informed parliament that a report in Lancet Global Health Medical Journal states that there were around 1.56 crore abortions in India in 2015, but the study is not representative of the entire country. "A report published in Lancet Global Health Medical Journal mentions about 1.56 crore abortions took place across India in 2015. The study is based on a sample of six states and is not representative of the country," Minister of State for Health Ashwani Kumar Choubey told the Lok Sabha. He said the government provides safe and comprehensive abortion care services to women in healthcare facilities. Also read: Shocking! 2015 witnessed 15.6 million abortions in India, majority women took pills at home without adequate counselling "There are various reasons for unsafe abortions like confidentiality, stigma, need for anonymity, provider bias, self-medication. Disaggregated data on various methods of abortion is unavailable," the minister said. National Health Mission provides support to the states for provision of services for comprehensive abortion. Guidelines on Comprehensive Abortion Care services and Medical Methods of Abortions have been provided to all states to facilitate implementation of these services, Choubey said. Aditya was born on this day i.e. 13th June, 1990 at Rashmi Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray's house in Bombay. He has a younger brother named Tejas. He completed his schooling at Bombay Scottish School, Mahim, Mumbai. Aditya Thackeray later earned a BA history degree while studying at St Xavier's College in Mumbai. He received a law degree from KC Law College, Mumbai, where he earned an LLB degree. A few years ago, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray's son and Youth Sena chief Aditya Thackeray had expressed his candid opinion on the alliance with BJP, India's relationship with Pakistan, education, corruption and the party's agenda. On the question of banning Pak artists, Aditya said that artists should be banned till the relationship improves. Those with whom the firing is going on cannot be danced and sung. He said shiv sena is with BJP for ideology but BJP's entire agenda is not valid for his party. Aditya advocated the abolition of donations in admissions for education. On corruption, the Youth Army Chief said that no country or state can be completely free from it. See if action is being taken against him on receipt of a complaint of corruption. Aditya praised the BMC and said that there is no municipal corporation across the country which has provided education in six languages, BMC has its own dam and operates 4,000 buses on 400 routes. Delhi-UP to receive rain today, Uttarakhand on heavy rain alert Latest updates: Petrol and diesel prices hiked for the second consecutive day India improves condition! 84000 cases reported in last 24 hours On a three-day visit, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived in Kenya on Saturday. He will hold several meetings aimed to strengthen India's relations with the major East African country. Jaishankar was received by Ababu-Namwamba, the Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) for Foreign Affairs, Republic of Kenya, on his arrival here. He will chair, along with his Kenyan counterpart, the 3rd meeting of the India-Kenya Joint Commission meeting which will review all aspects of the bilateral relationship. Jaishankar will also meet with other ministers of the Kenyan government to take forward the India-Kenya relationship. 'He will hold a series of meetings meant to strengthen relations with Kenya, starting with a meeting with CS @ForeignOfficeKE Amb Raychelle Omamo today (Saturday), the Indian High Commission wrote in Twitter. ''The development partnership is an important aspect of the relationship between the two countries which the visit will seek to deepen,'' the Ministry of External Affairs said in New Delhi ahead of the visit. The minister will also interact with the thriving Indian-origin community, an important bridge between the two countries. India and Kenya are currently serving in the United Nations Security Council. They are also members of the Commonwealth. Kenya is an active member of the African Union, with which India has longstanding ties. Welcome to the Most Remote Islands in the World Iran Regains Right to Vote in UN Assembly After paying of USD 16 Million Debt AstraZeneca vaccine: Italy halts the use of AstraZenecas vax in those under 60-age Actor Liam Hemsworth and model Gabriella Brooks took their relationship to the next level by making their first appearance as a couple at the Gold Dinner 2021, held at Sydney Airport in Australia. Hemsworth shared a photo of himself, Brooks, his brother Chris Hemsworth along with Chris's wife Elsa Pataky and Matt Damon's wife, Luciana Barroso, in attendance at the Gold Dinner 2021. "Fantastic night raising much needed funds and awareness for one of the most important and challenging issues, children's mental health," Liam wrote in the caption. He added, "Thank you @itsmondotcom for hosting the evening and all you do for the Sydney children's hospital @sydney_kids #golddinner." The group could be seen dressed to the nines with the Hemsworth brothers donning suits while Pataky wore a bejeweled white dress, and Brooks and Barroso wore stunning black dresses. The post may come as a surprise to many fans of the stars, who've kept their relationship very private over the years. Hemsworth and Brooks were first spotted together in December 2019 at a brunch with the actor's parents, Craig and Leonie, in Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia. Since then, the two have been spotted out together frequently, kissing on a beach in their home country, enjoying casual Malibu dates during a trip back to America, and spending quiet nights at home playing Scrabble games while staying indoors amid the coronavirus pandemic. Late last summer, they were photographed enjoying a hike to the Byron Bay Lighthouse, walking barefoot as they headed toward their destination. "Liam and Gabriella have spent a lot of time in Australia together," Riz Ahmed slams Hollywood for 'toxic' portrayal of Muslims and 'frankly racist' movies Jason Derulo: I've never been a cookChloe Fineman boards cast of 'Father of the Bride' remake The Witcher: Netflix drops intriguing first look teaser of season 2 An island can be the perfect place to clear your head, providing a much needed refuge from the hustle and bustle of modern city living. Yet most of the islands on this list are so remote that they attract very few tourists. Although some boast gentle waves and pristine sands, others are far more icy and inhospitable. From lush, tropical Niue to freezing Bouvet, here are the most remote islands in the world. Pitcairn Island With a population of no more than 50, Pitcairn Island is the most remote island in the world, located 3,240 miles (5,215 km) from the coast of New Zealand. The island is inhabited by the descendants of sailors from the HMS Bounty, a Royal Navy vessel that was the scene of a mutiny in 1789. In 2004, the island drew international attention when several of its inhabitants were charged with sexual offences. Easter Island Easter Island is located 2,182 miles (3,522 km) from mainland Chile. The island is most famous for the 887 ancient stone statues built by the original Polynesian inhabitants. The Kerguelen Islands The Kerguelen Islands in the middle of the South Indian Ocean are 2,050 miles (3299 km) from the coast of Madagascar and are known collectively as the Desolation Islands. Owned by France, the islands have a population of between 45 and 110 researcher inhabitants. Amsterdam Island With a population of just 25, Amsterdam Island is administered by France and is situated more than 2,500 miles (4,000 km) away from mainland Africa. The Keeling Islands The lush, tropical Keeling Islands (also known as the Cocos) are owned by Australia but are actually closer to Indonesia. The population numbers less than 600, but with pristine beaches and warm azure waters, the islands have a lot more going for them than some of the other entries on this list. Niue This tiny island country in the South Pacific Ocean is located 1,500 miles (2,415 km) east of New Zealand. While the island is an associated state of New Zealand, it is also an independent country with its own flag and government. The predominantly Polynesian population of 1,600 inhabitants enjoy some unique advantages, including state-funded wireless internet and free laptops for all school students. Tristan da Cunha This British overseas territory has a population of around 260. The islands main village, Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, lays claim to the title of the most remote permanent settlement on Earth. With no airport or airstrip, the island can only be reached by boat. Welcome to Savannah: A place for a relaxing travel The best places to see northern lights (Aurora) How to visit the Door to Hell in Turkmenistan Surya Thapa, the press advisor to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli appeared on the Janata Janna Chahanchhan interview programme aired by Prime Times Television on June 6 and discussed the current political situation. Thapa was interviewed in the wake of a government decision to export sand, stones and aggregates to neighbouring countries. The decision announced through the budget for the fiscal year 2021/2022 has met with widespread criticism from environmentalists, experts, opposition parties and the public. The decision has generated a lot of discussion on the ecological impact of the exploitation of the mineral resources from the Chure range, which is a buffer between the Tarai plains and the hills. During the 47-minute interview, Thapa claimed that Chure (or Churia) range lies only in Nepal. He said, There is the presidents Chure programme [The President Chure-Tarai Madhes Conservation Development Board] and there is a 20-year master plan, for which more than Rs 1.5 billion has been allocated. The [president-led] Chure conservation development board is doing its work. Chure is the lifeline of the Tarai and it should be protected. There is no Chure anywhere in the world except for Nepal. And, only Nepal has been running Chure conservation as a model programme. South Asia Check has examined Thapas claim. The introduction on the home page of the website of the President Chure-Tarai Madhes Conservation and Development Board, a government entity, states that the Chure range extends from the Indus River in Pakistan in the west to the Brahmaputra River in India in the east and is also known as Siwalik. In geological term, Chure is called Siwalik as well as Sub-Himalaya. Similarly, the report titled Land Use and Land Cover Change in the Churiya-Terai Region, Nepal written by Motilal Ghimire and submitted to the Rastrapati Churia Conservation Programme (RCCP) Coordination Unit, also mentions that Siwalik or Sub-Himalaya is called Chure in the local language. In addition, the report highlights that Chure extends over Bhutan, Nepal, India and Pakistan. According to Madhukar Upadhya, a watershed expert, Chure was formed by the accumulation over thousands of years of debris from the erosion that occurred when the Himalayas were formed. A screenshot of a map published along with the article by Parth R Chauhan published in the journal Assemblage. In the central Himalayan region wherever there are mountains, there is Chure. In our country, the Chure is the result of the rocks and sediments brought down by the Gangetic river system. But, Chure lies not just in Nepal; it spreads from Pakistan to Bhutan, he tells South Asia Check. According to an article published in Assemblage, a journal published by the Department of Archeology of the UK-based University of Sheffield, the Siwalik hills are located within the political boundaries of Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bhutan. In other words, Siwalik, which in Nepal is called Chure, is spread over much of South Asia. According to the Nepal governments official website and reports and international journals, as well as the statements of experts, the Chure or Siwalik or Sub-Himalaya spreads over Bhutan, Nepal, India and Pakistan. Therefore, Thapas claim that Chure lies only in Nepal is wrong. The article first appeared on South Asia Check. (Adds details, context) FRANKFURT, June 12 (Reuters) - German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas urged all sides to show flexibility and pragmatism in talks about the Iranian nuclear deal which are due to resume later on Saturday afternoon. "It is about flexibility and pragmatism from all participating parties," he told Reuters. "Playing for time is in no-one's interest," he added. The talks between Iran and world powers are aimed at reviving a 2015 nuclear deal that was abandoned three years later by then President Donald Trump, who reimposed sanctions that slashed Iran's oil exports. Iran retaliated by violating the limits imposed under the accord on its nuclear programme. It now seeks an end to United States sanctions. The new round of indirect talks is about how both sides might resume compliance with the old nuclear deal, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Under JCPOA, Iran limited its nuclear program to make it harder to obtain fissile material for atomic weapons in return for relief from U.S., EU and U.N. sanctions. The U.S. said on Thursday it had removed sanctions on three former Iranian officials and two companies that previously traded Iranian petrochemicals, a step one U.S. official called routine but that could show U.S. readiness to ease sanctions when justified. The global oil market is watching the talks closely as additional oil volumes would weigh on prices. (Reporting by Sabine Siebold, writing by Vera Eckert; Editing by Toby Chopra, William Maclean) Alaska Air Groups ALK subsidiary Alaska Airlines announced plans for service expansion as air-travel demand (especially for leisure), which was dampened by the coronavirus crisis, improves gradually. Starting this winter, the airline will start operating seasonal flights from San Francisco, Portland and Palm Springs to destinations across North America. From Nov 19, Alaska Air will add a new route connecting Palm Springs and Austin (five times a week). Additionally, starting Dec 16, the carrier will launch flights to connect San Francisco and Cancun (weekly). Moreover, flights connecting Tampa to Portland (four times) and New Orleans (three times), respectively, will take to the skies on Dec 16. All these services will end on Apr 18. We believe that the launch of new service across North America during the holiday season will not only attract travellers, but also recover the carrier from prolonged COVID-19 led crisis. As a result of the anticipated traffic swell, passenger revenues accounting for bulk of the carriers top line is likely to receive a boost. Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider Alaska Air currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks in the broader Zacks Transportation sector include Landstar System, Inc. LSTR, Triton International Limited TRTN and Herc Holdings Inc. HRI. Herc Holdings and Landstar sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), while Triton carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Long-term (three to five years) expected earnings per share growth rate for Landstar, Triton and Herc Holdings is projected at 12%, 10% and 42.9%, respectively. +1,500% Growth: One of 2021s Most Exciting Investment Opportunities In addition to the stocks you read about above, would you like to see Zacks top picks to capitalize on the Internet of Things (IoT)? It is one of the fastest-growing technologies in history, with an estimated 77 billion devices to be connected by 2025. That works out to 127 new devices per second. Zacks has released a special report to help you capitalize on the Internet of Thingss exponential growth. It reveals 4 under-the-radar stocks that could be some of the most profitable holdings in your portfolio in 2021 and beyond. Click here to download this report FREE >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research BEIJING, June 12, 2021 /CNW/ -- With the conviction that openness is the way to growth and wealth, Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on China and the rest of the world to expand cooperation and build a community with a shared future for mankind. While attending the APEC CEO Summit in Bali, Indonesia back in November 2013, the Chinese president quoted a time-honored saying to express the country's firm determination to reform and open up its economy and enhance cooperation with the rest of the world. "China will commit itself to building a cross-Pacific regional cooperation framework that benefits all parties. The vast Pacific is free of natural barriers, and we should not erect any man-made ones. 'Boundless is the ocean where we sail with the wind,'" Xi said, quoting a line from a Chinese poem written 1,000 years ago. The remarkable changes that resulted from China's 1978 reform and opening-up policy testify to the great value of the conviction that openness is the way to growth and wealth. Guided by the policy, the country has been transformed from a largely agricultural nation to the second largest economy in the world. China's total imports and exports of goods expanded 1.9 percent year on year to 32.16 trillion yuan (about 4.97 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2020. China also joined the ranks of the world's top 10 most improved economies for ease of doing business for the second year in a row thanks to a robust reform agenda, according to a World Bank study report for 2020. Meanwhile, China has signed cooperation agreements with 140 countries and 31 international organizations under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), since it was initiated in 2013. As China embarks on a new journey toward socialist modernization via the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), opening up remains crucial to the country's new roadmap. China now has 21 pilot free trade zones (FTZs), after unveiling three new FTZs last year. It also signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement, which is set to be the world's biggest free trade bloc. President Xi has previously pledged that "China's door of opening-up will not be closed and will only open even wider," signaling the clear intent for greater global cooperation. Story continues Link: https://youtu.be/9NREbgLCNr4 Cision View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/china-to-deepen-reform-opening-up-expand-cooperation-in-new-era-301311238.html SOURCE CCTV+ Cision View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/June2021/12/c2026.html FILE PHOTO: A signof Shopee is pictured at its office in Singapore SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Shopee, the e-commerce arm of Southeast Asia's Sea Ltd, will launch in Colombia and Chile, where it plans to offer online sales via its website and localised apps, according to social media pages on the new services reviewed by Reuters. Social media pages for Shopee Colombia and Shopee Chile created on Wednesday said the company would offer free shipping in the countries. A spokesperson for Sea declined to comment. Shopee, the largest e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia, according to market researchers, launched a small presence in Brazil in 2019 as a pilot initiative of its cross-border team and has since been scaling up operations. It launched in Mexico in February. Sources at the company say Shopee views Latin America as a major new growth opportunity in cross-border sales, a market already explored by shopping app Wish. Sea's market capitalisation was $138.5 billion on Wednesday. (Reporting by Fanny Potkin; Editing by Ed Davies) Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. She said she has hired and trained some people who never showed up for their shift and didnt respond to messages. Typically, she hires through Facebook posts or word of mouth, and receives about 10 applicants for each job. But shes had a kitchen position advertised for four months and hasnt been able to fill it. JohnsonDegen thinks the problem stems from the higher unemployment benefits provided since the pandemic started, since people are applying and then not showing up. The result is a long wait at the door for customers. Even though tables are open, there simply arent enough staffers to ensure good service. Surviving the pandemic was scary, she said. Coming out to this experience, I dont know what to do. Just across the river, and down a few winding streets, the story is the same at Caseys on Kenmore Avenue in downtown Fredericksburg. Co-owner David Bess said his employees are burnt to a crisp keeping up standards of quality and service while working back-to-back double shifts. During a recent lunch shift, only he and three servers were on the floor. They didnt stop movingseating customers, running food, taking ordersfrom the moment the rush started about 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Wilderness Road State Park, in Lee County near the Kentucky line in the southwestern tip of Virginia, has one simple and overriding mission. It tells the story of the hundreds of thousands of brave and sometimes desperate souls who used wagons, horses or their own two feet to travel the Wilderness Road through the Cumberland Gap, into Kentucky and beyond, in the late 1700s. The settlers went in search of cheap, fertile land, driven by the promise of creating better lives. Billy Heck, the parks manager, said you cant overestimate how driven these settlers were. The story we share is of the 300,000 people who traveled from eastern Virginia and other places to Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina in search of new lives and freedom, he said, noting that many of them had been indentured servants whod finally fulfilled their commitments. When park visitors hear about how many westward-heading settlers were killed by Native Americans, bears, rattlesnakes, the elements, starvation and disease, many ask why in the world the families attempted the often brutal passage, Heck said. Nielsen eventually taught fourth grade at Bergan. In 2016, she and her daughter-in-law, Katie Nielsen, became third-grade teachers here. It was wonderful, Cindy Nielsen said. We work well together. Shes been a part of our family since she was a freshman in high school. We did a lot of planning together. Throughout her career, Cindy Nielsen has enjoyed when shed see an ah ha! moment those times when a student finally grasped something she was trying to teach. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} You dont go into teaching for the money, but those are your rewards when you know youve made a difference in childrens lives, Nielsen said. Nielsen has loved teaching math and showing kids how it applies to everyday life. An avid reader, Nielsen has enjoyed times when shes been able to share books shes loved with students and has seen them come to love them, too. Some of her favorites are: The War with Grandpa, Stone Fox and Bridge to Terabithia. Through a card shower, Nielsen heard from students she taught 40 years ago. Most card-writers mentioned the fun science experiments. Aprils community visioning workshops took place in Fremont City Auditorium and Washington Elementary School. Additionally, representatives from the City of Fremont and Houseal Lavigne visited Lincoln Premium Poultry to garner feedback from employees. The sessions were meant to give Fremont residents the opportunity to voice their opinion on future projects and development for the city. I just want to reiterate that these are not our recommendations and these are not our plans focus, so much as this is feedback that we heard from the community, Davis said. Its the kinds of things that were going to want to address in the plan. Feedback and recommendations from the community included providing more affordable housing options for the Fremont community, developing more dining and retail options in Fremont and improving the citys trail system. Davis said respondents identified a need for more affordable housing options, as well as additional workforce housing options to support their job. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} There was a concern about some of the general upkeep or the cleanliness of residential neighborhoods, Davis said. Thats important to make sure that Fremont is attractive and inviting. Officials in the Afghan capital reported dual bomb attacks that killed at least seven people on June 12 as reports from the provinces said two more districts had fallen to Taliban militants. In Kabul, at least two bombs struck minivans about 2 kilometers apart in a predominantly Hazara area in the west of the city, an Interior Ministry spokesman said. There were at least six people wounded, in addition to the seven deaths initially confirmed, officials said. A Kabul police spokesman, Firdous Framarz, told RFE/RL that both blasts were caused by so-called sticky bombs, which are attached to vehicles with magnetics. No group claimed responsibility. The same area has been the scene of at least four other attacks on minivans in the past month that have killed 18 people and were claimed by Islamic State (IS) militants. One of the explosions detonated in front of the Muhammad Ali Jinnah hospital, a center for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. Reports of new fighting in the provinces on June 12 suggested the Taliban has now captured at least 10 districts among several provinces since May 1, when U.S. and other foreign forces officially began withdrawing from the decades-old conflict. In western Ghor Province, a district chief in Tulak told Radio Free Afghanistan on June 12 that a Taliban attack had killed 19 security troops and wounded 20 more there. Ghor's governor's office confirmed that communication with Tulak had been cut off since late morning on June 12 but did not say whether the town had been captured by militants. But a source in Ghor's provincial administration who was not authorized to speak publicly on the events confirmed that the Taliban now controlled the district of Tulak. Government forces have withdrawn from the district and police headquarters, the same source said. In the northern Afghan province of Balkh, local officials said Taliban fighters had captured the Zara district after a long siege that eventually forced government troops to evacuate the district headquarters. Provincial councilor Afzal Hadid said the militants had blocked water supplies to the compound. Differing reports said security forces had withdrawn or relocated the security forces but suggested there were no casualties on the government side. Elsewhere, reports said Taliban fighters launched large-scale attacks on two districts of northern Kunduz Province. A police spokesman in Kunduz said the attacks had been repelled in fighting that left one Afghan soldier dead and 27 Taliban militants dead. A spokesman for the Afghan National Army's Shaheen Corps in the north of the country told RFE/RL on June 12 that at least 20 Taliban insurgents had been killed by air strikes in the Balkh, Dawlatabad, and Chamtal districts. The dead included a Taliban commander known as Mullah Delawar, the spokesman said. Another Afghan corps reported that 47 Taliban militants were killed in an operation in the Andar district of Ghazni Province late on June 11. Radio Free Afghanistan could not immediately confirm the casualty reports on either side. With violence raging, there is concern the departure of foreign forces could lead to the collapse of the government in Kabul and return of the Taliban to power. One high priority is securing Kabul's international airport to ensure diplomatic and humanitarian work can continue in the country. The Taliban has reportedly rejected NATO member Turkey's proposal to guard and run the airport after other U.S.-led NATO forces depart. A Taliban spokesman said on June 10 that Turkey should withdraw its troops from Afghanistan together with all other international forces. Under the February 2020 deal secured with the Taliban under former President Donald Trump, all U.S. forces and NATO forces were to be out of Afghanistan by May 1. U.S. President Joe Biden pushed back the planned withdrawal of U.S. troops to September, citing logistical complications of leaving earlier. With reporting by AP and dpa With COVID-19 cases declining and vaccinations increasing, governors across the U.S. are wrestling with decisions about when to declare an end to the emergency declarations they have issued and reissued throughout the pandemic Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Minimum wages set by Amazon and several national retailers are pushing pay higher in cities where the companies operate, according to a new study by three economics and social science researchers. Amazon set a $15-an-hour wage for all employees in 2018 and was joined last year by Walmart, Target, Best Buy and Wells Fargo at that level with Costco setting a $16-an-hour minimum wage in February and Hobby Lobby raising its minimum to $17-an-hour in October 2020. Amazon is hiring more than 2,500 people starting Monday at a starting wage of $15.80 an hour for a new fulfillment center opening next month near the Colorado Springs Airport, while Best Buy, Costco, Hobby Lobby, Target, Walmart and Wells Fargo all operate multiple locations in the Colorado Springs area and combined employ thousands of people. Colorado's voter-approved minimum wage is $12.32 an hour for all employees except those who receive tips. Employees who receive tips must be paid at least $9.30 an hour. The study published in February by Ellora Derenoncourt, an assistant professor of economic history and labor economics at University of California Berkeley; Clemens Noelke, a research scientist specializing in social science at Brandeis University, and David Weil, an economics professor and dean of the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis, found the higher wages set by major employers had an almost immediate impact in cities where they operated. Amazon's increase triggered a 4.7% increase in average hourly wages within a month among other employers in the same cities where it operates, when comparing jobs in similar occupations, the study showed. That's because employers risk losing current employees or those they are recruiting to Amazon or a major retail chain offering higher wages and better benefits if they fail to raise their starting pay. "My conversations with those working on this issue indicate this (wage escalation) will get a lot worse, especially in the hospitality industry that is already hurting in hiring employees. Amazon will exacerbate that trend," said Tatiana Bailey, director of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Economic Forum. "You could argue that in a place like this where the cost of living is increasing and average wages are lower that upward pressure on wages is not necessarily a bad thing." The study also found the higher minimum wages didn't result in significant or widespread job losses and the probability of employment declined by less than 1 percentage point. The authors said that workers can easily change jobs and industries in the service and retail sectors due to the nation's highly competitive labor market where many employers say they are unable to fill job openings. The wage data for the study came from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as well as job review site Glassdoor and labor market research firm Burning Glass Technologies. Amazon, which has been lobbying to raise the $7.25-an-hour federal minimum wage, said in a March statement that the study reflects "what weve heard from our own employees, their families, and the communities they live in: Our starting-wage increase helped boost local economies across the country by benefiting not only our own employees, but also other workers in the same community." Becca Tonn, a spokeswoman for the Pikes Peak Workforce Center, said recent minimum wage increases by major retailers and other employers have prompted "quite a few businesses to increase wages by $1- to $2-an-hour. Those corporate entities have put pressure on local small businesses and their ability to attract and retain employees. Amazon's hiring (push for the fulfillment center) would accelerate that trend." The average weekly wage in El Paso County last year jumped a record 7.5% to $1,088, or $56,576 a year, according to data from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. That increase likely resulted from thousands of low-wage workers losing their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic, and is likely to be largely reversed as those workers get their jobs back this year, said Ryan Gedney, the department's senior economist. The politics and governance from the previous 116 days was much the same: Issues around the economy, health care, guns and taxes rose and fell with an unpredictability seemingly driven by gravity, only at a more forceful clip this year. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. Colorado Springs, CO (80903) Today Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 56F. SSW winds shifting to N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 56F. SSW winds shifting to N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Colorado Springs, CO (80903) Today Thunderstorms. Low 56F. SSW winds shifting to NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Thunderstorms. Low 56F. SSW winds shifting to NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. The 2021 session is finally over, and in this episode of Colorado Politicking legislative reporter Pat Poblete, chief legislative reporter Marianne Goodland and senior reporter Joey Bunch sum up the highs and lows from the session, and how they could affect the upcoming election year. Dr. Wanda Guidry testified on June 11, 2021 for Devon Erickson's defense in his trial for the STEM School Highlands Ranch mass shooting in May 2019. After reviewing evidence from the day of the attack, she said Erickson showed signs of his mental state altered by months of heavy drug use, sleep deprivation and severe weight loss. Local alert top story North Iowa Fair fundraiser makes its return to help out however possible Lisa Grouette / LISA GROUETTE, Globe Gazette Sale organizer Lisa Canedo stands in the All-Seasons Building at the North Iowa Events Center, which will house the large-scale fundraiser on June 26. All of the money raised at the sale will be put back into improvement projects at NIEC. In its second year, the fundraiser at the North Iowa Events Center on Saturday, June 26 has a twofold purpose. The first of course is to raise money for the North Iowa Fair itself, which gets going Aug. 5 and runs through Aug. 8. "Still a free fair and we want to keep it that way," fundraiser organizer and Fair Board Member Lisa Canedo said. According to her, the other purpose of the fundraiser, which is largely taking place in the "All-Seasons Building," is to keep it ever present in people's minds that there is a constant churn of events happening at the North Iowa Events Center all year long. The more aware people are of that, the likelier they are to come out and take stock of all the updates that have been made in the past year. "When youre a nonprofit and have to take care of everything," Canedo said. "We want people to see those changes. We dont want those fairgrounds to go away." Lisa Grouette / LISA GROUETTE, Globe Gazette A sign for a large-scale sale to be held June 26 can be seen posted just outside the North Iowa Events Center's main gate. All of the money raised at the sale will be put back into improvement projects at NIEC. Per Canedo, the fundraiser will feature a rummage sale, a silent auction and at least 91 vendors from all around Iowa and even into southern Minnesota. "Were just trying to support the in-home businesses and getting people to know were out there," she said. When people get out there for the event, they're able to give a free will donation at the door. Canedo said that sort of thing helps cover the cost of fixing any stuff that may break out at the North Iowa Event Center. As for a goal, she said that a target of $10,000 could be doable because the table donations for the silent auction alone already total $5,000. North Iowa Events Center announces 'Fair Concert Series' Music gets going each night during the North Iowa Fair at 6:30 p.m. at the performance grounds. During a tour of the North Iowa Events Center in early January, director Jim Barkema and North Iowa Fair Board President Scott Miller showed off practical updates such light bulb replacements and floor resurfacings as well as larger plans such as a new 4-H building redone with a new HVAC, heaters and ADA compliance. They also made clear that the North Iowa Fair shifted from July to August so that it wouldn't have to compete with as many other fairs in the region. It could stand alone. "More of a regional type event in the future," Miller said. To get to that regional status takes money, which events such as the fundraiser intend to address. Canedo thinks they're headed that way. "Its going into a very positive direction," she said. Lisa Grouette / LISA GROUETTE, Globe Gazette A Mid States Show rider practices the course at the North Iowa Events Center on Thursday. Along with horse shows, the Events Center accommodates a host of ag, home, and craft events, a free annual fair, barbecue competitions and live entertainment throughout the year. Based on available tax forms on the Guidestar website, which tracks info on nonprofit organizations, expenses for the North Iowa Association totaled $639,298 on its 2019 990 form while revenue was at $526,218 which is a negative difference of $113,080. End-of-year assets totaled $772,387. For 2018, public support for the North Iowa Fair Association amounted to $545,854 in various gifts, grants and gross receipts. Its 2018 990 form showed that the North Iowa Fair Association actually took in more revenue than it had in expenses ($813,191 versus $752,150). Public support for the most-recent year on the form totaled $857,137. The 2017 990 form shows that expenses exceeded revenues by $76,590. Public support for the most-recent year totaled $455,413. Just $1 for 6 months of your community's news He was actually scheduled to play Country Thunder in 2020, so this year hes finally getting to take the big stage, said Sotillos promoter Haley Teske. Nolan always puts on a hell of a show. Hell be playing Country Thunder Wisconsin, Country Thunder Florida, and Country Thunder Arizona this year as well as some other unannounced festivals and club dates. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Country Thunder Iowa 2021 musical artist Jenny Tolman was just as eager to take the stage in Forest City on June 12. Tolman too was booked for Country Thunder 2020 and waited for 2021. Her debut album, There Goes the Neighborhood, released last year, has been widely acclaimed. This is the ideal gig for any artist, Tolman said. I could hardly sleep last night because I was so excited about this, especially the cat walk. She said she is a Nashville native who was born into a musical family with her father having been in the Indian River Boys quartet organized by Burt Reynolds back in the day. Performing in Iowa for the first time, her next show is in Omaha on June 13 as part of a short Midwest run. "I think it kind of demonstrates the level at which they are willing to go to accomplish what the ultimate goal is, and that is not to resolve this crisis at the border but to continue to ignore it and to continue to see illegal immigrants cross into this country," she added. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} In a news release issued Thursday, Reynolds office laid out a timeline of the flight that brought refugee children to Iowa. According to the governors office, on May 2 the state became aware of an April 22 flight that landed in Des Moines and carried unaccompanied minor children. After reviewing surveillance footage, the state May 6 reached out to multiple federal agencies. Federal agencies on May 7, May 10, and May 11 told the state the flight was not a federal immigration flight. On May 17, a federal immigration agency told staff at U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassleys office it was not involved in the flight. On May 21, the federal Health and Human Services Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and Office of Refugee Resettlement confirmed to Grassleys office that the April 22 flight was in fact one of its flights. The agency confirmed 19 children were flown from Long Beach, Calif., to Des Moines. Two buses transported the children to various locations to join their sponsors. MILWAUKEE A federal judge has halted a loan forgiveness program for farmers of color in response to a lawsuit alleging the program discriminates against white farmers. U.S. District Judge William Griesbach in Milwaukee issued a temporary restraining order Thursday suspending the program for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. The program pays up to 120% of direct or guaranteed farm loan balances for Black, American Indian, Hispanic, Asian American or Pacific Islander farmers. President Joe Biden's administration created the loan forgiveness program as part of its COVID-19 pandemic relief plan. Emily Newton, the lead attorney representing the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the lawsuit, didnt immediately respond to an email Friday seeking comment on the restraining order. Minority farmers have maintained for decades that they have been unfairly denied farm loans and other government assistance. Federal agriculture officials in 1999 and 2010 settled lawsuits from Black farmers accusing the agency of discriminating against them. Though medical marijuana can be beneficial for a variety of conditions including anxiety, depression, appetite stimulation, pain, headaches and other conditions, Olinger said, she would not recommend relying only on cannabis. I would caution against [patients] getting rid of all of their medications and beginning solely using medical cannabis, said Olinger, who is not licensed to prescribe the drug. As for whether any of her patients could benefit from medical marijuana, many of my patients are older and I am skeptical about whether they will be open to using medical cannabis, she said. Dr. Gary Miller, a cardiologist who serves on City Council as the citys vice mayor, said a few of his patients could benefit from using medical marijuana, especially those with terminal heart disease. We do have terminal heart patients who need relief from pain, Miller said. He said he sees the potential of possibly prescribing it for three or four of his patients a year, or possibly up to one a month. Though he is not licensed to prescribe medical marijuana, he said he may look into obtaining licensure. Both localities are far behind the states 47% vaccination rate. There are a variety of reasons that residents may not have gotten vaccinated, and it differs from person to person, Lorrie Andrew-Spear, a spokesperson for the Virginia Department of Health, told the Register & Bee when asked if scheduling was a larger factor over vaccine hesitancy. Pittsylvania/Danville Health District is focusing on educating those who may not have been vaccinated yet and is willing to answer questions from anyone who has them in order to help them make the decision to get vaccinated, and can assist them with finding a vaccine location near them. Andrew-Spear said the district is examining data in areas for what she calls higher opportunities for vaccinations. Currently, theres no information available on possible pockets of extremely low vaccination rates. For example, its not known if theres one particular community in the county or neighborhood in the city where an overwhelming majority of residents are unvaccinated. Those health leaders continue to deploy outreach measures in an effort to deliver more shots to more arms. To that end, the health district has offered vaccine clinics to any group churches, civic and educational thats interested. Those figures represent the speed in which data travels from the internet to a device like a computer and smartphone and also the rate data can be uploaded. As technology advances, the slower speeds may not be able to keep up with whats coming next in the online world. Four senators Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, Rob Portman, R-Ohio; Michael Bennet, D-Colorado; and Angus King, I-Maine are proposing to raise the federal standard to both an upload speed and a download speed of 100 Mbps. If this is implemented, even fewer people in rural areas could be considered as having broadband. Much of what people like Harris pay for now is barely even usable because it is just not fast or efficient enough for current needs. Long-term goal In a 2020 report presented to the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors prepared by Pittsylvanias Center for Innovative Technology, it was estimated that around 40% of the geography of the county does not have access to any broadband at all under the present standards for broadband. The board of supervisors set a long-term goal in 2019 to boost county coverage to 90%. President Biden has pledged to help narrow the racial wealth gap and reinvest in communities that have been left behind by failed policies. He used the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa race massacre in Greenwood, a thriving African American community ravaged by a racist mob in 1921, as the occasion to promise more federal contracts for minority-owned companies and address discrimination in home appraisals for black families. The Tulsa mob murdered more than 300 Black men, women and children over a two-day period, May 31 to June 1, forcing thousands to flee for their lives while watching their homes and businesses burn to the ground. No one was ever held responsible for the devastation. But Bidens Tulsa appearance and speech continues a narrative favored by Democrats that reinforces the wrong belief that African Americans can do nothing without government. Of course, if government were their savior, would it not have solved all the problems Democrats continually talk about, but do little to fix? Bob Ford, executive director of the North Carolina Poultry Federation, a trade group that represents the states leading poultry companies, acknowledged that when youre in that kind of workplace, the damn virus is going to spread. Still, he said, most poultry companies did all they could to keep workers safe. Many upgraded their ventilation systems, suspended plastic sheets between workstations, required more social distancing in cafeterias and took the temperatures of workers before letting them into the plants each day. Weve used all the resources we can because you cant run a plant without people, he said. Plants really spent a lot of money trying to keep that (virus) under control. Many workers in other types of jobs deemed essential said they lived in fear. Sherita McCullers, 59, has driven a bus in Raleigh for 27 years. McCullers estimated she gave rides to 200 to 250 people a day during the pandemic last year. She worried that she might catch the virus like her younger brother, who was hospitalized for more than two months and is now on dialysis. I would sit in the parking lot crying, Lord protect me. Please protect me, she said, noting that she didnt always feel safe. The military-inspired tumbler posed perhaps the most difficult challenge of Walters career. The biggest problem we had to solve with my engineering was that it had to be able to fly through the air for 20 feet, Walters said. Relying on expertise from friends who worked as Naval engineers, Walters and his team figured out how to ensure the vehicle would land like an airplane, with its back wheels touching down first. Constructing the tumbler Batmobile was not only a laborious process, but a secretive one. We had to put limousine tint in the windows we did have, and nobody was allowed to come into the shop with a phone, Walters said. Nobody knew what it looked like. Although Walters didnt get to keep the stunt Batmobiles he helped bring to life, he does still have BattleRat stored near his Rowan County home a dangerously fun toy he still breaks out on occasion. Walters may have dialed back the amount of work hes taken on since moving south almost a decade ago, but hes still accepting jobs here and there for friends in New Jersey and elsewhere. Hes also sporadically helped out some of his NASCAR friends by serving as a part-time member of pit crews, specifically as a fuel specialist. Before leaving the house, the marchers broke into song: We who believe in justice will not rest. We who believe in justice will not rest until it comes. As marchers exited onto the streets around Browns house, neighbors raised fists and waved from their porches. Im mad as hell At a waterfront pavilion later, Barber said he had collected 2,000 signatures asking the U.S. Department of Justice to review the Pasquotank County district attorney and sheriffs office top to bottom. Barber also emphasized the importance of voting, noting that Womble is running for Superior Court judge in 2022. It would be a shame to march this way in June, and not march to the polls in November, he said. We have a chance to hold them accountable at the ballot box. Other speakers took to the stage at the waterfront to speak before the crowd. We continue to call for accountability believing that our cries do not fall on deaf ears, said the Rev. Michelle Lewis. Dear sheriffs deputies, we see you. We see you urinating on Black businesses. We see you cursing at protesters. I was one of them. And above all, committing to truth, democracy, the Constitution and the rule of law and opposition to nativist, isolationist authoritarianism. Our movement includes former governors, members of Congress, Cabinet secretaries, state officials, seasoned political strategists and grassroots leaders dedicated to offering a hopeful, principles-based vision for the country and ensuring that our voices are heard and our actions have impact in key elections across the United States. The same week our movement was launched, the last remaining Republican congressional leader with a shred of responsibility to the American people, conservative Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, was ousted from her House leadership position for failing to lie to the American people. Now, the collapse of honesty, morality and decency in todays Republican Party has left millions of Americans politically homeless. We intend to give voice to these Republicans, and others who fear that the Republicans effort to maintain power at any cost, is costing our democracy dearly. In Maricopa County, Ariz., the Republican-dominated Board of Supervisors has rightly called out the vote audit as a fraudulent attempt to circumvent the will of voters. Get ready for the unexpected with a disaster 'Go Bag' Sen. Steve Daines on Friday heard more information on what he described as an untold story" about counterdrug efforts in Montana. The Montana Republican met with members of the Montana National Guard at Fort Harrison to hear about its Counterdrug Joint Task Force Program in which military skills are used to support local law enforcement with the detection and curtailment of drug trafficking activities. Joining Daines in the discussion was Maj. Gen. John P. Hronek, adjutant general for the state, several staff members and members of the Counterdrug Program team. Daines said it was an earlier discussion with Hronek in which he mentioned the program that piqued his interest and he wanted to know more. He added that many Montanans probably do not realize the National Guard is helping law enforcement. Panelists talking with Daines, who officials asked the Independent Record not to name in this story because of the nature of their work, used the Russell Country Drug Task Force when offering examples. Families torn apart, languages lost, beloved land left behind now the grief is revived with the news of these deaths. What, if anything, were their families told? How did their caretakers feel? Who laid awake at night over this? Our hearts should break. All of our hearts. We are in touch with Canadian friends via Zoom, and their hearts were breaking at this news. They wore orange shirts, relating that a girl had shown up at one of these boarding schools wearing a very special orange shirt her grandmother had made for her. How could she have known that all the new arrivals clothing would be burned, while their hair was cut off and their indoctrination began. If Id had an orange shirt, I would have run to put it on. That story touched my heart. My husband, Rev. Dick Weaver, felt moved to talk about this wrenching, tragic discovery in his sermon this past Sunday. He spoke of the boarding schools as only the tip of the iceberg. Injustice continues, like the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women -- finally we are hearing about this tragedy and attempting to address it. So many secrets, so many broken hearts. Dick has a heart for the water protectors; he spent some time in solidarity at Standing Rock several years ago. DECATUR A mystery blaze and mystery building owners make for a strange story amid the blackened ruins of a massive Decatur warehouse. The May 1 conflagration at the intersection of East Grand Avenue and North Calhoun Street stretched for half a city block. Dealing with it took hours and involved every available crew the Decatur Fire Department could muster. The site was left a burned-out heap of rubble and twisted metal with dangerously leaning and partially collapsed brick walls that the city of Decatur spent some $5,000 to secure while cleaning debris from the roadway. The good news, according to Deputy City Manager Jon Kindseth, is that the building owners Palos Hills-based Gulfco look to have insurance that can be tapped to cover the costs of a full site cleanup, an expense estimated to range up to $500,000. The city will also be submitting a bill for that $5,000 its already paid out on behalf of taxpayers. But hanging in the air like the persistent smell of charred wood and roofing materials is the question of just what caused the fire? Thats under investigation by the State Fire Marshals Office, which did not respond to a request for information. If the answer comes back that Gulfco was the victim of arson or the fire had some other ignition point sparked by questionable circumstances, the insurance pay-out picture could get very clouded. I dont want to go into a lot of details and I am not a fire investigator, said Kindseth. But should there be a determination of an intentional fire, then those types of situations can get messy. Here are some of the other messy circumstances clouding the post-fire picture: Kindseth says before Gulfco came among, the city was concerned about remodeling and other work done in the warehouse that might not meet city codes. The city certainly raised some red flags about electrical work being done with no permits and no inspections, Kindseth added. Kindseth said that work had appeared to continue after Gulfco became the owners. And so the city had issued a couple of stop work orders on the project to try to get people to come in and tell us what they were doing and get a permit so we could inspect it and make sure it is safe, he added. Gulfco is shown in property records as having acquired the nearly century-old warehouse for $50,000 on April 1. Nobody seems to know what they wanted to do with the place, which was burned to the ground too soon for them to have had much chance to do anything anyway. 'Very hard to reach a specific person' And what exactly is Gulfcos business model? That is where the story takes another interesting twist and transports us to international trouble spots half a world away from Decatur. The companys website bills it as a U.S.-based security service specializing in maritime security. By that they mean securing clients from the predations of pirates as in Pirates of the Caribbean: nasty bad guys on boats and ships trying to loot other peoples boats and ships." To counteract that, Gulfco which did not respond to phoned and emailed requests for comment says it employs some very tough staff. We hire top-notch Special Forces officers with exceptional training experience and proven combat records, its website boasts. And it doesnt stop there. Among the services Gulfco renders to clients looking to gain a little edge in an uncertain world are courses with subjects like: Basic and advanced use of pistols and rifles, along with Close Quarter Battle (Room and Building); Vehicular Assaults, Clandestine Movement; Target Interdiction (Sniper) and Advanced Entry Techniques involving either mechanical entry or explosive entry. Other course titles deal with staying on the right side of the Geneva Conventions in combat situations, hence Law of Land Warfare and Rules of Engagement and Handling Prisoners of War and Detainees. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} With pirates clearly thin on the ground in Central Illinois, the company says it is uniquely situated to conduct business in the State of Kuwait and throughout the Gulf region. Kindseth, who has no idea what Gulfco wanted their Decatur warehouse for, says it took him a day of dogged web and telephonic sleuthing to ferret out a key company person to chat with about the fact their newly acquired property had just been infiltrated by fire and was no more. It was very hard to reach a specific person, said Kindseth. But I was able to track somebody down and I was able to communicate with him; he was in Egypt at the time. Unknown fire hazards Which raises other issues for communities like Decatur dotted with hulking and frequently dilapidated big factory and warehouse buildings, many of them giant refugees from the past that have fallen on hard times. That, and lots of shambolic old homes, often with tangled ownership and landlord histories, creates an urban landscape of potential and unknown fire hazards. Finding a property owner to talk to in emergency situations is no easy task when time is of the essence. Kindseth said the city is mulling over creating some kind of registry for vacant properties like these which would have a requirement for the current owners up-to-date contact information to be on file with the city. Kindseth said that would make it easier to deal with emergencies and help protect firemen and other first responders now confronted with blazing buildings about which nobody knows much of anything. You can imagine how it puts first responders at risk: they are going into a commercial building and who knows if there are, say, 50 bottles of pressurized gas stored in there somewhere? said Kindseth. Yes, we are going to bring up the subject of some kind of a vacant building registration program in the near future. Hell get no argument from Decaturs fire chief, Jeff Abbott, who said his firefighters have detailed information on active business premises but are in the dark on ostensibly vacant or barely used buildings. The problem we run into is that, when its not an open and operating business, therefore we have no clue what is inside that, he said. The chief said firefighters could see and hear stuff exploding inside the East Grand Avenue fire and later found propane tanks in the rubble. I dont know if those tanks blew up or not, but something did, Abbott added. The Pana Fire Department has already been thinking along similar lines of compiling a vacant building survey, having already dealt with a number of potentially dangerous fires in large, and largely empty, premises. On May 9, a two-story commercial structure with an apartment and attic went up in flames at 106 E. Second St. And that followed on from an even bigger fire in December when three vacant downtown buildings just a block to the east were destroyed in a fire with a suspicious origin. Pana Fire Chief Rod Bland told the Herald & Review that firefighters need more information about the layout of these buildings and what might be lurking inside. He said his department was working on getting access to such buildings so it can at least draw up some kind of guide his crews can use in an emergency. So that if we have to do this again, we know things like whether we can make entry into it (the building) or if its not going to be safe to even do that, he added. Its a project were working on. Contact Tony Reid at (217) 421-7977. Follow him on Twitter: @TonyJReid Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. MARION A body discovered after the demolition of a landmark motel in southern Illinois has been identified as a 51-year-old man who had been missing since December, authorities said Friday. Marion police Chief David Fitts said foul play is not suspected in the death of Russell Bozarth. The body was discovered Tuesday at the old Motel Marion in Marion in Williamson County. Demolition of the 80-year-old motel and campground was completed last week. Fitts told The Southern Illinoisan that police searched the property for Bozarth four or five times since he was reported missing, even using specially trained dogs. He was known to police but was not under investigation. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Moores resignation, after years of attacks by critics, has pushed sexual abuse to the top of the agenda at the SBCs June 15-16 national meetings in Nashville along with the election of a new president. One outspoken Moore critic the Rev. Mike Stone of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Blackshear, Georgia is one of four presidential candidates. Stone is also the immediate past chairman of the embattled Executive Committee and a leader in the Conservative Baptist Network, which has attacked Moore, Greear and others. Other hot-button issues loom in the background. Before the 2016 election, Moore a consistent conservative on issues such as abortion and the First Amendment rights of religious believers made headlines when he called Donald Trump an awful candidate with serious moral problems who needed to repent of his sins and embrace Christianity. But in a 2020 letter to ERLC trustees, first publicized by Religion News Service, Moore claimed that conflicts with Trump supporters werent the main cause of investigations into the impact of his work as the main Southern Baptist voice in Washington, D.C. including some critics withholding donations to the SBCs Cooperative Program. Court documents say Chytka used the Virginia Employment Commissions website to file claims, and certify the claims on a weekly basis, as required to collect unemployment benefits. She used debit cards and direct deposit to receive payments. Funds were then distributed to the co-conspirators, who were not eligible to obtain unemployment. Drugs were also distributed, authorities said. In the midst of a global pandemic, this defendant conspired with others to defraud the Virginia Employment Commission of nearly $500,000 intended for Virginians in need, Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel Bubar said in the release. This was money set aside by the federal government to assist those struggling during the COVID-19 crisis not meant to line the pockets of fraudsters. I am grateful for the work of the Department of Labor and the IRS for the tireless work they put in to uncovering this fraud and bringing these defendants to justice. IRS Special Agent Darrell Waldon said Chytka and her co-conspirators dishonestly obtained nearly a half-million dollars. We will continue to investigate those who exploit programs designed to help those struggling through this global pandemic, Waldon said. There are criminal consequences to personally enriching yourself at the cost of others. Twenty-four people have been indicted in connection with the scheme, which was headed by Chytka, Greg Tackett and Jeff Tackett, according to federal prosecutors. Greg Tackett is awaiting sentencing in U.S. District Court in Abingdon. Jeffrey Tacketts charges are still pending. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. After a rocky start to the plan, the rodeo is coming soon to Washington County, Virginia, and we believe thats a good thing. Both the Washington County Board of Supervisors and the county Planning Commission on Tuesday night gave the nod to a proposal to hold the Rodeo in the Valley one weekend each month through September at a rural site on Reedy Creek Road. They gave their unanimous approval to a special-exemption permit for the events after stalling earlier, forcing promoter Brad Nelms to move the first of the planned Friday and Saturday events to the Russell County Fairgrounds on May 28-29. Now the way has been cleared for the next rodeo to be held at the Washington County site, and most ought to be pleased. The original application was met with opposition from some nearby residents, but their objections were mostly absent from a special joint meeting of the two government bodies Tuesday. Nelms won the countys support after making an initial misstep in promoting the first event in May before he obtained the necessary approvals. During the special meeting, Supervisor Saul Hernandez made the motion to approve the permit, and Supervisor Mike Rush seconded the motion, according to news reports. The lottery features four $1 million cash prizes, four $125,000 drawings toward post-secondary education, and a provision allowing two entries for each newly vaccinated person. Too much power? Rep. Donny Lambeth, R-Forsyth, said Cooper should end the emergency order precisely because of how well the bulk of North Carolinians have listened to recommendations from Cooper and Cohen. "The governor made it clear early on that (a positive COVID-19 test rate) below 5% was a critical goal to return to normal," Lambeth said. "We have shots still being given, we have people in the hospital trending down, as are deaths. "It is time to get real and drop these emergency orders," Lambeth said. Copper's decision to extend the statewide emergency order by another six weeks "is based more on (his) desire to maintain control over peoples activity and to keep the federal money spigot open," said Mitch Kokai, senior policy analyst with Libertarian think tank John Locke Foundation. "North Carolinians have been dealing with COVID-19 for well over a year. For better or worse, steps taken to reduce the likelihood of exposure to the coronavirus are not novel. They are now part of normal day-to-day activities. "Its not good for long-term constitutional safeguards to have an emergency order in place from March 2020 to July 2021, and perhaps even longer. Representative Image Afghan lawmakers seek deployment of additional troops at Northern provinces amid Taliban offensive Kabul [Afghanistan], June 12 (ANI): Two Afghan lawmakers on Friday sought deployment of reinforcements to frontlines in Northern provinces to repel a possible collapse of some strategic areas to Taliban. The centers of two districts in northern and north-eastern Afghanistan have fallen to the Taliban, the lawmakers urged the Ministry of Defense to send reinforcements to the provinces, reported Tolo News. So far, sources and officials have confirmed that the centers of at least 17 districts have fallen to terrorists over the last two months. According to two MPs, the centers of Ishkamish district in Takhar and Sozma Qala district in Sar-e-Pul fell to the Taliban on Thursday, reported Tolo News. The centers of Burka district in Baghlan, Narkh, and Jalrez districts in Maidan Wardak, Dawlat Shah district in Laghman, Qaisar district in Faryab, Shahrak district in Ghor, and Shirzad district in Uruzgan have fallen to the Taliban in less than two months. The Taliban claims they have also captured Charkh district in Logar, Do Ab, and Mandol districts in Nuristan, Farsi district in Herat, Deh Yak district in Ghazni, Gezab district in Daikundi, and Shinkai district in Zabul. "It was the Worsaj district, then Farkhar and Chah Ab, and ultimately, Ishkamish fell to militants and now the enemy is trying to divert its offensives on Bangi district," said Amir Mohammad Khaksar, MP from Takhar. "The (Qala-e-Naw) city is under the threat by Taliban. In Sozma Qala district, only district building and two check posts have remained, but according to our information, the center of the district has fallen (to militants)," said Sayed Hayatullah Alimi, MP from Sar-e-Pul. A lawmaker from Badghis province in southwest Afghanistan said fighting between government forces and the Taliban has inched closer to the outskirts of Qala-e-Naw, the province's center. Badghis MPs also asked for additional troops deployed to the province to repel the threats. Story continues Taliban also launched attacks on several fronts in Nimroz and Badakhshan provinces. "We have lost several parts of Arghanjkhwah district in Badakhshan. The problem will get worse if the government does not take action regarding the issue," said Hujjatullah Farahmand, MP from Badakhshan. "The enemy launched a major offensive on Khashrod district in Nimroz to capture the district," said Gul Ahmad Noorzad, an MP from Nimroz. But the Afghan security authorities said the government forces have inflicted massive casualties to the Taliban in the past 24 hours. "Heavy casualties were inflected (to Taliban) in Pashtun Kot and Qaisar districts in Faryab, Sozma Qala district in Sar-e-Pul as well as in Uruzgan and Baghlan provinces," the Defense Ministry spokesman Rohullah Ahmadzai said. In a statement on Friday, the 209 Shaheen Army Corps assured the residents of Sar-e-Pul and Takhar that all districts in the two provinces will be protected against threats from militants, reported Tolo News. (ANI) Representative image Chiang Mai, [Thailand], June 12 (ANI): Even as many nations, including the United States and the European Union have imposed sanctions on Myanmar's military junta following the February 1 coup, China has declared its support for Senior General Min Aung Hlaing-led government. The Great Game proxy theatre in post-coup Myanmar has pitted China against the US in a conflict that is escalating into a regional crisis, writes Bertil Lintner for Asia Times. Other regional actors like Japan and India and other regional actors struggle to strike a middle ground as they are not keen on seeing Chinese influence grow in a desperate Myanmar. Neighbouring Thailand is too dependent on natural gas imports from Myanmar to condemn the takeover and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has once again demonstrated incapability of resolving regional crises, writes Linter. Myanmar is on the verge of collapse, driving out many of the Western investors who had entered the country on hopes of a democratic transition. Asia Times reported that China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi, at a regional meeting in Chongqing on June 8 told his Myanmarese counterpart Wunna Maung Maung Lwin that bilateral tensions between Myanmar and China have not been affected by the "changes in Myanmar's domestic and external situation. On the other hand, Chinese officials have also pledged support for ASEAN's diplomatic initiatives on Mynamar's crisis, despite the 'five point consensus between Myanmar's military leader and the ASEAN representative on April 24 has been largely dead on arrival. In essence, the "consensus agreement" put equal blame on the Myanmar military's gunning down of hundreds of peaceful demonstrators, including children as young as five, writes Bertil Lintner for Asia Times. Indonesia remains the only ASEAN member that has shown some willingness to address Myanmar's problems and how they are spilling over into the wider region. Story continues On June 2, after holding talks with EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell in Jakarta, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said that her country is continuing to communicate with ASEAN's chair and other member states to demand an immediate end to killings and the release of over 4,000 political detainees. Meanwhile, China has big geostrategic interests to protect in Myanmar and Beijing has always sided with the political camp that appears to have the upper hand - which is now Myanmar's military junta. Furthermore, Myanmar is the only country that provides China with direct access to the Indian Ocean that allows Chinese shipments of fuel and other key imports to bypass the disputed waters of the South China Sea and the Malacca Strait, according to Asia Times. Whereas the US is on the other side of the political divide in post-coup Myanmar and beginning this month, the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) announced that two of its media networks will launch a 24-hour video channel on Myanmar. USAGM said the channel will be available on two different direct-to-home TV satellites covering Myanmar and is being launched in response to the junta's "shutdown of independent media and its intermittent blocking of mobile phone services since the military's February 1 coup." Moreover, civil society organisations inside the country and in exile will also get support from the US. An estimated 861 protesters had been shot dead by the Myanmar military since the coup until June 11, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), an independent rights group. Security and other analysts argue that neither civil disobedience nor armed struggle in frontier areas is likely to bring down the military, reported Asia Times. It is in Washington's strategic interest to strengthen the forces that are opposed to Myanmar's military to avoid the country once again becoming a dependent client of China. Myanmar authorities have recently arrested a total of 638 suspects for committing terror acts and illegally possessing firearms, state-run media reported Friday. The report said that the arrested suspects include 49 people for setting fire, 61 people for murder, 256 for illegally holding arms and ammunition and 272 people for terror and destructive acts, reported Xinhua. (ANI) A Delhi hospital reported that two patients who were administered monoclonal antibodies showed remarkable recovery from the onset of symptoms of Covid-19 and were discharged within hours following the beginning of the treatment. Here's how monoclonal antibodies work and why all eyes are on this therapy. Monoclonal antibodies made news as a treatment for Covid-19 when they were given to former US President Donald Trump last year after he tested positive for the disease on the US election campaign trail. It was described at the time as an "experimental antibody cocktail" that the New York Times reported was "one of the most promising candidates". Initial results, the New York Times said, had "suggested that they can reduce the level of the virus in the body and possibly shorten hospital stays " when they are given early in the course of infection". When US president received drug, it was an experimental therapy The former US President had a low-grade fever, nasal congestion and a cough during his illness. Trump was deemed to be at high-risk for COVID-19 due to his age and weight. He spent a few days in hospital and was reported to have required supplemental oxygen at least twice. Apart from the antibody cocktail, Trump was given the antiviral drug remdesivir, and the steroid dexamethasone. He reported in a little more than a week that he had recovered and was not a risk for spreading the infection. The former US President had a low-grade fever, nasal congestion and a cough during his illness. Trump was deemed to be at high-risk for Covid-19 due to his age and weight. He spent a few days in hospital and was reported to have required supplemental oxygen at least twice. Apart from the antibody cocktail, Trump was given the antiviral drug remdesivir, and the steroid dexamethasone. He reported in a little more than a week that he had recovered and was not a risk for spreading the infection. Story continues When Trump was down with Covid-19, monoclonal antibodies hadn't yet received authorisation in US for Covid-19 patients, but Regeneron, whose drug the former US president was given, got the nod in November last year. What are monoclonal antibody therapies available in India? The same Regeneron drug got emergency authorisation in India from the Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) in early May. The cocktail " composed of Casirivimab and Imdevimab " was cleared for use in mild to moderate cases of Covid-19 in high-risk patients. It has been launched in India in partnership with Cipla and costs Rs 59,750 for each patient dose of 1200mg (600 mg of Casirivimab and 600 mg of Imdevimab). Another drug, made by the US-based drugmaker Eli Lilly, too, has been cleared for use in India. But monoclonal antibody therapies are not recommended for severe cases of Covid-19 where the patient has been hospitalised and on oxygen support. So, what are monoclonal antibodies? When our body is exposed to a pathogen, which is a virus or bacteria that can cause disease, our immunity system produces antibodies to counter it. As the name suggests, monoclonal antibodies are clones of these antibodies that are created in a lab. They are targeted towards countering a specific antigen, which is nothing but a foreign element that the immune system recognises to be a threat, prompting the production of antibodies. The monoclonal antibodies used in the drug are artificially created in the laboratory and designed to bind to the spike protein of the novel coronavirus, which enables the virus to latch on to human cells. While their initial use for Covid-19 patients was on an experimental basis, antibody treatments are nothing new and have been used in Ebola and HIV patients. Also See: 'Not at all pleasant': Fauci emails shed light on early days of COVID-19 crisis, role in public eye India reports 1.52 lakh new COVID-19 cases; lowest tally in 50 days, says Centre COVID-19 updates: SC slams Centre's vaccination policy, seeks purchase data; India sees 1.32 lakh new cases Read more on Health by Firstpost. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. (Photo/ANI) New Delhi [India], June 12 (ANI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved the policy on archiving, declassification, and compilation, publication of war and operations histories by the Ministry of Defence. Under this policy, each organisation under the Ministry of Defence such as Services, Integrated Defence Staff, Assam Rifles and Indian Coast Guard, will transfer the records, including war diaries, letters of proceedings and operational record books, to the History Division of Ministry of Defence (MoD) for proper upkeep, archival and writing the histories. "The responsibility for declassification of records rests with the respective organisations as specified in the Public Record Act 1993 and Public Record Rules 1997, as amended from time to time. According to the policy, records should ordinarily be declassified in 25 years. Records older than 25 years should be appraised by archival experts and transferred to the National Archives of India once the war/operations histories have been compiled," read the release by the Ministry of Defence. The History Division will be responsible for coordination with various departments while compiling, seeking approval, and publishing war/operations histories. The policy mandates constitution of a committee headed by Joint Secretary, MoD and comprising of representatives of the Services, MEA, MHA, and other organisations and prominent military historians (if required), for compilation of war/ operations histories. The policy also set clear timelines with regard to the compilation and publication of war/operations histories. "The Committee should be formed within two years of completion of war/operations. Thereafter, the collection of records and compilation should be completed in three years and disseminated to all concerned," the Defence Ministry said. It said that the requirement of having war histories written with a clear-cut policy on declassification of war records was recommended by Kargil Review Committee headed by K Subrahmanyam as well as N N Vohra Committee in order to analyse lessons learned and prevent future mistakes. "Post-Kargil War, GoM recommendations on national security also mentioned the desirability of authoritative war history. Timely publication of war histories would give people accurate accounts of the events, provide authentic material for academic research and counter the unfounded rumours," read the release. (ANI) Representative Image Islamabad [Pakistan], June 11 (ANI): United States, China along with several other countries have declined to accept mangoes that Pakistan had dispatched to heads of over 32 countries as part of its "Mango diplomacy" initiative. Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) on Wednesday dispatched boxes of the fruit but countries like US and China among others have declined to accept the souvenir, citing their coronavirus quarantine regulations. The 'Chaunsa 'mangoes were dispatched to the heads of state/government of 32 countries on behalf of the President Dr Arif Alvi, reported The News International. Sources told the News International that the boxes of mangoes will also go to Iran, Gulf countries, Turkey, United Kingdom, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Russia. Sources said the FO had also listed the French President Emmanuel Macron among the recipients but Paris hasn't responded to Pakistan's intent. Countries, which have expressed their regrets at accepting the gift from the president of Pakistan, include Canada, Nepal, Egypt and Sri Lanka, reported the daily. Previously, the mango varities 'Anwar Rattol' and 'Sindhari' were also part of the consignments but the two have been dropped this time. (ANI) CARBIS BAY, England (AP) Leaders of the world's largest economies unveiled an infrastructure plan Saturday for the developing world to compete with Chinas global initiatives, but they were searching for a consensus on how to forcefully to call out Beijing over human rights abuses. Citing China for its forced labor practices is part of President Joe Bidens campaign to persuade fellow democratic leaders to present a more unified front to compete economically with Beijing. But while they agreed to work toward competing against China, there was less unity on how adversarial a public position the group should take. Canada, the United Kingdom and France largely endorsed Biden's position, while Germany, Italy and the European Union showed more hesitancy during Saturday's first session of the Group of Seven summit, according to two senior Biden administration officials. The officials who briefed reporters were not authorized to publicly discuss the private meeting and spoke on condition of anonymity. The communique that summarizes the meeting's commitments was being written and the contents would not be clear until it was released when the summit ended Sunday. White House officials said late Saturday that they believed that China, in some form, could be called out for nonmarket policies and human rights abuses. CARBIS BAY, England (AP) Jill Biden is sending a sartorial message of "love" as she accompanies her husband President Joe Biden overseas. The first lady wore a black jacket with the word "love" outlined on the back in silver beading as she and the president met with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife Thursday. She wore the same jacket more than two years ago to kick off Biden's presidential campaign. "We're bringing love from America," she told reporters, explaining her fashion choice. "This is a global conference and we are trying to bring unity across the globe and I think it's needed right now, that people feel a sense of unity from all the countries and feel a sense hope after this year of the pandemic." Biden is known for her sartorial choices, often donning bright pastels or eye-catching patterns for her outings on behalf of the Biden administration. She is rarely seen without a kitten heel or stiletto boot, adding height to her petite frame. And this isn't the first time she's sent a direct message with her clothes: During a campaign trip to Iowa late last year, Biden wore black skinny jeans bearing the word "VOTE" down each calf. Macquarie Telecom business unit Macquarie Government has welcomed the Morrison Governments announcement that all government data will soon require storage only in onshore data centres that are Certified Strategic or Certified Assured. The certification categories - designed to improve the protection and security of Australian government data - are a feature of the newly released Hosting Strategy, administered by the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA), and have been championed by Minister for Government Services Stuart Robert. As well as ensuring this information is moved onshore into certified data centres, the strategy will require government data to be managed by cloud and managed service providers that are based in Australia, ensuring stronger government controls are in place across supply chains that support the storage of government data. Managing Director of Macquarie Government Aidan Tudehope said the requirement for government information to be stored in certified data centres will ensure greater security of Australias sovereign data. Recent events demonstrated the importance of protecting Australias critical sovereign data, and the infrastructure and hosting arrangements that store, protect and manage that data, he said. Ensuring sensitive information is kept within Australian borders is vital to protecting our national security and privacy interests. We are delighted to be on the podium and among the first to be certified Strategic under the DTAs new Hosting Certification Framework. Our campuses are controlled and accessed only by Australian Government security-cleared specialists, ensuring the highest sovereign controls are in place for our government customers. According to Tudehope the governments intent to prioritise local cloud and data storage service providers will set a strong example for the private sector to invest locally, ensuring Australia works towards enhancing its sovereign digital ecosystem that serves the national economy by providing world-class security for Australias sovereign data. The announcement from Minister Stuart Robert is the latest in a series of initiatives that are geared towards protecting Australias national interests. With the government, as the largest collective buyer of ICT services in Australia, signalling its intent to move its information onshore in the interests of stronger security controls, the private sector may be encouraged to do likewise. This will provide a catalyst to Australias bourgeoning cyber security and data storage sectors, creating local jobs and investment, and supercharging a digital-led economic recovery in Australia. Group Executive of Macquarie Data Centres David Hirst said that Macquaries portfolio of Australian data centres, including the recently completed IC3 (Sydney) and IC5 Bunker (Canberra), are ideal for supporting both government workloads, and also hyperscale and SaaS that indirectly support and house government data. Our facilities continually measure up against rigorous global certification standards in terms of mechanics, engineering and build. These certifications, along with the fact that we are one of the few integrated service providers to government, mean we are best placed to host critical information. MATTOON There has been a lot of buzz about the arrival of cicadas, especially of a large swarm known as Brood X. Coles County and many surrounding areas, however, aren't expected to see many cicadas this year. But they will be in Central Illinois soon, a local expert said. Most of Brood X is out east," including Indiana and Ohio, with some emerging in eastern Illinois counties like Vermilion, Clark and Crawford, said Jennifer Tariq, the executive director of Douglas-Hart Nature Center in Mattoon. Tariq, who also served as the educational director, has a background in environmental education. Here in Central Illinois, were going to see parts of Brood XIX, which will cover our area in 2024. Cicadas associated with broods are periodical cicadas. There are two types of periodicals: ones which arrive in 13- and 17-year cycles. There are many types of cicadas, however. The ones we see each year are annual cicadas and are often referred to as dog days cicadas, since they arrive closer to the end of summer. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Brood X is a 17-year cicada. Illinois is supposed to see its next 17-year swarm, Brood XIII, in 2024. That swarm mainly lives around the Chicago area. This is the same year Central Illinois will see our 13-year swarm, Brood XIX, Tariq said. At least, that is what is supposed to happen. Last year, there were reports of Brood XIII arriving early in the Chicago area and Brood XIX arriving early around St. Louis. Still, when the rest of the two broods emerge in 2024, almost all of Illinois will be impacted. I think the biggest questions we get are, Why do cicadas stay underground so long? and How do they know when to emerge? Its still kind of fascinating, Tariq said. Theyre underground, like little larva. Theyre not hibernating, theyre not sleeping. Theyre actually very active. "Some scientists think theyre underground because its just a survival technique, its an adaptation," Tariq said. "When youre underground, youre not competing for all the resources above-ground that all the other wildlife are. And theres not as many predators underground. Scientists are still baffled by many aspects of cicadas lifecycles. Many still question why cicadas brood in years of 13 and 17, but many understand a bit about how they keep track of the years while theyre underground. A lot of us can agree that some animals have an internal clock, Tariq said. Monarchs have an internal navigational clock how do they know to migrate to Mexico or back from Mexico every year? With cicadas, its an internal molecular clock. Every year when the tree blooms, it has a surge of sugars and nutrients (in the roots), and the cicadas can detect that. They know when the trees are blooming, so they can keep track of every season the tree blooms. Theyve been able to replicate this in scientific studies. In the United States East coast, Midwest, and Southern regions, there are 14 different broods of 17-year cicadas and three broods of 13-year cicadas. Cicadas are found all over the world except in Antarctica. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Good evening everyone and welcome back to another episode of 'Long Story Short' where we recap Central Illinois news from Lee Enterprises' journalists. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Today is a special day as Illinois enters Phase 5 of the state's Restore Illinois reopening plan, lifting occupancy and social distancing guidelines. Instead of our regularly scheduled news coverage, reporters Kelsey Watznauer and Sierra Henry detail what changes people can expect from businesses, festivals, health care, education, and, of course, sports. Subscribe to 'Long Story Short' for free at iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. To read more, head on over to any of our three websites: herald-review.com, jg-tc.com, and pantagraph.com. Music by Podington Bear. Contact Sierra Henry at 309-820-3234. Follow her on Twitter: @pg_sierrahenry. On November 19 of last year, the number of Illinois House Democrats who had publicly stated they would not vote to reelect Speaker Michael Madigan grew from 12 to 17, meaning that Madigan at that point did not have enough votes to win. By December 1, two more House Democrats, including a member of Madigans own leadership team, had turned against him. The 19 became a real force in Illinois politics. The fight didnt end there, of course. Unions, the Black Caucus, the Latinx Caucus and others tried to reverse the tide, but it was no use. Madigan couldnt reach the 60 votes he needed to win reelection and he eventually stepped aside. Rep. Chris Welch was quickly elected to replace him, becoming the first Black House Speaker in Illinois history. Almost all of the media analysis of Speaker Welchs first spring session has centered around the opinions of Republicans. Members of the super-minority party didnt say too many nice things about their chambers new leader. But I was curious what those 19 House Democrats had to say about Speaker Welchs freshman session. Not everyone initially supported him, after all, and Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago) didnt vote for him when the House formally cast its votes. All 19, down to a person, gave Welch glowing reviews on his first session. Even Cassidy said Welch did really well during the session. Rep. Cassidy also said she agreed with a statement sent to me by Rep. Anne Stava-Murray (D-Naperville). Stava-Murray said shes been impressed with Welchs leadership, saying that he brought their diverse caucus together, which was also reflected in his leadership team. There were wins that seem small but were huge - like having digital access to our bill analyses anywhere beyond the House floor, she said, adding that the remap and budget processes went relatively smoothly, and concluded, All in all, I'm proud of what we've been able to get done for the people of Illinois under the leadership of Speaker Welch. One member of Welchs new leadership team is Rep. Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston), who was also one of the 19. I think he performed very well, Assistant Majority Leader Gabel said. We were able to pass significant legislation. The new Speaker is accessible and fair to all. He made real strides on building a new house that has some bad muscle memory, said Rep. Lindsey LaPointe (D-Chicago). Like a lot of her colleagues, Rep. LaPointe praised Welchs accessibility. He seems to care about us as humans and our success, instead of as just cogs in a larger machine, LaPointe said, noting that small things like the use of a shared Google drive has made life easier. Rep. Maurice West (D-Rockford) was the only Black Caucus member to openly break with Madigan. I think he's doing a fine job thus far, West said of Welch. Morale is different than it was before. It feels good to have a speaker who is accessible. Rep. Ann Williams (D-Chicago) made a bid for the chambers top post, but said Welch has done a great job during a difficult period, both with regard to managing caucus dynamics and empowering individual members to have an enhanced role in policymaking, which Ive not experienced before. Williams said later that she didnt realize how little input she had until Welch became Speaker and opened up the process so that member priorities were addressed. Rep. Kathy Willis (D-Addison) was the 19th person to register her opposition to reelecting Madigan and was on Madigans leadership team at the time. She also ran for Speaker herself, but said she thought Welch did an excellent job this spring. Like most everyone else, she praised his openness and willingness to listen and singled out his caucus management skills as a big plus. Rep. Stephanie Kifowit (D-Oswego) also made her own bid for the top job. I talked to Rep. Kifowit last and told her that not one member of the 19 had said a bad thing about Welch and asked if that surprised her. It didnt. I think that the caucus had been starved for so long that a fresh glass of water is just thrilling, she said. We were treated so horribly that it is a breath of fresh air to have somebody that respects you enough to meet you where you're at, or to actually listen to you, look you in the eye and listen to you, not gloss over it. I honestly expected at least a little criticism from at least some of those 19 people. I heard none. Rich Miller publishes Capitol Fax, a daily political newsletter, and CapitolFax.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 CHARLESTON Applications are now being accepted for Miss Coles County 2021. Young ladies, who are ages 17-21, from the school districts of Charleston, Mattoon and Oakland, or those who attend Eastern Illinois University or Lake Land College and live in Coles County. A $1,500 scholarship, sponsored by Washington Savings Bank in Mattoon and Effingham, will be awarded to the new Miss Coles County Fair Queen 2021. The Coles County Fair website is still being updated with new information about the pageant, but the applications can be found online at www.colescountyfair.com. Orientation for applicants will be at 6 p.m. Monday, June 21, at the Charleston Moose Lodge. An informational meeting for the Little Miss and Junior Miss pageants will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, June 14, at the Coles County Fairground Merchants Building. All girls ages 6-15 are welcome. For more information, email colescountyqueens@gmail.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Achievers In June 2021, Carolina Donor Services was named by Business North Carolina and Best Companies Group as one of the 2021 Best Employers in North Carolina. The organization ranked 14th in the medium-sized company category. Carolina Donor Services is North Carolinas largest organ donation and tissue recovery organization with offices in Winston-Salem, Durham and Greenville. This survey and awards program was designed to identify, recognize and honor the best employers in North Carolina, benefiting the economy, workforce and businesses in the state. The list contains 57 companies. Companies from North Carolina entered the two-part survey process to determine the 2021 Best Employers in North Carolina. The first part consisted of evaluating each nominated companys workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems and demographics. The second part consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final ranking. Best Companies Group managed the overall registration and survey process, analyzed the data, and determined the final rankings. Spriggs said that by holding the GED classes at Piedmont Park, Forsyth Tech will be able to bridge the transportation gap that might otherwise keep the mothers from taking part in getting their degrees. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} But theres more, she said: Participants will get counseling, health care and mentoring in a bid to make their venture into education a success. And they will get child care services so they are able to devote the time they need to invest in getting their degrees, she said. We know that education is critical for economic and social mobility, Spriggs said, adding that children born into poverty are born into an uneven playing field. Spriggs said education should also help the community improve conditions that arise out of poverty: Substandard housing, homelessness, inadequate nutrition and food insecurity, along with unsafe neighborhoods and violence. Among the officials speaking up during the announcement was Kevin Cheshire, the executive director of the Housing Authority of Winston-Salem. Historically what we have done is build infrastructure as an organization, Cheshire said. We build bricks, we build mortar. But what we are doing now is building infrastructure in the people that reside in that brick. Yates approached on the passenger side door and when he saw that Thompson had a phone, he immediately yelled at Thompson to hand the phone over, the lawsuit alleges. At the same time, Bross started yelling at Thompson to give him the phone and telling him to get out of the car, according to the lawsuit. Then Bross opened the door and yanked Thompson out of the car, pulling Yates through the car, the lawsuit said. The lawsuit said Thompson was slammed to the ground, landing on his jaw. His hand holding the cellphone was pinned underneath, the lawsuit said. Bross got on Thompsons back, kneeling on his head and demanding to see the hand with the phone in it. Thompson offered up his free hand and one of the officers said youre not in charge. The lawsuit alleges that Bross and Yates beat Thompson in the chest and ribs, kneeled on his back and struck his neck. They also twisted his free arm. The lawsuit said that Thompson was yelling for help and saying he was being beaten. The officers mocked Thompson saying theres no one here man, you dont have an audience and words to that effect, the lawsuit said. SPENDING ON TECHNOLOGY: The Senate has passed the United States Innovation And Competition Act (S. 1260), sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. The bill would take a variety of measures to promote development of new technologies, including the creation of a Directorate for Technology and Innovation at the National Science Foundation and other strategic government plans to support innovation. Schumer said of the need for the bill: If we want American workers and American companies to keep leading the world, the federal government must invest in science, basic research, and innovation, just as we did in the decades after the Second World War. An opponent, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said it would likely result in wasteful spending, and increase an already excessive national debt burden. The vote, on June 8, was 68 yeas to 32 nays. SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Friday defended her handling of accusations of harassment by a former campaign spokesman that resulted in a financial settlement of at least $62,500 in payments from her political campaign, explaining that the pandemic demanded her attention. In her first in-person comments concerning the settlement with James Hallinan, Lujan Grisham briefly described her decision to resolve the matter. Hallinan, who worked as a spokesman for Lujan Grishams 2018 campaign for governor, has accused Lujan Grisham of dropping water on his crotch and then grabbing his crotch in the midst of a campaign staff meeting prior to the election accusations that the governor denies. I was focused on the pandemic, and I'll stand by that decision every minute of every day," said Lujan Grisham, describing the decision to settle. Asked whether there have been any other financial settlements and nondisclosure agreements of a similar nature, the governor said no. Lujan Grisham's political committee paid at least $62,500 to an attorney for Hallinan. Payments were made in five monthly installments to a law firm representing Hallinan, who now runs a public relations and political consulting firm. A now-retired state judge was censured Friday by the North Carolina Supreme Court for sexual misconduct, including attempts to meet women online and in person while at court. The court agreed with the Judicial Standards Commission that former District Court Judge C. Randy Pool violated several sections of the judicial conduct code and should receive the censure. Pool, who held court in McDowell and Rutherford counties, became a judge in 1999 and served more than a dozen years as a chief District Court judge until his retirement in December 2019. The commission and the ex-judge agreed that Pool, who is married, knowingly engaged in conversations with at least 35 women on Facebook that ranged from inappropriate to sexually explicit during a 7-month period that ended in May 2019, Fridays ruling said. His public Facebook page identified him as a judge. Facebook records showed this online activity corresponded to time when he was reported to be in court, according to the ruling. He sought meetings with women during recesses and breaks, the commission wrote, which interfered with him discharging his judicial duties. You were vaccinated Dear unvaccinated American, Remember the time you had measles and ran a high fever for almost two weeks and ended up with damage to your eyes? Do you remember having the mumps as a teenager and the danger of getting damage to your reproductive organs? Also remember when you got polio and almost died, leaving you with damaged leg muscles and a limp? And then there was the time you had chicken pox and ended up with those little scars on your body. Then, later, because of the chicken pox, you ended up with shingles and that terrible pain that wouldnt go away. That typhoid fever that you had after swimming in the lake almost killed you was pretty bad and the diphtheria you had was no picnic either. I almost forgot the time you had Rubella and your entire body was covered with sores for more than two weeks. No, you dont remember any of those things because your parents had you vaccinated and other parents had their children vaccinated so that you didnt have to suffer the results from any of those diseases. For those who have been attending the Lincoln Arts Festival for many years, good news all those wonderful artists are back again! If you havent attended the festival in the past, even better news the festival is so much more than its ever been. In addition to those artists selling their jewelry, paintings, woodwork and more, there are now family activities, music acts, demonstrations, local up-and-comers and more, all on downtown Lincolns coolest street. There are 77 artists from across the Midwest and from as far away as Florida. Added to this are 12 young Lincoln artists who will be showcased in a special Makers Market. Visit to discover Lincolns own movers and shakers. While youre walking around, you can catch some enterftainment along the full length of Canopy Street starting at Pinnacle Bank Arena all the way to O Street. On Saturday, June 19, you might bump into a troupe from Flatwater Shakespeare doing an impromptu skit. David Manzanares will be around to demonstrate the laser cutting he does at the Innovation Studio, and hell invite you to join in. Instrument-maker Marc Kornbluh will be showing off his cool creations. Catch a student-made short film from Civic Nebraskas film competition on The Cube, or hear the Nebraska Writers Collective on the Railyard Stage. "We need a vaccine for adolescents and children," Meissner told CNN. "But I think we also want to be sure that the benefit exceeds the risk." Meissner also praised the success of vaccinations so far against the pandemic, saying, "These vaccines are equivalent to our accomplishments in space." FDA adviser Dr. Paul Offit told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Thursday that he was "confident that there was unanimity" among advisers on the importance of having a Covid-19 vaccine for children despite disagreement over how potential vaccines are researched and authorized. "I certainly think we would have a vaccine by early next year, and hopefully we'll have a vaccine for the 6-to-12-year-old by the end of the year," Offit said. "If we're past the pandemic -- if this is all behind us -- then that's not going to be an issue, but we're not past the pandemic," Offit added. "The variants are still out there and becoming more contagious. I think when the winter comes, you're going to see this virus surge again, so we still need a vaccine." More Covid-19 restrictions loosen The public is invited to visit sculptor Benjamin Victor as he works on a sculpture of Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte that will be installed in Lincoln later this year. Victor will be at the Jayne Snyder Trails Center in Union Plaza from 3-7 p.m. Monday and 1-5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday as he works on the clay model from which the bronze sculpture will be cast. The sculpture will be installed on the east side of Centennial Mall, opposite the State Office Building, between L and M streets. Picotte was a member of the Omaha tribe and the first Native in the United States to earn a degree to become a medical doctor. After earning her medical degree, Picotte returned to northeastern Nebraska to care for both Native and non-Native residents and shortly before her death in 1913 opened a hospital on the Omaha reservation. Under state law, a judge or jury must weigh how much blame belongs to each party in a negligence case. In this case, if the judge were to determine that Barth, who was driving, was 50% or more at fault, her family would not be able to collect against the county or the other defendants named. The families of the other two girls potentially could collect if a judge placed their blame at less than 50%. The families also sued Ford, the manufacturer of the 2017 Fusion the girls were in, and a company that erected the guardrail where the Fusion went off the road. Sunday will mark the 20th anniversary of the disappearance of Jason Jolkowski. The then 19-year-old was last seen on June 13, 2001, when he left his Benson-area home to head to work at Fazolis at 80th and Cass streets in Omaha. His car was being repaired, so a co-worker was going to meet him at Benson High School, eight blocks from where Jolkowski lived. The co-worker never saw him. He wasnt on Benson Highs surveillance tapes. To this day his disappearance remains a mystery. The Jolkowski family has planned a memorial event for 2 p.m. Sunday in Roberts Skateboard Park at 730 N. 78th St., near a tree and plaque dedicated to Jolkowski. At the event, attendees can paint rocks to hide later that include the hashtag #FindJasonJ. An activity planned by Jolkowskis mother, Kelly Murphy, and cousin, the rocks are meant to spread awareness of Jolkowski, and the family encourages participants across the country to take part. The family shared instructions for interested participants on the event Facebook page: fb.me/e/1vgWIWx1O. Collective Prosperity did not submit its reports until Feb. 24 and March 8, well past the filing deadlines. The reports were not sent until after the campaign finance agency sent two reminder letters. No explanation of the delay was provided publicly. Attempts to reach David Lopez, an Omaha attorney who argued Collective Prosperitys case to the Accountability and Disclosure Commission, were unsuccessful, as was a message sent to Rob Phillips III, an Ohio attorney listed as the groups agent. Daley said Collective Prosperity sought relief from the late fees by arguing that the original amount was excessive and would create an undue hardship on the entity. The commission granted relief in that case and three others considered earlier this month. None were denied. Jack Gould of Common Cause Nebraska found the commissions decision troubling. He said it seems strange that a shadowy out-of-state organization would put so much money into a Nebraska ballot issue, miss the deadline for reporting its donations and then ask for relief. It looks like just another dark money game, and well never know who was behind it, Gould said. Jorde said hes meeting with TC Energy lawyers soon to talk about what happens next. In an emailed response to voicemails from the Omaha World-Herald, TC Energy media relations wrote the company doesn't comment on "matters before the courts." "As we exit the project, our first priority is to make sure we wind down construction activities safely and with care for the environment," the statement reads. Kleeb and Jorde would also like to see state law tweaked so that if a pipeline doesnt have the necessary permits such as the permit Biden revoked any land easements a pipeline company acquired would automatically be returned to the landowner. Their argument: A company should not have the power of eminent domain if it cannot do the project for which that power was granted. Im not going to rest until we have stronger eminent domain laws and stronger pipeline laws in our state, because I dont want other families to go through what everybody just went through with Keystone XL, Kleeb said. She said theres no bill being drafted yet, but she's identified a few potential sponsors for legislation. The History Nebraska Foundation Board has selected Tyler Vacha of Lyons, Nebraska, as the inaugural executive director of the recently formed Foundation. Vacha brings nearly 15 years of experience in leading multi-channel fundraising initiatives. He most recently served as director of corporate and foundation relations for Northeast Community College, where he helped secure more than $20 million for the colleges capital campaigns, educational programming and scholarships. Vacha holds a bachelors degree in Political Science from Buena Vista University and a graduate certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of South Dakota. Previous roles included serving as director of development, operations and engagement for the Center for Rural Affairs and Chapter, and membership director for Farm Safety 4 Just Kids. In addition, Vacha aided in founding the Nebraska Civic Engagement Table, serving as the inaugural board secretary. I am thrilled to be able to lead and build the History Nebraska Foundation as its first executive director, Vacha said. I look forward to working with individuals, businesses, corporations and foundations across the state to protect and preserve our shared history as Nebraskans. The History Nebraska Foundation was established in 2020 as a nonprofit under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal revenue code. The Foundations mission is to provide support and promote History Nebraska and its mission to collect, preserve, and open to all, the histories we share. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Sir Rod Stewart was a bit nervous about his wife Lady Penny Lancaster Stewart becoming a police officer. The 50-year-old model qualified as a special constable a voluntary role which has all the powers that full-time cops do earlier this year, much to the shock of her rock legend husband and their sons Alastair, 15, and Aiden, 10. Penny said: Rod and the boys knew I wanted to get involved but I dont think they imagined it would come to me actually paving a new career for myself. But its here, its happened, and Im out there. Rod and the kids were a bit nervous of me becoming a police officer because you hear so much trouble on the news, but I told them theres lots of women, daughters, sisters and mums who are police officers and are serving the community. I feel I have joined another family into which I have been fully accepted. And Penny hopes her decision to get involved in law enforcement has set a good example to her sons. Speaking to HELLO! magazine, she shared: I want to show my boys that its important to be whatever you want to be in life, and fulfil every part of yourself, even if its considered dangerous. RACINE COUNTY After church festivals across the county were canceled last year due to COVID-19, some are back this year, some are virtual and some are still tentative. Take advantage of this great offer! Just $1 gives you full access for 6 months to exclusive content from The Journal Times and journaltimes.com. The incredible deal won't last lo The two biggest in Racine County, at St. Lucy and St. Rita, are aiming for big returns in 2021. But St. Lucys festival is being held outside of the city, and St. Rita still needs help from the community to pull off its festival. The planned returns with changes are emblematic of what stage American society is at regarding the pandemic: its almost over, but not quite yet. Guidance The Catholic Comeback from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee is a guide to returning to parish operations and ministry. The last version of the guide was published May 20 and states outdoor festivals are allowed starting July 1 and must follow all requirements, restrictions, guidelines and safety protocols established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the local municipalities and local health departments. Takeout or outdoor food service is preferred. First incident was in 2014 In the first of the two Kenosha assaults, the victim told police she was walking in the 2300 block of 61st Street in Kenosha on her way to a friends home on the afternoon of Nov. 10, 2014, when a man grabbed her, pulled her into a vehicle and raped her. The woman indicated that she ultimately fought the male subject off her and ran out of the vehicle, according to the criminal complaint. Ward said a rape kit in that case was performed, collected and maintained by the City of Kenosha Police Department. The victim later positively identified Crockett in a photo lineup as the man who assaulted her, he said. In the second case, a woman reported she was walking home from the Kenosha Job Center on Sheridan Road in April 2015, after she used a computer to look for work. The woman told an investigator she was walking when a man grabbed her, pulled her into a car, drove her a short distance away and raped her. As a result of the assault, the second victim was impregnated, Ward said. The pregnancy was terminated, and a biological sample was collected and maintained by the Kenosha Police Department. ROCHESTER Two men from West Allis have been charged in the sexual assault of a child under the age of 16. Darkari C. Coleman, 20, was charged with felony counts of second degree sexual assault of a child under 16 years of age and possession of child pornography. Anthony L. Walker, 19, was charged with a felony count of second degree sexual assault of a child under 16 years of age. According to a criminal complaint: An investigator with the Racine County Sheriff Office was assigned to investigate a sexual assault that occurred on May 16 between Milwaukee County line and the 29000 block of Eagle Ridge Drive. The victim said she was at a party in West Allis and went along to take someone home on Eagle Ridge Drive. She was in the middle of the back seat with Coleman and Walker in the front seats. She said she had been drinking and was falling asleep in the backseat of the car. She alleged that she woke up and found Walker was sexually assaulting her. The investigator reported that on one of Colemans social-media accounts was a video of the victim sleeping and him sexually assaulting her. Coleman states what we did was wrong in messages between him and another suspect. A Wisconsin state lawmaker compared a nonprofit children's museum's mask policy, which required proof of vaccination for those over age 5 to go unmasked inside the museum, to the Nazi Party in a social media post that generated outrage and calls for an apology. On June 4, Republican state Rep. Shae Sortwell shared a Facebook post by the Central Wisconsin Children's Museum in Stevens Point detailing its mask policy. The museum said masks would be optional for those who show their vaccination cards and masks would be mandatory for everyone else over age 5. The Gestapo wants to see your papers, please," Sortwell posted on Facebook, a reference to the feared secret police of Nazi Germany. In a video posted on Facebook Tuesday, Sortwell said "I absolutely stand by my statement. Do you know why? Because let's look at the actual literal history lesson here of what the Nazis indeed did: They started off by getting people's records. They collected records for people, and if you couldn't provide proper records to prove that you were not a 'filthy Jew' as they put them keep in mind that another part of Nazi propaganda was that these people were diseased, disease spreaders ... And if you couldn't do it (provide documentation) then all of a sudden you had to put on something that declared to the world, declared to the German people, you were somehow subservient, somehow not as good." Democratic state Rep. Lisa Subeck, who is a board member of the National Association of Jewish Legislators, noted that just over a month ago the Legislature voted unanimously to require education about the Holocaust in Wisconsin schools. At a time when antisemitic incidents continue to rise, hyperbolic rhetoric by Republican elected officials about the Holocaust needs to end now, Subeck said. These types of statements pile onto ever increasing antisemitic incidents in our state, and continue to create divisions in an already ultra-divided country. Schools could more adequately fund special education programs, pay teachers better, improve mental health services and undo budget losses from over the past 20 years. Nonprofit leaders say more grant money could help fill gaps in communities, particularly in overlooked areas like hygiene needs or lead pipe replacement. A local nun active in the pursuit of social justice is hoping for the expansion of low-income housing in Racine by repurposing an iconic empty building, providing a stable steppingstone for local low-income households on the path to home ownership. Wisconsinites who work with some of the states most vulnerable people have a lot of ideas of how they could help others with an unexpected $4.4 billion surplus in state tax revenue announced last week. But its questionable at best whether those institutions or groups will directly see any of that money. The Republicans who hold majorities in both houses of the Legislature have signaled their intent to use most or all of that $4.4 billion to create property and income tax breaks. Now with this new money that's coming in, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochster, said in a Thursday interview, I think it's just a testament to the good work that we've been doing over the past year, and the fact that we've been good stewards of taxpayer dollars. So, knowing that, I look and say if we had more money than we needed before the $4.4 billion came in, I would be focused on making sure the vast majority of it hopefully all of it is returned back to the families, the taxpayers that paid it to us in a way that was more that we need it. Vos said he is "open to other suggestions, for how the money can be used. But, he concluded, I am presuming that we would do cuts in property taxes, cuts in income taxes the only thing I'm not open to is using it to grow the size of government. There are questions about whether tax cuts would serve the poorest in Wisconsin population. Vos, who is a landlord, says that property tax cuts could benefit renters since their landlords would have a lesser burden and that income tax cuts would help the middle class, whose members are the biggest drivers of the economy. Among the states poorest about 10.4% of Wisconsinites live below the poverty line, and so they pay little to nothing in taxes as a result tax breaks make less of a direct impact but could benefit indirectly, Vos has argued. 'Golden opportunity' The nonpartisan Wisconsin Policy Forum said in a Friday report that the $4.4 billion is a "Golden opportunity for Wisconsin." That report argued that the best use of that money is likely to directly address lead pipes, water and sewer infrastructure, aid to child care (which would help more people work since their kids are taken care of), and put money toward English Learner students who tend to fall their peers in school. The report called into question if only using the money for tax cuts would be beneficial, especially since the Republicans' proposed budget may put Wisconsin at risk of losing $2.3 billion in federal education aid due to the state's meager education contributions not reaching the minimum to qualify for the federal aid; Republicans argue the state shouldn't be spending so much on schools since schools are getting so much extra aid from the federal government right now. "Based on the current estimates," the Policy Forum's report states, "Wisconsin can contemplate strengthening its finances and programs as well as cutting taxes. As state officials do so, they may wish to consider provisions within the recent federal relief measures which prohibit using federal, funds for tax cuts and which require the state to maintain certain spending levels for K-12 and higher education." Where is this $4.4 billion coming from? Based on the budget committees actions through Monday, it was estimated the state would have a general fund balance of about $2.08 billion by the end of the 2021-23 biennium. That balance is now projected to reach more than $5.8 billion by July 2023, not including the $2.5 billion in coronavirus funding coming to Wisconsin through the latest stimulus package. Much of that $4.4 billion is coming from spending by Wisconsinites, most of whom received stimulus checks throughout the pandemic, checks that translated into spending that fueled the economy and thus also created tax revenue for the state. On education Leaders in the Burlington Area School District and Racine Unified School District say that increased funding on top of boosts from federal stimulus packages passed amid the COVID-19 pandemic could have direct benefits for both teachers and students. Right now, the preliminary budget for 21-'22, we are looking at about an $800,000 deficit for the Burlington school district any extra funding would be very helpful, BASD School Board President Peter Turke said. Besides avoiding a deficit, Turke said, our special ed program, every year, is underfunded. We take money from our general fund and we transfer it over to special education, so weve been running a structural deficit for years in special ed. It would be nice to see more funding come that way. In 2020-21, Burlington teachers didn't get their expected step pay increases because of budget constraints. According to research from the nonprofit, nonpartisan Wisconsin Policy Forum, Wisconsin dropped from ranking 12th in per-pupil spending on K-12 schools in 2002 to 24th in 2018; that decline really took off in 2012, Scott Walker's second year as governor, and had the support of a Republican-led Legislature. In an email, Racine Unified Chief of Communication Stacy Tapp said: These funds would help maintain our current staffing and programming, and allow for federal dollars to be used to help students with their learning recovery through strategic efforts." Among those efforts could be the expansion of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) resources; hiring more educational assistants "to provide additional support for our youngest learners to close gaps;" adding summer programming; expanding mental health resources and offering night school "for students who need flexibility." Jean Verber (copy) Jean Verber holds a Black Lives Matter sign next to the Racine County Courthouse during protests in June 2020. On housing Jean Verber, justice outreach coordinator for the Racine Dominicans, noted that the Racine Family YMCA building in Downtown Racine has been empty since 2019. The idea has been thrown around to turn it into high-density housing for local families. But no funding has developed for that idea. The state, she says, could now pick up that bill to help elevate people living in poverty. Ive been sitting in on the mayors meetings with faith leaders we keep talking about the problem we have in the city in terms of poverty, in terms of redlining, in terms of rents being too high for people, Verber said. We need a lot of infusion of money to deal with some type of facility that is not market-value what we need is some decent housing for decent people." Verber noted that when rent prices remain above what households can afford, landlords lose out, too, since theyll either evict tenants or have to miss out on rent payments. The number of people who cannot afford decent housing in the city is tremendous, Verber said. Pastor Lynn Nys, director of the Giving to the Nations nonprofit, added: There is one homeless shelter and thats it, as far as I know, and thats HALO if you look at the (population) of Racine and Racine County, to just have one homeless shelter is not appropriate. The shelter at HALO, 2000 DeKoven Ave., is the only traditional homeless shelter in the county, although there are other, smaller facilities that offer housing and services to those who are homeless, such as the Women's Resource Center and SAFE Haven youth shelter. HALOs listed maximum capacity is 120 guests per night. In most years, HALO will be over capacity for the equivalent of several months. However, HALO leaders have often argued that expanding shelters isnt necessary, but rather helping those who are (or may become) homeless find stable housing. According to a 2017 National Alliance to End Homelessness report, "A chronically homeless person costs the taxpayer an average of $35,578 per year costs on average are reduced by 49.5% when they are placed in supportive housing. Supportive housing costs on average $12,800, making the net savings roughly $4,800 per year." For needs that have not been identified Like Vos, Nys doesnt want the state government to use the $4.4 billion to expand the size of government. I dont think its necessarily more about putting onus on government to run the programs. Theres some great nonprofits out there that just need the funding, Nys said. Nys says the money can be used to help nonprofits establish roots and grow to treat the needs of Wisconsinites better than bureaucracy-laden governments can. Giving to the Nations focuses on treating hygiene poverty, i.e. not being able to afford everyday cleaning/health supplies ranging from women's products to soap to toothpaste. While there are plenty of organizations that treat food insecurity, there are few focused on hygiene products. Nys argues that hygiene products should be treated as just as necessary as food. Her organization's goal is to make sure "people can brush their teeth with toothpaste, and wash their dishes with dish soap, and go and do laundry. Nys said that Giving to the Nations is the only consistent place in Racine and Kenosha counties that stocks hygiene items. It has mobile capabilities in addition to a brick-and-mortar space in Racine. Theres a lot of great funding for food. But when you look at personal care and hygiene that are essential goods, they are not provided on a regular people at all How are we helping people get clean? How are we helping people clean their homes? Nys continued. The thing I would really like to see is funding for new programs in target areas that we dont have covered for needs that have not been identified. Lead pipes I believe that lead abatement from pipes and paint would be a very positive way to use some of this money," Tamerin Hayward, co-president of the Racine Interfaith Coalition, said in an email. "Our next generation of children are depending on us to make them safe and guarantee that their futures will be spared from brain damage. As of 2014, Racine ranked fifth in the state for percentage of kids who had lead poisoning, according to one investigation, although totals were dropping from 2007-2016. At the time, the Department of Health Services reported that its anti-lead efforts were chronically and critically underfunded. Too many households in Wisconsin can't trust the water coming out of their taps. Wisconsinites deserve clean, safe drinking water period, state Rep. Greta Neubauer, D-Racine, tweeted Thursday. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! 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Sign Up Today In a video titled Papers Please posted on Facebook Tuesday, Sortwell said I absolutely stand by my statement. Do you know why? Because lets look at the actual literal history lesson here of what the Nazis indeed did: They started off by getting peoples records. They collected records for people, and if you couldnt provide proper records to prove that you were not a filthy Jew as they put them keep in mind that another part of Nazi propaganda was that these people were diseased, disease spreaders And if you couldnt do it (provide documentation) then all of a sudden you had to put on something that declared to the world, declared to the German people, you were somehow subservient, somehow not as good. Godlewski said Take Root Wisconsin will be implemented without use of taxpayer funds by the Wisconsin Community Action Program Association, or WISCAP. The network is first aiming to help existing organizations that provide resources to current and future homeowners, such as local treasurers, housing agencies and mortgage lenders, communicate more effectively to assist people considering homeownership as well as those struggling to keep their homes. The network, via the many participating organizations, also has a goal of identifying new housing assistance opportunities and connecting them with current and future homeowners. The network, through the affiliated participating organizations, is meant to help people make down payments through grant funds, connect people with resources to weatherize their homes, provide cash assistance and financial counseling to repair bad credit and prevent foreclosure, and assist people with understanding property taxes. It will also advocate for policy changes, identify and promote current financial products and services that support affordable housing and provide counseling. MILWAUKEE U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson was suspended Friday from uploading videos to YouTube for one week, after the company said he violated its COVID-19 medical misinformation policies. The Oshkosh Republican's removal stems from statements he made during a June 3 Milwaukee Press Club event, which were posted to YouTube. He criticized the Trump and Biden administrations for not only ignoring but working against robust research (on) the use of cheap, generic drugs to be repurposed for early treatment of COVID, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. A YouTube spokesperson said: We removed the video in accordance with our COVID-19 medical misinformation policies, which dont allow content that encourages people to use Hydroxychloroquine or Ivermectin to treat or prevent the virus. The company's policy says it doesn't allow content that spreads medical misinformation contradicting local health authorities or the World Health Organization's information about COVID-19. Johnson blasted the website. 1. Yes. Its a serious public health issue; unvaccinated workers put others at risk. 2. Yes. Some colleges and school districts are mandating it. Its a necessary step. 3. No. Employees should have the option of getting vaccinated or not. Its up to them. 4. No. Some people have serious side-effects. Geting jabbed should be optional. 5. Unsure. Getting people vaccinated is important, but so is having a choice. Vote View Results LEXINGTON A driver was killed and three occupants injured when a pickup pulling a camper rolled into the median on Interstate 80 between Lexington and Overton Wednesday morning. At 10:31 a.m. the Lexington Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to mile marker 243 for the report of an accident with injuries. Priority Medical Transport also headed to the scene. At the site, a pickup and rolled onto its roof in the median of I-80, the camper it was towing was heavily damaged. Soon after Lexington firefighters arrived on scene, Overton Volunteer Fire and Rescue was called for mutual aid. AirCare from CHI Health Good Samarian in Kearney was also dispatched, landing in a field north of the scene. Westbound traffic on I-80 was temporarily closed, but then was opened to one lane after the helicopter landed. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Lexington ambulances transported two passengers of the pickup to Lexington Regional Hospital. Another was transported by the AirCare to Kearney. The extent of their injuries was not available on scene. River otter trapping and mountain lion hunting seasons both were approved Friday at the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission meeting in Chadron. After information was provided to commissioners about the resiliency of the population, a harvest of 75 North American river otters was OKd. The trapping season will start in November and close in February, or within three days once that total of 75 otters is reached. The mountain lion hunting season will match that of last year. It will run Jan. 2 through Feb. 28 in the Pine Ridge area in the northwest corner of the state, with a harvest limit of four, including only two females. The states most recent mountain lion population estimate in that area was 34. For both species, you are not going to harvest more than the population can support, said Sam Wilson, furbearer and carnivore program manager for Game and Parks. The goals are to maintain resilient, healthy and socially acceptable populations that are in balance with habitat over the long term. Fridays discussion about otters included information about what other states have done and whether populations have done well when managed with harvest seasons. Who has been down this path, and have the otters flourished, and the answer was yes they have, Wilson said. Kearney businessman Gary Roubicek, 72, who died June 3, was well-known as a Burger King operator and for reopening the Bicos Restaurant on Kearneys west side. What may be forgotten are the years he guided the Great Platte River Road Archway as its executive director. For most of its early years The Archway was referred to as Kearneys embattled attraction. Some Nebraskans thought it was an ugly embarrassment for the state. Others laughed because it was so hard to reach. Seventeen years passed before an exit finally was built near The Archway. Some detractors in Kearney believed the attraction was doomed from the start. Built for $60 million, its disappointing attendance never covered operations or the debt. Roubicek was undeterred by the circumstances. With characteristic enthusiasm, he hatched a plan to invite the original inhabitants of the Platte River Valley the Pawnee Tribe of Oklahoma to come to The Archway and stage an authentic powwow with drums, dancing and Native regalia. It was a hit. Visitors cars lined Archway Parkway for a couple of miles as folks flocked to the grounds to experience Native culture. Recently my high school classmate from Grand Island and I spent many hours in the Galen and Marilyn Hadley Technology Learning Center in the lower level of the Kearney Public Library. Our project was to create a 48-page memory book for our 50+1 year high school reunion in Red Cloud. Now I must preface this by saying that prior to retirement, we both worked with computer software programs so we felt knowledgeable at first, but we quickly found there have been many improvements and shortcuts that we were unaware of. Beth Rosenthal, the technical librarian, and Raine Schinkel, the clerk in that area, provided much assistance as we scanned photos for our book, put together our booklet, color cover page, and made photo name tags and labels. Their knowledge of shortcuts and suggestions guided us smoothly and quickly through the process. They did not mind our many requests for assistance and always were cheerful. We would have been there weeks instead of days without their guidance! We are so very grateful for their assistance. While we were there, I noted a number of others in the center who were requesting their assistance, so they were kept busy by all of us. Those people also sang their praises as they were assisted. Lancaster County Commissioner Craig Lehman wants the county to recognize Juneteenth by adding it to the countys official list of holidays. At the commissioners Tuesday work session, Lehman noted that the county will be recognizing the day with a proclamation next week and suggested it go a step further. Now that Juneteenth is a state holiday I think the board should consider having Juneteeth be a county holiday (starting) in 2022, Lehman said. Neither Commissioners Josh Parsons or Ray DAgostino commented on Lehmans suggestion during the meeting. Asked by email later for comment, neither offered an opinion, saying only that the holiday schedule would be considered by the three-person board later in the year. Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19, recognizes the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States, specifically commemorating June 19, 1865, when federal troops arrived in east Texas with news of the Emancipation Proclamation and the Confederacys defeat in the Civil War. Last year following the protests in the wake of the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Gov. Tom Wolf declared Juneteenth a holiday for state employees. And in 2019, Wolf signed a bill into law designating June 19 as Juneteenth National Freedom Day. Because the 19th is a Saturday, Pennsylvania state workers will observe the holiday this Friday, June 18. The Latest on the Group of Seven nations meeting being held in England: FALMOUTH, England The head of the World Health Organization has welcomed the vaccine-sharing announcements coming out of the Group of Seven summit but says we need more, and we need them faster. The challenge, I said to the G-7 leaders, was that to truly end the pandemic, our goal must be to vaccinate at least 70% of the worlds population by the time the G-7 meets again in Germany next year, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters Saturday at the summit in southwest England. To do that, we need 11 billion doses, Tedros said, adding that it was essential for countries to temporarily waive intellectual property protections for coronavirus vaccines. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the summit's host, has said the group would pledge at least 1 billion doses, with half that number coming from the United States and 100 million from Britain over the next year. Tedros reiterated his target of vaccinating 30% of the population of every country by the end of 2021. He said that reaching the goal requires 100 million doses in June and July, and 250 million more by September. FALMOUTH, England British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife, Carrie, have welcomed leaders from South Korea, Australia and South Africa, as well as the secretary-general of the United Nations, to the Group of Seven summit taking place on the coast of southwestern England. The leaders elbow-bumped and posed for photos Saturday on a pristine beach in Cornwall. The G-7 nations are the U.K., the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan. The British government said the guest nations were invited to take part in the summit as part of Johnsons Global Britain agenda and that the expanded group can help the G-7 intensify cooperation between the worlds democratic and technologically advanced nations. India was also invited, but its delegation is not attending in person because of the severe coronavirus outbreak in the country. The leaders, whose 3-day summit is scheduled to end on Sunday, are expected to commit to a new plan, called the Carbis Bay Declaration, to quash future pandemics within the first 100 days. NEWLYN, England U.S. first lady Jill Biden met Saturday with members of an organization that teaches surfing to military veterans, first responders and their families. Biden told members of Bude Surf Veterans that she had a white longboard of her own with a big butterfly on it. She met with them at a picnic table outside a contemporary art gallery overlooking Mounts Bay as President Joe Biden attended the Group of Seven summit in southwest England. Jill Biden observed that that the water is so calming and spoke about attending the Invictus Games, an international sporting event for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women founded by Britain's Prince Harry. She added that she has yet to visit New Zealand and Australia. CARBIS BAY, England French President Emmanuel Macron says its good that U.S. President Joe Biden is able to lead through cooperation, adding that the United States is definitely back as Europe's partner. Biden and Macron met Saturday as part of the Group of Seven summit in southwest England, where they and other leaders of the world's wealthy democracies are discussing the coronavirus pandemic, the environment, national security, relations with China and economic issues. Former U.S. President Donald Trump took an adversarial approach with NATO allies, but Macron said Biden has shown that leadership is partnership. The desire for cooperation cuts both ways. Biden described the European Union as incredibly strong and vibrant, which he said not only helps with tackling economic challenges but also provides a backbone for NATO. BERLIN German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. President Joe Biden have met on the sidelines of the G-7 summit in England. A spokesman for the German chancellor tweeted two pictures of the leaders sitting at a table in Carbis Bay on Saturday. At noontime on the second day of the G7 summit the chancellor talked to U.S. President Biden in between the work meetings," read the caption accompanying the photos. Merkel spokesman Steffen Seibert didnt give any details about what the two discussed. Merkel, who is leaving office later this year, plans to visit Biden in Washington next month. The president invited her to the White House earlier this week. FALMOUTH, England Hundreds of environmental protesters took to the Cornish seaside Saturday morning in a bid to draw the attention of world leaders and the international media outlets that have descended on southwest England for the G-7 summit. Some protesters paddled out to sea, while others sunbathed on the beach wearing masks of leaders' faces. A crowd of surfers, kayakers and swimmers gathered Saturday on a beach in Falmouth for a mass paddle out protest organized by the group Surfers Against Sewage, which is campaigning for more action to protect oceans. U.S. President Joe Biden and fellow leaders from the Group of Seven wealthy democracies are meeting near the town of St. Ives for talks focusing on the pandemic and climate change. Earlier, activists from Oxfam assembled on Falmouth beach to protest climate change and put on masks depicting the leaders attending the G-7 summit. Max Lawson, Oxfams head of policy, said activists want the G-7 countries - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K. and the United States - to commit to bigger reductions in carbon emissions and to financing to help poor countries adapt to the impacts of climate change. CARBIS BAY, England The White House says President Joe Biden will hold a solo news conference after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two delegations will have a working session and smaller session as part of their meeting on Wednesday in the Swiss city of Geneva. But the White House says it is still finalizing the format of the meeting. The White House says a news conference with only Biden is the appropriate format to communicate the topics discussed, areas of agreement and sources of significant concern. FALMOUTH, England British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has held meetings with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of a G-7 summit, as post-Brexit turbulence strains relations between Britain and the EU. Johnson also met the blocs leaders, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel, on Saturday at the Carbis Bay resort where G-7 leaders are gathering. The two sides are locked in an escalating diplomatic feud over Northern Ireland, the only part of the U.K. that has a land border with the bloc. The EU is angry at British delay in implementing new checks on some goods coming into Northern Ireland from the rest of the U.K., while Britain says the checks are imposing a big burden on businesses and destabilizing Northern Irelands hard-won peace. The spat has drawn in U.S. President Joe Biden, concerned about the potential threat to Northern Irelands peace accord. The EU is threatening legal action if the U.K. does not fully bring in the checks, which include a ban on chilled meats such as sausages from England, Scotland and Wales going to Northern Ireland from next month. Britain accuses the bloc of taking a purist approach to the rules and urged it to be more flexible in order to avoid what has been dubbed a sausage war. FALMOUTH, England U.S First Lady Jill Biden and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, have written a joint article on the importance of early childhood education after their visit to a primary school on the sidelines of the G-7 summit in England. The two women met for the first time Friday at a school in Cornwall, southwestern England, where they visited 4 and 5-year-olds and spoke with experts on early childhood development. In their article, published on the CNN website Saturday, they said the disruption of the pandemic has helped people focus on the things that matter most, and they have a joint belief that the future must include a fundamental shift in how our countries approach the earliest years of life. If we care about how children perform at school, how they succeed in their careers when they are older, and about their lifelong mental and physical health, then we have to care about how we are nurturing their brains, their experiences and relationships in the early years before school, they wrote. They said business leaders, among others, should give more support to the parents and caregivers in their workforces. If we want strong economies and strong societies, we need to make sure that those raising and caring for children get the support they need, they added. Biden is a longtime English teacher who focuses on education, a passion she shares with Kate, a mother of three young children. American Committee for U.S.-Russia Accord Issues Call For a New Era of Diplomacy Open Letter June 11, 2021 (EIRNS)The American Committee for U.S.-Russia Accord (ACURA) issued an open letter on June 10 under the headline, A Call for a New Era of Diplomacy and Engagement between the U.S. and Russia. Emphasizing the need to start thinking in new and creative ways toward conciliation, the letter warns that the dangerous and in many ways unprecedented deterioration in relations between the United States and the Russian Federation must come to an end if we are to leave a safer world for future generations. The Trump era and Russiagate witnessed a willingness to assign blame to Russia for the outcome of the 2016 election which has now been discredited, the letter asserts, but warns this has now engendered two much more dangerous phenomena: an escalating militarism reminiscent of the darkest days of the Cold War; and a dangerous erosion of the decades-long bilateral arms control regime negotiated even during the Great Power standoff. As these developments are a threat to global peace, prosperity, even survival, they must be addressed. ACURA warns that cold wars are inimical to U.S. national security ... to global peace and prosperity. They empower the military-industrial complex, and the war parties on both sides. It is unprecedented, the signers argue, that the ambassadors from both countries have been recalled; not even during the dark days of the Cuban Missile Crisis did this occur. As for the June 16 Putin-Biden summit, the letter states that the emphasis on summits in themselves has been too great, and recalls former U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union Jack Matlocks advice on summits: Successful ones have to be prepared quietly. Both sides have to want them to succeed. To address the current situation, ACURA emphasizes that we need to start thinking in new and creative waysin short it is time for a new approachone that focuses on conciliation. The letter makes a number of recommendations, to allow the U.S. to get its own house in order, but advises that Biden invite Putin to reaffirm the statement that Reagan and Gorbachev made that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.... We believe the time has come to resurrect diplomacy, restore and maintain a dialogue on nuclear risks thats insulated from our political differences like we did during the Cold War. Without communication, this increases the likelihood of escalation to nuclear use in a moment of crisis. The 13 signers of the letter are ACURA board members, among them former Ambassador to the Soviet Union Jack Matlock; former U.S. Ambassadors to the United Nations Donald F. McHenry and William J. vanden Heuvel; Katrina Vanden Heuvel, editorial director of The Nation, and Ambassador vanden Heuvels daughter; and Cynthia Lazaroff, founder and executive director of NuclearWakeUpCall.Earth. EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR SATURDAY, JUNE 12, 2021 Survival of Humanity at StakeRestore Sanity to U.S. Relations with Russia and China June 11, 2021 (EIRNS)The G7 meeting opened today with Prime Minister Boris Johnson proving more and more to be a buffoon. Bojo, as he is known, called on the (formerly) most advanced nations of the G7 to unite for the destruction of the world. In his own words: Were building back better together. And building back greener. and building back fairer. And building back more equal. Maybe in a more gender neutral, a more feminine way. In fact, a major focus of the summit is what the controllers of President Biden have labeled the Clean Green Initiative. The U.S. officials who gave a background briefing on the G7 Summit openly described it as an alternative to Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Why an alternative? Because, they said, it would be climate friendly, unlike Chinas BRI, which, in addition to building big carbon-generating infrastructure projects such as railroads, dams, ports and bridges, is building coal-fired power plants all over Africa. Recall that less than half of the people in Sub-Saharan Africa have access to electricity, and 90% of the continents electricity comes from coal-fired plants. Recall also that the former head of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, now the UN climate czar, told Africa last month that they must stop the development of their resources, especially coal, in exchange for carbon credits, and that green police will be the new colonial Governor-Generals in their countries, to enforce their non-development. The Clean Green Initiative is more than a plan to stop Chinas transformation of Africa and other nations into modern industrial economiesit is outright genocidal, in keeping with the Royal Familys Malthusian hatred of mankind. In fact, it is not surprising that the Royal Family is all over this summit in Cornwall, while also sponsoring parallel meetings in London with the leading mega-bank CEOs, who are the enforcers of the green genocide, committed to cutting credit to all those who refuse their de-carbonization dictates. On Sunday, the Bidens will have tea with the bloody Queen in Windsor Castle. The LaRouche Organization announced today that 7,500 more copies of the pamphlet The Great Leap Backward: LaRouche Crushes the Green New Deal Fraud, are being printed this weekend. Everyone is called on to get copies of the pamphlet to get out to friends and local officials. Recall also that the very same powers pushing for the Green New Deal have driven the U.S., the U.K. and the EU into military confrontations with both Russia and China, which has brought the world closer to nuclear war than any time since the peak of the Cold Warin fact, closer than that, since at that time the antagonists at least were talking to each other. The last U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union Jack Matlock issued a public letter today, along with other members of the American Committee for U.S.-Russia Accord (ACURA), which states that the British intelligence instigation of the witch-hunt into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election, although thoroughly discredited, has now in turn given birth to two much more dangerous phenomena: an escalating militarism reminiscent of the darkest days of the Cold War; and a dangerous erosion of the decades-long bilateral arms control regime negotiated even during that Great Power standoff. These developments imperil not just the two principal players, but are a threat to global peace, prosperity, even survival. Following the G7 summit, NATO will hold another summit on Monday, June 14, in which they intend to codify the intention for NATO to leave behind their role as a defensive organization of the North Atlantic nations, and to become, in the words of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, a political-military alliance, with a global scope of action, focused on countering the imagined threats from Russia and China. The UN has been relegated to the dustbin of history, in the imagination of the leaders of this military-industrial axis. Their imagination is deeply flawed. Already Russia, China and India have made very clear that they will neither shut down their own fossil fuels, nor allow the developing nations of Africa and Ibero-America to be forced to give up the hope for development in exchange for the chimera of carbon credits. Leading Africans and Ibero Americans have said the same, from South Africa to Nigeria and from Argentina to El Salvador, setting an example for others to have the same courage to act against the new Dark Age. These leaders are increasingly looking to The LaRouche Organization and the Schiller Institute for the leadership which can unite this opposition into a positive force for the goodfor LaRouches Four Laws and a New Bretton Woods. Two international Schiller Institute conferences this year, on March 20-21 and on May 8, have led the way, uniting leaders of Russia and China, scientists from the U.S., Europe and Africa, medical professionals from around the world, and a growing cadre of youth who wish to have a future. The next virtual Schiller Institute Conference, For the Common Good of All People, Not Rules Benefitting the Few! will take place on June 26-27. Plan to attend and recruit others to register and attend as well. The danger is great, but the potential for a new world order based on the advancement of the human spirit is equally on hand, if we choose to create it. Governor Newsom Announces New Rewards for Vaccinated Californians as Second Round of Vax for the Win $50K Winners is Drawn More than 21 million Californians were entered to win $50,000 in cash prize drawings, with 30 winners selected to receive a total of $1,500,000. California has seen a 13 percent increase in vaccinations, becoming one of the only states in the country to achieve a week-over-week increase. New partnerships with California-based businesses including Taco Bell, Chipotle, the LA Clippers, the Golden State Warriors and the Team LA Store at STAPLES Center On June 15, 10 additional Californians will be selected to receive $1.5 million each, for a total of $15 million In San Diego County, alongside a Vax for the Win program winner from last weeks drawing, Governor Gavin Newsom today helped announce the selection of the second round of 15 Californians to receive $50,000 as part of the states $116.5 million Vax for the Win program the largest vaccine incentive program in the nation. With todays drawing, 30 winners will have been selected to receive $50,000 each, for a total of $1,500,000. On June 15, 10 additional Californians will be selected to receive $1.5 million each, for a total of $15 million, as part of the final cash prize drawing. To further increase vaccination rates and thank Californians for doing their part, Governor Newsom also announced that the state is partnering with Taco Bell, Chipotle, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Golden State Warriors and the Team LA Store at STAPLES Center on additional incentives as the state reopens on June 15. ADVERTISEMENT Californians are ready to come roaring back, theyve proven that by getting vaccinated and helping our state keep COVID-19 transmission rates at record-breaking lows, said Governor Newsom. Todays drawing and the new partnerships with California-based businesses are another exciting opportunity to express our gratitude and build excitement as we head into our states full reopening next week. Governor Newsom made the announcement at a vaccination clinic in Vista where he was joined by 17-year-old local Nancy, a prior Vax for the Win program winner who received her $50,000 check today, and Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath while Assemblymember Kevin McCarty and Senator Susan Talamantes Eggman announced the results of todays randomized drawing in Sacramento. Helping my community has always been very important to me and when receiving my vaccine, I did that, said Nancy, who hopes to attend the University of California, San Diego after she graduates from high school next year. Im very grateful for this money and the opportunities it will bring to me. Now I am really excited to be able to use this money to pay for my future studies. California has seen a 13 percent increase in vaccinations administered compared to the previous week, making the state one of the only in the country to achieve a week-over-week increase in the rate of vaccinations. Since Vax for the Win launched, roughly 2 million vaccine doses have been reported, including over 700,000 Californians newly starting their vaccination process, and the state has seen the largest number of first doses administered in communities hit hardest by the pandemic. To date, California has administered nearly 40 million vaccines, 15.9 million more than any other state, and surpassed President Bidens goal a month early over 70 percent of Californians 18 and older have received at least one dose. California is on track for a safe reopening next week thanks in large part to the efforts of so many residents who have done their part in getting vaccinated, said Dr. Tomas J. Aragon, CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer. We know there remain Californians who need to take this step. When we move beyond the Blueprint for a Safer Economy over the coming days, our work to provide resources in our hardest hit communities and answer the publics COVID-19 vaccine questions will continue. ADVERTISEMENT On June 15, Taco Bell will shell out free seasoned beef Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Tacos to customers who show their COVID-19 vaccination card at a participating California Taco Bell location, limit one per customer while supplies last. Chipotle will also thank Californians with a free topping, or equivalent side serving, of Queso Blanco with the purchase of any full-priced entree item in participating Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants in California on June 15. Rounding out the deals, the Los Angeles Clippers are giving vaccinated fans a 15 percent discount in their online store, the Golden State Warriors will provide a 20 percent discount at the Warriors Shop in the Chase Center and the Team LA Store at STAPLES Center will offer a 15 percent discount. All three of these giveaways will run from June 15 through June 20. Winners from todays drawing live in the following counties: Monterey, Sacramento, Alameda, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Fresno, San Diego, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Riverside, Orange and Kern. The California Department of Public Health will start notifying winners within hours of the drawing and over the next several days by telephone, text, email or other contact information associated with the persons record in the states vaccine registry. To protect their privacy, all winners will have the option to accept their cash prize while remaining anonymous or decline it altogether. In addition, the Vax for the Win program is providing $100 million in $50 prepaid or grocery cards for newly vaccinated people, while supplies last. 5 winners from last weeks drawing live throughout the state, including Gabriella, of San Diego, who said I am grateful for this prize and hope that we continue to see more and more Californians getting vaccinated. These vaccines are saving lives and I encourage other older Californians with serious health conditions to get vaccinated to keep themselves and their loved ones safe from this disease. Aurelia, a prior winner from Los Angeles, said The process was easy and quick and I feel safer now for my own health, but I also feel proud of having done my civic duty to protect my community and those around me. The gratitude I feel for winning a cash prize is immense, particularly when so many are struggling. Some of the money will go towards buying a new car and a new computer, which I have been in dire need of for a while. I want to encourage others to get vaccinated, so that we can all get out of this dark period we endured. Tony, of Los Angeles, said This was a complete shock to me and Im grateful for the win! The vaccination process was super easy and Im looking forward to returning to everyday life. June 12: Civil Rights worker Medgar Evers was shot to death in his driveway in Jackson, Mississippi, 1963 June 12: Civil Rights worker Medgar Evers was shot to death in his driveway in Jackson, Mississippi, 1963 ADVERTISEMENT Brought to you by the Black365 Calendar. Find out more at Black365.com Interested in Latinx History? Check out the worlds only Latinx Facts Calendar at LatinxCalendar.com State to Award $50,000 Prizes Today to 15 More Vaccinated Residents State officials will award $50,000 prizes today to another 15 vaccinated residents as part of a continuing financial-incentive program to encourage inoculations against COVID-19. The prizes are part of a $116.5 million Vax for the Win incentive program announced by Gov. Gavin Newsom in hopes of luring people to get the COVID-19 shots. Under the program, $50 gift or grocery cards were being awarded to 2 million people who get their first dose of vaccine. Last Friday, 15 winners were chosen to receive the first round of $50,000 prizes. The winners included three each from Los Angeles and San Diego counties, and one from Orange County. ADVERTISEMENT Another 15 winners will be picked Friday. On Tuesday, the day California lifts the bulk of its COVID-19 restrictions, the state will pick 10 winners who will receive $1.5 million each. Newsom, taking on the roll of game-show host, presided over last Fridays selection of the first 15 $50,000 winners. Almost everyone in the state who has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine is eligible for the drawing. However, to actually receive the money, winners will have to complete the vaccination protocol by receiving their second dose, unless they received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. For last weeks drawing, there were 21.5 million eligible California residents. That pool was randomly pared down to 200, then winnowed to 50. The final selection was done using a Bingo-style machine, with 50 numbered balls dropping into a twirling cylinder, from which the 15 winners were chosen. None of the winners were identified by name, only by county, in order to maintain privacy. Winners are contacted by telephone. If any of the 15 chosen winners turned out to be ineligible such as being employed by the governors office or being incarcerated those remaining in the pool of 50 finalists is used to choose alternates. Dr. Mark Ghaly, the states Health and Human Services secretary, said Wednesday that 65% of California residents have received at least one dose of vaccine, while 53% are fully vaccinated. Maines wild blueberry fields are home to one of the most important fruit crops in the northeastern United States. But scientists working with the University of Maine have found they are warming at a faster rate than the rest of the state. The researchers say the blueberries may be at risk because the rising temperatures have brought a loss of water. The scientists studied 40 years of data and found that the state experienced a 1.1 degrees Celsius increase in average temperature. But the blueberry fields experienced an increase of 1.3 degrees Celsius. The teams findings appeared in a study earlier this year in the research journal Water. Rafa Tasnim is an ecology and environmental science student at the University of Maine and the studys lead writer. She said the lack of water caused by the temperature difference could result in smaller crop sizes and blueberries that are less likely to survive. What we are expecting is the temperature is going to increase a lot and we will not get as much rainfall in the summertime especially, said Tasnim. Maine is home to the only for-profit producers of wild blueberries in the U.S. The berries are smaller and have a slightly different flavor than other kinds of blueberries. Most of the crop is used to supply frozen fruit. Maine growers compete with those in eastern Canada which also produce the fruit. The wild blueberry industry in Maine has been affected in recent years by unpredictable markets, as well as last years lack of water. Farmers produced 21.5 million kilograms of Maine wild blueberries last year. That was the lowest number since 2004. The researchers found that wild blueberry growers might need to change the way they farm to prepare for future climate change. That could include changes to watering methods and fertilizer use. Eric Venturini is executive director of the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine. He says the industry is ready to make those changes. Venturini added that the organization is working to find out how climate change is affecting the blueberry industry and looking for ways to deal with those changes. The berries are widely used in processed food products. In recent years, Maine and its growers have worked to market the berries as a superfood a food containing compounds considered helpful to a persons health. The blueberries are also part of yearly agricultural events and the main ingredient of blueberry pie, the states official dessert. And Maines official berry is, not too surprisingly, the blueberry. Im Jonathan Evans. Patrick Whittle reported on this story for the Associated Press. Jonathan Evans adapted this story for Learning English. Bryan Lynn was the editor. ____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story ingredient n. one of the things used to make a food or product dessert n. a sweet food eaten after the main part of a meal The TOEFL iBT has been the most common English test for international students seeking entrance to American colleges. This year, there will be a shorter, less costly test called TOEFL Essentials. The letters T-O-E-F-L stand for Test of English as a Foreign Language. And iBT stands for internet-based test. Both the iBT and Essentials are administered by the American educational company Educational Testing Service, known as ETS. Since 1964, colleges and universities in the United States have used the TOEFL to measure an international students level of English. And schools in Australia, Canada and other English-speaking European nations started using the International English Language Testing System, or I-E-L-T-S, in 1989. These two tests have been the main choices for colleges to measure English ability. In recent years, companies including Duolingo and EF Education First, have developed new English language tests that are low-cost or free and easy to use. These tests aim to do more than just offer more choices in the college admissions process. Some people use them to measure their English proficiency for employment. The new TOEFL Essentials Srikant Gopal is the executive director of the TOEFL program at ETS. He said the new TOEFL Essentials is shorter and less costly than the TOEFL iBT. The TOEFL iBT takes about three hours to complete. And it costs $200 or more, depending on where in the world you live. The TOEFL Essentials takes 90 minutes and is expected to cost about $100. While Essentials is shorter, Gopal said it still measures students academic and general English ability. He explained that ETS made the test adaptive, which means the test will give a student a harder question if they answer the previous question correctly. What we've built into TOEFL Essentials, for example, is many new and innovative features, such as a personal video statement or a multi-stage adaptive design, and to really offer something very unique and something thats distinctly different from TOEFL iBT. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, ETS only offered its test in-person at centers around the world where test-takers could be watched by proctors. When testing centers closed last year, ETS moved quickly to develop a secure home-testing system to watch students and speed up the launch of Essentials. Gopal noted security is important for university admissions. And he said that makes the TOEFL test different from those of its competitors. Gabriel Guillen teaches language studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California. He took the TOEFL in 2010 before studying for a higher degree in the U.S. This is good news for the field, and for...students who are applying for college in the U.S., Guillen said. He noted that it is not a coincidence that ETS created a shorter and less expensive test, given the popularity of the Duolingo English test. The test is accepted by many universities, takes one hour to complete and only costs $49. I dont know the insights of ETS, but it is pretty obvious for anyone that they are responding to the competition of Duolingo. Most of the schools contacted by VOA said they are still waiting for more information about the new TOEFL Essentials. Anneli Richter is the Associate Dean for Graduate Admissions at Duke University. In an email, she said, the school is reviewing the test and has not decided yet whether to accept it. Some schools like Temple University Law School, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the University of San Francisco have told ETS they will accept results from the new test. And ETS said it will publish a list of universities that intend to accept the Essentials test after the first phase of testing. Registration for TOEFL Essentials starts June 17 and the first test date is August 21. ETS said it will continue to offer iBT because most universities do not have experience with the new test. And students who are considering the Essentials test can also practice on the ETS website. Im Dan Friedell. Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. Have you taken the TOEFL? How was it? What do you think about the new test? Tell us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ TOEFL Essentials Practice Questions ETS provided VOA with a sample test question. The correct answer for this question is the second choice, Until August 15. The company also sent the following example of a listening question. On the test, students will listen to audio and then answer questions. Hello, everyone. Im Jennifer Wilson from the career center. Thank you all for attending this resume-building workshop. Today my colleagues and I will cover several useful strategies on how to make your resume stand out to potential employers. First, I want to give the floor to my colleague Pierre Moreau, who will go over the Career Center services such as career advising help with internships and one-on-one appointments. The correct answer is the fourth choice: listen to a short talk on the Career Center. Editors Note: the TOEFL content is 2021 by ETS. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo and TOEFL are registered trademarks of ETS in the United States and other countries. TOEFL ESSENTIALS and the "T" logo are trademarks of ETS. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story administer v. to manage the operation of (something, such as a company or government) or the use of (something, such as property) proficiency adj. good at doing something academic adj. relating to schools and education innovative adj. introducing or using new ideas or methods stage n. one section of something that includes a series of steps unique adj. something that is different from everything else distinctly adv. different in a way that you can see, hear, smell, feel, etc. : noticeably different proctor- n. a person who watch students who are taking an examination coincidence- n. a situation in which events happen at the same time in a way that is not planned or expected insight n. an understanding of the true nature of something phase n. a part or step in a process : one part in a series of related events or actions sample n. a small amount of something that gives you information about the thing it was taken from Ask the Doctors Ask the Doctors: More information about COVID-19 and vaccines Eighteen-year-old Shiloh Delgadillo, who died Thursday from injuries suffered in a June 5 car crash, had more friends than his family knew about. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close You have permission to edit this collection. Edit Close The Santa Maria High School Class of 2021 marched to their graduation ceremony on Friday, walking half a lap along the track and colored Dave Boyd Field with their red caps and gowns, as they sat one-by-one in their socially-distanced chairs. After several speeches from students and Principal Steve Campbell, Santa Maria Joint Union High School District Superintendent Antonio Garcia commenced the graduation of 569 students, who were wearing masks during a COVID-19 compliant in-person ceremony. Salutatorian Andres Ramirez-Enriquez delivered his address to fellow students, recapping a senior year fraught with difficulties but encouraged them to show no fear because the road ahead will be come more difficult as they enter adulthood. "There will no longer be anyone to push us," Ramirez-Enriquez said. "Each challenge is worthwhile. Go ahead, make mistakes because you are allowed to. But we must hold ourselves accountable." It was the high school's first graduating class to experience a full year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, the high school held a hybrid virtual and in-person ceremony due to the coronavirus. Campbell described the ceremony as a symbol of the class' defeat over social isolation, Zoom fatigue and death. Of the 569 students who received diplomas, more than 235 will be attending a four-year college, 175 plan to attend Allan Hancock College and 13 will enter the military. Some of the colleges included UC Berkeley, CSU Northridge, Sacramento State University and the University of Oregon. Students in the class were awarded a combined $1 million in scholarships, Campbell added. Ramirez-Enriquez will be attending Harvard University after receiving a full-ride scholarship last April. He took a chance and applied. When the email came, he already knew it was an acceptance, he said. It was the culmination of a tough school year that was marked by uncertainty from the pandemic and a death in the family. Getting used to remote classes wasn't easy for Ramirez-Enriquez because of the technical difficulties, he said, and he found motivation hard come by. In addition, he signed up for a heavy course load that included six AP classes and numerous rounds of testing. Then his grandfather died. His parents, however, continued reminding him to do his best. Before he knew it, Ramirez-Enriquez was accepted to Harvard, where he plans to major in economics and public policy, and hopes to become a congressional intern. "I feel like I've definitely prepared myself for what I'm going to be," Ramirez-Enriquez said. "I'm going to miss this place a whole lot." Like Ramirez-Enriquez, other SMHS students taking courses from home actually missed going to high school and called it a second home for them. It was only recently, on April 19, that district board members allowed seniors to return to class for their last month in high school. Although most of their senior was spent learning form home, associated student body president and senior Janeyri Antonio said her class will always trace their roots back to Santa Maria High School. "If you learned one thing form this pandemic, cherish each and every single moment," Antonio said. "Whatever it is you're scared of, just do it." Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Dr. Sid Roberts is a radiation oncologist at the Temple Cancer Center in Lufkin. He can be reached at sidney.roberts@commonspirit.org . Previous columns may be found at angelinaradiation.com/blog. Trent Ashby is the state representative for District 57 that includes Angelina, Houston, Leon, Madison, San Augustine and Trinity counties. His email address is trent.ashby@house.state.tx.us. A century ago, African American citizens of the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma, had their community decimated within the span of 18 hours. Spurred by rumors of an alleged sexual assault of a white female by a Black teenager in an elevator, the Black neighborhood was under siege by a mob of whites fueled by jealousy and hate. Hours of unending gunfire, arson, looting and physical violence followed; while the dropping of turpentine bombs served as a horrific crescendo. Among the ashes lay the bodies of Black men, women and children who had been killed by a deputized white mob and bodies buried en masse in an unmarked grave. The assault on this community may have occurred 100 years ago, but its lasting effects have persisted in the hearts, minds and economic livelihood of survivors and their families for the last five generations. In last weeks observance of this heinous event, President Joe Biden echoed the necessity of Americans taking inventory of the role race and race-based violence has played throughout American history. He said: We cant just choose to learn what we want to know and not what we should know. We should know the good, the bad, everything. Thats what great nations do: They come to terms with their dark sides. And were a great nation. A man was sentenced to prison for a campground burglary in July 2019. Andy W. Tracy, 33, was charged in March 2020 with burglary in Columbia County Circuit Court. He pleaded no contest to a burglary charge, and Judge W. Andrew Voigt found him guilty. Other bail jumping charges and misdemeanors were dismissed but read in. Tracy was sentenced to three years in prison and one year of extended supervision. He must about pay about $2,800 in restitution, $518 in court costs, submit a DNA sample and comply with substance abuse programming. According to the criminal complaint, Tracy was involved in incidents during the summer of 2019 at the Cascade Mountain Ski Resorts and the Sky High Campground, both in the town of Caledonia. A deputy was called to the ski resort for a report of damage to a shack next to the ski lift. Employees said they locked the resort gate the previous afternoon and there was no damage to the shack at the time. The shack had a broken window pane and a window screen ripped away. The deputy noticed hand prints outside one of the windows where it appeared someone had tried to push it upwards. The complaint says that fingerprint samples taken matched Tracy. The two women met for the first time Friday at a school in Cornwall, southwestern England, where they visited 4 and 5-year-olds and spoke with experts on early childhood development. In their article, published on the CNN website Saturday, they said the disruption of the pandemic has helped people focus on the things that matter most, and they have a joint belief that the future must include a fundamental shift in how our countries approach the earliest years of life. If we care about how children perform at school, how they succeed in their careers when they are older, and about their lifelong mental and physical health, then we have to care about how we are nurturing their brains, their experiences and relationships in the early years before school, they wrote. They said business leaders, among others, should give more support to the parents and caregivers in their workforces. If we want strong economies and strong societies, we need to make sure that those raising and caring for children get the support they need, they added. Biden is a longtime English teacher who focuses on education, a passion she shares with Kate, a mother of three young children. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. In renegotiating the contract, Brennan said: As we spent time both in the early months of the administration and through the course of the pandemic, really the discussions were about how do we provide some of that flexibility (and) get relief from (the states) obligation of nearly $3 billion in taxpayer money. He gave the credit for the negotiation to Missy Hughes, Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. secretary and CEO, and her team. Foxconn appears to have work underway involving data infrastructure. Its 100-foot-tall High-Performance Computing Data Center Globe more commonly known as The Foxconn Globe is reportedly up and running. But the company has not publicly stated what kind of technology is housed there, what its doing or how powerful it is. Although its generally understood that it involves data storage and the cloud, markets projected to experience a tripling in size from 2020 to 2025. In April, Hughes told PBS Wisconsin that, from what she has seen, Foxconn is building high-tech data servers, and they have put in assembly lines to do that for a number of different companies. VIENNA (AP) European Union negotiators said international talks that resumed Saturday on the Iran nuclear agreement were on track to revive the deal, which crumbled after the United States withdrew in 2018. Senior diplomats from China, Germany, France, Russia, and Britain concluded a 90-minute meeting with Iranian representatives at a hotel in the Austrian capital. We are making progress, but the negotiations are intense and a number of issues (remain), including on how steps are to be implemented, EU representative Alain Matton told reporters in Vienna. The United States is not formally part of meetings that launched in Vienna earlier this year. But the administration of President Joe Biden has signaled willingness to rejoin the deal under terms that would broadly see the U.S. scale back sanctions on Tehran and Iran return to abiding by the limits on its nuclear activity contained in the 2015 agreement. The EU will continue with the talks with all the participants...and separately with the United States to find ways to get very close to a final agreement in the coming days, Matton said. Eiza Gonzalez has a new boyfriend. The 'Baby Driver' actress - who previously dated Liam Hemsworth and Timothee Chalamet - has been seeing professional lacrosse player Paul Rabil for over a month. Eiza, 31, has been supporting Paul, 35, at work and was recently spotted at a training camp for his team the Boston Cannons. A source told The New York Post's Page Six: "They walked into training camp in Massachusetts together for breakfast, as he had a game the next day." They were also spotted together in Los Angeles this week, where they visited the Plant Food + Wine restaurant in Venice. Rabil divorced fellow lacrosse player Kelly Berger in 2017 after three years of marriage. Meanwhile, Eiza - who also dated model Dusty Lachowicz in December and Josh Duhamel in 2018 - recently revealed she turned down the chance of a vacation to star in 'Hobbs & Shaw'. The actress stars as Madame M/Margarita in the 'Fast & Furious' spin-off film and was grateful to be given the chance to star in both the action flick as well as monster movie 'Godzilla vs. Kong'. SweetWater Brewing, Georgia Since 1996, this Atlanta-based brewery has built its identity and, frequently, its actual beers around marijuana culture. Something in there is a winning formula, as SweetWater has rapidly climbed the BAs craft beer charts to its No. 11 position last year. It has done it with a host of winking to blatant weed references in its beer names and even recipes. Its flagship 420 Extra Pale Ale has an Atlanta-area interstate sign on its label, but these days even your squarest uncle probably knows what 420 references (a longtime reference to the time of day to light up a joint). And its highly successful new line of 420 Strain beers uses terpenes compounds present in abundance in both cannabis and hops to mimic specific marijuana varietals. So perhaps it was a natural fit that a Canada-based cannabis company purchased SweetWater Aphria late last year. Aphria acknowledged in its announcement that the deal was a presage to national cannabis legalization that would allow the sale of cannabis-infused beers that have already been trickling into markets that allow such products. SweetWater arrived in Wisconsin, one of the few states outside the Far West that didnt already get its beer, in early May. A recent article from New Jersey news outlet NJ.com provided fresh evidence for something weve known for years: Black students nationwide are disciplined more often than other kids. During the 2013-2014 school year (the most recent for which state data are available), Black students made up only 16% of New Jerseys student population but represented 44% of all students suspended. Black students also accounted for much higher rates of school expulsions. Past inquiries into this phenomenon have found that Black children are disciplined more than others because of zero-tolerance policies, a lack of school counselors, and an increase in police presence at schools. They have also identified an underutilized solution: Hire more Black teachers. Black students who have at least one Black teacher have much better outcomes. They are more likely to graduate from high school, attend college and are less likely to drop out of school. Black students are also less likely to receive exclusionary discipline at the hands of a Black teacher. CHICAGO To everything there is a season, and in a season when the Supreme Court will decide many important questions, the justices have recognized an important truth: For major constitutional issues, there is a time to act, and there is a time to do nothing. They followed this wisdom in declining to hear a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of requiring only men to register for the military draft. You may ask: What draft? The justices may have asked themselves the same question. Aware that military conscription hasnt happened since 1973 a year after Amy Coney Barrett, the newest justice, was born they understand that there is no urgency about resolving a question that is important in principle but moot in practice. Despite the absence of a draft, all males from age 18 to 25, including noncitizens, have to register with the Selective Service System just in case the government should one day want to invite them to boot camp. Anyone who doesnt comply is ineligible for federal student aid, federally funded job training and, in the case of foreigners, U.S. citizenship. In some states, failure to register means you cant attend a public university or get a drivers license. Failing to register is a felony, but not really: No one has been prosecuted since 1986. Lauren Rogers, who was raised in the church, started a petition urging the church to reverse the decision and organized a protest outside its Salt Lake City headquarters. She said she wanted to fight for Helfer after her brother was excommunicated in 2015 for sharing his experience as a gay church member online. I wanted to make up for not being there for (my brother) and be there for this woman who was trying to protect people like him in the church, said Rogers, who lives in Maricopa, Arizona. Excommunication needs to done away with. I think its an abusive practice ... and its a tool the church uses to silence people. Helfer said she fears her case could set a precedent for removing other professionals and result in devastating consequences for church members who may no longer feel safe seeking treatment. Doing this to me alone is sending the message both to clinicians and, more importantly, to the public that you shouldnt trust sex therapists, Helfer said. Even if it doesnt necessarily mean that other professionals will directly be affected, it will affect the population as to who will seek out those kinds of services. Church officials declined to comment on Helfer losing her appeal or the criticism against them. Since then, the university has also declined to identify the person who caused the course to be suspended. Boise State University has never confirmed identifying details of the complainant, Mike Sharp, a spokesperson for the university, told the Statesman by email. It is our policy to protect the identity of complainants and the individuals identified in their reports from public disclosure so as not to discourage individuals from reporting concerns. Sharp also said the decision to suspend the course was made by the President, Provost, Faculty Senate Leadership, University Foundations leadership, University Curriculum Committee leadership, and the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies. In its investigation, Hawley Troxell uncovered an incident in which a student reportedly called her instructors logic stupid during a Zoom discussion, which some other students in the class interpreted as a personal attack. After other students began calling her out in the Zoom meetings chat feature, the instructor intervened, telling the class she felt the students comment had not been ad hominem but rather about an argument the instructor had made. In that instance, the firm determined that the instructor had responded appropriately. Mayville expressed optimism that the Idaho Supreme Court would expedite the case and issue a decision quickly. If Reclaim wins its suit, volunteers would move ahead at full speed trying to gather signatures to get the education initiative on the November 2022 ballot, where it would need support from a majority of voters to pass. Reclaim has until May 1, 2022, to gather the signatures, Mayville said. If Reclaim loses its suit, volunteers would consider putting the education initiative on hold and moving forward with a different initiative, the Initiative Rights Act. The group filed the Initiative Rights Act in April. It is designed to restore the signature gathering requirements that existed in 2012, where organizers only needed to collect signatures from 6% of registered voters statewide, regardless of what district they live in. Mayville and other opponents of Senate Bill 1110 say the requirement to gather signatures from all 35 legislative districts forces organizers to travel to the most remote, isolated parts of the state to gather signatures. Mayville, based on previous ballot initiatives, has speculated that only well-funded professional signature gathering efforts as opposed to grassroots volunteer efforts could meet the new requirements from Senate Bill 1110. The dry conditions are not only affecting the forests. The Twin Falls District of the Bureau of Land Management is dealing with fires in the desert, like the Birch Fire which burned nearly 600 acres near Goose Creek Reservoir this week. Kelsey Brizendine, spokesperson for the districts fire management program, said it is not uncommon to see smaller fires in the desert at this time of the year, but the existing conditions are not normal. It is unusually dry, and it is getting hot, so that definitely is going to change how fires burn and where they burn and how long they go, Brizendine said. However, there is one potential benefit of this lack of moisture. The annual invasive grasses did not grow as thick or heavy this year, which has left more room for native grasses that grow farther apart and are more resistant to fire. This lower level of fuel could help limit the size of fires that break out in the desert this summer. We always prepare for the worst and hope for the best, Brizendine said. SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) California selected another 15 people on Friday to win $50,000 each just for getting the coronavirus vaccine amid hopes from state officials that the chance of winning big money will convince skeptics to get inoculated ahead of the state's broad reopening next week. The lottery-style drawing selected winners from the nearly 22 million Californians who have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine. State officials identified the winners by what county they lived in, with plans to contact them in the coming days. Fifteen other people won the prize last week. But state officials could not reach two of them. The two were replaced by alternate winners in Sacramento and Monterey counties, Gov. Gavin Newsom said. In addition to the $50,000 prizes, the state has pledged to give $50 gift cards to 2 million people who get vaccinated. But the big prize will be handed out on Tuesday, when Newsom will oversee a drawing where 10 people will win $1.5 million each. Newsom has said that on that same day he will lift the state's stay-at-home order and end most restrictions on businesses including allowing fully vaccinated people to stop wearing masks under most circumstances. Were are glad to see Cal/OSHA catching up with CDC on masking and social distancing, though we have some outstanding concerns regarding documentation and N95s," said Robert Moutrie, a policy advocate at the California Chamber of Commerce. Business groups say the N95 requirement could be costly and potentially cause a shortage. California Farm Bureau director of employment policy Bryan Little and Helen Cleary, director of the Phylmar Regulatory Roundtable, a coalition of large businesses with major California operations, both said the draft rules still leave confusing gaps in how employers are supposed to comply. I think there is some stuff in here to like," Little said. But given the ongoing questions, Im not prepared to jump up and down for joy over this. Confusion over what have been conflicting rules prompted business groups to push the governor to use his executive powers to override the board. Newsom responded that the revised proposed regulations to be considered next week will conform California's workplace rules with U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines being broadly adopted by the state starting Tuesday. To protect taxpayers, Governor McKee should do the responsible thing and negotiate a better deal, they said. The state would not have been able to get such a deal through a bidding process, Democratic President Dominick Ruggerio said. IGT and Bally's had feuded in the past, but on January 2020 formed a partnership they said would maintain the states gambling revenue, enhance competitiveness with Massachusetts and Connecticut, and keep jobs in the state. This is an economic development success story that Rhode Islands leaders should be proud of and should be able to say with confidence: Yes, we did this,'" said Jay Gendron head of lotteries for IGT. The legislation is named after Ballys top executive in Rhode Island, Marc Crisafulli, who has been battling cancer. It provided me such a boost, and gave me the positive energy I needed to take this on," he said. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 WASHINGTON (AP) The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell for the sixth straight week as the U.S. economy, held back for months by the coronavirus pandemic, reopens rapidly. Jobless claims fell by 9,000 to 376,000 from 385,000 the week before, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The number of people signing up for benefits exceeded 900,000 in early January and has fallen more or less steadily ever since. Still, claims are high by historic standards. Before the pandemic brought economic activity to a near-standstill in March 2020, weekly applications were regularly coming in below 220,000. Nearly 3.5 million people were receiving traditional state unemployment benefits the week of May 29, down by 258,000 from 3.8 million the week before. Businesses are reopening rapidly as the rollout of vaccines allows Americans to feel more comfortable returning to restaurants, bars and shops. The Labor Department reported Tuesday that job openings hit a record 9.3 million in April. Layoffs dropped to 1.4 million, lowest in records dating back to 2000; 4 million quit their jobs in April, another record and a sign that they are confident enough in their prospects to try something new. After Patricco was sworn in, Nye recounted his own first day on the federal bench. He went back to his chambers, Nye said, turned on his computer and waited to be assigned his first case. There was a ping, when his first case showed up a few minutes later, followed by another and another by the end of his first day, 80 cases were on his docket, Nye said. Patricco, 51, graduated from Harvard University and received his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. He served as a federal defense attorney for a private firm, focusing mostly on white-collar crime, before he joined the U.S. Department of Justice as a federal prosecutor in 2000. He has litigated several notable cases, including prosecuting five defendants with American International Group, Inc. (AIG) and a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway for securities fraud in 2006. He was also one of seven federal prosecutors who indicted the remaining alleged co-conspirators in the 9/11 attacks in New York before the case was moved to the military commission. In Idaho, he was involved in the prosecution of executives with DBSI for securities and wire fraud. That was the biggest federal fraud case in state history, with the trial spanning more than 40 days in court. Washington, D.C. The recent ransomware attacks on Colonial Pipeline and JBS are just the latest salvos in an ongoing digital war that is putting innocent citizens in its crossfire. Just as the U.S. Intelligence Community once warned about al-Qaeda, they are now publicly sounding the alarm over the cyber capabilities of China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. Our adversaries see cyber vulnerabilities and sabotage as the best opportunity to gain a strategic advantage against us. Its time we take these threats seriously and address cybersecurity as the most pressing national security issue of our time. The energy sector, including the power grid, oil and natural gas pipelines and renewable energy systems, is among the most vulnerable to a cyberattack. Our adversaries are making rapid daily advances in hacking and ransomware capabilities, and we must dedicate the time and resources necessary to stay ahead of this threat. That is why I recently urged Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm to keep cybersecurity as a top focus of the Department of Energy. Her involvement influenced her significant other, Jarrett Hubbard, to become involved, and now he is head of the departments facilities and grounds, a line officer position. The couples children, baby Everly Hubbard, 3-year-old Kynsleigh Hubbard and 6-year-old Rylan Keatts, come with them to department meetings. Too many to count Jarrett Hubbard jumped right in to help two years ago and has been hooked since, he said. He and Sink had their children to trick-or-treating at Halloween, but the fire department was short on folks to hand out candy. He stepped right in to help, and it felt so good I wanted more, I guess, he said. By now Ive been on too many fire calls to count. Ninety percent of the fire calls I run are in the middle of the night. It dont matter, unless Im an hour away. However, its always tough the next day at work, after having been at a fire for five or six hours in the middle of the night, he said. Anything can happen at any time, he said. A lot of people dont understand the intensity. To be prepared at all hours for that intensity, he said, he walks the straight and narrow no drinking or smoking. Maldonado moved into business, and now owns her own consulting business called Lucenscia. She trains businesses, nonprofits and government on leadership, with a focus on equity. Her clients have included New York University, National University of Singapore, and the United Nations Foundation, which hired her to create a program for humanitarian workers and peacekeepers. After the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, she worked with congressional offices coping with trauma, she said. Maldonado had never run for office. She said the pain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, racial injustice, and the political divide in the country, including Jan. 6, prompted her to run. There was so much happening that it was like a call. I had to answer the call. To at least try to make a difference as we bring people together and continue the good work thats already being done at the state level, she said. If shes elected in the fall, she said, her priorities are a strong economy to provide tax revenue for schools and raises for teachers, looking at what the state can do to make housing more affordable, and examining the possibility of collective bargaining for teachers. Mountain Gateway Museum & Heritage Center in Old Fort invites visitors to learn about the history of dairy farming in the mountain region by exploring its newest exhibit, Udderly Intriguing: Dairy Farming in Western North Carolina. The exhibit opened Saturday, June 12 at the museum, 24 Water St. in Old Fort, and will run through February 2022. Admission is free, according to a news release. Udderly Intriguing explores how cows came to exist in North Carolina, why dairy farming boomed in western North Carolina during the mid-1900s, and what the prospects are for the regions dairy industry in the 21st century. Visitors also will be able to view artifacts from the museums collection that show how various equipment and household objects have been used over time to create delicious dairy products. Agriculture has long been a cornerstone of North Carolinas economy. Row crops, such as cotton and tobacco, dominated the eastern and central areas of the Tar Heel State for much of history. But by the turn of the 20th century, farmers in the mountain and foothills regions had begun turning to a combination of row crops and livestock, according to the news release. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Brazil's health regulator approved the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine Friday for use in children aged 12 and up, though they will likely have to wait months in line for older age groups to be vaccinated first. Hit hard by the pandemic, Brazil joins countries including the United States, Uruguay and Chile in extending vaccination to minors. However, supply issues mean the move is mainly symbolic for now. Brazil's COVID-19 vaccination drive, which began in January, has been hit by shortages and delays. Around 11 percent of the country's 212 million people have been fully vaccinated so far. Cities such as Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro have only recently finished vaccinating priority groups such as health workers and the elderly. They are now vaccinating the general population in descending order by age, and are currently immunizing people in their 50s. The health regulator, Anvisa, said the approval was based on studies by Pfizer that "indicated the vaccine's safety and effectiveness for this age group." In addition to the US pharmaceutical giant's vaccine, developed with German firm BioNTech, Brazil is currently using the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine and Chinese-developed CoronaVac. Regulators have also approved the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, but the government has not yet reached a deal to purchase it. Brazil has struggled to source enough vaccine doses. Far-right President Jair Bolsonaro faces criticism for refusing offers of vaccines last year, including from Pfizer, and instead pushing the ineffective medication chloroquine against COVID-19. The pandemic has claimed more than 480,000 lives in Brazil, second only to the United States. Explore further Brazil grants emergency approval to J&J COVID vaccine 2021 AFP A man waits outside a mobile COVID-19 vaccination centre outside Bolton Town Hall, in Bolton, England, Wednesday, June 9, 2021, where case numbers of the Delta variant first identified in India have been relatively high. Credit: Peter Byrne/PA via AP Britain's main doctors' union has joined calls for the next planned lockdown easing in England to be delayed, as figures Friday showed new COVID-19 cases across the U.K. running at their highest level since late February. The rise in new infections comes as a result of the spread of the delta variant first identified in India. Government figures showed that 8,125 new cases were recorded on Friday. That's the highest figure since Feb. 26 and means that the 7-day average, which smooths out daily fluctuations, has increased threefold over the past month. The delta variant, which is considered to be at least 40% more transmissible than the previous dominant strain, now accounts for more than 90% of all new infections in the U.K. The pick-up in cases has led a number of scientists to call on the British government to delay the next planned lockdown easing in England from June 21. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is currently hosting the Group of Seven leaders summit in Cornwall, southwest England, is to announce on Monday whether he will sanction the next lockdown easing, which is intended to remove all legal limits on social contactincluding the reopening of nightclubs for the first time since the pandemic struck in March 2020. The pressure on him to authorize a delay, or at the very least to limit the scale of the changes, is rising. Members of the Armed Forces speak to people, outside a mobile COVID-19 vaccination centre outside Bolton Town Hall, in Bolton, England, Wednesday, June 9, 2021, where case numbers of the Delta variant first identified in India have been relatively high. Credit: Peter Byrne/PA via AP Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson and wife Carrie Johnson arrive for a G7 leaders reception at the Eden Project in Cornwall, England, Friday June 11, 2021, during the G7 summit. Credit: Jack Hill/Pool via AP On Friday, the British Medical Association said a "sensible delay" would help keep a lid on infections as it would allow more people to be vaccinated with first and second doses, particularly younger people who are seeing the highest proportion of infections. "With only 54.2% of the adult population currently fully vaccinated and many younger people not yet eligible, there is a huge risk that prematurely relaxing all restrictions will undo the excellent work of the vaccine program and lead to a surge of infections," said Dr. Chaand Nagpaul, council chair of the British Medical Association. "It's not just about the number of hospitalizations, but also the risk to the health of large numbers of younger people, who can suffer long-term symptoms affecting their lives and ability to work," he added. The U.K. has recorded nearly 128,000 coronavirus-related deaths, more than any other nation in Europe. After a devastating winter surge of infections, deaths have fallen sharply recently following a strict months-long lockdown and the rapid rollout of vaccines. The rollout, which has primarily been based on age, was earlier this week extended to 25- to 29-year-olds. The government has said it wants every adult to have received at least one dose of vaccine by the end of July. The improved backdrop has allowed lockdown restrictions to be eased in the U.K. over the past couple of months. The four nations of the U.K.England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Irelandhave lifted restrictions at different paces but have been generally pursuing similar plans for the summer. Explore further UK says Delta variant 60 percent more transmissible 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Gov. Roy Cooper on Friday signed an executive order that keeps some COVID-19 measures in place through the end of July. Cooper said a State of Emergency remains in effect as North Carolina emerges from the pandemic, along with other measures including state evictions prohibitions, unemployment insurance flexibility and requiring masks in places such as health care and child care facilities, schools and public transportation, according to a release from his office. A State of Emergency gives North Carolina easier access to federal funding including FEMA Public Assistance reimbursements, and schools can follow uniform safety guidance under the StrongSchoolsNC Public Health Toolkit, the release said. The State of Emergency also allows regulatory flexibility for the NC Department of Health and Human Services to increase the number of people authorized to administer vaccines and COVID-19 tests and for the movement of COVID-19 patients in rehab and other facilities, it said. Health officials are still encouraging anyone 12 and older to get vaccinated against COVID-19 because while cases have dramatically declined in the count and state, the virus is still around. He was one of the nicest people youd ever meet, Ray and Johnson said. Hed give the shirt off his back to help you, Ray said. He made my job as a lieutenant and (Johnsons) job as chief very easy. He knew what to do and he was always there to do it. No correction, nothing needed. Clay Greene, deputy chief at Brendletown, described Hensley as down to earth. We have nicknames down here for most everybody, and his nickname had always been hippie, Greene said. It was just because he had long hair and just always happy-go-lucky and really carefree. You always knew what you had with James. He always had a saying down here, It is what it is. Hensley had a tree cutting business outside of being a volunteer firefighter, Ray said. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} He always talked about cutting trees, that was his thing, Ray said. We always talked about it. He grew up, for a little while, in Yancey County, where I was from. So we sort of clicked because, you know, you might as well say were different up there than most places. Firefighters gathered Friday morning from Brendletown and other departments across the county to drive to Winston-Salem to pick up Hensleys body after his autopsy. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} In 1960, I read an early version of it in The New Yorker and was entranced by the story and its connection to North Carolina. Alas, the connection was mythical. Spencer told me she was really thinking of Birmingham, where she had friends, but changed the citys name to Winston-Salem so her friends would not try to see themselves in the story. The story became the basis for a popular film in 1962. It starred Olivia de Havilland, Yvette Mimieux and Rossano Brazzi. In 2005, a musical based on the story was staged in New York and broadcast on public television. Before moving to Chapel Hill, Spencer and her husband lived in Italy and Canada. Her roots, however, were in her birthplace, Carrollton, Mississippi, and her early work reflected the complicated racial caste systems of the South. The headliner of the new collection is The Voice at the Back Door, Spencers 1956 novel. Michael Gorra, the volumes editor, writes that it is widely considered Spencers masterpiece. Set in rural Mississippi in the early 1950s, complicated race relations and violence are at its center. Gorra writes that there had been a massacre in 1886 in Spencers hometown, where more than 20 Blacks had been shot at the local courthouse. Butte police reports Stolen vehicle A report came in at 2:52 a.m. Friday about a 2003 gold Oldsmobile Alero stolen from the 3700 block of Harrison Avenue. At 5:45 a.m., the owner found the vehicle at the Town Pump, 531 S. Montana St. She approached the vehicle and told Jared Todd Tonkin, 22, of Butte to give her the keys, and he did. An officer arrived just as Tonkin was exiting the store. He told the officer that he had just borrowed the car but didnt know who he borrowed it from. The owner was able to retrieve her car and Tonkin went off to jail for felony possession of stolen property. Back in jail Gregory Robin Holm, 24, of Butte was back in jail Thursday morning following two violations of release conditions. Difficult collar A person living in the 1900 block of South Jackson Street reported at 8:30 a.m. Thursday that a man was hitting vehicles in the area and possibly getting into them. The nations largest, most influential doctors group is holding its annual policymaking meeting amid backlash over its most ambitious plan ever to help dismantle centuries-old racism and bias in all realms of the medical establishment. The dissenters are a vocal minority of physicians, including some white Southern delegates who accuse the American Medical Association of reverse discrimination. Dr. Gerald Harmon, the group's incoming president, is a 69-year-old white native of rural South Carolina who knows he isnt the most obvious choice to lead the AMA at this pivotal time. But he seems intent on breaking down stereotypes and said pointedly in a phone interview, This plan is not up for debate. The six-day meeting that began Friday is being held virtually because of the pandemic. It offers a chance for doctors to adopt policies that spell out how the AMA should implement its health equity plan. But some white doctors say the plan goes too far. Announced last month, the plan is unusually bold for the historically cautious AMA, acknowledging that racism and white privilege exist in the medical establishment and have contributed to health disparities laid bare during the coronavirus pandemic. A "ring of fire" solar eclipse appeared in the sky Thursday as the moon partially blocked out the sun. It was visible in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere, and people around the world captured the celestial show -- the first of two solar eclipses this year -- with some stunning images. A solar eclipse happens when the moon crosses between the sun and the Earth, which blocks a portion of the sun's rays, according to NASA. This eclipse is an annular eclipse, meaning the moon is far enough away from the Earth that it appears smaller than the sun. When the moon crosses paths with the fiery star, it will look smaller than the sun, leaving room for bright light to glow around the edges. This is called "the ring of fire" and was expected to be visible to some people in Greenland, northern Russia and Canada, NASA said. Other countries in the Northern Hemisphere, including the United Kingdom and Ireland, were able to see a partial eclipse, which is where the moon only covers a portion of the sun. A fingernail-shaped shadow covered a different percentage of the sun, depending on your location. McDonald's has become the latest company to be hit by a data breach after unauthorized activity on its network exposed the personal data of some customers in South Korea and Taiwan. McDonald's Corp. said Friday that it quickly identified and contained the incident and that a thorough investigation was done. While we were able to close off access quickly after identification, our investigation has determined that a small number of files were accessed, some of which contained personal data," the burger chain said. McDonald's said its investigation determined that only South Korea and Taiwan had customer personal data accessed, and that they would be taking steps to notify regulators and also the customers who may be impacted. No customer payment information was exposed. McDonald's said it will look at the investigation's findings, coupled with input from security resources, to identify ways to further enhance its existing security measures. All frequency spectrum used for telecommunications services by mobile network operators and broadcasters in South Africa should be permanently sold for ownership instead of being leased on licence for a limited time. This is the view of the economic think-tank Free Market Foundation (FMF), which maintains that doing so would be to the benefit of both service providers and their customers. This is included in its submission made earlier this month to ICASA, in response to the authoritys call for feedback on the issues which the regulator should consider with regards to its review of the ICT COVID-19 national disaster regulations. These regulations have allowed for the assignment of temporary emergency radio frequency spectrum to mobile network operators to deal with the influx of data traffic as more people sought information, worked, learned, and were entertained online. ICASA has repeatedly extended the deadline for using this spectrum due to Telkom, E-tv, and MTNs court challenge delaying the spectrum auction, which was originally set to take place in March 2021. However, its chairperson Keabetswe Modimoeng has warned that eventually it will not be able to extend the temporary spectrum assignments when a more permanent route for spectrum licensing was struck in litigation. Modimoeng argued the industry could not perpetuate a temporary pandemic-specific spectrum arrangement to a point where it amounted to a backdoor spectrum licensing regime. High-demand spectrum ought to be licensed in a transparent and competitive manner, hence any other way is unjustifiable in the long run, Modimoeng said. The FMF, however, maintains that the current approach to licensing spectrum in South Africa was flawed. It has been 15 years since the two biggest network operators, Vodacom and MTN, who together provide 75% of data coverage, were allocated more spectrum, FMF said. The industry has been starved of this essential resource due to policy delays including the failed digital migration and battles between ICASA and various ICT ministers. It stated that spectrum was the lifeblood of the data industry, and said campaigns like #datamustfall should have called for #providemorespectrum instead. Only by doing this will prices come down and service improve, the FMF stated. The FMF came to four main conclusions in its submission to ICASA: The current design of the spectrum auction would mean that Vodacom and MTN face the possibility of not gaining access to the vital band of 3.5MHz for at least 10 years and this will have a significant impact on consumers. The temporary spectrum allocated demonstrated sound judgement and a good sense of proportion from ICASA in that it is the best available reflection of the true spectrum needs of South Africas mobile carriers. The incorrect notion that market failure exists [the view of Telkom] is based on a false understanding of economics. The mobile telecoms market is contestable the test of competition and market operability. Constitutional and legal obligations govern ICASAs actions and withdrawing temporary spectrum would violate these and may lead to protracted litigation. The FMF criticised ICASA for its apparent view that mobile network operators were utilising the emergency spectrum while not paying license fees to just make more money. This stance, it said, forgets that the networks had to rapidly invest in infrastructure to accommodate the new spectrum and that they have surpassed all expectations in keeping consumers and business linked into the economy via mobile networks. ICASA should not penalise MNOs but the opposite, applaud the valiant effort in keeping the economy going in the crisis of the pandemic, the FMF said. In addition, the FMF has argued revoking the temporary spectrum would give Vodacom and MTN a strong case that ICASA would be expropriating resources and property from Vodacom and MTN by not respecting the security of their investment. The regulatory act of temporarily assigning rights of resource use to alleviate network capacity constraints, which require tailored investments in technology that amortises over five or ten years amounts to an economic contradiction if subsequent regulatory policies terminate or repeal such rights before the end of the period known to be required until amortisation, the FMF stated. It not only called for the temporary emergency spectrum allocated to mobile network operators to be permanently assigned, but said that all spectrum currently assigned on a temporary and fixed basis must be converted into privately owned and fully-tradeable spectrum to its current users. This would ensure that the SA regulators protracted process of concluding the digital migration a dismal failure that has been inflicting great harm on SAs consumers would be entrusted to market reason, the FMF maintained. In a free trading regime, the marginal price bid for a spectrum unit will reflect the consumer value reaped for the units employment. For those spectrum resources that are employed by public or private entities to provide critical public services such as airtraffic control, police radio or military communications, the regulator shall exercise its sovereign primacy in the best interest of the public, it added. The FMF further argued that broadcasters such as the SABC stood to gain significantly from commodifying spectrum, particularly in the digital dividend which is being opened up by the shutting down of analogue transmissions in the country. The beneficial side effect of such a policy would be that broadcasters, in particular the technically bankrupt public broadcasters, could recapitalise and use the proceeds for the technical equipment needed to migrate to digital broadcasting channels, the organisation said. Since the 700/800MHz spectrum is used for broadcasting services that render a fraction of the value that its employment for mobile telecommunication services would render, the current spectrum holders would have a great incentive to trade it off against cheaper spectrum in the lower, more efficient digital broadcasting frequency bands below 600 MHz. FMF founder and President Leon Louw said also slammed ICASAs decision to hold back spectrum for the wireless open access network (WOAN), which ICASA has maintained is aimed at increasing competition and providing better services to customers. A market with 6 operators sharing spectrum through voluntary roaming agreements, which meant they avoided a spectrum crunch during the past 16 years and during the COVID-19 crisis, means the free market has been in action. The industry has already created a WOAN and there is no need for an artificial structure which creates the opportunity for rent seeking and inefficient allocation of resources. The FMF further said that the requirement of licencees to notify ICASA of new installations of electronic communication facilities on their networks within seven days was an onerous and costly undertaking that was ultimately paid for the consumer. Unless the regulator presents valid reasons for reporting certain communications equipment to government authorities, for example, because it poses or may pose a threat to public safety, public health, the environment, or the like, such red tape should be eliminated not only in the interest of consumers but also to taxpayers benefit from the resulting streamlining of authorities, it added. Now read: Vodacom spends R100 million on 84 base stations in the middle of nowhere An internal forensic investigation by MTN South Africa into suspected fraud has revealed a criminal syndicate working to defraud MTN and its customers. MTN worked with the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation cybercrime unit, known as the Hawks, in a covert investigation to identify the criminals. MTN SAs executive for corporate affairs Jacqui OSullivan said they gained extensive insights into the modus operandi of the syndicate. While the investigation remains ongoing, the collaboration has amassed a vital body of evidence against the perpetrators of the fraud, she said. To date, the investigation has uncovered 1,914 MTN subscriber accounts compromised by the cybercriminals. MTN continues to scan customer accounts to proactively identify irregularities and unauthorised activity. MTN believes the illegal access was gained using compromised credentials, including usernames and passwords, of some MTN employees and a limited number of MTN partners. The circumstances leading to the compromised credentials are still being investigated. It currently points to a failure to protect user credentials and potential insider involvement. When MTN noted the initial fraud in late 2020, it appeared to only relate to limited airtime fraud against the company. However, through the course of the investigation, it emerged that some of MTNs systems had been illegally accessed. These systems were used as a conduit to enable a greater scheme of fraud, with the criminals using personal information they acquired outside of MTNs systems to identify potential victims. MTNs investigation, which reviewed hundreds of hours of recorded sessions where the criminals were online, showed the fraudsters were using externally gained identity numbers to conduct searches within some MTN systems. The criminals appear to have been testing the ID numbers already in their possession on the MTN system to look for matches to facilitate illegal SIM swaps. Once a SIM swap was undertaken, one-time passwords (OTP) would be sent to the new owner of that number to facilitate various types of fraud. Due to the compromised credentials and limited system access, MTN has notified the Information Regulator of South Africa. The company has also initiated individual engagements with the 1,914 customers who it knows to have been compromised by this syndicate. Those customers are all receiving letters and follow-up calls from MTN. A dedicated customer support team is rectifying unauthorised transactions on the affected MTN clients accounts. MTN SA CEO Godfrey Motsa said the resolution of this issue is their utmost priority. Our initial focus has been to shut down the illegally gained access, to assist our affected customers, and to bring in the police to track down these criminals so we can see them prosecuted, he said. We are taking this very seriously, and uncompromising consequence management will follow both for the criminals and any direct employee or partner that may have had a hand in facilitating this crime. We will be pursuing prosecutions to the full extent of the law. Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccines intended for South Africa remain suspended following a U.S. ruling that ingredients for the countrys doses may have been contaminated during production in a plant in Baltimore. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday that some batches of the J&J version were not fit to use, while others are still under review. Two lots have been approved, though its not clear where those are headed or how many that covers. South Africa is heavily reliant on the J&J vaccine to meet a target of inoculating two-thirds of its 60 million population this year, having ordered more than 31 million of the single-dose shot. Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Ltd., Africas largest drugmaker, has a contract to fill and package the doses at a factory in the coastal town of Gqebherha, until recently known as Port Elizabeth. The vaccines awaiting distribution from the Gqebherha plant need further assessment by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority, the countrys ministry of health said in a statement. That will determine if they are suitable for use in South Africa. There is now a real possibility that they may not be, however this is for the regulator to rule on, it said. To compensate, 300,000 J&J doses are cleared to be shipped to South Africa as a matter of extreme urgency, the ministry said. Furthermore, the drugmaker has agreed a contract to supply the vaccine to the country and will therefore need to honor that in time. The news still marks a major setback in South Africas vaccine rollout just as a third wave of infections is gathering pace. The government has been heavily criticized for delays in ordering doses, and inoculations to the general public only began in mid-May. It means that state officials who defend Californias gun laws are in the awkward position of claiming that a weapons scary looks is sufficient cause to be prohibited. This is an average case about average guns used in average ways for average purposes, Benitez said. One is to be forgiven if one is persuaded by news media and others that the nation is awash with murderous AR-15 assault rifles. The facts, however, do not support this hyperbole, and facts matter. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who personally sponsored the magazine and ammunition sales laws, promised a vigorous legal fight to uphold Californias regulations. Todays decision is a direct threat to public safety and the lives of innocent Californians, period, Newsom said in a statement. As the son of a judge, I grew up with deep respect for the judicial process and the importance of a judges ability to make impartial fact-based rulings, but the fact that this judge compared the AR-15 a weapon of war thats used on the battlefield to a Swiss Army Knife completely undermines the credibility of this decision and is a slap in the face to the families whove lost loved ones to this weapon. Were not backing down from this fight, and well continue pushing for common sense gun laws that will save lives. In terms of industries, the skilled trades may offer the biggest opportunities for middle- and working-class people. Today manufacturing employment is expanding more rapidly than in almost four decades; job openings in the industrial sector are up more than 50% since February 2020. Companies such as John Deere are struggling to keep pace with new orders because of a persistent shortage of workers willing to take jobs in its Iowa factories, a phenomenon common across the industrial economy. Overall, there are an estimated 500,000 manufacturing jobs unfilled right now. The current shortage of welders alone is expected to grow to 400,000 by 2024. Much the same can be said about logistics and shipping, which kept the country running during the pandemic lockdowns. A shortage of tank truck drivers could restrict gas deliveries this summer. The shortfall is now so severe that Amazon has set up its own incubator for new trucking companies. The pandemic has also sparked an entrepreneurial revival. Across the U.S., about 4.4 million applications for new businesses were filed last year, compared with roughly 3.5 million in 2019, according to an analysis of data from the Census Bureau. In California, 442,324 were filed in 2020, a 21.7% increase from 2019. We may be seeing the rise of a whole new set of startups that remain dispersed in their operations, saving money on rent and locating in more affordable places. On the 45th anniversary ceremony of Custers Last Stand, on June 21, 1921, his devoted widow, Elizabeth Libbie Custer, memorialized, that any lingering doubts or criticisms could never dispel the glory of that band of troopers and their beloved general. Now, adding 100 years more, Custers Last Stand is viewed objectively. Custer was part of a containment mission to bring the hostiles (nowadays, we would use the term, terrorists) back to the reservation. They were nomadic non-treaty Indians who refused to give up the sacred, ancestral Black Hills and the Yellowstone country, guaranteed to them by the U.S. government in the Ft. Laramie Treaty of 1868. Gold was since confirmed in the Black Hills and Yellowstone, slated for a proposed northern railroad to the Pacific, but the Sioux refused to sell their lands. Interior Secretary Zachariah Chandler, President Ulysses Grant, and War Secretary William Belknap decided upon military measures to coerce the nomadic roamers. Early summer of 1876 (Americas centennial year) witnessed an army officers meeting on June 21-22 at the confluence of the Yellowstone and Rosebud Rivers. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. Special offer: $1 for your first 6 months! Overall commander, General Alfred Terry, ordered Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer to take his 7th Cavalry into the lower Yellowstone watershed to likely find the hostiles. Meanwhile to the north, Terry and Colonel John Gibbon having a mixed cavalry-infantry force would be poised above further north in order to spring a trap. Offered to Custer by Terry were two extra companies of the 2nd Cavalry in order to augment his understrength regiment of 597 men. (Regulation strength was 1,200.) Custer turned it down. This operation would be exclusively an all-7th Cavalry show. Smarting under a rebuke by President Grant for giving hearsay Washington court testimony against his corrupt secretary of war, Custer nearly had been unable to partake in the present campaign. Via a letter of appeal by Custer to Grant, desiring to share the danger of combat with his regiment, plus support by Generals William Tecumseh Sherman, Phil Sheridan, and Terry he was released to cut loose. Age 36, yellow-hair Custer, the famous Boy General in the Civil War, had shorn his long locks due to a receding hairline. He was considered one of the old men of the regiment, largely by young troopers, in their twenties, many were Irish or German immigrants. Custer was unpopular with his men on the Spartan frontier. Clad all in buckskin, rather than army blue, only his bright red neckerchief, a relic of the esprit de corps days during the War of the Rebellion, remained. Unlike the former camaraderie of that era, virtually none of the men or officers emulated him. Custer considered his main antagonist, Sitting Bull, to be dangerous. Yet, he was confident the 7th could single-handedly lick anything it was sent against. The Indian Agency gave an estimate of 800 winter roamers who still remained illegally off the reservation. Examining a fresh trail leading to the Little Big Horn River, Custers scouts estimated a force of 1,500 to 2,000 Sioux and Northern Cheyenne warriors. His favorite Native American scout, half-Lakota, half-Arikara, Bloody Knife, signed to Custer that there would be more enemy braves than his cavalry could kill in two or three days of battle. Custer signed back, Maybe, one day. A solemn Bloody Knife signed back to Custer, You and I are going home today by a road we do not know. Under a clear sky, it was Sunday morning, Montana Territory, June 25, 1876. Seeing a vast pony herd 13 miles away from an eminence, the Crows Nest, Custers native scouts felt nervous. Enemy Indians in spotting Custers regiment were chased away. Custer felt that surprise had been lost. He became quite anxious. Instead of reconnoitering the alleged village ahead on the Little Big Horn which he could not see through his binoculars from the height he now decided to attack. To Custer, the hostiles were in name only; they were only retreating Indians, who would flee if he did not advance immediately, without waiting for Terry and Gibbon. Reaching within 8 miles of the hostile village, another (white) scout, Fred Gerard, exclaimed the Indians were running like devils! Custer divided the 7th in four separate parts as his regiment moved to action. Major Marcus Renos 129-man battalion on the left side of the Little Big Horn, Custers 200 on the right side, and Captain Frederick Benteens 110-man battalion dispatched to make a southerly sweep to trap any fleeing hostiles, with a slower mule ammo/supply train in tow. Within 2.5 miles of the village, Reno led his men from a trot to a gallop. As the obscuring dust settled before him, dozens of approaching warriors were unveiled. These were not retreating, but attacking Indians. Reno dismounted his troopers forming a skirmish line, which the hostiles flanked on the left, threatening overrun. Remounting his men, Reno ordered a charge to the rear. Distraught by the spattered brains and blood of Bloody Knife, killed 50 feet in front of him, Reno went entirely on the defensive. Hiding with his men in the timber on the Little Big Horn, Indians infiltrated. Reno ordered a second retreat up the side of 90-foot bluffs across the river, losing several men in the process, consolidating upon the heights. Meantime, Custer, perhaps, could see Renos plight and was so informed by two scouts, released by Reno as of contact with the enemy. To indirectly support Reno, he took two companies, sending the other three to go up to the high bluffs. Custer conducted a diversion down Medicine Tail Coulee to the rivers right bank. A ford was present. It turned out not to be crossable due to fire from the opposite bank. Going up an adjoining coulee, Custer passed just by the other three companies formed on later-named Calhoun Hill and Custer Ridge. Riding two miles more north, Custer clearly saw the gigantic village, the largest in North America. Also visible were about 5,000 non-combatant women, children, elderly, and infirm, all fanning out to the west and north from the far side of the river. Custer realized his chance to take them hostages, neutralizing the overwhelming number of warriors. Finding a usable ford, he decided to return to the east bluffs to await Benteen and the pack train, prior met by a Custer courier with a note: Come quick! Bring packs. Riding back from its unsuccessful scout to the south, Benteen was handed the note while his battalion was beneath the marooned Reno command. Unaware of the Custers exact whereabouts, Benteen chose to support the nearby stricken Reno. Joining Reno above, the pack train also coming up, Benteen tacitly took over command (from an unnerved Reno) of the Reno-Benteen entrenchment. Dig or die, said a calm, but firm Benteen, steadying pinned soldiers as bullets flew by him. Four miles north, Custers battalion formed a -mile-long battle line high above the river, each end anchored on a hillock, the one at the north under Custer, the other at the south under his brother-in-law Lt. James Calhoun. The east side of the connecting ridge was under the colorful Captain Myles Keogh, former member of the Papal Guards and the purveyor to the 7th of the jingoistic barroom air, Garry Owen. There was no cavalry elan on this day. The alerted warrior mass largely left the exhausted entrenched troopers (dug-in using tin cups, knives, and three spades). Stealthily approaching the Custer-Keogh-Calhoun line, via dry gullies, the Indians now gained the initiative. Half armed with rifles and half with bows and arrows, by long-range fire, they whittled away the dismounted cavalry skirmishers who were standing or kneeling. They jerked up from the gullies to take shots from the lower tall grassy slopes natives referred to as the Greasy Grass, their name for the battle. Whereas several Sioux and Northern Cheyenne were equipped with fast fire Henry repeaters (courtesy of U.S. Indian Agents, for buffalo hunting), the men of the 7th had heavy recoil single-shot Springfield carbines, which could become jammed. Clouds of arching arrows shot upward from concealment, provided the Indians indirect fire. As cavalry horse-holders were picked off from Indian sniper fire, their mounts ran away, carrying with them vital carbine and pistol ammo pouches. Native women also bravely came up the slopes, waving colored blankets to frighten cavalry horses. As the battle progressed, into late afternoon (perhaps it was about 4 p.m.), tired troopers began discarding their long arm carbines for Colt 45s, for rapid-fire, but at closer range. Possibly numbering at about one thousand, the determined warriors inexorably drew closer in. Calhoun Hill was assaulted upon chasing back a soldier foray, which to the Indians resembled fleeing buffalo. It collapsed in a final heap. Survivors fled toward Keoghs companies along the ridgeline. At about this time, Crazy Horse attacked with a picked suicide band of about 20 teenage Sioux who directly rode among the terrorized soldiers. An ensuing north-moving fight saw the disintegration of Keoghs position. A few soldiers made it on foot up to Custers Hill. Of the surrounded 102 officers and soldiers, 45 madly charged downslope, hoping to safely hide in a ravine. Of this desperate group, 17 were killed in the open. Twenty-eight others were killed in a ravine. The latters bodies were not recovered. By around 5 p.m., the celebrated Custers Last Stand took place on Custer Hill. A brief lull was broken upon an all-out rush on foot by the Indians. Hand-to-hand combat occurred, lasting less than 30 minutes. But, the last Custer Hill soldiers were not standing, instead playing possum. Seven or so sprang up, running in a very wildly drunker manner downhill, as they fired handguns aimlessly in the air. They were under extreme duress. Quickly, all were killed, pursued by mounted Indians. Desultory firing continued at the Reno-Benteen stronghold until the late afternoon of June 26, when the Indians vacated the Little Big Horn. The Terry-Gibbon column appeared. It provided relief to the living and helped bury 262 dead cavalrymen and accompanying civilian personnel, including brothers Tom and Boston Custer, and a nephew, Autie Reed. Twenty-four wives, waiting at Ft. Lincoln were thus widowed. Shockingly, the First Americans had defeated the Second Americans. Fighting for loved-ones and for the existence of the nomadic way of life had galvanized them. Despite disfigurement of the dead, General Custers body was rather pristine. (The Sioux and Cheyenne did not know at the time that it was Custer who they fought at the Little Big Horn.) His remarkable Custers luck continued, albeit, posthumously. As a youth, his lifes dream was to be long remembered for being in a glorious battle. Custers luck held again, in his fulfilled wish, perennially still alive on into the future. John Stephen Futini is a local history buff who sends occasional items marking anniversaries of notable events. He will give a lecture on Custers Luck: The Life and Times of General George Armstrong Custer, 1839-1876, on Friday, March 18, 2022, at the Sonoma State University Extended Education (Osher School of Lifelong Learning), from 10 a.m.-noon. During the election campaign rally with the residents of Achajur village of Tavush Province, acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan decided to tell about what happened between him and the former chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Onik Gasparyan. It should be noted that Gasparyan was born in Achajur. "There is an element of family history here, and I have to report to you what happened and why it happened. First of all, you know that I became the Prime Minister, Onik was the First Deputy Chief of the General Staffwith the rank of Major General. Then, through my mediation, he was awarded the rank of Lieutenant General, during the [Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh)] war [last fall], on my initiative, he was awarded the rank of Colonel General. When I petitioned that Onik be appointed Chief of the General Staff, I told him something: I said, Onik, I am afraid of something in this story. I said, I think you have very strong ties with the former authorities. He said, There was no problem there, do not worry, and I made the appointment. I want you to know that I trusted Onik like a dear brother; I never questioned what he said. Even when he was appointed, during the July war, the NSS [National Security Service] told me about an episode in which he had misreported. I said I do not believe, it is excluded. We talked with each other, he said he would never misreport, I said, I believe you and I will believe in you. This was the case until the end of the war. There were episodes during the war that they came from Artsakh, said that this episode is like this, I called, asked Onik. We came to the conclusion that I should only listen to what he says about the episodes of the war; I agreed with that. This conversation has been opened for two reasons: One, because of the events of November 20. That day Onik goes to Syunik Province, meets with some circles, for some reason has a telephone conversation with [ex-President] Serzh Sargsyan on the way. At that time they say the worst words about me, then they agree that they should meet. That evening Onik says, I want to come to you, I say, Come. We meet at the [Yerevan] Kond's [government] house. He says, Make a decision, resign. I say, Dear Onik, how many days have you not slept? He says 4-5 days. I ask him to go to bed, relax, forget about the conversation. Then I call and say, Onik, I have trusted you unconditionally and I still want to trust you unconditionally, taking into account many circumstances. I said, I promise, I will forget the story that you came, told me I should resign. After that, I feel that there is a political influence on the General Staff. After that, episodes emerge from which I become convinced that, truly, many things were not reported to me correctly. As a result, problems arise. Finally, a conversation opens that the General Staff may demand my resignation. I tell him, Dear Onik, such things will not pass with me. I say again: I'm ready to forget, get out of that logic! In the end, it becomes obvious to me that the General Staff is gradually joining the ranks of the opposition. To relieve both him and First Deputy [Chief of the General Staff] Tiran Khachatryan after a well-known event," said Nikol Pashinyan. The Acting Prime Minister spoke also about Tiran Khachatryan, noting: "When Onik Gasparyan told me that Tiran Khachatryan should be given the title of national hero because he is taking measures there to organize counterattacks, I did not even discuss [it]. I said, If I have to do it today so we may have success on the battlefield, I will do as you say. Today Tiran Khachatryan stands up and says the worst words to me. If Tiran Khachatryan finds that I am that person, let him give up the title of hero given to him. If he is a decent officer and thinks that the person who gave him the title of a hero does not understand anything, he should give up that title of hero," he said. "The next episode: Recently, rumors are being spread that while signing the letter on November 9, I was pushed to sign the clause on the villages of Tavush, and it was Onik who urged, cautioned me not to sign it with that version. The reality was completely the opposite. In the presence of 10 people, Onik said that [it] should be signed. I did not blame [him] then, too, I thought he was a man who took part in the war, he thought so. He may have taken that position at the time. I accuse him of spreading opposite news now. Why? If anyone had the right to say that I should sign like that, it was him, as he took part in the war here in those years and lost his leg. If that was his assessment, I did not say, Why are you saying such a thing? I just said that it is out of the question, I will not sign it like that, and we did it so that that point would come out. I now have another question: why is he spreading the opposite news? The analysis of that fact leads me to completely different conclusions, whether it is possible that he did not say sign because of some concerns, but thought that the worse that paper is, the greater the likelihood that it is that it will cause a political explosion and drive away our government and me. I did not think of such a thing then; now I think so retrospectively," Pashinyan said. "There is such an episode about [Artsakhs] Shushi [town], too. When he told me it was a convoy of 150 cars, we said, Hit [them]! Do you know what they said to us? They said that some cars are presented as 150-200 cars," he said. "This is family talk that should be here. I did not do anything dishonest in those relations. I say this for you; I know that that question is within you. I say today that I have kept all the moral norms, you should know that," the acting prime minister added. Armenia Health Ministry confirms Siberian ulcer diagnosis of 3 citizens 11-year-old Yerevan boy dies after being electrocuted on June 17 Karabakh President: There is no alternative to international recognition of Artsakh people's right to self-determination France lifts most COVID-19 restrictions Turkey's Erdogan wants to control social networks Armenia MOD Military Police chief undergoes surgery Germany charges ex-leader of Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs for offending Jews and Armenians New Jersey becomes 10th U.S. State to recognize Artsakh U.S. law enforcement secretly solicits Microsoft customer data thousands of times a year Armenia ruling party MP: There is still no decision on new foreign minister Britain's chief constable warns of pedophiles rising dangers on social media Lavrov says Erdogan's visit to Shushi was in the context of Ankara-Baku relations Armenia acting PM receives US Ambassador Appeal against Armenia court decision to remand Armen Charchyan inscribed to Judge Lusine Abgaryan Erdogan rules out snap elections in Turkey 'Armenia' bloc representative: Employees of Meghri municipality have been questioned since morning Israeli FM: Visit to UAE marks beginning of road to peace with other countries of Middle East Digest: EU may lift travel restrictions for Armenians, more on COVID-19 in Karabakh, Armenia Karabakh President: Economic decline will make up 25% as a result of war UN Secretary General says relations between great powers are disorganized as never before Karabakh National Security Service issues statement Armenia acting MOD, Russia Ambassador discuss Armenian-Russian cooperation issues Dollar rises slightly after long decline in Armenia Putin: Neither Armenia nor Azerbaijan is interested in development of crisis in Karabakh Karabakh Ombudsman: Azerbaijan continues aggression against Artsakh people through informational terrorism EU governments decide to lift travel restrictions from Armenia and 10 other states Spanish PM says there will be no referendum on Catalonia independence Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg adopts petition condemning operations against Artsakh Armenia acting deputy MOD on deployment of Russian peacekeepers on country's borders Baku continues to present demands to Armenia and threaten the country Armenia MP: PACE special rapporteur to meet in Azerbaijan to discuss release of Armenian captives Azerbaijan FM informs counterparts of BSEC about construction of "Zangezur corridor" Seven new cases regarding Armenian POWs filed with European Court of Human Rights Over 100 people die from heatwave in Canada Attachment imposed on assets of Armenia ex-police chief Vladimir Gasparyan Armenia motorists protesting outside State Revenue Committee Armenia delegation to PACE raises matter of Azerbaijan army invasion Armenia acting deputy justice minister on draft of new Penitentiary Code Global Climate Partnership Fund extends US$20-million loan to Ardshinbank to develop green energy Armenian trace in Baku subway explosion is 'confirmed' Court announces verdict on Armenia opposition party leader Armenias Kotayk Province also suffering from drought (PHOTOS) Armenia, Finland to collaborate in technology, education Armenia acting justice minister, newly appointed Japan envoy discuss avenues for deepening cooperation Armenia President expresses conviction that cooperation with Latvia will continue to strengthen, develop Catholicos of Armenian Catholicosate of Great House of Cilicia to head for Vatican Six new cases of coronavirus reported in Artsakh UNDP to support livelihoods of around 28,000 people in Armenia, including the displaced, funded by Russia MP: Armenia legislature must apply to Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe Iranian navy begins drills in Caspian Sea Iran vice president proposes to establish high-tech center in Armenia Biden intends to repair old pipelines in US and establish high-speed Internet 13 Armenian captives court trial rescheduled in Azerbaijan 128 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia UN says economic losses due to recession in tourism sector in 2021 could reach $ 2.4 trillion Red Cross to continue work on exchange of POWs after Karabakh war, says its director Armenia outgoing parliament convenes special session World oil prices on the rise Ardshinbank, Visa International payment system extend card-to-card money transfer campaign, increase cashback Russia, Turkey FMs to discuss Nagorno-Karabakh conflict US senators propose allocating $2mn for Karabakh demining program New York ex-mayor Rudy Giuliani lobbied for Turkey interests? Newspaper: Personnel 'massacre' to begin at Armenia law enforcement agencies Newspaper: Another scandal brewing at Armenia MFA Hailstorm wreaks havoc in Armenias Lori Province US, Iran have only partially resolved their differences, says Blinken Turkish scientists discover 11 ancient wonders at once Armenia 2nd President: Some Armenians believe Pashinyan signed the November 9 statement because he was threatened World Bank raises its forecast for China's economic growth this year to 8.5% Police arrest suspect in theft of Picasso painting in Greece US First Lady may visit Tokyo to attend 2020 Summer Olympics opening ceremony Indian police press preliminary charges against senior Twitter employees Robert Kocharyan: Armenians won't have answers to questions about loss of Hadrut and Shushi and $5 bln deal Robert Kocharyan: New snap elections might be held in Armenia in a year-and-a-half Karabakh: Remains of 2 Armenian servicemen found in Hadrut, searches in Mataghis were fruitless 'Armenia' bloc member Armen Charchyan's wife reads his message at alliance's first general assembly US is a much more important ally for Italy than China Blinken calls Vatican key partner of US Abu Dhabi to use face scanners to detect COVID-19 infections 'Armenia' bloc representative states electoral violations regarding which it will apply to Constitutional Court Armenia acting MOD introduced to some samples of armament of military aircraft at Erebuni Airport Turkey is about to start mass production of its first unmanned surface ship Council of Europe Secretary General sends congratulatory message to Armenia's Pashinyan Armenia National Academy of Sciences ex-president: Large-scale weapons can only be produced with other countries 'Armenia' bloc: We need to be ready for new snap elections at any moment Lebanese government raises fuel prices by over third Richard Kauzlarich: If the conflict is over, why is there a need for Azerbaijan President to wear a military uniform? Karabakh President receives relatives of servicemen declared missing in action during 44-day war Azerbaijan extorting testimonies against Russian peacekeepers from Armenian POWs Israeli FM opens 1st embassy in UAE Head of health center in Armenia's Achajur submits resignation letter Digest: OSCE urges Baku to return Armenian POWs, Biden congratulates Pashinyan on winning elections 1 injured in Prague shooting EU might lift travel restrictions for Armenia citizens Azerbaijan still investigating downing of Russian MI-24 helicopter, but not reporting info Armenia ruling party's faction to convene special session on June 30 NATO Ramstein Alloy drills taking place in Baltic countries Yerevan pedestrian run over twice, dies after failing to regain consciousness Azerbaijan MOD has 'lost' dozens of soldiers EU Council approves decision on signing of Common Aviation Area Agreement with Armenia Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) President Arayik Harutyunyan has congratulated the Russian people on their national holidayRussia Day. His respective message reads as follows, in part: For centuries, our two peoples have had strong and warm ties anchored on a historical, cultural, spiritual, value system. For centuries, being in the vortex of geopolitical upheavals, Artsakh has always used Russia's invaluable place and role in our region, in maintaining peace and stability here. Today, together with us, the security of Artsakh is provided by the peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation. We are deeply thankful and grateful to them. We thank Russian President Vladimir Putin for his personal efforts and undeniable contribution to the settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict. On behalf of the people, authorities of the Artsakh Republic and me accept our congratulations on this sacred holiday; peace and prosperity to the Russian people and the Russian Federation, which has welcomed millions of Armenians with open arms. YEREVAN. Information is being disseminated in the press that, "Turkeys special army units are being deployed in the Sev Lake region of Syunik [Province of Armenia] for two days now." The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia (MOD RA) noted this in a statement "The Republic of Armenia, in particular, the RA Ministry of Defense, has repeatedlyincluding at most various international platformsreflected on the issue that the Turkish armed forces are heavily involved in the training, instruction, and even management processes of the Azerbaijani army. The clearest evidence of this was the war unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh [(Nagorno-Karabakh) last fall], in which the Turkish armed forces were directly involved. The presence of the Turkish military in the units of the Azerbaijani armed forces has long been a fact, confirmedalso by the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia. From this point of view, the accusations that the RA MOD is concealing some facts related to the presence of Turkish military in the Azerbaijani armed forces are simply baseless. "As for the photo of a soldier with a Turkish logowhich is being disseminated in the mediait was taken in the non-Armenian sector of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the movement of the soldier has been monitored by the units of the RA armed forces, and there is no question of "deployment of a Turkish army unit" in the given area," the Armenian MOD added. If Yerevan wants peace, then it should start negotiating with Baku on the delimitation of the state border, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Saturday. His remarks came during the reception of newly appointed non-resident ambassadors of ten countries, Minval.az reported. If Armenia wants peace, we also need a peace agreement. If Armenia wants war, it will get the same result as last autumn. If Armenia wants peace, they should start negotiations on delimitation with us. If they don't, they will regret it, the president said. He also noted that Armenia rejects Azerbaijan's proposal for a peace agreement. Unfortunately, the Armenian government does not respond to our open statements about our readiness to start negotiations on a peace agreement with Armenia. The Armenian government also ignores our proposal, which is supported by major international parties, to start negotiations on the delimitation of the state border with Armenia. We do not understand this, Aliyev said. Although it is extremely rare, some people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 are still able to contract the virus in what is called a breakthrough case. And at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, physicians are paying close attention to this small subset of patients and are trying to understand how and why some people are more susceptible to the disease. To share their findings, three physicians at the Miller School of Medicine joined two doctors from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently to talk about these breakthrough cases and the best ways to treat them. Dr. Lilian Abbo, a professor in the Miller Schools Division of Infectious Diseases; Dr. Shweta Anjan, assistant professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases; and Dr. David Andrews, associate professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, spoke to more than 600 infectious disease physicians last week as part of a weekly video conference hosted by the CDC and the Infectious Disease Society of America. Dr. Emily Koumans, the CDCs Clinical Disease and Health Systems team lead for the COVID-19 response, detailed the national picture on breakthrough cases. Koumans said that since April, more than 10,000 vaccinated United States residents have contracted COVID-19. Of those individuals, 63 percent were female and the median age was 58. In addition, she said 27 percent of these patients were asymptomatic, 10 percent were hospitalized, and 2 percent died. Although the CDC was only able to sequence test results from a little more than 5 percent of these breakthrough cases, of those 555 patients, 56 percent had the UK variant, and the majority had a COVID-19 variant of concern, such as the South African, Brazilian, or California variants. Currently, across the United States about 42 percent of the population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the CDC. In Miami-Dade County, that number is 46.8 percent, and in Broward County 41.8 percent of residents are fully vaccinated. University of Miami physicians hope that in future weeks, more South Florida residents will get vaccinated. According to Abbo, this will help prevent the growth of COVID-19 variants and more breakthrough cases. Dr. Lillian Abbo We need to remain vigilant with the emergence of new variants and cases coming from South America, said Abbo, who is also chief of Infection Prevention and Microbial Stewardship at Jackson Health System. And we must continue to protect ourselves and those around us by continuing to wear masks around unvaccinated individuals and vulnerable patients until the pandemic is globally under control. In her presentation, Abbo outlined the breakthrough infections she has seen in a small number of patients and hospital employees. While they are typically not fatal cases, Abbo still wants to investigate why the COVID-19 vaccines have not provided protection for these people. Clinicians need to be aware that breakthrough infections are a possibility, and we are trying to understand . . ,why are we seeing this lack of clinical response in [some] patients, she said. We do know that the vaccine protects against mortality, but this is something that we are seeing a little more frequently than three months ago. Dr. Shweta Anjan Anjan went on to describe the breakthrough cases that they have seen among 27 patients in Miami. She said the majority of these patients were immunocompromised and recently had an organ transplant, and they often had other health conditions, like hypertension or diabetes. In addition, most breakthrough patients were Hispanic and between the ages of 58 and 89 years old. Also, half of the patients mentioned they had been exposed to an unvaccinated family member with COVID-19, Anjan said. Once diagnosed with COVID-19, most of the 27 patients received monoclonal antibody treatment, along with high-dose intravenous steroids, and went home. However, since researchers believe that variants of COVID-19 may be prompting these breakthrough cases, Andrewswho is leading a University effort to track variants of COVID-19also presented during the video conference. Andrews convened a research team in January to develop tests for common COVID-19 variantssuch as the UK variantand to sequence some of the positive test samples to learn what variants are circulating in the Universitys student and patient population. Since Andrews is also the vice chief of pathology for Jackson Health System, he was also able to include samples from patients in their three hospitals, offering a more comprehensive snapshot of COVID-19 across Miami-Dade County. Dr. David Andrews At the start of their sampling, Andrews said the team noticed a sharp increase in the UK variant. But it quickly began to see many other variants emerge, including strains from Saudi Arabia, Aruba, Nigeria, and other diverse geographic originsalong with the California, New York, and Brazilian variants. This was not surprising because of Miamis diverse population and its reputation as a gateway to the Americas. Today, although [the UK variant] still remains a significant percentage and the predominant variant, with roughly 40 percent of samples, we have seen an emergence of other variants. And about 80 to 90 percent of our samples are a variant of concern or variant of interest, he said. In their last sequencing, Andrews noted that 27 percent of his samples contained the Brazilian variant, 18 percent had the New York variant, and 8 percent of samples represented the California variant, along with two samples that contain an emerging variant of interest from Colombia. Fortunately, however, Andrews said that the decline in positive COVID-19 samples points to the effectiveness of the vaccines. The good news is that because cases are fallingdespite significant variant expansionthis likely indicates the vaccines in use are protective against the prevailing circulating variants, he pointed out. Algeria voted Saturday in a parliamentary election boycotted by the long-running Hirak protest movement and marked by a high abstention rate. Pro-government parties had urged a big turnout for the "crucial vote" hoping to restore stability after two years of turmoil since the ouster of veteran president Abdelaziz Bouteflika under pressure from the protests. The Hirak movement, which had held weekly demonstrations for reform until they were effectively banned last month, rejected the polls as a "sham". Seven leading protest movement figures were arrested ahead of polling day while police deployed heavily in the capital Algiers to preempt any attempt to rally. Turnout was just 30.2 percent, the lowest in at least 20 years for legislative elections, electoral commission chief Mohamed Chorfi said after polls closed. By comparison, turnout was 35.7 percent for the last legislative vote in 2017. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who was elected on an official turnout of less than 40 percent in late 2019, put a brave face on the low turnout. "For me, it's not the turnout percentage that's important, it's whether the lawmakers that the people elect have sufficient legitimacy," he said after casting his vote in Algiers. The shape of the new assembly should emerge on Sunday but it will be 96 hours before official results are announced, Chorfi said. In Algiers, only a trickle of people was seen entering polling stations, AFP correspondents said. "I've never voted, and this time it's no different. I don't believe it would change anything," said Fatiha, a shopkeeper in her 50s. Hamid, a 60-year-old office manager, said he voted for the sake of "stability". In the opposition stronghold of Kabylie, a mainly Berber region east of Algiers, most polling stations in the main cities of Bejaia and Tizi Ouzou remained closed, the Algerian League for the Defence of Human Rights (LADDH) and the CNLD prisoners' right groups said. Story continues Scuffles broke out in Kabylie, where ballot boxes were ransacked, and security forces detained dozens of people, the two groups said, with the CNLD also reporting arrests in Algiers and the nearby city of Boumerdes. - 'Repressive atmosphere' - More than 13,000 candidates stood for the 407 seats in parliament, more than half listed as "independent". The protest movement has urged boycotts of all national polls since it mobilised hundreds of thousands of people in 2019 to force Bouteflika and his cronies from power, after the ailing president launched a bid for a fifth term. It returned to the streets in February after an almost-year-long break caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. But the government stepped up its crackdown last month, blocking protests and detaining hundreds of activists who have defied new restrictions on public gatherings. Leading opposition figure Karim Tabbou, independent journalist Khaled Drareni and the director of a pro-reform radio station, Ihsane El Kadi, were among seven people detained Thursday. The three were released on Friday night, a campaign group said. "These arrests mark a chilling escalation in the Algerian authorities' clampdown on the rights to freedom of expression and association," Amnesty International said, reporting more than 200 people were in detention in connection with the protest movement. - Old guard and economic woes - Tebboune claims to have responded to the protesters' main demands "in record time", and says those still protesting are "counter-revolutionaries" in the pay of "foreign parties". But the Hirak says Tebboune's past role as premier under Bouteflika confirms its narrative that the old guard, in power since Algeria's 1962 independence from France, retains an undiluted grip on power. Established parties linked to Bouteflika's rule -- the National Liberation Front (FLN) and the Democratic National Rally (RND) -- are seen as likely to lose seats. Islamist parties are hoping to take advantage -- but with their vote split between five rival factions, they may struggle to make real gains. Africa's fourth-largest economy is heavily dependent on oil revenues, which have slumped in the face of the global economic slowdown. Unemployment stands at more than 12 percent, according to World Bank figures. It has also been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed more than 3,500 lives in the country, according to the health ministry. bur-kir/hkb/hc/mtp/qan Mondays announcement gave hope to a community desperate for it. For the first time in nearly two decades, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a drug, aducanumab, to treat Alzheimers disease, the horrific ailment that strips people of their cognitive function. Well over 500,000 Floridians suffer from Alzheimers, and many of those patients and families were on the front lines pushing for the drugs approval. Its a game-changing, celebratory victory because its the first drug weve had that treats the disease itself, said Michelle Branham, the Gov. Ron DeSantis-appointed chair of the Florida Alzheimers Disease Advisory Committee. Branham is also the vice president of public policy for the Florida arm of the nonprofit Alzheimers Association, which lauded the federal governments decision this week. (The Association discloses on its website that it accepts hundreds of thousands of dollars from pharmaceutical companies annually, including from Biogen, the manufacturer of this new drug.) But the approval comes with significant potential downsides for Florida, too. In a state where prescription drug affordability is already a major issue, the infusions are expected to cost about $56,000 per patient per year before insurance, according to Biogen. Critics say thats a lot of money for a drug that may not work as advertised: A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted overwhelmingly against recommending the drug in November because it said the treatment was not proven to treat Alzheimers. Here are answers to four key questions about aducanumab, which will go by the brand name Aduhelm. This image provided by Biogen shows a vial and packaging for the drug Aduhelm. On Monday, June 7, 2021, the Food and Drug Administration approved Aduhelm, the first new medication for Alzheimers disease in nearly 20 years, disregarding warnings from independent advisers that the much-debated treatment hasnt been shown to help slow the brain-destroying disease. 1. How does aducanumab work? The concept behind aducanumab is at the cutting edge of Alzheimers research. The drug is a monoclonal antibody that targets the amyloid plaque buildup on the brain that is a characteristic of Alzheimers disease. Its given to patients via monthly injections. In one of the trials conducted by Biogen, aducanumab appeared to slow cognitive decline in patients. Story continues For people living with this disease, thats huge. It could mean a delay in putting a loved one in an assisted living facility, said Dr. Amanda Smith, director of clinical research at the University of South Floridas Byrd Alzheimers Center and Research Institute, who worked on a clinical trial. It could mean that for two, three, four extra years, they can go use the toilet by themselves and you dont have to take them. In another clinical trial, however, aducanumab appeared to have little effect on its patients. Smith said the reasons for this were complex, but they likely had to do with the relatively small dosages given to patients in that trial. Still, for a drug with such severe side effects brain bleeding occurred in about 1 in 6 high-dose patients in one of the trials critics argue the benefits have to be worth the considerable risks. 2. Why was aducanumabs approval so controversial? In short, critics argue aducanumabs benefits are not worth the risks. The federal advisory panels ruling from last year, for example, dealt a blow to the drugs credibility as an Alzheimers treatment. Others have noted the exorbitant cost. Not only will patients have to either get the treatment covered by insurance or find a way to pay for it out of pocket, but there will be other costs: paying for procedures to detect amyloid plaque, paying for the costs of a monthly infusion and follow-up tests, and more. (A Biogen spokesperson said in a statement that the company plans to help patients through co-pay and infusion cost assistance programs.) Then theres the broader cost to the state. Floridians even those with insurance already have so much trouble affording prescription drugs, DeSantis has made a plan to import treatments from Canada a major part of his healthcare policy agenda. Some experts worry aducanumab could make drugs less affordable overall and worsen the national debt. Medicare would likely cover at least a portion of the drugs cost to individuals because many of those plans come with limits to out-of-pocket prescription drug costs, a Biogen spokesperson noted in an email. Depending on what Medicare decides to cover, taxpayers could be on the hook for billions. Some experts also worry a rash of new prescriptions for the pricey drug could drive up healthcare premiums for everyone. When asked whether DeSantis is concerned about the cost of the drug to the consumer or federal government, a statement emailed by a spokesperson did not directly address the cost issue. Governor DeSantis wants every Alzheimers patient in Florida to have access to safe and effective treatments, the spokesperson, Christina Pushaw, said in part in the statement, noting DeSantis had nothing to do with the drugs approval. 3. Who could benefit from this drug? Although the drug has only been studied in patients with, at worst, mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimers, the federal government approved the drug for general treatment of the disease. Smith said the decision to grant such broad approval concerned her more than anything else. Advocacy groups pushed harder than anyone for the drugs approval, Smith noted. What will happen when families are told this revolutionary treatment may not be right for their loved one? I think theres going to have to be some hard conversations between patients and their families and providers, said Dr. James Galvin, a professor of neurology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. (Galvin noted he worked a clinical trial for the drug, and also consulted for Biogen as they reviewed the data.) The FDA approved aducanumab under its accelerated approval pathway. The agency gives this approval when a drug has been shown to improve one aspect of the disease even if the drugs ultimate benefit is more uncertain. In this case, the agency says that even if aducanumabs overall effect on the progression of Alzheimers is unproven, the drug has been shown to reduce amyloid plaque. This approval poses an important challenge for physicians. How will doctors determine whether a patient has a buildup of amyloid plaque? There is no simple test for amyloid; only a PET scan, a spinal tap or an expensive blood test can reveal the presence of the plaque. And even more broadly, if a doctor refuses to prescribe the drug to a patient, whats to stop the patient from doctor shopping until they find a physician that will prescribe the treatment? I think theres a lot of challenges and unanswered questions that we need to address, Galvin said. For Biogens part, the company spokesperson said it will continue to focus on patients in the earlier stages of Alzheimers disease. 4. What else about the drug is unknown? Almost everything about how the drug will perform in a clinical population is unknown. Patients dont yet know which insurance plans will cover the aducanumab. Its unclear how doctors will prescribe it, given the federal governments broad approval. Its unclear what percentage of Floridas Alzheimers patient population will have access to the drug. Its likewise unclear who in that population would benefit from the drug. As part of its accelerated approval, the Food and Drug Administration has required Biogen to conduct a phase four clinical trial to demonstrate the drugs benefit. If the drug doesnt pass muster, the agency could pull it from the market. Despite all of this uncertainty, patient advocates know their next move. The next priority as an association is going to be to advocate heavily for access to the drug, Branham said. Biogen says it will start shipping the treatment to clinics within two weeks. In response to the weakening of the federal voting rights law by the Supreme Court in 2013, Attorney General Merrick Garland made a commitment to expand the Justice Department's efforts to protect voting rights, announcing a series of actions aimed at confronting state and local efforts that he said "will make it harder to vote." "We are scrutinizing new laws that seek to curb voter access, and where we see violations of federal law, we will not hesitate to act," Garland said at a speech at the Justice Department Friday. "We are also scrutinizing current laws and practices, in order to determine whether they discriminate against Black voters and other voters of color." Since over a dozen states have passed new laws making it more difficult to vote, Garland pointed to some jurisdictions that, "based on disinformation, have utilized abnormal post-election audit methodologies that may put the integrity of the voting process at risk and undermine public confidence in our democracy." To counter this, he said that the Justice Department will increase the size of the enforcement unit that tracks state and local efforts to enact voter restrictions and vowed to prosecute those responsible for the rise in violent threats against election workers. In the next 30 days the department will be doubling the Civil Rights Division's enforcement staff. The addition of more attorneys and resources comes in the wake of the 2020 presidential election, which saw an uptick in threats targeting state and local election officials and poll workers and rising disinformation around access to the ballot box. Garland pledged the department would "investigate and promptly prosecute" any threats that violate federal law, and committed to partnering with other federal agencies to combat disinformation surrounding elections, which he said "intentionally tries to suppress the vote." Story continues There are currently several Republican-led states considering legislation that would add limits to voting access in the wake of President Trump's electoral loss and a rise in mail-in voting in the 2020 elections due to the coronavirus pandemic. As of mid-May, state legislators have enacted at least 22 bills with restrictive voting provisions in 14 states, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. Congress is considering two major pieces of voting rights legislation, the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, named for the late congressman and civil rights icon. At the end of the month, the Senate will take up the For the People Act, an expansive but controversial voting and elections reform bill, but it is expected to be blocked by Republicans who argue that it is a federal overreach. The House is currently working on the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, or H.R. 4, which has yet to be introduced. The bill would restore a key provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that was gutted by the Supreme Court in 2013. The Voting Rights Act established a formula to determine which areas should be covered by Section 5, which required jurisdictions with a history of racial discrimination to submit any changes to voting laws to the Justice Department or a panel of federal judges for approval, a practice known as preclearance. But the Supreme Court struck down the formula in Shelby County v. Holder in a 5 to 4 decision along ideological lines. The House subcommittee that oversees federal elections is currently conducting field hearings to compile evidence on whether racial discrimination in voting is occurring in certain jurisdictions, and create a new formula. Once those hearings are concluded, the bill will be written and considered later this year. But, like the For the People Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act faces significant opposition from Senate Republicans and faces an uphill battle to passage. NAACP President Derrick Johnson praised Garland's announcement in a statement on Friday, but said that it is "a race against time" to protect voting rights as more restrictive state laws on voting rights are implemented. "From the appointment of Kristen Clarke (to lead the Civil Rights Division) to the ongoing fight to pass the For The People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, we are encouraged by the new tone on voting rights set by the Biden-Harris Administration," Johnson said. "But the uphill battle to protect our most sacred and fundamental right, the right to vote, is far from over. Today's announcement from the Attorney General speaks to the level of urgency that is needed to protect our democracy and ensure that our voices are heard." U.S. nears 600,000 coronavirus deaths as officials battle lagging vaccination rate Michigan community saves couples wedding reception that was interrupted by fire Pulitzer board honors teen who filmed George Floyds murder Oxygen A Nebraska woman has been sentenced to more than 60 years in prison for several child abuse charges related to sleepovers with friends of her then 11-year-old daughter where she had sex with two boys and handed out marijuana-infused gummy bears. Christina Greer, 38, was sentenced Monday to between 64 and 102 years in prison. She was convicted in March of three counts of first-degree sexual assault of a child involving two boys ages 12 and 13, six counts of felony child abuse and two counts of wi A mass shooting in an entertainment district in downtown Austin, Texas, early Saturday morning left at least 13 people wounded, including two in critical condition, police said. The incident unfolded around 1:30 a.m. along 6th Street, a popular area filled with bars and restaurants. The street was barricaded to keep out vehicle traffic at the time of the shooting, according to interim Austin police Chief Joseph Chacon. "Our officers responded very quickly," Chacon said. "They were able to immediately begin life-saving measures for many of these patients, including applications of tourniquets; applications of chest seals and other types of first aid equipment." FORMER NFL PLAYER KEVIN WARE ARRESTED ON FUGITIVE BOND VIOLATION, GIRLFRIEND MISSING SINCE APRIL It remained unclear what sparked the gunfire. Posts on social media at one time said as many as 16 were shot. A manhunt for a suspect was underway. Chacon described the lone suspect as a Black male with a black shirt, skinny build and "dreadlock-type" hair but told reporters early Saturday that the description wasnt very detailed "based on the chaotic nature of the incident." Investigators wer reviewing surveillance footage and the FBIs Joint Terrorism Task Force has been notified, Chacon said. Eleven of the injured people were taken to one local hospital, another person was taken to a different hospital, and the other person went to an urgent care facility with gunshot wounds, Chacon said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Chacon also said some officers transported patients to hospitals in their police cruisers due to the nature of the scene, where it was hard to contain the crowd and get ambulances to those who were wounded. Authorities asked that anyone with information on the shooting contact police. The Associated Press contributed to this report. A school district in Austin, Texas, will limit its disciplinary classroom removals of students after a study revealed that black students in the district were more likely to be removed from class than their white peers. Austin Independent School District will limit the length of suspensions, and decisions on whether to send students to disciplinary campuses will be moved up the district's chain of command, the district said Wednesday in a statement. "As students are removed from class, they miss learning opportunities," said Chief of Schools Anthony Mays. "Those pieces, the building blocks that need to be there for learning to take place, they arent there." ABBOTT SIGNS '1836 PROJECT' BILL AIMED AT PROMOTING TEXAS VALUES AND 'PATRIOTIC EDUCATION' Black students were five times more likely to be disciplined than white students, according to a report the district compiled. For the purpose of the report, disciplinary actions included expulsions, suspensions, and placement at a disciplinary alternative learning campus. The five schools in the district with the highest rates of discipline were middle schools, and among them, 25.4% of black students had received disciplinary action as opposed to 5.9% of white students, the report found. In-home suspensions will be limited to two days, KXAN reported Friday. Disciplinary removals will no longer be at the discretion of the principal, the district said Wednesday in a statement. Associate superintendents will consider such measures only after all other possible behavioral interventions have been considered. The district also plans to provide more support to teachers to help them solve problems within the classroom. "What weve learned in a lot of instances is that our system lacks capacity to give teachers the tools to be able to successfully engage students from bell-to-bell, or to deal with student discipline issues that may come up in the classroom," Mays said. Story continues CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER "We have to be real with ourselves in terms of what the numbers say," he added. "The data is telling us that we may not be as inclusive as we say we are, so how do we make sure that what were sharing in terms of the perception of Austin is aligned with the outcomes in Austin for all students?" The Washington Examiner reached out to AISD for additional information but did not immediately receive a response. Washington Examiner Videos Tags: News, Austin, Race and Diversity, Texas, Education Original Author: Haley Victory Smith Original Location: Austin school district will limit disciplinary classroom removals to address racial disparities SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's Victoria state, which emerged from a strict lockdown earlier this week, recorded one new community case of COVID-19 on Saturday, the government said via Twitter. Investigations are underway as to how the person contracted the infection, authorities said. The outbreak, which triggered the two-week snap lockdown late last month, has now seen 91 cases since May 24. New South Wales, the country's most populous state, and neighbouring Queensland are on high alert after an infected woman and her husband travelled from Victoria through several country towns in both states. With no new infections on Saturday, New South Wales, which includes the largest city, Sydney, has not reported any locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in more than a month, while Queensland last reported cases in late March. Australia has fared much better than many other developed countries during the pandemic, with over 22,300 local COVID-19 cases and 910 deaths since March 2020, mostly in Victorian aged-care homes. Snap lockdowns, internal border controls and tough social distancing rules have helped it contain prior outbreaks. (Reporting by Swati Pandey; Editing by William Mallard) Bidens government have said they will give Ukraine an additional $125 million (AP) The Biden administration will give Ukraine an additional $150 million to defend their border with Russia, according to a Pentagon announcement. The allocated funds "includes training, equipment, and advisory efforts to help Ukraines forces preserve the countrys territorial integrity, secure its borders, and improve interoperability with NATO, according to a statement from the Defence department. It will help pay for "counter-artillery radars, counter-unmanned aerial systems, secure communications gear, electronic warfare and military medical evacuation equipment, and training and equipment to improve the operational safety and capacity of Ukrainian Air Force bases, according to the statement. The announcement comes days before Bidens meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin on 16 June in Geneva. In an exclusive interview with NBC News, Mr Putin said that his countrys relationship with the US has deteriorated to its lowest point in recent years. The funds from the Pentagon are deemed essential in the fight against threats to defend their border against Russian forces. However, despite being approved earlier, Ukraine receiving it was contingent on them passing certain internal conditions, such as tackling corruption and developing its military. According to John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, these conditions have been met, as they were able to certify that Ukraine has made sufficient progress on defense reforms this year. These funds are in addition to the $125 million given by the US to Ukraine in March that funded patrol boats, radars and other military intelligence resources, such as satellites. Since 2014, when Russian invaded Ukrainian region of Crimea, the US has committed $2.5 billion to the country. According to reporting by NBC News, the ongoing conflict has led to more than 14,000 deaths and negatively impacted Ukraines industrial landscape. It first hit global attention following the Story continues The Trump administration froze the aid payments in 2019 amid an effort to dig up dirt on his political opponent, Joe Biden, ahead of the 2020 election. Mr Trumps scheme led to his first impeachment. Despite reassurance from the Pentagon that anti-corruption measures were making progress in Ukraine, Mr Trump cited corruption as the reason to stop the payments. Read More Biden to return diverted border wall money, spend down rest US begins shifting Afghan combat operations outside country South Dakota's Ellsworth base will be home to B-21 bomber President Biden and the six other world leaders participating in the G7 summit in England this weekend shifted the conversation Saturday to countering Chinas growing international influence and holding it accountable for its human-rights violations. The conference includes leaders from the U.S., Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan. The nations are signed on to a new investment initiative, called the infrastructure bank, to funnel billions in funding to support the economic development of smaller countries. A major condition of the effort would outlaw any use of forced labor. On Sunday, the final day of the summit, Biden lobbied the leaders to firmly condemn Chinas human-rights abuses and exploitation of forced labor in a unified voice. In Xinjang specifically, a territory in northwest China, the Chinese regime has been accused of removing tens of thousands of Uyghur Muslim minorities from their homes and transferring them to factories across nine provinces for industrial purposes including electronics, textiles and automobiles. Since 2017, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has detained over 1.8 million Uyghur Muslims in reeducation camps. The Chinese government has also reportedly conducted a forced-birth-control campaign, including forced sterilization and abortion, against Uyghur women to limit the groups reproduction in a fashion reminiscent of Chinas infamous one-child policy. The CCP has also used family separations and torture against these minority populations while denying claims of inhumane treatment or wrongdoing. During a phone call Friday with a Chinese counterpart, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed an urgency to address what he called the ongoing genocide and ethnic cleansing of Chinese minorities in Xinjiang, according to Reuters. More from National Review By Eduardo Simoes and Gabriel Stargardter SAO PAULO (Reuters) -Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, speaking to a rally of bikers on Saturday, said he could count on police officers "whatever happens," as he once again sought to court cops amid stark political politicization ahead of next year's election. Appearing alongside thousands of motorcycle-riding supporters in Sao Paulo, the far-right former army captain said the country's state military police forces serve as a support to what he dubbed "my army." "You are auxiliary to the Armed Forces. I'm sure that, in compliance with law and order, by complying with constitutional provisions, we will be together, whatever happens," Bolsonaro said. With nearly 490,000 people killed during the pandemic and tensions growing in Latin America's biggest country, Bolsonaro has been seeking the support of Brazil's roughly half a million officers. Brazil's Health Ministry reported 2,037 new COVID-19 deaths on Saturday, and 78,700 new cases. Bolsonaro's critics fret that his efforts to curry favor with Brazil's police, among the world's most violent, could pose democratic risks ahead of next year's combustible presidential vote. The former leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Bolsonaro's main rival, appears to be strengthening his lead over the president, a poll on Friday showed. Although neither men have announced their candidacy, the 2022 election is widely expected to be a run-off between the two polarizing figures. During Saturday's event, Bolsonaro was embraced by some police officers providing security at the motorcycle tour, while some others took pictures with him. In office, Bolsonaro has sought to boost legal protections for police who kill on the job, while saying criminals should "die like cockroaches." The president has also attended dozens of police graduation ceremonies. Bolsonaro, who was fined 552 reais ($108) by the Sao Paulo state government for not wearing a mask at the event, has made repeated baseless allegations of voter fraud in Brazil. Critics say the claims could lay the groundwork to challenge upcoming elections in the same vein as his political idol, former U.S. President Donald Trump. Bolsonaro threw his support behind Trump's conspiracies of a stolen election last year, which culminated in the deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol building. Bolsonaro is now pushing for a bill for printed ballots rather than Brazil's modern computer voting. (Writing by Gabriel Stargardter; Editing by Aurora Ellis) Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was fined $100 Saturday for violating Covid-19 containment measures in Sao Paulo state by failing to wear a face mask and provoking huge crowds at a motorcycle rally for supporters. Thousands of roaring motorcycles took part in the "Accelerate for Christ" rally in Sao Paulo, led by the far-right president, who wore an open-faced helmet and no mask, in violation of state health regulations. Bolsonaro, who has been holding such rallies across Brazil as he gears up to seek re-election next year, defied a prior warning from Sao Paulo Governor Joao Doria, a political rival, who had said the president would be fined if he failed to observe state regulations. Bolsonaro has repeatedly clashed with Doria and other governors over measures against Covid-19, which has claimed nearly 485,000 lives in Brazil, second only to the United States. The president regularly criticizes stay-at-home measures and face masks, instead touting medications such as chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine despite studies showing they are ineffective against Covid-19. Addressing a giant crowd of flag-waving supporters, Bolsonaro renewed his comments against face masks, saying he planned to order mask requirements be lifted for people who have been vaccinated against Covid-19. "Anyone who's against that doesn't believe in science. There's no way a vaccinated person can transmit the virus," he said. In fact, there is little scientific consensus yet on whether vaccinated individuals risk spreading the coronavirus. Public health officials have generally urged them to continue wearing masks in risky situations. State officials said they had fined Bolsonaro, his congressman son, Eduardo, and Infrastructure Minister Tarcisio Gomes for failing to wear masks and observe social distancing measures at the rally. Each was fined 552.71 reais, or about $108. The president's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. str-jhb State and Frink Events, Gallery and Workspace held its grand opening Friday on State Street in Cayce, South Carolina. Ashley Hunter, owner of the public relations and digital consulting firm MPA Strategies, created the business to be an event venue and a place for members of the Cayce Arts Guild to display their work. The venue has different rooms available for rent, as well as a conference room for work space. State and Frink doubles as a gallery opportunity for local artists. I just think its the perfect fit. Its right in the middle of the River Arts District, said Cayces mayor, Elise Partin. And its already gorgeously decorated. The Hoffman Room can accommodate 8-12 people at the conference table and includes use of a smart television. The Gallery space is 1,100 square feet and can hold 60-100 people, depending on the arrangement. The Gallery has a catering prep space and lounge area. State and Frink is currently displaying 41 pieces of art from 20 Guild members, according to Renea Eshleman, president of the Cayce Arts Guild. Hunter positioned the business to meet peoples needs for a gathering space now that South Carolina is reopened after the pandemic. She said her daughters Lillie and Cate inspired her to work hard and be creative in her new business endeavor. As our state reopens, there is a need for spaces that feel safe while also being versatile and affordable so that businesses, nonprofits, organizations and families can begin to come together once again, Hunter said on State and Frinks website. The business is named for its location on the corner of State and Frink streets. It is next door to State of the Art Pottery Studio and Piecewise Coffee. The gallery is not an open storefront due to events, but you can schedule a time to look at the art by emailing Hunter at ahunter@mpastrategies.com. You can rent The Gallery space for the day for between $675-$800 or for $100 per hour. The Hoffman Room costs $275 per day or $75 per hour. For more information on renting the space, visit stateandfrink.com. A former Minnesota state prison officer accused of trading food from McDonalds to an inmate for sex acts is going to jail. Randy Beehler, 54, was transporting a female inmate between two county jails for the Minnesota Department of Corrections in 2019 when told her that he was getting food. The woman said she told Beehler shed do anything for something to eat and he asked whether that included fooling around, according to the Dakota County Attorneys Office. After saying she wouldnt tell anyone, Beehler stopped at a McDonalds drive-thru and ordered two meals, officials say. Then Beehler parked at an abandoned business and un-cuffed the woman to have her in the front seat, officials say. She performed sex acts on Beehler as they traveled through Dakota County, officials say. The woman reported she was sexually assaulted after arriving at the Hennepin County jail. Beehler pleaded guilty to fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct in March. He was sentenced this week to 120 days in jail and seven years of probation. Hes required to participate in sex offender treatment and registers as a predatory offender. As an employee of the Minnesota Department of Corrections, Mr. Beehler was entrusted with the victims care and protection while transporting her to the Hennepin County Jail, Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena said in a statement. He violated his position of authority by engaging in sexual acts with a woman who was in a very vulnerable situation. Texas man planned to get chain and locks to break sex trafficking victim, feds say Artist Hedy Torres, 32, holds her painting "Number One in L.A.," which was not in her Arts District studio that was destroyed by fire this week. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) Jesse Fregozo was driving from his Boyle Heights home to his downtown art studio this week when an email about an overnight fire in the Arts District flashed across the screen on his cellphone. When he arrived downtown he found strips of police caution tape blocking entry into the charred building where his studio was located at the corner of East 3rd and South Los Angeles streets. Fregozo's studio was one of 20 artist workspaces and several businesses in the three-story building that burned in Tuesday's fire, authorities said. Not just material was lost, but [the] whole career of artists, he said. As an artist, when you put the time into a work, its done for a reason. And oftentimes that reason has more value emotional and sentimental value to the artist as well as the whole community. Indeed, the 27-year-old later learned that one of his works was saved a mural he had painted on the outside of the building of Dodgers legend Jackie Robinson and Lakers great Kobe Bryant. He said it was a visual gift to local residents. "It's kind of a way of giving back to the community, something visually appealing to them, for having me there and welcoming me and meeting all of these great artists and people," he said. No one was injured in the early morning fire, but almost nothing remained of the studios , gift store, luggage store or smoke shop, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. We did not identify anything that was specifically salvaged, said LAFD spokesman Brian Humphrey. Hedy Torres, 32, also lost most of her work. She had recently placed several paintings on the floor of her studio overnight as a precaution. I put them [there] because of an earthquake, and look what happened, she said with a sad chuckle. A fire. Fire tore through a three-story building in downtown's Art District last Tuesday. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times) Just three months after she moved into her studio, Torres lost practically everything: five years of paintings, a projector, canvasses, wood panels, easels and 25 tubes of oil paint. All she had left was one painting she had kept at her Inglewood home and the smell of smoke clinging to her clothes. Story continues Im healthy right now, I have my hands, I have my feet and I have the opportunity to re-create or to paint again, she said. But just thinking about the time that it took me to do all these paintings, it just made me feel like, ugh, I cant. The fire started Tuesday about 1:50 a.m. and quickly spread throughout the building. Several explosions followed as canisters of pressurized flammable gas from one of the buildings first-floor smoke shops burst, throwing flames onto the street and setting a small tent encampment across the street on fire. About 150 firefighters battled the blaze for roughly three hours before it was finally extinguished, LAFD authorities said. Emergency responders remained until Thursday morning, using heavy machinery to uncover hot spots and clean up the debris-littered streets. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Artist Jesse Fregozo, 27, stands in front of his mural, painted in 2020, of Kobe Bryant and Jackie Robinson that survived a fire that decimated a building housing his studio. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) In the days since the fire, building manager Dana Rudie, 41, has been working to pull together funding for the artists. One GoFundMe raised almost $18,000 for the Little Tokyo Art Complex, and another donation-solicitation event is scheduled for June 27 at Durden and Ray gallery. It was like my pride and joy, to be a part of that space and be a part of a group that just loved working on their art, Rudie said. The silver lining is this is bringing all of us a lot closer together. Before the pandemic, the artists took part in a monthly downtown art walk, which brought hundreds of passersby into their studios. Rudie and some of the artists transformed the downstairs lobby of the building into a gallery, featuring the 20 artists on a rotating monthly basis. Surge Witron, 30, who worked in two studios in the building over the past six years, lovingly called the place an art colony. He fell in love with it, filling his studio windows with plants and making friends with neighboring artists he bumped into in the hallways. It's a human connection, Witron said of grieving with his fellow artists. It's surreal, but its also very grounded to know that theres such a communal experience throughout this. In a Facebook group called Remembering LTAC created Tuesday evening, they posted photos of their lost art: small sculptures of pickup trucks laden with goods, elaborate drawings and colorful paintings, and, in one artists case, a sampling of her nine years of work. I had all of my old physical photos and stuff, and so much of my life ephemera in the building that I just continue being struck at how many things I lost that I cant get back, said artist Nick Naughton, 40. One series he completed during graduate school in New Mexico focused on simple, black-and-white portraits of migrant farmworkers. He recalled bringing the piece to a show, where an elderly couple came up to talk to him. The man had previously worked in the fields, and he wanted Naughton to know how meaningful he'd found the work. As they talked, both of them cried. Now the entire series is gone, save a few pieces that Naughton had sold. To me, it connects to all the places I've lived and all the times of my life, he said. Naughton re-created a piece once for customers who had lost the art in a fire. He has pictures of all of his lost work, and said he could redo them. But, he hastened to add, "I dont know if it would feel right." Instead, he thinks he may try to incorporate fire into his work, perhaps using charred wood as his canvas. "Now I feel like I have to just do that, its like the only thing that makes sense," he said with a laugh. "I'll definitely just be looking forward. There's something about art that its not supposed to live multiple times. Once you give birth to it ... you're kind of a changed person." Indeed, the fire may have destroyed much of the artists' work but not their creative spirit. After seeing the charred building, Fregozo went for a drive to clear his head. He wound up at his go-to art supply store in Westminster, where he purchased canvas, wood and paint in primary colors whatever [I could] afford at the moment, he said. He eventually found his way back home, where he painted until 4 a.m. the following day. Even though this was very, very, very negative what happened, I just want to go ahead and show that even stuff like this brings up something good, Fregozo said. Its not the end of the world. Theres more coming. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Nine hundred thousand customers were left without electricity in Puerto Rico after a fire of unknown origins engulfed a transformer in San Juan on Thursday evening, only days after a private entity assumed operations of the distribution and transmission lines of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority. We continue with our work of restoring the system, said LUMA Energy CEO Wayne Stensby at a press conference Friday morning. The widespread blackout plunged much of the San Juan metropolitan area into darkness, along with municipalities across the island. As of 3 p.m. Friday, about 19,000 customers were still without power. LUMA expects to restore electricity to all clients by the evening. The cause of the Thursday fire has not been determined. While some people have speculated that the fire could have been deliberately set, authorities continue investigating. Officials have said the substation is heavily monitored. PREPA faces massive challenges in providing the island stable and safe energy through its outdated and vulnerable energy grid, which was badly weakened by Hurricane Maria. It took months to restore power after the storm, with some places left without electricity for over a year. The company, which has held a monopoly over the islands energy utility for decades, also declared bankruptcy in 2017. On June 1, PREPA transferred the operation of its distribution and transmission lines to LUMA Energy, a corporation created through an alliance between North American companies ATCO and Quanta Services. Under the new model, PREPA retains ownership of its assets and responsibility for electricity generation. LUMA has pledged to reduce blackouts as well as modernize the electric grid without raising rates for customers for the first three years of its 15-year contract. On an island where residents grapple with routine outages, unreliable infrastructure and sky-high electricity bills, the promises are a welcome change for some Puerto Ricans. Story continues But labor unions, politicians, officials, social organizations and environmental and energy experts are apprehensive. Some of them oppose LUMA Energys running the distribution and transmission lines altogether. Their criticisms include the conditions surrounding LUMAs costly contract, fears of privatization of government utilities, and worries over whether the company has enough workers to run the islands electricity systems. Experts are also skeptical that LUMA will be able to operate without raising rates. Widespread service interruptions since LUMAs arrival The massive outage, which affected the majority of the companys 1.5 million customers, is only the latest interruption in services since LUMA took over operations on June 1. The company has publicly acknowledged that multiple communities across the island have experienced blackouts, and said it has been working around the clock to solve them. Many Puerto Ricans have taken to social media to complain of a lack of response and support as they experience power interruptions and other problems. Some users have said blackouts have worsened, using the hashtags such as #LumaNuncaLlego (#LumaNeverArrived) and #FueraLuma (#LumaOut). Even prior to the Thursday blackout, mayors of some towns raised the alarm as constituents face inconsistent services. The mayor of the eastern town of Humacao sent a private team to fix the electrical lines in an elderly community that had been experiencing problems with their service for weeks, according to local daily El Vocero. The outlet reported that the mayor of Aguada, in western Puerto Rico, had been told help was coming but that there wasnt enough personnel to handle all the reports LUMA was receiving. LUMA released a statement asking municipal authorities to refrain from trying to fix the grid on their own. The private operator acknowledged its platforms were overwhelmed in its first week, saying it received about 14,000 emails and helped over 25,000 clients at customer service centers. The utility operator also said it had received about 118,000 calls. On Thursday, shortly before the blackout, the company announced it had been the victim of a cyberattack that aimed to overwhelm its customer portal and mobile application. LUMA arrives as hurricane season kicks into gear, and Thursdays blackout worried Puerto Ricans about how prepared the utilitys private operator is to handle storms. The company has previously said it has the staffing and resources to manage up to a Category 2 Hurricane. Many Cat 3 and above hurricanes have previously hit Puerto Rico. Tomas Torres Placa, the consumer representative at the governing board of PREPA, urged for preparation as the possibility of storms looms over Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. He warned that the company only has about 2,100 of the 4,400 employees it needs and that only about 800 came from PREPA as of May 28. Experts worry that the low number of former PREPA employees who transitioned to the private operator could mean that LUMA is missing out on critical technical and institutional knowledge, particularly in situations of emergency. Without even counting with any storm or hurricane event, thousands of consumers have experienced a lack of service, he said. Operating the electrical system without having all the necessary human resources affects the continuity of the service. Gov. Pedro Pierluisi, who inherited the LUMA contract from a previous administration, has embraced the operators arrival, asking Puerto Ricans to give LUMA time to adjust. But Torres Placa said the company had a year since the contract was awarded to prepare for the role, and that the transitional process did not justify the problems. The scale of problems we are having with LUMA is on a larger scale than the one we had with PREPA, he said. This has become a problem on a larger scale. We have to address it. First lady Jill Biden spent part of Saturday meeting with British veterans, first responders and their families on the sidelines of the G7 summit, according to pool reports. Why it matters: The first lady has prioritized participating in military-focused events during the trip to highlight her Joining Forces initiative. Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free. Biden and former-first lady Michelle Obama led the program during the Obama administration. Biden said this April that the relaunch of the initiative will focus on U.S. military family employment and entrepreneurship, as well as making sure families can get quality child care when needed. Zoom in: The U.S. president met with members of the group Bude Surf Veterans, according to Reuters. The first lady told the group that she owned a surfboard. "It was white with a big butterfly, she added. Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free. A Greek court on Saturday sentenced four Afghan asylum seekers convicted of starting fires that burnt down Europe's largest migrant camp last year to 10 years in prison each. The court in Chios found the defendants guilty of arson while their lawyers denounced a "lack of sense of fairness". No one died in the fires. The lawyers told AFP they had immediately filed for an appeal after the sentence was handed down. The young Afghans were taken to the court handcuffed and were expected to return to the Avlona jail outside Athens, were they were held before the trial. In March, two other Afghan youths were detained in the same facility for five years in connection with the case. The Moria camp on the Aegean island of Lesbos housed more than 10,000 people before it was destroyed by two fires in September 2020. Media were not allowed inside the courtroom at the end of the trial owing to coronavirus precautions. Around 20 people, mainly members of foreign solidarity groups, gathered outside the court meanwhile to call for the defendants to be freed. --"Targeted" for ethnic reasons-- Defence lawyers said the Afghans did not get a fair trial. They said three had documents showing they were under 18 at the time of arrest but were not recognised as minors. The prosecution is based in large part on the testimony of another Afghan asylum-seeker who identified the six as the perpetrators. But according to defence lawyers, the witness was not in court Friday and did not appear for the trial in March as he could not be located. The defendants claim they were targeted by the witness, an ethnic Pashtun, as all six are Hazara, a persecuted minority in Afghanistan. Other witnesses for the prosecution were police officers, firefighters called to the scene in September 2020 and staff from the European Asylum Service and non-governmental groups who worked at the camp. Built in 2013 to hold up to 3,000 people, the Moria camp was overwhelmed in 2015 as a huge wave of people began arriving on small boats from nearby Turkey. Story continues The camp -- home to asylum-seekers from the Middle East, Africa and South Asia seeking a better life in the European Union -- quickly became a byword for squalor and violence. The two fires broke out on September 8 and 9 as tensions soared amid the coronavirus pandemic. Witnesses told AFP a dispute had broken out as 200 migrants refused to quarantine after either testing positive for Covid-19 or coming into contact with someone infected. Around 13,000 asylum-seekers, among them families with children, pregnant women and people with disabilities, had to sleep in the open for a week after the camp was destroyed. Authorities have since built a temporary camp on Lesbos that hosts around 6,000 people. The EU has allocated 276 million euros ($336 million) to build a new permanent camp on Lesbos, and for similar facilities on the islands of Chios, Samos, Kos and Leros. Around 10,000 asylum-seekers are currently living on these five Aegean islands, the vast majority of them hoping to settle elsewhere in the EU. sm-kan/wai French President Emmanuel Macron speaks in Brussels on October 2, 2020. Getty French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday said "America is back" now that President Joe Biden is in office. "It's great to have a US president who's part of the club and very willing to cooperate," Macron said at the G7 Summit. Macron's remarks mark a stark contrast from when President Donald Trump was in office. See more stories on Insider's business page. French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday signaled his confidence in the United States as an ally with President Joe Biden at the nation's head. When asked by reporters whether he thinks "America is back," Biden gestured to Macron to answer the question. "Yes, definitely," Macron said at the G7 Summit. "It's great to have a US president who's part of the club and very willing to cooperate," Macron said. "What you demonstrate is that leadership is partnership." This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Biden, adding on, indicated his agreement. "The United States, I've said before, we're back," the US president said. "Things are going, I think, well, and we're, as we say back in the States, we're on the same page." Macron's comments about relations between the United States and other countries like France are a complete departure from his thoughts from when President Donald Trump was in office. Trump and Macron had a notoriously tumultuous relationship. The French president, for example, didn't seem to regard Trump as a leader, characterizing him as someone who's not a "classical politician." After the US pulled out of the Paris climate agreement in 2017, France chose to not invite American leaders to a climate change meeting in Paris. Macron around the same time said France "will be there to replace" US contributions to the funding of climate change research. In 2019, Macron and other world leaders, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, were caught on a hot mic mocking Trump for his unusually long press conferences. Story continues Macron in his Saturday remarks did not explicitly mention Trump by name but reporters and officials were quick to make comparisons between the former president and Biden. Macron's remarks come on the heels of praise and criticism from other world leaders. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, for example, hailed Biden on Thursday as "a big breath of fresh air." Russian President Vladimir Putin told NBC News that Trump is "extraordinary" and "talented." Putin called Biden a "career man" who "has spent virtually his entire adulthood" in politics. Across 12 countries surveyed on Biden's approval rating so far, a median of 75% of respondents said they felt confident he would "do the right thing regarding world affairs," according to a Pew Research study released Thursday. At the end of Trump's presidency, just 17% of global respondents believed the same about the former president. Read the original article on Business Insider (Bloomberg) -- Fresh supply in the U.S. investment-grade market is expected to be front-loaded next week ahead of the Federal Open Market Committee meeting Wednesday. Traders will be watching for any clues on when the Federal Reserve may begin tapering talk. Syndicate desks are calling for $25 billion to $30 billion of issuance, a slowdown from the $35.95 billion that priced this week. The strong primary market sales come as investors continue to see a positive backdrop for credit. A Treasury market rally this week that saw the 10-year yield hit its lowest in three months provided a serious boost to the year-to-date returns for credit markets. Total returns on the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Corporate Bond Index are now down just 1.76% in 2021, after being -5.5% in mid-March. Credit investors have got a nice little extra boost from the rally weve seen in Treasury prices, Drew Mogavero, co-head of U.S. credit trading at Barclays Plc, said Friday. It allows them to focus on fundamentals, the good earnings picture we just had, and most importantly, the very low default rate environment. Barclays strategists see strong demand for high-grade credit moving forward. The recent increase in pension funded ratios should bode well for demand as they look to lock in gains, and foreign demand should be strong as hedging costs remain cheap, strategists led by Bradley Rogoff wrote Friday. A measure of credit risk, the high-grade CDX, eased Friday to its tightest level since February 2020. High Yield At least one junk-bond deal is in the pipeline heading into the week. Air purification equipment producer Madison IAQ LLC will hold an investor call Monday for a $1.5 billion bond sale to fund its acquisition of Nortek Air and retire some of its current debt. Bank of America Corp. now expects to see the first-ever $500 billion year of junk bond issuance, with issuers eyeing spreads and yields both near year-to-date lows, strategists led by Oleg Melentyev wrote Friday. Story continues In leveraged loans, at least three meetings are set for next week, including for JD Powers $440 million term loans to finance an acquisition and refinance existing debt. Commitments are due June 18 for the sizable $2.25 billion term loans financing Culligan International Co.s buyout by BDT Capital. Investors yanked $642.3 million from U.S. high-yield bond funds in the week ended June 9, the sixth straight week of withdrawals. They added $3.23 billion to investment-grade funds. Within distressed debt, Washington Prime Group Inc. has forbearance expiring June 14, and GTT Communications Inc.s forebearance agreement ends June 17. 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. CARBIS BAY, England (Reuters) - G7 leaders have reached consensus on the need for a shared approach to China selling exports at unfairly low prices and to human rights abuses, a senior official in the U.S. President Joe Biden's administration said on Saturday. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the leaders of the Group of Seven world's largest advanced economies had also agreed on the need to coordinate on supply chain resilience to ensure democracies are supporting each other. "I would say there was unanimity in terms of a willingness to call out human rights abuses and violations of fundamental freedoms that invoke our shared values," the official said. "There was commitment to take action in response to what we're seeing." The official said the G7 had moved far from three years ago when the final communique made no mention of China. Under the legal structure of the World Trade Organization, the designation of China as a "non-market economy" allows its trading partners, including the United States, to use a special framework to determine whether China's exports are being sold at unfairly low prices and, if that is found to be the case, to apply additional anti-dumping duties. (Reporting by Steve Holland, writing by Elizabeth Piper; editing by William James) Protesters dressed as Pikachus object to Japans coal policy on a beach in Cornwall (Getty) Protesters dressed as Pikachus, a Mount Rushmore-inspired sculpture made entirely of e-waste, and an army of hand-knitted Cornish pasties. These are just some of the spectacles awaiting world leaders as they arrive in Cornwall for the G7 summit this weekend. They are but a handful of demonstrations aimed at drawing attention to the worlds rapidly worsening climate and nature crises. The Pokemon protest aims to highlight Japans ongoing support for coal-fired power, the sculpture is a symbol of mounting electronic waste, while the pasties each come with a hand-written, pasty-themed message on the need to take urgent environmental action. Earths crust is burning, one declares. Almost pasty point of no return, says another. The climate crisis will be one of the major talking points at the three-day summit, which will see the UK host the other G7 nations the US, Japan, Germany, France, Italy and Canada for the first in-person gathering of leaders since the start of the pandemic. Other major nations invited to attend as guests include Australia, South Korea and South Africa. The meeting comes halfway through a year that is seen as crucial for getting the world on track for meeting its climate goals and finally taking action to stem the loss of nature. The six hottest years on record have all occurred since 2015, and 2021 is expected to continue the run. More species are at risk of extinction today than at any other time in human history. Earths crust is burning: XR supporter Sarah White surrounded by knitted pasties (Neil Scott) As well as hosting the G7 meeting, the UK is also heading up a major global climate conference, known as Cop26, which will be held in Glasgow in November. Cop26 is viewed by many as the worlds last major chance for getting on track to limit global temperature rise to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, the aspiration set by countries under the Paris Agreement in 2015. Progress at this weekends meeting will be vital to ensure success at the conference. The G7 cannot be another target-setting exercise resulting only in wasted time, political chest-thumping and more empty promises, said Ariana Densham, a senior climate campaigner at Greenpeace UK. Story continues We need bold commitments but they must also be urgently delivered. World leaders have the power to tackle the mounting but interconnected crises we face, but only if they act now. One of the major issues up for discussion is expected to be the need for rich nations to fulfil long-held promises to provide developing countries with the funds needed to both tackle and adapt to rapidly rising emissions. Back in 2009, high-income countries promised to provide poorer nations with $100bn (73bn) a year by 2020 to help them grapple with the climate crisis. But recent data shows this target is still far from being met. That funding has got to be found, said former British prime minister Gordon Brown at a press briefing held ahead of the G7 meeting on Thursday. There will be a problem if we dont get an agreement that climate finance will be provided ahead of Cop26. It is rumoured that Boris Johnson will use the event to convince G7 leaders to agree to a climate crisis Marshall plan a major new effort to support developing world countries in the transition away from using fossil fuels, inspired by the American plan that helped to rebuild European economies after the Second World War. The credibility of the plan depends on three things, said Nick Mabey, executive director of E3G, a European climate think tank. First, a strong capital package that will be able to shift investment in developing countries from billions to trillions. Without funding, the initiative risks becoming another paper tiger. Second, a principle-driven initiative that is clear on its promotion of net zero, resilient development and a strong emphasis on transparency, anti-corruption and human rights. Third, openness of the initiative to any country that is keen to enter a path of green and clean development, as well as openness for any non-G7 country to join the initiative if it adheres to its principles. However, many experts have warned that the UKs efforts to lead a climate funding drive for developing countries risks being undermined by a decision to temporarily slash its foreign aid budget from 0.7 to 0.5 per cent of the national income. The decision will not directly affect its spending on climate finance, but a range of politicians, NGOs and activists have warned that the move could put the UK on the back foot as it attempts to rally action from other countries. As African women, imagine how this makes us feel about the UK as fair-play patterns as we face crises together, Nita Deerpalsing, communications director for the UN Economic Commission for Africa, said of the decision at a briefing held on Thursday. Read More G7: Dead mermaids appear on beach in protest calling on leaders to act on ocean death The greatest challenge: As Biden talks climate on the world stage, his own green plans are in danger This is what young people want to see from the G7 summit G7 summit: Boris Johnson mocked for flying from London to Cornwall to discuss climate crisis Associated Press A California woman who wrongly accused a Black teen of taking her phone at a New York City hotel late last year and grabbed at him as he tried to leave is now charged with a hate crime. Miya Ponsetto was arraigned in court in Manhattan via videoconference Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to charges including unlawful imprisonment as a hate crime, aggravated harassment and endangering the welfare of a child. Ponsetto was at the Arlo Hotel in December when she got into a confrontation with a teen, 14-year-old Keyon Harrold Jr., whom she accused of stealing her phone. BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Saturday for a "pragmatic solution" to disagreements over part of the Brexit deal that covers border issues with Northern Ireland. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Britain will do "whatever it takes" to protect its territorial integrity in a trade dispute with the European Union, threatening emergency measures if no solution was found. The EU has to defend its common market, Merkel said, but on technical questions there could be a way forward in the dispute, she told a news conference during a Group of Seven leaders' summit. "I have said that I favour a pragmatic solution for contractual agreements, because a cordial relationship is of utmost significance for Britain and the European Union," she said. Referring to a conversation she had with U.S. President Joe Biden about geopolitical issues, Merkel said they agreed that Ukraine must continue to remain a transit country for Russian natural gas once Moscow completes the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea. The $11 billion pipeline will carry gas to Germany directly, something Washington fears could undermine Ukraine and increase Russia's influence over Europe. Biden and Merkel are due to meet in Washington on July 15, and the strain on bilateral ties caused by the project will be on the agenda. The G7 sought on Saturday to counter China's growing influence by offering developing nations an infrastructure plan that would rival President Xi Jinping's multi-trillion-dollar Belt and Road initiative. [L5N2NU045] Asked about the plan, Merkel said the G7 was not yet ready to specify how much financing could be made available. "Our financing instruments often are not as quickly available as developing countries need them," she said. (Reporting by Andreas Rinke; Writing by Vera Eckert; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Helen Popper) Rep. Ilhan Omar drew condemnation from all sides for comparing "atrocities" committed by Hamas, Israel and the U.S., among others. Hamas issued a statement praising Omar for "defending justice," but criticizing the Minnesota Democrat for comparing the Palestinian militant group to the U.S. and Israel. The terrorist organization said Omar had equated the "victim" to the "oppressor." "She equated the resistance of the Palestinian people on the one hand, and the crimes of the Israeli occupation in Palestine and the American aggression in Afghanistan on the other," wrote Dr. Basem Naim from Hamas' international relations office. "We must have the same level of accountability and justice for all victims of crimes against humanity. We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the U.S., Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban. I asked [Secretary of State Antony Blinken] where people are supposed to go for justice," Omar tweeted Monday. "We appreciate Mrs. Ilhan Omar's stances in defending justice and the rights of the oppressed around the world, foremost of which are the just rights of our Palestinian people, but we deplore this unfair combination," Naim wrote. OMAR BACKPEDALS COMMENTS ABOUT US, ISRAEL AFTER DEMOCRATIC COLLEAGUES CONDEMN HER REMARKS Meanwhile, 12 Jewish Democratic House members blasted her comparison as "offensive" and "misguided" in a letter. They urged her to clarify her words. Omar then called criticism of her words "Islamophobic" and "offensive." But days later, as criticism piled on from all the way up to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Omar issued a clarification. "On Monday, I asked Secretary of State Antony Blinken about an ongoing International Criminal Court investigations," Omar said in the statement. "To be clear: the conversation was about accountability for specific incidents regarding those ICC cases, not a moral comparison between Hamas and the Taliban and the U.S. and Israel." Story continues PELOSI SIGNALS NO FURTHER ACTION AGAINST OMAR The "Squad" member added that she was "in no way equating terrorist organizations with democratic countries with well-established judicial systems." Eight House Republicans, led by Rep. Carlos Gimenez of Florida, demanded in a letter to Pelosi that she remove Omar from her committee assignments just as Democrats earlier this year pushed to remove Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., from her committee assignments after making controversial comments. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP After Omar's clarification, Pelosi said the matter was settled. "I think that she clarified her remarks and we accept that, and she has a point that she wanted to make and she has a right to make that point," Pelosi said. "There's some unease about how it was interpreted." Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Agnes Chow walked free on Saturday, after serving nearly seven months in prison. The 24-year-old was convicted with her long-time activist colleague, Joshua Wong, for their involvement in an unauthorized rally during the city's 2019 anti-government protests. It's not clear the reason for Chow's early release after being sentenced to 10 months in jail. Meanwhile, Wong remains behind bars. Chow alongside Wong and Nathan Law, who is currently in Britain where he has been given asylum, rose to prominence as teenage activists during the 2014 Umbrella protests, which demanded universal suffrage. The three founded the democracy group Demosisto in 2016, which dissolved hours after Beijing passed a contentious national security law for the city last year. Chow was arrested last year on suspicion of "colluding with foreign forces" under the security law but has not faced any charges yet. For months now, a key uncertainty has hung over Conway Medical Centers efforts to build a new hospital in Carolina Forest: If CMC builds a hospital along International Drive, would a nearby nature preserve and Horry Countys future mitigation bank be harmed? Worries that the hospital could negatively impact the nature preserve and soon-to-be mitigation bank have abounded. In letters, public comments and community meetings, residents, state officials and even some county planners have expressed concern that the hospital could prevent the nature preserve and mitigation bank from conducting prescribed burns of the forestland, an important tool in maintaining the quality of that land. The nature preserve formally known as the Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve is pockmarked with Carolina Bays, impressions in the earth that foster one of the most unique ecosystems on the planet, including Venus Flytraps. Across the road, Horry Countys mitigation bank promises to be a similar preserve, and has added benefit of allowing the county to pursue its $600 million road-building program known as RIDE 3. Both swaths of land need to be controlled with regular controlled burns to prevent uncontrollable wildfires and benefit the plants and animals that live there, state officials and environmentalists say. On Wednesday, Horry Countys new Planning Director, David Jordan, told residents and environmental advocates at a community meeting in Carolina Forest that the county has been working to assuage all of those worries by ensuring the mitigation bank is up and running first, and making CMC wait for final approval before another hospital can locate on International Drive. Conway Medical has...acquiesced, theyre not going to get a third reading for rezoning until the bank is done, Jordan said. Jordan explained that the county was continuing to work with Conway Medical Center in good faith on a development agreement and the hospital systems rezoning request for the project, but that the county had made clear to CMC that if federal officials say a nearby hospital would harm the countys mitigation bank, that CMC would have to locate elsewhere. That development agreement would set terms for where and under what conditions CMC can build the hospital on the 355 acre lot, give the county some of the land for it to use in conjunction with the neighboring mitigation bank, and outline where entrances, exits and frontage roads into the hospital will be. Story continues If the bank goes through, then theyre good, Jordan said. If (federal officials) come back and say, Youre not getting the mitigation bank because of Conway Medical Center, they know theyre back on the street looking for a new property. The mitigation bank is essential to the countys $600 million RIDE 3 road-building program, officials have said, because it allows them to preserve wetlands in exchange for other wetlands theyll need to harm as they build new roads. Federal rules stemming from the Clean Water Act say, generally, that wetlands in the United States should be preserved, and that any wetlands that are harmed by development should be made up for. Thats allowed a system of mitigation banks to flourish in the country, in which developers and governments preserve wetlands in one area in order to make up for wetlands they harm elsewhere. For developers and governments that cant or dont want to establish their own mitigation banks, a system of mitigation credits has also arisen from those federal rules. A conglomerate of state and federal officials including the Army Corp of Engineers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and, for South Carolina, the Department of Natural Resources award mitigation credits if a mitigation bank meets their standards. Horry County officials have said theyll need between 1,500 and 2,000 mitigation credits to make up for the wetlands harmed as part of the RIDE 3 program. The 3,700 acre mitigation bank, though, could produce more credits, which the county could use for future road-building projects. That matters because mitigation credits are expensive usually sold for $8,000 to $12,000 each. The county purchased the mitigation bank land for around $12 million, meaning that if the bank is approved, the worst-case-scenario for the county is that it breaks even cost-wise and is able to build out the RIDE 3 program. At best, the county will be left with hundreds of extra mitigation credits that it can use or sell, potentially worth millions. Jordan said Wednesday that the county hopes to begin receiving feedback, and ultimately approval, of its mitigation bank sometime this summer. The county has previously submitted its application for the bank to the approval board and is waiting to begin the comment and response period that comes before an official approval. Taken together, that means CMC could be left waiting for months until the County Council holds a final vote on its development agreement and rezoning request. A public hearing on those matters is scheduled for Tuesdays County Council meeting. CMCs planned hospital, first announced in early September, would include an emergency room and offer womens health, surgical, cancer care, orthopedics, and imaging services. The $150 million project would include eight labor and delivery rooms and two C-section rooms for expecting mothers, six intensive care beds, three operating rooms and a six-bay infusion center. The 50 beds would be transferred from Conway Medical Centers primary 210-bed facility in Conway. Bret Barr, CMCs president and CEO, has said previously that CMC is still working on plans for what it will do with the freed-up space in its Conway hospital. Allyson Floyd, a spokesperson for CMC, said Thursday that the hospital system is continuing to work with the county through the rezoning and development process. Because the county is reliant on the mitigation bank approval process, its not yet clear when County Council could hold a final vote on the rezoning request and development agreement. Where the project and gate stand The land where CMC wishes to build is largely made up of wetlands, with four sections, or fingers, of higher-elevation uplands. The first two fingers are closer to the Eastern side of the property, and closest to the Carolina Forest neighborhood The Farm. The other two fingers are closer to the Western side of the property, and closest to the countys mitigation bank. At present, CMC is planning to build the first phase of its hospital on the second finger of uplands, which is close to the middle of the property. In the future, CMC could expand the hospital and build on the first finger, closer to The Farm. If and when that expansion happens, CMC will be at least 800 feet away from the nearest homes. According to the drafted development agreement between CMC and the county, the hospital would give fingers three and four of the uplands to the county. Jordan said Wednesday that finger number three would be used as a lay down area for heavy equipment that the county will need to use to prepare and work on its mitigation bank. Finger number four, at some point, could be used as a parking lot and entrance to the mitigation bank nature preserve. Members of the public could, in the future, be able to walk trails through the countys mitigation bank, similar to how they can in the Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve across the road. Another not-yet-resolved matter in the development is the location of road-closure gates the state Dept. of Natural Resources and the county uses to close International Drive during controlled burns. DNR officials have said closing those gates is essential to protect the public when DNR is conducting controlled burns at the Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve. But CMC, as well as residents of The Farm, have said theyd like to see the Eastern gate on International Drive moved further West. That would allow CMC to build a frontage road into the hospital that wouldnt be too close to the homes in The Farm. But whether DNR would agree to move the gate is unclear. In April, DNR Director Robert Boyles told The Sun News that he felt the agency and the county could work out an agreement on how far to move the Eastern gate. I think thats a county decision, Boyles said at the time. The gates were there because smoke and traffic dont always mix well, so thats a public safety thing. We want to burn, we have a limited window in which we can, so those are things we can probably work out. But in a May 24 letter to county planners, DNRs Lorianne Riggin, the director of the office of environmental programs, said that moving the gate would violate a prior agreement between the county and DNR. In order for (CMC to develop finger two)...the gates that protect the public from hazardous driving conditions and provide the public benefit of maintaining the sensitive resources at LOBHP with prescribed fire may have to be moved substantially defeating the purpose and the original agreed upon intent of the gates, Riggin wrote. Jordan said Wednesday that, along with CMCs hospital, the county would delay a final decision on where the gate should be located until after its mitigation bank is approved. The order of preference would be the mitigation bank getting approved, the hospital getting approved and then where the gate ends up, Jordan said. Were still on the first step which is the mitigation bank. Dont harm the mitigation bank, local advocates say At Wednesdays community meeting, several local environmental advocates told both Jordan and CMC officials that they were concerned about the hospitals potential impact on the countys mitigation bank, which they support for both preservation and development purposes. April OLeary, who leads the anti-flooding advocacy group Horry County Rising, said that she wants to see the countys mitigation bank get approved because that means both that the county has another nature preserve and that the county can pursue much-needed infrastructure projects. Its our honey pot, its another natural resource that attracts tourists, brings in a lot of money and a lot of visitors for the county, OLeary said. This is rare stuff you wont see anywhere else in the world so it is really concerning, not mentioning the mitigation bank and the safety issues. Were seeing a lot of really sensitive areas be developed and this one is really very critical. Protecting taxpayer dollars, too, was of great importance, OLeary and others said. This is all tied to our RIDE 3 projects, the millions, were counting on this money, were going to need RIDE 4 projects, too, OLeary said, referring to the likelihood that Horry County will approve a fourth sales-tax-for-new-roads program in coming years. So, I think wasting taxpayer money is a real concern for a lot of us, this has been going on for years. Sudie Thomas, another local advocate with Horry County Rising, said she was worried that if the county and DNR cant conduct controlled burns at the mitigation bank site because of CMCs hospital, the county could lose out on mitigation credits, meaning residents would have to wait even longer, or potentially pay higher taxes, for infrastructure projects they say are desperately needed. Im just thinking the county might be worried about that if burning is limited, Thomas said. If theyre not able to burn, we kind of lose those (credits). For the county, its a lot of risk. (Reuters) - The former speaker of the Iranian parliament Ali Larijani demanded on Saturday an explanation from an election watchdog on why he was barred from running in next weeks presidential vote. Last month, the hardline Guardian Council approved just seven hopefuls to stand in Fridays poll and disqualified several prominent candidates, including Larijani and former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. I urge the esteemed Guardian Council...to formally, publicly and transparently provide all the reasons behind my disqualification, Larijani said in a tweet hours before the final presidential debate. At the time of his disqualification, Larijani, a moderate conservative, accepted the Council's ruling, saying he had "done my duty before God and my dear nation." The decision to ban candidates boosted the prospects of hardline judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi, an ally of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But it may further dent the clerical rulers' hopes of a high turnout amid discontent over an economy crippled by U.S. sanctions. The approved candidates include 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. (dubai.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com) JERUSALEM (Reuters) - An Israeli security guard shot and killed a knife-wielding Palestinian woman at a checkpoint in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, police said. There was no immediate comment from Palestinian officials about the incident, which took place at the Qalandiya crossing near the city of Ramallah. Police said the 28-year-old woman approached the crossing and "ran towards the forces while holding a knife". "A civilian security guard who recognised what was happening called on her to stop several times," a police statement said, adding that when the woman continued to move forward "the security guard then fired several bullets". Police distributed a photograph of the knife they said she was carrying. Israeli-Palestinian violence flared last month in 11 days of intense fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza. A fragile ceasefire is largely holding, though tension remains high. (Reporting by Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem and Ali Sawafta in Ramallah; Editing by Helen Popper) JERUSALEM (AP) Israeli police said a Palestinian woman carrying a knife ran toward an Israeli military checkpoint on Saturday and was shot dead by a private security guard. The shooting took place at the Qalandiya checkpoint near Jerusalem, one of the largest in the occupied West Bank. Police said the woman, identified as a 28-year-old resident of a West Bank refugee camp, had ignored calls by the guard to stop. Amateur video posted online showed the woman lying on the ground at the crossing. The Palestinian Prisoners Club, an advocacy group, said her name was Ibtissam Kaabneh and that she had previously served 18 months in an Israeli prison, after being arrested in 2016. Media reports said she had served time for an attempted stabbing. Kaabneh was the fifth Palestinian to be killed by Israeli security forces in the West Bank this week. On Thursday, three Palestinians, including two members of the Palestinian security forces, were shot dead during a raid by Israeli undercover troops in the town of Jenin. On Friday, a 15-year-old boy was killed by soldiers during protests against a settler outpost near the town of Beita. Starting five years ago, Palestinians launched a series of stabbing and car-ramming attacks against Israelis in the West Bank and Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem. Rights groups have alleged that Israeli troops often use excessive force against Palestinians. The violence takes place in the context of the unresolved Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Talks about setting up a Palestinian state alongside Israel faltered years ago, while Israeli settlement expansion on war-won land continues. The Palestinians seek a state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, territory Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war. MILAN (Reuters) - Italian police said on Saturday they had arrested a Romanian citizen who is the subject of an international arrest warrant from the UK for the manslaughter of 39 Vietnamese people who were being smuggled into Britain. Stefan Damian Dragos, 28, allegedly provided the truck which was used to smuggle the group of migrants, who were found dead in a freight container on the back of the vehicle in October 2019, Italian police said in a statement. There was no immediate statement from the suspect or from any lawyer representing him. He was arrested in the town of Cinisello Balsamo, north of Milan, but police gave no further details. The discovery of so many dead people - two as young as 15 - in the back of the truck on an industrial estate to the east of London shocked Britain and Vietnam. It also shone a spotlight on the illicit global trade that sends the poor of Asia, Africa and the Middle East on perilous journeys to the West. Most of those who died were from Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces in north-central Vietnam, where poor job prospects, environmental disasters and the promise of financial reward abroad fuel migration. In January four men who admitted or were found guilty of manslaughter and immigration offences were given long jail sentences. (Reporting by Gianluca Semeraro; Editing by David Holmes) Watch: G7 summit: Queen charms prime ministers and presidents US president Joe Biden and his wife Jill have said they are excited for their sit down with the Queen during their trip to the UK for the G7 summit. But the American leaders might have already breached apparent royal protocol before their Sunday tea. The couple reportedly arrived at the Eden Project reception after the Queen on Friday evening as she and other members of the Royal Family hosted world leaders during the summit. Protocol on this varies depending on the occasion. For example, at a state event, like a banquet, guests are seated before the Queen enters the room. A guide of Regal do's and don'ts published by the BBC suggests guests should arrive before the Queen. However, on some occasions she is seen welcoming the guests, greeting them one by one, which of course means she would be there first. The Queen speaking to the Bidens at the Eden Project on the G7 sidelines. (Jack Hill - WPA Pool / Getty Images) The Queen spoke to Emmanuel Macron ahead of the family photo in Cornwall. (Jack Hill - WPA Pool / Getty Images) Read more: 'I don't think it's going to work': Queen quips as she cuts cake with sword Marlene Koenig, royal historian, told Bazaar.com in 2019: "When it is a formal event, a state dinner, attending the ballet (sitting in the royal box), a reception, a wedding, the royals are the last to arrive." She added: "At state dinners, all of the guests are in their seats before the royals arrive. "The Queen enters first followed by other royals. She will walk with the head of state." Etiquette guide Debrett's states: "It is correct for everyone to arrive before the royal personage and protocol rules that no guest should leave an event before a member of the Royal Family." However any apparent faux pas is likely to have been ignored by the Queen, who is not actually overly concerned by protocol. Watch: Queen uses ceremonial sword to cut cake Read more: Is the Queen really that bothered about breaches of royal protocol? Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine told Yahoo UK: "The Queen, steeped in tradition after almost 70 years on the throne, has a very keen eye and will immediately notice that something is not as it should be. Story continues "However, she fully appreciates that things do occasionally go wrong, but would never admonish her guests and make them feel uncomfortable. That's not her style." It's the Bidens first time meeting the Queen this week, although they have met both her son Prince Charles and her grandson Prince Harry. The Queen has relished a return to royal engagements. (Oli Scarff - WPA Pool / Getty Images) Read more: Queen celebrates official birthday with scaled back Trooping the Colour Ahead of the meeting, Dr Biden said: "Joe and I are both looking forward to meeting the Queen. Thats an exciting part of the visit for us. Weve looked forward to this for weeks and now its finally here. Its a beautiful beginning." She was asked after her meeting with the Duchess of Cambridge if she had sought advice for meeting the Queen from Kate. But she replied: "No I didn't. We've been busy. Were you not in that room? We were talking education." The couple will go to Windsor Castle on Sunday afternoon for tea with the monarch. Biden will inspect a Guard of Honour before the trio goes for a private meeting. US President Joe Biden and France's President Emmanuel Macron speak as President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and Italy's Prime minister Mario Draghi look on after the family photo at the start of the G7 summit in Carbis Bay, Cornwall on June 11, 2021. Jonny Weeks/AFP/Getty Images During Donald Trump's presidency, Europe had to take a more active role on the world stage. As President Joe Biden heads to Europe, he comes face-to-face with an EU that is no longer as dependent on the US. That's a good thing, the US and Biden should let Europe take the lead on more global issues. This is an opinion column. The thoughts expressed are those of the author. See more stories on Insider's business page. It may seem paradoxical, but Donald Trump was good for Europe. The former US president did not boost the continent in a typical way - expanding trade or forging closer ties across the Atlantic. His contribution was less direct, but nonetheless important. By abandoning America's diplomatic dominance on the world stage, the former president helped increase the international influence of the European Union and its member states. And as now-President Joe Biden touches down on the continent, he will find a vastly changed power dynamic. Leaders in Brussels have long lamented how the United States rode roughshod over their plans and preferences. The European Union was a partner, but not treated as an equal by Washington. Often, EU leaders would be informed of, but have no influence on our policies. During the Obama administration, the US even spoke of "pivoting away" from the continent, focusing more time and resources on Asia. But Trump provided Europe a second chance. The man who promised American greatness, instead delivered the greatest-ever decline in our global standing. The principal beneficiary from our precipitous fall was Europe. The EU became a far more reasonable, reliable foreign friend for many countries. It was their efforts that helped stabilize a worried world. The work they did sustained international institutions during America's withdrawal and against Trump's withering attacks. It would be a mistake for Biden to act like nothing has changed. Based on conversations I've recently had with European officials, the glow and goodwill his election generated abroad has already started to fade. Our allies are concerned by his relegation of foreign policy problems to the back burner. He seems to prefer disengagement to dealing with difficult challenges. This only serves to strengthen Europe's position and power. Story continues When Air Force One lands on the rugged southern coast of England, the president would be wise to listen more and speak less. The slogans about America being back on the world stage would be best left at home. They sound pretty shallow, especially given how little attention Biden is paying to global issues. Instead, he should encourage others to take the lead, particularly the European Union. The United States cannot and should not continue to serve as the engine for developing and driving these international initiatives. The Biden administration has to work hand-in-hand with Europe, feeding off their ideas and energy. It will be an adjustment for the Americans, who are used to dominating the diplomatic stage. But, if we are going to make progress towards greater security and stability, managing major global challenges needs to be a multi-party endeavor. Rebuilding international institutions would be a good place for the Europeans to start. Groups like the United Nations and NATO have been dominated by the United States since their inception and Trump's actions showed how this unilateral focus can be deeply damaging. Striking a better power balance would help these critical institutions survive the next political storm in the United States. As a multilateral organization, the EU is far better suited to reimagining and reforming these bodies. The EU certainly has its challenges. Seeking consensus among 27 different countries is only slightly easier than trying to select a movie to watch with your family over Thanksgiving. Diversity also has its advantages. They are able to reach out in a variety of ways to more places than a single country could manage. There are an array of other issues on where it would make sense to have Europe running point. Israel for example, where America has lost a lot of credibility as a neutral arbiter between the parties. The United States has long ignored Africa - it's the only continent Secretary of State Antony Blinken has not visited. Where we have engaged there, it has too often concentrated on security and threats to us, like AIDS and the environment. Europe certainly has more work to do in eradicating the vestiges of colonialism. But, they are more focussed than we are on large-scale, fair, sustainable trade. That's particularly important as China continues to expand its presence in Africa. Biden has clearly decided to prioritize domestic issues. We therefore need to focus our external energies more efficiently. That is not to say we will ignore or not seek to influence issues. Instead, we should empower our partners, starting with Europe, to take on more responsibility for addressing these challenges. Where Europe has taken on a larger role, whether with the Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinians, ending the rebellion in Colombia, or more recently resolving Georgia's political crisis, the results have often been encouraging. We should welcome the EUs taking on a larger share of the major diplomatic duties. If Biden is smart, he can use it to our advantage. He can focus on a few key areas, including China, Central America, and Iran. Meanwhile, our partners across the Atlantic can help in managing a number of other major global threats. Together, we can do a far better job of making the world safe for democracy. Read the original article on Business Insider WASHINGTON President Joe Biden will go solo when he meets the press after his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin next week. The White House said Saturday that it was still finalizing the details of Bidens meeting with Putin in Geneva on Wednesday but that it will include a working session, a smaller session and a solo news conference. A solo news conference is the "appropriate format" to communicate the topics that will be raised in the meeting, the White House said. Bidens solo news conference will be a contrast from 2018, when President Donald Trump and Putin stood side by side at a news conference after their summit in Helsinki, Finland. President Joe Biden will hold a one-on-one meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 16. Trump faced backlash after that news conference in which he appeared to accept Putins denial that Russia had meddled in the 2016 presidential election. Trump questioned the U.S. intelligence communitys assessment that Russia interfered in the election and said the U.S. carries as much blame as Russia for tattered relations between the two countries. The White House later tried to walk back those comments: Trump said he accepted the intelligence communitys conclusion about Russian meddling, but he insisted that a lot of other people also could have interfered in the election. Bidens one-on-one meeting with Putin will follow his participation in this weekends Group of Seven summit in Cornwall, England. Biden will take part in a meeting with NATO leaders in Brussels on Monday and heads to Switzerland afterward. The summit with Putin comes amid rising tensions between the two countries over allegations of Russian-backed hacking, human rights abuses, interference in U.S. elections and what the West sees as growing Russian aggression against Ukraine. The meeting will be the two leaders' first face-to-face session since Biden became president, but it won't be their first encounter. Biden has talked of a visit with the Russian president in 2011 while he was vice president under President Barack Obama. According to Bidens account, he looked Putin in the eyes and proclaimed, I dont think you have a soul. Putin looked back, smiled and said, We understand one another, according to Biden. Story continues More: Putin already Russia's longest leader since Stalin signs law that may let him stay in power until 2036 Then-Vice President Joe Biden and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on March 10, 2011, in Moscow. In an interview that aired Friday on NBC News, Putin called Trump a colorful individual but said he could work with Biden. Putin said Biden is radically different from Trump because President Biden is a career man who has spent virtually his entire adulthood in politics. It is my great hope that yes, there are some advantages, some disadvantages but there will not be any impulse-based movements on behalf of the sitting U.S. president," Putin said. Michael Collins covers the White House. Follow him on Twitter @mcollinsNEWS. More: US-Russia relations plunge as Vladimir Putin responds to Joe Biden's 'killer' comments: It takes one to know one This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden to hold solo news conference after summit with Putin A team of strategists for JPMorgan, headed by Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou, believes bitcoin (BTC) is seeing a weak demand from big players. According to JPMorgan, bitcoin futures curve is in what the team calls backwardation, which means that the spot price as it sits is higher than the futures contracts. Futures contracts require the buyer to purchase assets at a specific price at a fixed date sometime down the line. The strategists are concerned, because the last time the spot price was higher than futures contracts was in 2018 when the last bitcoin crash occurred. That crash saw cryptocurrencies fall nearly 80%, making it worse than even the dotcom bubble bursting at the turn of the millennium. This ostensibly suggests a bear market could be incoming, as there is a lack of investment interest from institutional buyers. The findings by JPMorgan are based on a 21-day rolling average of BTC futures over spot prices. The team stated: This is an unusual development and a reflection of how weak bitcoin demand is at the moment from institutional investors that tend to use regulated CME futures contracts to gain exposure to bitcoin. The team went on to warn that this might be a bearish signal carrying some echoes of the retail-investor-driven froth of December 2017. Another issue that the team expressed concern over was that bitcoins share of the global market dipped over the last few months from around 70% in January to nearly 42% today. Panigirtzoglou warned about the declining bitcoin market share in May, which was followed by a significant dive in valuation. Regulations causing headaches for crypto investors One of the likely reasons for the slip in overall performance from bitcoin is the increased regulations that governments are placing on cryptocurrencies. It seems almost daily that a new country is announcing plans to expand rules and regulations surrounding the use and trading of cryptocurrencies. Last week, the Chairman of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission Gary Gensler called for greater protection for investors. Gensler, who formerly served as Obamas head of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, said that cryptocurrencies have raised new issues of investor protection that we still need to attend to. China has also begun cracking down on the issues it has with cryptocurrency, specifically the mining of bitcoin. The nation is trying to take steps towards becoming a greener country and bitcoin mining is not an industry that will help them achieve that goal. Because of this, new regulations have begun to ban mining crypto. This has forced many to flee elsewhere, like the U.S. and Kazakhstan, to continue mining. However, it apparently is only a matter of time, before the same issues pop up in miners new homes and more regulations are proposed. A Wisconsin federal judge ordered a temporary halt to a $4 billion race-based federal relief program for farmers on Thursday. A group of White farmers had filed a lawsuit arguing the policy discriminates against them. Milwaukee District Judge William Griesbach issued a temporary restraining order, noting the White farmers "are likely to succeed on the merits of their claim" that the U.S. Department of Agricultures (USDA) "use of race-based criteria in the administration of the program violates their right to equal protection under the law," according to NBC News. "The obvious response to a government agency that claims it continues to discriminate against farmers because of their race or national origin is to direct it to stop: it is not to direct it to intentionally discriminate against others on the basis of their race and national origin," Griesbach continued. The USDA said it disagreed with the restraining order. "We respectfully disagree with this temporary order and USDA will continue to forcefully defend our ability to carry out this act of Congress and deliver debt relief to socially disadvantaged borrowers," a USDA spokesperson told Fox News. "When the temporary order is lifted, USDA will be prepared to provide the debt relief authorized by Congress." FARMERS REACT TO BILLIONS IN COVID RELIEF BILL FOR MINORITY FARMERS The $4 billion provision was part of President Bidens American Rescue package, and the funds were to be used to pay up to 120% of "socially disadvantaged," or Black, Hispanic, Asian or Native American farmers' outstanding debt. Twelve White farmers from nine states filed suit arguing that excluding them from the aid on account of race violated their constitutional rights. "I think you have to take you back 20, 30 years when we know for a fact that socially disadvantaged producers were discriminated against by the United States Department of Agriculture. We know this. We have reimbursed people in the past for those acts of discrimination, but we've never absolutely dealt with the cumulative effect," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in May, defending the aid. Story continues The USDA settled multi-billion-dollar discrimination lawsuits with minority farmers in 1999 and 2010. AGRICULTURE SECRETARY DEFENDS RACE-BASED COVID AID, CITING HISTORICAL DISCRIMINATION "Secondly, when you look at the COVID relief packages that had been passed and distributed by USDA prior to the American Rescue Plan, and you take a look at who disproportionately received the benefits of those COVID payments, it's pretty clear that White farmers did pretty well under that program because of the way it was structured and structured on size and structured on production. So I think there is a very legitimate reason for doing what we are doing," the secretary continued. Black farmers accounted for approximately one-sixth of farmers in 1920, but less than 2% of farms were run by Black producers by 2017, according to USDA data . CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Minority farmers have maintained for decades that they have been unfairly denied government loans and other forms of assistance. Many of them complained that under Vilsacks previous tenure - as agriculture secretary during the Obama years - he did little to settle a backlog of 14,000 discrimination complaints from the Bush administration. The Bush administration had found discrimination in only one of those cases. Farmers spoke out against the relief program in March. "Just because youre a certain color you dont have to pay back money? I dont care if youre purple, black, yellow, white, gray, if you borrow money you have to pay it back," Kelly Griggs, who runs her 1,800-acre farm with her husband in Humboldt, Tennessee, told Fox News in an interview. "My reaction is, Where did common sense go?" Griggs said. "We cant strike. We cant stop. That's the part that really sucks. These people in Washington who make decisions for us and our livelihood have probably never stepped foot on a real farm." Another farmer, Benji Anderson of Georgia, expressed concern about the program. "I think it should be distributed to everyone," Anderson told Fox News. "Because one thing we all have in common, it doesnt matter about color or race or whatever, were all farmers, all working together to feed the United States." Fox News' Evie Fordham contributed to this report. Kansas City activist groups and faith leaders are calling for a 21-day ceasefire following a particularly violent day in Kansas City, where three people including a 15-year-old were fatally shot. At a press conference Saturday morning, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Kansas City Rev. Vernon Howard said they are offering conflict resolution help to make it happen. Other groups involved in the call include the Concerned Clergy Coalition, the Urban Summit, the Urban Council, Sankofa for KC, the Heart of the Father Initiative, Ad Hoc Group Against Crime, Healing Pathway Victim Services and the Center for Conflict Resolution. They want the community to resolve conflicts without violence for the next 21 days starting at 12:01 a.m. Sunday through midnight on July 3. Pastor Cassandra Wainright, president of the Concerned Clergy Coalition, said they know it will take more than 21 days to end the violence. But, she said, we must start somewhere. Conflict resolution experts from the Center for Conflict Resolution will be available during the 21 Days of Peace, along with licensed and ordained clergy from SCLC and the Concerned Clergy Coalition who can provide spiritual counsel. Additionally, a 24/7 prayer ministry from St. Mark Church, led by church matriarchs, will be organizing prayer shifts. Ester Holzendorf, a mother, grandmother and great grandmother, asks the community to stop gun violence during a press conference held by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Kansas City on Saturday morning at the intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd and The Paseo on June 12, 2021. Bishop Frank Douglas, who founded Heart of the Father, said they are asking people to reach out to God and to the available resources for help in resolving conflicts rather than allowing conflicts to destroy families. We declare war against the violence that has come and tried to infiltrate generation after generation, leaving fathers and mothers gone and banished from their household, Douglas said. Now it has even crept into children and we are losing children. The city has seen 67 homicides so far in 2021. Last year, Kansas City suffered the highest number of homicides in the citys history, recording 182. Story continues This is morally wrong, Howard said. This is unhealthy. This must end. This must stop. We must intervene in the suffering that is occurring from violence in our city. Janay Reliford-Davis, the founder and CEO of Camp CHOICE (Children Having Opportunities in Creating Environment) said the 21 days of peace is not just about individuals, but the root cause of the violence. Its also about those that are responsible for creating the environment we find ourselves in, Reliford-Davis said. There are local, state and federal governments responsible for the violence that we see in our communities everyday that mostly Black and brown children are impacted by. On Tuesday alone, three people were killed in separate incidents across Kansas City in a one-hour span. One other person was shot and survived. Davetta Whitmill, the mother of a homcide victim, said she is now raising her young grandson. The other day, she said, he asked her if she missed his mother. She said yes. She doesnt want the community to lose anymore mothers. I know I cant stop it, she said. But please, 21 days is not too much to ask for. Photo Illustration by Sarah Rogers/The Daily Beast / Photos Getty With tears in their eyes, members of the Kardashian-Jenner family bid farewell to their career-launching reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians on Thursday night. Of course, its not a real goodbye: the women keep their combined 950 million Instagram followers regularly updated on their lives, plus its rumored their new deal with Hulu will be reminiscent of their old one on E! Still, its the end of an era. Since its premiere in 2007, fans have gawked over the outrageous household that matriarch Kris Jenner ran, watching Kim, Khloe, and Kourtney Kardashian, and Kendall and Kylie Jenner grow up before their eyes. The sisters undoubtedly helped shape pop culture and society, with Kim popularizing the selfie and the group collectively setting fashion trends, as well as giving credibility to the idea that reality stars could transition into being legitimate celebrities. They also proved Barbara Walters sneer that they have no talent dead wrong, each helming their own impressive business empire. Kims shapewear line SKIMS and her KKW beauty line has placed her on Forbes billionaire List, her net worth slightly ahead of Kylie, who founded her successful cosmetics line at just 18 years old. Khloe is praised for her size-inclusive clothing company Good American, while Kourtney runs the Goop-like lifestyle website Poosh, and Kendall, already one of the worlds highest- paid models, just came out with a prize-winning tequila brand. But perhaps more significantly, the women have literally left their mark on the world through the faces and bodies of countless women (and men) with the help of plastic surgery. Keeping Up With The Kardashians Ends Not With a Bang But a Whimper With a teeny-tiny waist and a large, shapely bottom, Kim is known for her internet-breaking curvy figure. As a teen, Kylie was constantly in the headlines for her suspiciously plump lips, and although Kendall is hailed as the most natural-looking sister, she helped launch the fox eye craze. Story continues The sisters famed features and envied bodies have influenced waves of people to go under the knife, often using their photos as references for the work they want done, two top plastic surgeons told The Daily Beast. There is definitely a Kardashianization of the younger people, who are especially looking to make similar changes as to what the Kardashians have had done, Dr. Anthony Youn, a Troy, Michigan-based holistic plastic surgeon, explained. A lot of people, even if they dont bring a picture of Kim Kardashian, they want that same lookelevated cheekbones, arched eyebrows, that fox eye appearance where the eyes are just a little bit tilted. Its hollowing of the cheek, a slightly pointy chin, and the angularity in the lower face with plump lips and a narrow nose. There is that tendency of a lot of doctors trying to create that because thats what the people want. For Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Daniel Barrett, the sisters have been great for business. Thank you, Kardashian family! he laughed. Thank you, I owe you so much. Its just amazing, its been a game changer for plastic surgery. Its empowering people to feel better about their bodies if they have something that bothers them. While the idea of plastic surgery and the Kardashians often go hand in hand, the women are sometimes cagey about admitting if theyve had certain surgical procedures, even going to extreme lengths to prove they are all-natural. For years, Kim has been questioned over whether her pert derriere is the work of implants, injections, or even a Brazilian butt lift (BBL). In an effort to eradicate the constant speculation, Kim posted a photo of an X-ray scan as proof that she didnt have implants in 2011. When Kylie suddenly debuted her now signature full lips when she was 17 years old, she maintained that she only overlined them, complaining on social media about the constant questioning. But she later owned up to having them injected, saying she had always been insecure about her pout. But Youn said there needs to be some credit given to the Kardashians for fessing up to some procedures, pointing out that Kourtney was forthcoming about having a breast enhancement, Khloe was open about her decision to lay off the fillers, and Kris even documented her face-lift operation during a KUWTK episode. They havent admitted to everything, but they have admitted to some things, he said. Kylie admitted to having her lips done, which is a big deal. There are so many celebrities who wouldnt admit to that. Also, thats their personal medical information, its nobodys business, technically. But the fact that they have, I think, has really done a service to those people who maybe look up to them and say, Geez, I could never have that body, and they feel bad about it. Barrett agreed, adding, Its just been completely revolutionary, in terms of the openness of people talking about the work that theyve had done. Its almost like, Yes, I got a Gucci bag, but I also got my breast augmentation or my BBL. People are actually proud, and they talk about it, and before that never happened. Both Barrett and Youn have noticed that while clients come into their practices wanting facial procedures to help them achieve a Kardashian-esque look, theres been a big focus on surgically sculpting their bodies to emulate the sisters shapely formsparticularly their behinds. In 2007, people were hardly talking about augmenting their buttocks, they were talking about augmenting their breasts, Barrett explained. People still talk about augmenting their breasts but its definitely way more focused now on the bigger picture, the body. The Kardashians have definitely led that, and a lot of people didnt even realize that it was a possibility until the Kardashians. One of the fastest-growing operations is buttock enhancement, Youn added. Before it used to be just implants and fat, and now there are other non-surgical treatments to enhance the buttocks, as well. I do think that Kim has played a huge role in that because, obviously, her derriere is kind of a calling card for her. The hottest procedure currently on the market is the Brazilian butt lift, a two-in-one surgery where fat is liposuctioned from a persons hips, legs, or stomach area and then transplanted into the buttock, helping achieve a fuller, higher behind. However, the BBL has one of the highest death rates for cosmetic surgery, sparking grave concern among those in the medical industry when a 2017 study found it had a 1 in 3,448 fatality rate. I stopped doing [BBLs] once some of the studies came out of how dangerous it potentially was, Youn admitted. But the statistics have drastically improved over the past four years, now having a revised mortality rate of 1 in 14,952, according to Aesthetic Surgery Education and Research Foundation in 2020. Concerned over why so many women were dying from the procedure, the foundation conducted a study that found that the deaths were caused when the fat was injected beyond the fat layer of the skin, going into the muscle layer, which could lead to a fat embolism. However, when the fat was only injected into the superficial layer of skin, there were little to no complications, Barrett explained. I do a lot of Brazilian butt lifts, he said. But you have to go to someone whos board-certified because we actually have guidelines. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. The surgeons noted that the Kardashians have not only made it less taboo to talk about plastic surgery but have ushered younger patients into their waiting rooms. It is now a thing with the younger generation. Its just what people do, its crazy, Barrett said. [Theyll say,] I got my lips done, I went to Dr. Barretts office, and theyll share it on social media. But Youn said while the Kardashians have been great for business, hes not so sure theyve been good for society at large, mainly because of the influx of young women who get procedures they might not necessarily need. If you have somebody whos in their early twenties or even late teens getting surgical procedures to try to make their face look like the Kardashian shape, thats disturbing, he said. Theres so many aspects of beauty, theres so many ways to be beautiful, and there isnt one template for beauty. There are some ethnicities where that type of template, that type of appearance is just not possible. I think what is disturbing about it is, if people think that this is the only standard. In the end, what were probably dealing with is a fad of what is technically beautiful, he added. Like all fads, its going to recede and peoples perceptions of what is beautiful will change. Whereas the problem is, if you make surgical changes to your face, that wont necessarily change. But Youn is still appreciative of what the Kardashians have done for his industry, helping to shine a light on plastic surgery in a more honest way than most celebrities. I have nothing against the Kardashians, he added. I think that they are beautiful and hey, theyve entertained millions. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. It has been five years since the country woke up to the news 49 people were gunned down in a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida an attack that ripped away the innocence of a community known for family vacations to Disney World and with it leaving the LGBTQ community on edge during a month of Pride celebrations. It was the nation's deadliest mass shooting, a uniquely shocking and undesirable mantle that Orlando held for only one year before an attack left 60 dead at a country music festival in Las Vegas. In a country plagued by gun violence and an almost steady stream of mass shootings, the death toll in Orlando was shocking and thrust the city at the epicenter of conversations about gun control and terrorism. Survivors of the attack and those who lost loved ones at Pulse nightclub in the early morning hours of June 12, 2016, are still grappling with the trauma of that night an attack that targeted members of the LGBTQ community during a month dedicated to celebrating acceptance and gay Pride. Memorial: On fifth anniversary of Pulse shooting, they come to grieve, reflect and honor lives lost Why Pride matters: We need to celebrate LGBTQ joy this Pride Month. Lives depend on it It was Latin Night at the club. Reggaeton blared. Clubgoers smiled and danced. Then came the pops that everyone thought was part of the music. Some tried to escape the packed dance floor as bullets poured from the gunman's rifle. Others didn't have time to react. Amid the trauma, years of recovery and new paths set by survivors and family members of those lost came a sense of community in Orlando that brought people together. And for some, the devastating anniversary converging with Pride Month serves as a mission and reminder of the need to continue pushing forward, not only for themselves but for the larger LGBTQ community. A need to keep dancing Orlando Torres still doesn't feel safe in a public restroom. He gets flashbacks to the black stalls that surrounded him that night, the gunshots, the screams and the hours he was held hostage as the gunman called authorities, making clear his allegiance was to the Islamic State terror group and threatening he had explosives. It took hours before police officers were able to break through a concrete wall in the building, leading to a shootout between officers and the gunman. Story continues Orlando Torres at a Pulse nightclub remembrance ceremony one year after the attack that killed 49 people in Orlando, Fla. Torres was one of 49 people who dressed as angels to honor those killed in the attack. Torres made it out through the breach after the gunman was killed. Torres said that fear after the shooting didn't prevent him from living. He has been able to go back to nightclubs and finds support from other survivors. "It wasn't my time. It wasn't that day," he said. "We have that motto here that says, 'Keep dancing Orlando,' because if you don't, they win, the terrorists win." The celebrations for Pride Month, which in Orlando is celebrated as Gay Days, are an important reminder, he says, that the LGBTQ community carries on stronger than ever. "There are mixed emotions," he said. "It's difficult because of the emotion of what happened, and it's hard to do the things we did before to celebrate because of the tragedy of the shooting. But it's important." A close look: Pulse Nightclub portraits: survivors, first responders and loved ones Orlando victims: Their stories Each year, the community holds remembrance ceremonies to honor those lost in the attack. Last year, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, events were done virtually. It's a chance for Torres and other survivors to support one another on a day that connected them all forever. "It's going to be more emotional this year," Torres said. "It's hard to believe it's been five years. It still feels like yesterday." "It's going to be more emotional this year," said Orlando Torres, who survived the shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla. "It's hard to believe it's been five years. It still feels like yesterday." Proof that survival through the unimaginable is possible Christine Leinonen plans to act as if today doesn't exist. She won't go to events to remember the attack and its victims. She has yard work to do and might go to bed early. It's a day she says she wishes didn't exist the one that marks when her son, Christopher "Drew" Leinonen, was taken from her at Pulse nightclub. "If I could erase it as a day on the calendar, I would," she said. "There isn't any honor on that day. What am I going to? Kneel in front of his urn that's sitting on my bedroom dresser filled with his ashes? I mean, is that is that what I should be doing?" 'Deeply grateful': Original Pride flag unveiled at San Francisco museum The morning of the attack, her tear-soaked face was plastered on cable news stations. She tried calling her son again and again but didn't know for more than 30 hours that he had died at the nightclub with his boyfriend, Juan Ramon Guerrero. Leinonen says it's hard to believe she made it five years. "I didn't think I would survive a day, two days, a week, a month, a year. So, it's insane to think that I survived five years," she said. She said there were times when she felt as if her heart was ripping in half. "At the beginning, I thought: 'This is never going to end. So why am I even here? Why should I even be alive?'" After the attack, she worked to help set up an LGBTQ advocacy foundation named after her son and attended Pride Month celebrations in New York and Orlando something she never got the chance to do with her son when he was alive. Status of the Equality Act: The Equality Act could soon be getting a vote in the Senate. What are its chances? Leinonen said she always supported her son being gay but never played an activist role, something she regrets now. She said the years since his death have helped further the country's understanding of the gay community. "I didn't realize how many kids were out there who didn't have supportive communities. They didn't have supportive parents or grandparents or family or friends. So that's why they need pride," she said. "After Christopher died, my eyes were just opened. "I realize now how important Gay Days and Gay Pride and all these parades are," she said. "It isn't just a fun celebration. It's stating a message." Survivor reflects: On the anniversary of Pulse nightclub shooting, survivor remembers the stranger who took a bullet for her Tony Marrero was shot four times in the back with one bullet that also hit his arm at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla. His recovery from the 2016 shooting was lengthy and his scars, he says, are proof of his strength and the resilience of the LGBTQ community. Scars that show resilience , strength The scars are always there to remind Tony Marrero. Even during this month, when he tries to distract himself from the memories of five years ago. The pops. The intense pain when bullets hit him. Playing dead and praying that the gunman would leave him alive. But over time, those scars and memories became something else: proof of strength and resilience. "That night, that specific night, everybody was having such a good time and everybody was just dancing. So let's continue dancing and remembering them," he said. "We cannot let one tragedy hold us back. We cannot let a tragedy like this define, you know, the future of the LGBTQ community. On the contrary, it needs to push us forward. It needs to make us stronger." Tony Marrero (left) is pictured with his fiance, Cris Huertas five years after the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla. Marrero still prepares an emergency exit plan when he enters a building, something he has done since that night when he was preparing to leave Pulse nightclub and the attack began. He was separated from his friend, Luis Vielma, when the shots broke out. He later learned Vielma died in the attack. But the trauma hasn't stopped Marrero from living, or from going to a nightclub again. A battle for rights: How a Supreme Court decision last year is reshaping the legal battle over LGBTQ discrimination Workplace bias: For LGBTQ employees of color, sexual orientation is the biggest source of discrimination in the workplace He was shot four times in the back, and the path to recovery was long. Marrero says he had a choice: Get up and take back his life, or don't and let the attack define him. "I've trained my brain to focus on moving forward, and still remembering those we lost that night. But continue to live life to the fullest because I get a second chance at life. I like to focus more on that aspect of the tragedy," he said. "If I don't, I'm just going to get depressed and I'm not going to get out of the hole. My scars are always going to remind me, but I've taught my brain that those are not just scars those are my battle wounds. And they just remind me of how strong I was and how strong I am." Last year, Marrero got engaged. He's now planning his wedding. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pulse nightclub shooting, 5 years later: Survivors show LGBTQ strength This Monday, July 11, 2016, photo shows a makeshift memorial outside the Pulse nightclub, a month after the mass shooting in Orlando, Fla. Associated Press/John Raoux It's been five years since a gunman killed 49 people at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Florida. Lawmakers on Saturday mourned the victims and vowed to continue fighting for gun reform. Years after the shooting, Florida has still not made any drastic changes to its gun control laws, the Orlando Sentinel reported. See more stories on Insider's business page. Saturday marks the five-year anniversary of the fatal shootings at Pulse Nightclub in Florida. In commemoration of the event, the Senate earlier this week unanimously passed legislation designating the gay club a national memorial. The bill now heads to President Joe Biden to sign. Lawmakers over the weekend continued to mourn the 49 victims. "It has been five years but it feels like yesterday," Rep. Val Demings of Florida said in a statement. "Today I am thinking of the 49 who we lost-49 human beings, 49 dreams, 49 futures, 49 families missing a loved one. I am thinking of the survivors who still need our fullest support as they work through physical and mental wounds." The Pulse shooting on June 12, 2016, stands as the second-deadliest mass shooting in US history. Omar Mateen, 29, opened fire inside Pulse, a gay nightclub, killing 49 and injuring dozens of others. Police responding to 911 calls at the club killed Mateen. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Twitter that the state "honors the memories of those who were murdered on one of the darkest days in Florida's history." Some lawmakers on Saturday went further than mourning and recognition of the shooting, and reiterated a call for gun reform. "Today, I remember the lives lost and forever changed, and I again call on the Senate to bring our gun safety legislation to a vote," Rep. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia wrote on Twitter. Rep. Scott Peters of California echoed Spanberger's call for action. "We must continue to condemn all forms of hatred & demand life-saving gun reform," he said. Story continues Human-rights and anti-gun organizations, however, say lawmakers aren't doing enough to enact gun control in the wake of the shooting's anniversary. "It has been 1,826 days since this tragedy, yet nothing has changed," the Human Rights Campaign, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing LGBT rights, wrote on Twitter early Saturday. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit that advocates for gun control measures, said the organization vows "to continue fighting for a world free from gun violence." About a year after the Pulse shooting, at the time the deadliest in US history, a gunman opened fire from a hotel room window in Las Vegas, killing 58 people attending an outdoor musical festival and wounding hundreds of others. Despite continued calls from nonprofits like Everytown for Gun Safety, gun control laws in Florida have not been drastically addressed since Pulse, the Orlando Sentinel reported. A Florida state legislator has brought bills banning assault-style rifles but couldn't get past the GOP-controlled legislature, for example. "We've got problems in Tallahassee because we appear to be going in the opposite direction," State Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith told the Sentinel. "We have not been given a single hearing by the majority party, even if symbolic. They refuse to put this issue on the agenda. [But] the issue is not going away." Biden in a statement posted Saturday echoed lawmakers' calls to pass gun reform legislation. "It is long past time we close the loopholes that allow gun buyers to bypass background checks in this country, and the Senate should start by passing the three House-passed bills which would do exactly that," he said. "It is long past time we ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines, establish extreme risk protection orders, also known as "red flag" laws, and eliminate gun manufacturers' immunity from liability." Read the original article on Business Insider Jun. 12All the familiar rhythms and signs that we're closing the book on another long and fruitful year of high school sports in the Capital Region are in place. There's the increasing urgency from the players and coaches, knowing that, because it's championship time, the next game or meet could be the last. Check the school scoreboard and schedule on B3 of today's Daily Gazette it's getting smaller every day, isn't it? It always does. For those athletes and coaches but especially Gazette readers this annual process has been ushered onto the pages of our newspaper and website by long-time high school sportswriter Jim Schiltz since 1987 (1987!). Jim's New York Mets ballcap as he roams all the sidelines has been as much a signature of his dedicated coverage as the bylines on top of his stories. This time, as the season is winding down, Jim's career at the Gazette will be, too. Jim will be retiring at the age of 58 at the end of July, taking a treasure chest of memories with him, but leaving a legacy that those who care about high school sports around here will appreciate for a long time. "I need to step away. It's time for me. My run was great," Jim said on Friday. "My intention, as a kid, was I want to write sports. I always loved sports, I loved playing everything, and I got into it through reading the paper. The box scores, the Celtics were a big thing, Mets ... when I was a kid, I cut out all the Mets stories and glued them in my folder. The lean years, this was when the Mets really stunk. But I did it religiously. I still have them. They're buried somewhere. "I just talked to a coach last night, and I let him know that I'm going to be moving on, and I just said, 'You're one of the guys [I'll miss.]' This was an older coach who I've known. I'm going to miss the kids and the coaches ... a lot. I love talking to the kids. That's the big kick." Story continues "I have him in all my articles that I have saved," said Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake field hockey coach Kelly Vrooman, whom Jim covered all the way back to when she starred as a player on the Spartans' 1987 state championship team. "He could remember every little detail of my high school career better than I could. He would come up with games and situations and I would be like, 'How does he remember all of this stuff?' I'm just one person, one team and he just always knows his facts." "[Fort Plain baseball coach] Craig Phillips is retiring, Schiltz's retiring ... man, we're losing a lot of great ones," Shenendehowa baseball coach Greg Christodulu said. "He's given so much of himself, long hours, great stories and introspective. He really delved into the inner workings of a story. His articles are always great to read." Jim started at the Gazette as a sports clerk in 1985 and became the high school beat writer in 1987, just in time to cover the 1988 boys' basketball state championship won by Jon Mueller-led Stillwater, which still remains one of his fondest moments. A lifelong Capital Region resident who grew up in Altamont and played football and lacrosse at Guilderland High, Jim quickly attached himself to his profession, armed with an affinity for the local scene through his roots, but also a desire to report on all aspects of that scene. That included schools big and small, but also sports farther afield from the mainstream, what he calls providing those sports "a seat at the table." It's no coincidence that he can remember Vrooman's exploits in field hockey as vividly as he can the perfect game that Keith Lansley pitched for Shenendehowa's baseball team to win the 1994 Section II championship over Schenectady. "Jimmy can't walk into a Section II gym or onto a Section II playing field without immediately being recognized by the coaches and players and many of the fans," Gazette Vice President and Editor Miles Reed said. "He's genuinely liked and appreciated throughout the area." "He put us on the map, no one else would care about field hockey like he does and he truly seemed over the years to truly admire the sport," Vrooman said. "He always found those jewels," Schenectady athletic director Steve Boynton said, referring to the lesser-known sports and athletes. Although football supplied Jim with some of his favorite moments, he said basketball holds a special position for him. That's natural, when you've had a front-row seat to Scott Cherry's last-second shot to beat Watervliet in 1989 (followed by Watervliet's Andre Cook shaking off the pain of that loss to hit the championship-winning shot the following year), and Joseph Girard III's game-winner to give Glens Falls a state title in 2019. "JG3, the game-winning shot ... I mean, he's the star, of course, this is like movie stuff, he gets the bounce pass, drops in the layup. Game. They're state champions," Jim said. "Of course, he scores 50 points in the game, too." Sandwiched between the Cherry shot and the JG3 shot were Class A state championships by Schenectady High, in 1998 while coached by Gary DiNola, and in 2001 under Mark Sausville, and the back-to-back Scotia-Glenville state titles, led by Joe Cremo, in 2014 and 2015. "Some of them [memories] are specific, and some of them are the bigger picture," Jim said. "Just watching Schenectady, their whole sports program evolve from Linton and Mont Pleasant to the merger. I was here for the merger, and watching the whole program grow. It's been decades now. Really neat, from day one to today. "The evolution of lacrosse in our area. There was no girls' lacrosse, and I was here from day one, wrote the story about Section II beginning girls' lacrosse. Look at it now, it's great." "He's always been good to us. Fair to us," Boynton said. "He reported the bad and the good but mostly the good. "He knows it all. He knows the coaches. He knows the athletes. He could give you almost as good a history of Schenectady athletics as [city school district hall of fame chairman] Bob Pezzano could." Jim said among the achievements he's most proud of is being inducted into the Capital Region Football Hall of Fame in 2019 in the Service to Football category, and his coverage of the Empire State Games 15 times during the summer, when the schools were off-season. "I went on trips to everywhere. It was not easy," he said. "You're there for five or six days, and it's 8 in the morning to midnight. Unbelievably difficult. My car broke down on Long Island, when I first got there. My muffler fell off. I did the whole week with a patched-up muffler. I kid you not. Not pleasant. But we got it done." He also thanked former sports editor Butch Walker for hiring him in 1985 "I was just some guy" and counts Rick Stellrecht, Tom Boggie and Mike Kane as important early influences, while Mark Landolfo showed him the ropes on the daily grind of clerk work at the start. Speaking of the grind, he said he won't miss deadlines or overnight road trips. One natural question is to estimate how many live games he's covered since 1987, which number well into the thousands, probably between 400-500 for football alone. At some point this spring, it'll be the last one, but Jim said he doesn't expect to get sentimental, knowing that this is it. "Jimmy's departure will really hit home on opening night of football season in September," Reed said. "That's where he really shined over the decades on game nights, when the stands were filled with parents and fans and the players were out there playing their hearts out. Jimmy was always there to chronicle the action for Gazette readers." "I feel good about my move," Jim said. "I'm sad to leave because of the people. I've been treated great here. Wonderful. It's just the job has become rather taxing. You do it for 35 years or whatever as the high school guy, and day in and day out, over the years, I just need to step away from it. It's the pressure of it never leaves your mind. The work never leaves, even if you're off for a couple days, you're always thinking about what you did or what's coming up. "The neat thing and I've been around long enough to know some kids will never get interviewed again. I love it when it's the first time, also, they've never been interviewed, and it's so great for them. We've done it a million times. It's just a routine part of the job, but you never forget, for some of these kids, this never happened, and it'll never happen again. "In that same vein, the reason I enjoy writing the stories is that family and that boy or girl, the next day they're going to read that story, and it's going to make their day. It's going to make their parents' day. It's going to make their grandparents' day. It's going to make them feel good. All stories aren't feel-good, but a lot of them are. It's high school sports, and I want people to feel good about that." ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) Romelu Lukaku delivered a heartfelt message to Denmark player Christian Eriksen after scoring the first of his two goals in a 3-0 win over Russia on Saturday at the European Championship. After swivelling to shoot into the bottom corner in the 10th minute, Lukaku headed to a television camera and grabbed it with both hands, saying Chris, Chris, I love you. Lukaku plays for Italian team Inter Milan alongside Eriksen, who needed urgent medical treatment before being taken to the hospital after collapsing on the field during Denmarks match against Finland in Copenhagen earlier Saturday. That led to the match in Denmark being suspended for about 90 minutes before resuming and finishing just before Belgiums game started in St. Petersburg. Eriksen was in a stable condition, UEFA said. Substitute Thomas Meunier added a second goal in the 34th minute and Lukaku made it 3-0 in the 88th for top-ranked Belgium, which validated its status as one of the favorites at Euro 2020 with a comfortable win in front of a heavily pro-Russian crowd of 26,264 spectators. Before the game, there were loud jeers around Saint Petersburg Stadium after Belgiums players took a knee before kickoff. Loud music was played while the gesture against racism was taking place but the boos were still audible. ___ More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports ___ Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80 Josh Nelson's own body proved to be a deadlier enemy than anything he encountered in Afghanistan or Iraq. As the pilot of a C-130 Hercules cargo plane, Lt. Col. Nelson flew scores of wartime missions during five overseas deployments with the U.S. Air Force Reserve. But when he returned home to Otsego, he was knocked off the flight line by a devastating and mysterious disease that cost him years of agony and, ultimately, his large intestine. The Air Force doesn't look kindly on pilots who lack a colon; it's an automatic disqualification from flight status. Nelson was told that his days in the sky were over. But with the help of a surgeon at M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center, Nelson became the first Air Force pilot to return to active duty after a colectomy. Under his green flight suit is a bag that collects his body waste and, in his words, "gave me my life back." "I didn't give up. I kept moving forward," said Nelson, who's stationed at the Air Force Reserve base at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. At 40, Nelson looks like a poster boy for the Air Force. And in a way, he might be just that. "Hopefully, his case will be an example that people can be part of the armed services even with a stoma," said Dr. Wolfgang Gaertner, referring to the opening in Nelson's belly that allows waste to pass out of his body. "He's an amazing human being," added Gaertner, who removed Nelson's colon in two surgeries nearly three years ago. "Any challenge you put in front of him there are no obstacles with Josh." Nelson grew up in Monticello and joined the reserves as a student at St. Cloud State University. Beginning as a mechanic, he went on to officer training school and qualified to pilot C-130s in 2008. He's a full-time, professional Reserve officer, serving as a flight instructor between deployments. Nelson did his overseas tours without any problems. But when he returned from the last one, in the spring of 2017, "all the fun broke loose," he said. Story continues Out of nowhere, he began having bowel troubles, with multiple bouts of diarrhea every day. Within months, it got so bad that he was hospitalized. Doctors told him he had ulcerative colitis, an inflammation of the intestinal tissues that affects perhaps one or two people in 10,000. It's an autoimmune disease, meaning the body is attacking itself. And doctors don't know exactly what causes it. Gaertner's best guess is that it's a combination of genetic factors, environmental influences and infection. "To say that we can pinpoint the cause, I would be lying if I said I knew that," Gaertner said. Nelson's life became a living hell, at the risk of understating the case. He was "a prisoner of the bathroom," he said, with attacks of bloody diarrhea upward of eight to 10 times a day. It's 40 miles from his home to the air base at MSP, he said, "and I know where every bathroom is." His weight dropped from 185 pounds to 150. The pain was so intense that sometimes he spent hours at home curled up in a fetal position. When medications failed to solve his problem, Nelson decided that surgery was his best option. Gaertner removed Nelson's entire colon more than 5 feet in all. Taking his case to the top Nelson didn't want to give up the fulfillment he finds in military service. "The camaraderie, the brotherhood and sisterhood is second to none that esprit de corps," he said. "To be part of that type of organization is truly an honor." Nor did he want to see his years of hard work washed away. "It takes a lot of time and dedication," Nelson said. "Not many people can say they've graduated flight school and met C-130 qualification. You work very hard to get to that level." When Nelson decided to appeal his flight status, he found a willing partner in his surgeon. "I said, 'Josh, if that's your goal, that's my goal, too,' " Gaertner said. "Anybody would have done what I did if they meet Josh." It was a tall order. No Air Force pilot had ever returned to service after a colectomy or ileostomy (involving the lowest part of the small intestine), and the pair set out to educate the Air Force medical staff right to the very top. "We had to study G-forces and pressures, and how that would affect his [small] intestine, and the bags, and the adhesives," Gaertner said. "We searched the literature. We went on for months because they kept requesting more data." It helped that Nelson is a cargo pilot. Unlike fighter pilots, he's not subject to extreme G-forces; he doesn't operate at high altitudes, nor does he wear a tight, pressurized flight suit. Still, when his case finally went before the Air Force surgeon general, an outside consultant who advises the Air Force on medical issues recommended against returning Nelson to duty. 'Never give up' In November 2019, nine months after his final surgery, Nelson's phone rang. It was his flight surgeon, delivering a message that he found hard to absorb: Nelson was being reinstated to flight duty. "I thought he was [messing] with me," Nelson said with a laugh. "I'm pretty certain I melted in my own feet. The amount of stress I went through, and finally somebody believed in me." Although his wife, Natalie, had been his "bedrock" through the whole ordeal, Nelson confessed that his first text with the news went to Gaertner. "We both found it gratifying," Gaertner said. "We thought we might be doing something that will help people in the future. I felt like that gratification was far and beyond just focusing on Josh, and he felt it too." On his first birthday after the surgeries, his daughters Brinley, 10, and Brenna, 7, gave him a shirt that reads: "No Colon, Still Rollin'." Life for Nelson is back to normal. He has no diet restrictions and can eat whatever he wants, though he often chooses salads. "I just really focus on chewing," he said. Nelson's conclusions about the whole experience are simple yet profound. "Don't take your life for granted," he said. "We have no idea what's going to happen to us tomorrow. "Number 2 is, never give up if it's something you want to do. I always told people, I would be taken out kicking and screaming." John Reinan 612-673-7402 Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast / Photo Paul Morigi/Getty The family that held the entire Republican Party in their death grips for the last four years is now doing what all formerly famous people do, signing autographs and being sort of pathetic. Their father may not have power anymore, but the kids have even less. Remember when Donnie Junior could control a news cycle with a tweet? Remember when Ivanka Trump could command a sea of news stories with a sources close to leak about how she was working hard behind the scenes? Remember when Mitch McConnell had to take calls from the former presidents completely unqualified son-in-law? Remember when the presidents dimwitted spawns held court at Daddys hotel and cast shadows that extended across MAGA Washington? Well, that time is over. The baby Trumps and their lousy spouses are drifting off into the weird political afterlife of people who used to matter. Trumps Shittiest Surrogates Are His Own Children (and Jared) Remember when Don Junior posed with a Don Jr 2024 banner at the Fallon Nevada Livestock Auction? That was in October, or, as I think of it, a lifetime ago. Since then junior has been a busy bee, making apparently false statements in a deposition and maybe being investigated by Manhattan Attorney General Cy Vance's office for his role in the family crimioops, real-estate business. But thats not all Donnie has been up to. He spends his days blasting the liberal media on Twitter, doing reply videos on something called Rumble, and being enraged that people dont pay enough attention to Hunter Bidens malfeasances. Don flipped his Bridgehampton home for double what he paid for it in a year, which is not at all suspicious. But despite this real-estate win, the former presidents eldest son still has joined other luminaries like Sarah Palin, Mama June, and a dog called tuna melts my heart on Cameo, a service where you can get down on your luck celebrities to make personalized videos for your friends. Junior is listed on the site under the category of activist, and is charging fans $500 a video with some undisclosed part of that being donated to the Shadow Warriors Project that supports not wounded service members but wounded military contractors and is run by right-wing celebrity Mark Benghazi Geist. Story continues Sorry, Junior, but Hell Never Love You Like He Loves Ivanka And then theres Erics wife Lara, who looks like a bootleg version of Erics big sister. Lara was toying with a run for the North Carolina Senate but at Trumps speech last weekend she told the crowd, Im saying no for now, not no forever. But heres the thing, if her father-in-law doesnt run again, now will become forever soon enough as she remains someone who used to be someone, like poor gummy Eric who I guess runs his dads chain of failing hotels and shitty condos? Speaking of that, the Associated Press reports that, Bargain hunters are swooping in to take advantage of prices in Trump buildings that have dropped to levels not seen in over a decade, a crash brokers attribute to a combination of the former presidents polarizing image and the coronavirus pandemic. Oh well. Remember Ivanka, the future of the GOP? Well, shes been in the witness protection program, not really but sort of. Since buying a $30 million empty parcel of land in Miami, the political genius has spent her time focusing on family time, walking her tiny white dog on the beach and wearing hideous peach-colored athleisure. Shes not going to primary Lil Marco for the Florida Senate. She hardly has time with all the beach walks and decorating. And then theres Pop. The former president has spent the winter months in Palm Beach being a baffling uninvited guest at the occasional memorial service and wedding. The rest of the time, senior has spent lined up at the omelet station and pretty much behaving like a retiree, which was sort of how he behaved when he was president. Now Trump is planning a series of live conversations (is there any other kind?) with the only person who has more sexual harassment allegations than he does, Bill OReilly. What a pair! Women hide your daughters and mothers and yourselves. Its gonna be like Frost/Nixon except with morons. Look, theres a chance, a horrible, miserable chance, that Trump does get re-elected in 2024 and democracy dies, and the Trump kids go back to using our tax dollars to promote themselves as members of government who govern with lots of meaningless initiatives. After 2016, I know better than to say that couldnt happen. But if it does not, the baby Trumps have let their moment escape them. Junior could have won a congressional seat, and Erics horrible wife could have at least grifted a lot of money running for the Senate in North Carolina. How are the kids going to pay for all their lawyers bills if they cant grift campaign donations like their dad? Never mind, I dont care. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. The Pentagon announced plans on Friday to send Ukraine $150 million in military assistance that will include counter-artillery radar, counter-drone technology and electronic warfare equipment, Reuters reports. Why it matters: The move comes as tensions continue to climb between Russia and Ukraine and days before a summit between President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free Flashback: In 2014, the Russian government invaded and seized Ukraine's Crimea region, backing a pro-Russian separatist rebellion in eastern Ukraine that killed over 14,000 people. In recent months, Ukraine and Russia have taken shots at each other amid a surge in fighting in Ukraine's Donbas. In what it called a defensive operation, Russia amassed troops on its border with Ukraine and in Crimea, per Reuters. Details: The new funds, which were already committed by Congress, join $125 million already set aside for Ukraine. The Pentagon said the assistance includes capabilities "to enhance the lethality, command and control and situational awareness of Ukraine's forces," according to Reuters. The United States will also provide training and equipment to bolster Ukrainian Air Force bases. The big picture: Biden reassured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday that he will stand up for Ukraine's sovereignty. A Ukraine defense memo leaked in April revealed that Russia has been holding last-minute military exercises near commercial shipping lanes in the Black Sea that threaten to strangle Ukraine's economy, Axios' Jonathan Swan and Zachary Basu report. More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free Acting Austin, Texas police chief Joseph Chacon gives an update on the 6th Street shooting (Austin PD/Facebook) Police are looking for a gunman who opened fire in the busy bar and nightclub district of Austin late on Saturday, injuring at least 13 people. Two of the victims are believed in be in critical condition, according to acting Police Chief Joseph Chacon, after the shooter fired at roughly 1.30 am on the busy 6th Street, a location known its hospitality venues. Our officers responded very quickly, Mr Chacon said. They were able to immediately begin life-saving measures for many of these patients, including applications of tourniquets, applications of chest seals. Some of the victims were taken for treatment in police cars, and not ambulances. This was said to be because of the location and type of the crime scene as there were lots of people around. Ambulances were hard to get in and out. The suspect is still at large and is believed to be a man. Mr Chacon said their understanding of the offender was not very detailed. Authorities are looking at video footage captured on CCTV and other evidence gathered from the area. They are appealing for anyone with any information to come forward to the police. According to reporting from CNN, federal investigators from the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force are also at the scene, alongside members of the local Aggravated Assault, Homicide and Organised Crime and Gang divisions. Gang crime has no been removed as a possibility, but motive are not evident yet. The police urged with a statement on Twitter to avoid the area. APD Officers working shooting downtown. Multiple victims with injuries. Media staging location will be E 9th street and IH 35 SVRD South bound (Valero gas station). Please stay away from 6th street. Will update with briefing time, the Austin Police Department wrote. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. In the early hours of 1 January 2020, two people were shot in a bar on the same street, a man and woman, who were seriously injured, at Terminal 6. According to reports at the time, they were not considered to be life threatening. This followed a series of other shootings in the months prior at nearby entertainment venues CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) Former Colorado quarterback Sam Noyer will use his final year of eligibility at Oregon State. Noyer, who is from Beaverton, Oregon, announced his move on Twitter on Friday. Noyer threw for 1,101 yards and six touchdowns in six starts last year for Colorado, which went 4-2 in the abbreviated Pac-12 season. He also rushed for 208 yards and five TDs. With the Beavers, Noyer is expected to compete with redshirt junior Tristan Gebbia and sophomore Chance Nolan. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound QB also thanked the Buffaloes. From an 18-year-old kid to a 23-year-old adult, I have learned so much from this city, this institution and most importantly, this football program. I have met lifelong friends and made memories that I will cherish forever," he wrote. It was truly an honor to wear Colorado across my chest. Noyer played at safety for the Buffaloes in 2019 before returning to quarterback last season. ___ More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25 Country artist Reba McEntire attends the 54th annual CMA Awards at the Music City Center on November 11, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. Jason Kempin/Getty Images for CMA Country star Reba McEntire was billed as a guest at a fundraiser for South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem. But McEntire said she never planned to attend, saying she doesn't get involved in politics. A representative for Noem said the governor is a "huge fan of Reba." Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Reba McEntire was billed as a special guest for an upcoming fundraising event for South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, but the country superstar said she never had plans to attend. "Last night, an invitation to a political fundraiser with my name attached was sent out without my knowledge or permission. I had and have no plans to attend this event and had told the event organizers as such," McEntire said in a tweet Friday. "Throughout my career, I have stated that I do not get involved in politics and that remains true today," she added. McEntire had been listed on an invitation to a barbecue fundraiser being held for Noem this Sunday in Montana, with tickets going for $500 a person. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. A representative for Noem, a rising Republican star, told KELO in a statement that they had received confirmation that the singer would be attending. "The Kristi for Governor campaign follows standard operating procedure when it comes to confirming and listing hosts for the Governor's events," Ian Fury said. "That includes written confirmation. The procedures were followed in this instance. I'd add that the Governor is a huge fan of Reba." The fundraiser is for Noem's reelection campaign. She has been talked about as a potential 2024 presidential candidate, though the governor has said she does not plan to run for president and that South Dakota is her focus. Read the original article on Insider Michele Gillen, a legendary former South Florida television investigative reporter known for her dogged work exposing injustices, has died at age 66. She died of natural causes. Her passing was confirmed by longtime friend and producer Marcia Izaguirre, who posted a lengthy tribute to Gillen on Facebook. For all those who knew her, she was a relentless warrior who fought indefatigably for the vulnerable, Izaguirre wrote. In every story she delved into, she aimed to discover the truth and spur change to improve the quality of life of her community. In all, Gillen won 39 local Emmys for her work stretching across decades. Gillen grew up in New York City and graduated as a valedictorian from Emerson College in Boston in 1977. Her first job was at a TV station in Bangor, Maine. She came to Miami in 1980, at a turbulent time in the citys history and weeks before the McDuffie race riots. In Miami, her first job was at WPLG-ABC10, where she hit the streets chronicling the fires, murders and scandals. Izaguirre, in her Facebook post, said Gillens work on housing facilities for the elderly, beginning in the mid-1980s, led to national legislation against elder abuse. I will never forget her confronting state authorities on their arrangement to house released sexual predators to live in the same facilities, turning these safe spaces into houses of horror, Izaguirre said. In the mid-1980s, she was part of the newly formed investigative team that won national awards, including a best newscast award from the Radio-Television News Directors Association. Gillen and Bobby Groves, her producer, won the coveted Columbia-DuPont Silver Baton Award in 1988 reporting on the abuse of children in the states care. It was a glorious time for WPLG in terms of its journalism, said John Terenzio, a former news director. Michele was a huge part of that. Gillens versatility was unique. She also served as anchor for the 5:30 p.m. newscast with Art Carlson. Story continues Its unique to find someone who has the charisma and personality to be an anchor and also has the hard-news chops to be an investigative reporter, Terenzio said. Steve Wasserman, a former executive producer and news director at WPLG, recalled that Gillen also did a regular segment called Wednesdays Child, working with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami. The segment aimed to pair viewers with at-risk youth. She really did some very compassionate reporting on these young people who needed adult guidance and mentoring, Wasserman said, adding: She had a lot of depth and she had a lot of versatility. After her time at WPLG, she moved to NBC in 1988 and became a correspondent for the news program Dateline. Gillen, however, got caught up in the Dateline scandal over staged crash tests on General Motors trucks, and was eventually moved to the NBC station in Miami, WTVJ. In 1995, she left for CBS KCBS-TV in Los Angeles, then returned two years later to Miami as an investigative reporter for WFOR-CBS4. Gillen worked for nearly two decades at WFOR-CBS4, where she earned 25 regional Emmys. In 2004, she became the first TV reporter to interview Libyan leader Col. Moammar Gadhafi after he decided to give up weapons of mass destruction. Among her most prominent stories in South Florida: chronicling the issue of human trafficking in South Florida, a series on the links between fire fighting and cancers, and a series on the inhumane treatment of the mentally ill in Miami-Dades main jail. Miami-Dade County Judge Steve Leifman, a well-known advocate for improving how the mentally ill are treated in the justice system, credited Gillens dozen-plus stories for helping shut down the infamous ninth-floor ward. The series was called The Forgotten Floor. She hated injustices and she cared passionately about the most vulnerable in our community, Leifman said on Friday. She didnt stop fighting for them until she was able to make improvements. Her tenure at WFOR ended in 2018, after the station declined to renew her contract. She later sued CBS for age and gender discrimination, claiming harassment and bullying. The case settled in 2019. Michele Gillen was the finest investigative reporter that Id ever worked with, and Ive worked with many, Terenzio said. Her drive to capture the story was phenomenal. Beneath it all, she was a kind, funny, delightful person to be with. She also exposed ongoing injustices against Holocaust survivors. David Schaecter of Miami, President of the Holocaust Survivors Foundation USA, praised this work. We are grief-stricken over the passing of Michele Gillen. Twenty years ago, Micheles groundbreaking series about the plight of Holocaust survivors living in poverty, and forgotten by society, forced institutions to address a human tragedy that had long been ignored. She continued for the next two decades to research and report about the Holocaust, about the need for accountability and remembrance. Members of the Memphis Greenspace board take a look at the now former grave of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, in Memphis, Tenn., on Friday, June 11, 2021. (AP) The remains of Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate army general, and the first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, have been exhumed from the Health Sciences Park in Memphis, Tennessee and taken to a secret location in the western part of the state before being moved to a museum south of Nashville. The work, carried by a group called The Sons of Confederate Veterans to remove the remains of the infamous slave trader began on 1 June. While the remains were discovered on Monday, shortly after 9am, an announcement was not made until Friday in order to ensure that all artefacts had been found, Shelby County Election Commissioner Brent Taylor told reporters, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal. A statue of the KKK leader was removed from the park in December 2017. The statue and remains will be reassembled and interred at the National Confederate Museum in Columbia south of Nashville. A Victorian cradle with the initials of Mr Forrest was found, leading them to the location of his remains. The graves of the general and his wife were finally found 10 feet below the park plaza. The grand wizards casket remained whole, but his wifes had decayed and her remains were placed in a temporary casket. Shelby County Commissioner Van Turner said that no discussions have yet been had on what will replace the statue. Lets just let the park breathe, lets relax a little bit and enjoy the park, he said. Were going to leave it up to the Memphians and the Shelby Countians. The park was previously called Forrest Park and was bought by non-profit organisation Memphis Greenspace when the statue was removed in 2017. Mr Forrest lived from 1821 to 1877. His statue was erected in 1904. His descendants were present when his remains were placed in the park in November 1904, and again generations later when the remains were removed more than 116 years later. We wanted this process to be respectful, to be something that healed divisions, Mr Turner said. Story continues I think the Forrest family wanted the remains of their ancestor to rest in peace, he added. There was never going to be peace here. Tami Sawyer was one of the leaders behind the effort to remove the statue. Shes now one of 13 Shelby County Commissioners. She was harassed by one of the workers exhuming the remains as she spoke to reporters. George Johnson, 46, was seen and heard singing Dixie and waving the Confederate flag. He called Ms Sawyer a communist piece of s**t. If you were a man, I would beat your a**, he said, according to a police report. He was arrested and charged with misdemeanour assault. He has since been released. Mr Turner said the tension around the park could have been a disaster but that those involved were committed to working across the aisle. We would hope that the example showed here with the safe removal of the monuments and the safe removal of the remains will serve as an example of what we can do to move this city forward, he added, calling it a great day for Memphis, according to WREG. We have not had the issues other cities have had, Mr Taylor said. We did this right. Read More Statue of Black hero of Lewis & Clark trip defaced in Oregon France sends a second statue of liberty to US Virginia high court to hear challenges to Lee statue removal Reuters Members of the U.S. military who were vaccinated against COVID-19 showed higher-than-expected rates of heart inflammation, although the condition was still extremely rare, according to a study released on Tuesday. All the patients, who at the time of the study's publication had recovered or were recovering from myocarditis - an inflammation of the heart muscle - had received shots made by either Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE or Moderna Inc. U.S. health regulators last week added a warning to the literature that accompanies those mRNA vaccines to flag the rare risk of heart inflammation seen primarily in young males. Kim Avis has been sentenced to 15 years in prison (US Marshalls) A Scottish rapist who was considered missing, and possibly dead, in California has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after authorities finally tracked him down. Kim Avis, 57, was jailed in the Edinburgh High Court following his arrival back in the UK on Friday after pleading guilty to non-sexual charges. He maintains he is innocent over the sexual-related offences. Last month, Avis was found guilty on three counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in the High Count in Glasgow, according to the Crown Office. He is originally from Inverness, where we worked at the market and had once received a good citizen award. He will serve 12 years for the sexual crimes, which include a rape and an offence against a child, and three for not attending his court sessions. He was supposed to begin his trial in March 2019 but failed to attend court as he had fled to the US. Fraser Gibson, the procurator fiscal for High Court sexual offences, said of the case, This has been a difficult and complex investigation for all those involved. I would like to commend the victims for their bravery in coming forward. He continued, Kim Avis went to great lengths to evade justice for his crimes. Thanks to the efforts of police and prosecutors, working together with US law enforcement, he has been brought to justice and sentenced today. Prior to arriving back in Scotland, he was in detention, under the control of US Marshalls from July 2019 after being believed to be missing for six months. He was considered to be dead as he had been last seen in Monastery Beach, an infamous location in Carmel, California due to the amount of people who have died swimming there. The beachs reputation has gained it the grim moniker Mortuary Beach. It was unclear whether the man was alive or dead, but US authorities continued their search and finally discovered him in Colorado. A member of Police Scotlands domestic abuse task force, Detective Caine McIntyre supported Avis conviction and praised his victims for coming forward and cooperating with the process. I would like to take this opportunity to commend the victims/survivors in this case for the courage, strength and dignity they have shown throughout this investigation and subsequent court case. She also urged people in similar situations to come forward and reach out to the relevant authorities. A Central Washington University student has been arrested after being accused of stealing and burning the schools LGBTQ+ Pride flag and posting it online, according to officials. In a letter from university president Jim Wohlpart, officials confirmed that the LGBTQ+ Pride flag outside the student recreation center was stolen Wednesday and burned while being filmed for social media. This is an appalling act of hate against the LGBTQ+ community, the letter states. University officials said a CWU student was arrested and will undergo the student conduct process, NBC Right Now reported. A new Pride flag was put up Thursday afternoon, school officials said, according to the publication. The letter also mentions support for students, faculty and staff, including counseling resources. We are greatly disturbed that our CWU LGBTQ+ community had to endure this violation of their identity; this act diminished all of us, Wohlpart wrote. This is especially true during Pride month when many LGBTQ+ CWU students, faculty and staff celebrate and memorialize their communities and commemorate the Stonewall Riots. We will not tolerate these types of actions that reduce the identity of others, make them feel unwelcome, and decrease their sense of safety and belonging. CWU police said Thursday that they arrested the person responsible. We take these crimes very seriously and will not rest until a corrective outcome is achieved. This is another example of how we depend on the support and trust of our community to achieve a safe and secure learning environment, authorities wrote in a Facebook post. More than 1,700 people have signed a petition demanding consequences for the student accused of burning the flag. While I am not asking for this to be pursued in a court of law, I am asking that there are academic consequences for this action, be it removal of scholarship money, suspension, or expulsion, the organizer of the petition wrote. This is a heinous act and there must be consequences for his actions if this school wants to promote a safe environment for all students, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Wife fires husband from CA coffee company over racial slur in argument with Black man Amazon driver repeatedly punches 67-year-old woman in the head, California video shows The governors of Texas and Arizona are calling on their counterparts in other states to send law enforcement to the border to help stem the crisis at the southern border that has overwhelmed officials and border states. "On behalf of Texas and Arizona, we respectfully but urgently request that you send all available law-enforcement resources to the border in defense of our sovereignty and territorial integrity," Govs. Greg Abbott of Texas and Doug Ducey of Arizona wrote in a letter to their fellow governors this week. MIGRANT CHILDREN'S FLIGHTS PROMPT IOWA, TENNESSEE GOVERNORS TO DEMAND ANSWERS FROM BIDEN ADMINISTRATION Both the federal government and border states have been dealing with a surge in migration to the border, with more than 180,000 migrants encountered in May alone -- including more than 10,000 unaccompanied children. Texas and Arizona have seen a number of facilities built, opened or refashioned to house the migrants coming across the border -- including the use of hotels by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Officials have complained that migrants are often let loose into communities and able to travel to wherever they want. Both states have sued over the Biden administrations policies, arguing that border states are hurt the most by the relaxing of Trump-era border and enforcement measures. But the governors warned other states that it will have a knock-on effect to their states too. FBI DIRECTOR CONFIRMS MEXICO CARTEL ACTIVITY SPILLING OVER INTO US AMID BORDER CRISIS "This failure to enforcement federal immigration laws causes banns that spill over into every State. The cartels will see to it that their deadly fentanyl and human-trafficking victims reach far and wide," the letter says. "The convicted criminals they smuggle into the homeland will bring recidivism with them to far too many of your communities." While the governors noted the billions they had spent in border and public safety in recent years, as well as disaster declarations, they argue that "additional manpower is needed from any State that can spare it." Story continues DHS ANNOUNCES PLAN TO USE BORDER WALL MONEY TO ADDRESS SAFETY, ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES "Texas and Arizona have stepped up to secure the border in the federal governments absence, and now the Emergency Management Assistance Compact gives your state a chance to stand strong with us," the governors say. The letter is the latest warning that the migration crisis, which has shown no signs of dissipating any time soon, is affecting non-border states. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP This week, the governors of Iowa and Tennessee have again raised concerns about unaccompanied migrant children being flown into their states -- and have called for hearings into what they describe as a lack of transparency from the Biden administration on the matter. BANGKOK (AP) Some restrictions to protect against the spread of COVID-19 will be lifted in the Thai capital of Bangkok beginning early next week, the country's prime minister announced Sunday. Enterprises allowed to reopen Monday are museums and historical sites, parks and botanical gardens, beauty parlors, nail salons, massage parlors but only for foot massages and tattoo parlors, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said Saturday on his Facebook page. Thailand is contending with a third wave of the coronavirus that began in April, and which has accounted for more than 80% of the country's total 193,105 confirmed cases and 90% of 1,431 related deaths. Bangkok officials sought to reopen such establishments earlier, but had been turned down by the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration, the national agency coordinating the response to the virus. Prayuth said the restrictions were being lifted because the virus is spreading at a controllable level and many Bangkok residents have gotten vaccinated, especially in the sectors being reopened. However, health authorities on Saturday announced 3,277 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, the first time the daily figure climbed above 3,000 since June 3, when 3,886 cases were reported. Thailand began a mass vaccination program on June 7 after Prayuth's government came under heavy criticism for failing to secure timely and sufficient vaccine supplies. The nationwide mass vaccinations were launched as local production of the AstraZeneca vaccine began to supplement supplies of Sinovac vaccine imported from China. Prayuths government says it is negotiating deals to buy other vaccines, including those from Pfizer and Johnson and Johnson. Prayuth in his Facebook post also said the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration and the Cabinet would still have to give final approval for the southern resort island of Phuket to allow visits by vaccinated foreigners without quarantining them on arrival, which is otherwise set to begin on July 1. Story continues The plan, which would keep visitors from low-risk countries isolated in a section of the island for 14 days until they could go elsewhere in Thailand, is known as the Phuket sandbox. It is considered to be a major step toward reviving the countrys large but battered tourism industry and would serve as a model for other popular tourist destinations. Before the pandemic, Phuket was the countrys second-most popular destination after Bangkok. In 2019, it welcomed around 10 million foreign tourists and generated 470 billion baht ($15 billion) in revenue. According to the Phuket Hotel Association, more than 50,000 employees in its hospitality sector lost their jobs last year. By Carlos Osorio LONDON, Ontario (Reuters) - Thousands of people marched on Friday in support of a Canadian Muslim family run over and killed by a man driving a pick-up truck last Sunday in an attack the police described as a hate crime. The four victims, spanning three generations, were killed when Nathaniel Veltman, 20, ran into them while they were out for an evening walk near their home. A fifth family member, a 9-year-old boy, survived. People in London, Ontario marched about 7 kilometers (4.4 miles) from the spot where the family was struck down to a nearby mosque, the site close to where Veltman was arrested by police. Some carried placards with messages reading 'Hate has no home here', 'Love over hate.' Similar events were held in other cities in Ontario, Canada's most populous province. "The best part was not just the numbers ... but the diversity of the people coming from every single community in London, coming together for this cause," said 19-year old college student Abdullah Al Jarad at the march. The attack sparked outrage across Canada, with politicians from all sides condemning the crime, spurring growing calls to take action to curb hate crime and Islamophobia. Veltman made a brief court appearance on Thursday and will return to court on Monday. He faces four charges of first-degree murder and one of attempted murder. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called the killings a "terrorist attack" and vowed to clamp down on far-right groups and online hate. (Writing by Denny Thomas; editing by Richard Pullin) Cartegena Courtesy of Rondel Holder During the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was lucky enough to travel to a handful of destinations for some time to relax and recharge, but on my latest trip, I was looking for something more. When I set out to visit Cartagena, Colombia in April, it was my first time back to traveling the way I used to pre-pandemic. Well, not 100% back - I still wore masks, practiced social distancing, and took proper precautions - but it was my first time since COVID-19 that I was visiting a new country with plans to fully explore, connect with locals, and immerse myself in new experiences every day. The beautiful city of Cartagena is as rich in vibrant color as it is in history and did not disappoint the culture seeker in me who was ready to connect with a world I wasn't familiar with. The electric energy of the city was fueled by the welcoming locals who were grateful for my visit, especially during the pandemic, when so many of their businesses have been suffering. Here's what it was like to visit this South American gem. Pre-travel Process Colombia requires physical proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 96 hours before departure. Results will be checked by the airline before boarding in the U.S. and by customs upon landing. If travelers do not take a COVID-19 PCR test prior to flying, they may take one upon arrival, but will then be subject to isolation until negative results are obtained or can opt for 14-day isolation. Within 24 hours of flying, visitors are also required to fill out an immigration form that asks basic travel information as well as a few COVID-19 related questions. The form is required to be completed within 24 hours of leaving the country. Getting to Cartagena There were several direct flight options from New York City to Cartagena. Located in the northern part of South America, the flight time, typically around 4 hours and 40 minutes, is surprisingly shorter than to some eastern Caribbean islands. Masks are required at all times throughout JFK International Airport and Rafael Nunez International Airport. Story continues Social distancing is prompted by floor markers and signs throughout both airports. Upon landing at CTG, my temperature was taken and I was asked to sanitize my hands. The customs process was simple and straightforward and I was on my way to the hotel within about 15 minutes. Current Restrictions Mask wearing and social distancing is required in all public areas except while seated to eat and drink, or at the pool and beach. The city was very much alive and open, with the streets of popular areas like The Walled City and Getsemani full of locals and visitors. Popular restaurants, bars, and attractions require reservations to maintain set capacities throughout the day. While Cartagena had no curfew during my visit, we were told that Colombia's capital, Bogota, had just implemented a curfew. As cases of COVID-19 continue to fluctuate, it is important to check the latest, most up-to-date information on Colombia's official tourism website. Experience While Traveling I opted to stay in the Walled City of Cartagena, an area filled with history, brightly painted buildings, cobblestone streets, and an abundance of floral archways at every turn. Just walking around this area is an experience in itself - with amazing people-watching - along with so many amazing restaurants, rooftop bars, and shopping options within a 10-minute walk. Although this is where I felt the strongest buzz of city life, there are countless options for day trips to take for a change of scenery. There are several beaches in Cartagena that visitors and locals enjoy, however, many drive outside city limits or charter a boat to experience either more secluded beach experiences or beaches with pristine water. Because the city of Cartagena is hugged by the Caribbean sea, there are beaches that boast cerulean and turquoise waters with powdery white sand shores, like the popular Playa Blanca in Isla Baru, which is about an hour and a half drive from Cartagena. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Within a five-minute drive from Playa Blanca is the lesser-known but fascinating Aviario Nacional de Colombia, a bird park and conservation that is home to over 190 species of birds and over 2,000 specimens. Flamingos, hawks, eagles, toucans, woodpeckers, and more are exhibited in staged environments that reflect their natural habitats throughout Colombia (desert, coast, rainforest/tropical, swamp) showcasing the biodiversity of the region. The one-way walking path through the aviary is about two hours on average. As for its local population, Cartagena and the surrounding regions are about 30% Black or Afro-Latino. Many Black people in Colombia live in palenques, communities that were created as Black Colombians sought refuge from slavery in the city limits. San Basilio de Palenque is one of the largest and most popular palenques about an hour outside of Cartagena city proper. Here, visitors can learn about the long and still-existing Afro-Colombian history where many locals speak a language that is rooted in Bantu (a language spoken in several central and west African countries), practice traditional ceremonies, dance, religions and more. For my first time back out in the world with the intention to truly explore again, Cartagena was a great reminder of what it felt like to travel pre-pandemic. The rush of adrenaline that comes with new adventures, eyes widening with curiosity, and the readiness to encounter an endless well of possibilities all returned. Although I don't know if travel for me will ever be as carefree as it once was, Cartagena offered the opportunity to fully indulge again and has me looking forward to more culturally immersive experiences even further from home. Just when you thought we may have finally gotten a break from hearing the word recount ad nauseum after the most recent election cycle, two white families broke the respite after two Black students beat out their kids for graduation honors at a West Point, Miss., high school. According to the New York Times, Ikeria Washington and Layla Temple were named valedictorian and salutatorian for West Point High School 2021 class. The joyous moment was quickly soured when the parents of Emma Berry and Dominic Borgioliwho were both near the top of the classcried foul and claimed that they should have been honored instead. Read more They called for the school to recalculate their students grade point averages. As a result, West Point High School decided to make Berry and Borgioli co-valedictorian and co-salutatorian with Washington and Temple. Naturally, this decision was not well-received. The Times reports: In the nearly three weeks since that senior awards night, West Point, a mostly Black town in the northeastern part of the state, has been split largely along racial lines, roiled by a dispute that included threats, a potential lawsuit and allegations of racism posted on Facebook. West Point school officials and the Berry and Borgioli families argued that none of this had to do with race, but rather the way that the school calculated the final grade point averages of all four students. Ikeria and Layla won based on a calculation of quality point average or Q.P.A., a system of calculating grades that gave extra weight to advanced placement and dual credit courses. But, it turned out, Dominic and Emma were the top two finishers based on unweighted grade point average. The parents of the two white students held discussions with Burnell McDonald, the superintendent of West Point schools. They complained that based on the West Point High School Student Handbook, the school had not followed its own rules in calculating class rank. After talking with the white parents, Mr. McDonald, who is Black, concluded that the handbook and tradition backed them up: In the school system, class rank has been calculated by unweighted grade point average, not Q.P.A., which would have made the two white students the honorees. The evening before graduation, Mr. McDonald informed the parents of Dominic and Emma: He was adding the two white students as co-honorees Dominic was now co-valedictorian and Emma co-salutatorian. Story continues The Times also noted that some were concerned that the Berry familys history in West Point may have been a deciding factor in giving Emma Berry the retroactive honoras she is a descendant of the co-founder of what used to be West Points largest employer, Bryan Foods. Even though the local Bryan pork processing factory shut down in 2007, the extended Bryan family remains among the towns most influential. Several local institutions bear the family name, including the public library. Emma Berrys father told the Times that the family name, the Bryan name, never came into play. Whether or not this issue was a matter of race or a matter of following rules will likely be disputed until the end of time itself, but two things are unassailable: 1. The optics dont look good. Its understandable for any parent to defend the academic integrity of their children, and its not uncommon for there to be disputes after valedictorians are named. But due to Mississippis long history with segregation (which still happens in some schools within the state) and other educational equity issues, its easy to see why it looks like these two white families are upset solely because their kids were bested by two Black students. 2. The school district didnt handle this situation well at all. Washington and Temples parents told the Times that they were not informed of the districts decision ahead of graduation. In fact, Temples mother first learned of the decision after Berrys mother posted a picture of her daughter and Borgioli on social media, which made the rounds. They had no intention of telling us, Lanika Temple, Laylas mother, said. They were just going to have us show up at graduation. If it was truly a mistake, you contact the students and the family. They didnt have enough respect to tell us. I feel it was underhanded. I didnt even get a courtesy call, Ms. Washington said. It also did not help that the district allowed for two unrecorded grades of Berrys to be added to her record after the deadline had passed, which the West Point branch of the NAACP told the Times isnt a courtesy offered to all students. West Point Superintendent McDonald apologized during the schools graduation ceremony. Bottom line, school board, I apologize, Mr. McDonald told the assembly. You charged me with doing what I really believe is right by your students despite race, color, socioeconomic, whatever. God knows when I make a decision for kids, my heart is for kids and doing the right thing. So I ask you, please, for tonight, lets make our graduates feel special. The Washington and Temple families are considering a lawsuit, the Times reports. A tourist from the United States was supposedly wounded Friday in Cancun, Mexico, during a beach shooting amid continued cartel violence. Two men were killed in the attack, and one "foreign woman" was wounded, the prosecutor's office for Quintana Roo, the state where Cancun is located, reportedly said. DAUGHTER OF DRUG LORD 'EL MENCHO SENTENCED TO TWO-AND-A-HALF YEARS IN US PRISON The woman was from the U.S., a local official said. The Washington Examiner reached out to the State Department for confirmation but did not immediately hear back. "It's hot. I need water," said a woman, reportedly in Cancun, being wheeled to an ambulance. "Water. Water." The region, like much of the nation, is plagued by cartel violence. There were 209 killings in Quintana Roo between January and April, the Associated Press reported. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER The State Department warns U.S. citizens to "exercise increased caution" when traveling in the area due to crime. "Criminal activity and violence, including homicide, occur throughout the state," according to the department's website. "Most homicides appear to be targeted; however, criminal organization assassinations and turf battles between criminal groups have resulted in violent crime in areas frequented by U.S. citizens. Bystanders have been injured or killed in shooting incidents." Washington Examiner Videos Tags: News, Mexico, Drug Cartels, Tourism, State Department, Crime Original Author: Haley Victory Smith Original Location: US tourist wounded in Cancun shooting amid cartel violence: Report President Donald Trump speaks in front of a border wall prototype near San Diego in 2018. Kevin Lamarque/Reuters The White House on Friday reverted about $2 billion in border wall spending back to the military. Trump's 52 miles of new wall cost up to $46 million per mile, Biden's administration said. It wasn't "a serious policy solution or responsible use of federal funds," the White House said. Sign up for the 10 Things in Politics daily newsletter. The White House on Friday pulled more than $2 billion in funding that the former administration had diverted for its southern border wall project, sending the money back to the military. President Donald Trump had pitched a "big, beautiful wall" along the border between the US and Mexico. The White House on Friday said the project had taken attention away from "genuine security challenges, like drug smuggling and human trafficking." "Building a massive wall that spans the entire southern border and costs American taxpayers billions of dollars is not a serious policy solution or responsible use of federal funds," The White House Office of Management and Budget said in a briefing on Friday. Video: Inside the Border Patrol facilities holding migrant children in Texas While in the Oval Office, Trump built 52 miles of a new wall along the border between the US and Mexico, with some sections costing an average of $46 million per mile, the budget office said. The border between the two countries stretches more than 1,900 miles, some of which already had barriers in place before Trump's election. Read more: Matt Gaetz's former classmates say he's an embarrassment to William & Mary Law School and should resign President Joe Biden paused the redirection of funds for the wall on his first day in office. The administration then missed its own deadline for a long-term solution, and reportedly considered restarting some construction. Texas Gov. Greg Abbot on Thursday said he planned to continue building a wall along his state's border with Mexico. He planned to spend $1 billion on border security and a task force, The Texas Tribune reported. Story continues Biden's administration on Friday called for Congress to cancel other previously allocated funds for border wall projects. The wall construction diverted "critical" military training funds. It also "caused serious risks to life, safety, and the environment," the White House said. The more than $2 billion in funding being redirected by Biden's administration will fund 66 deferred projects in 11 states, three territories, and 16 countries, the budget office said. The funding will include $10 million for a missile field expansion in Alaska, $25 million for a radio complex in North Carolina, and $79 million for upgrades to an elementary school for US military children in Germany. Read the original article on Business Insider Not this bull to replace a White man with a f Black man. That is not unity, the woman yelled A white woman was seen on video vandalizing the monument of the only Black member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition on Tuesday. Oregon Live reports that the woman identified as Jeanette Grode, 43, received a citation for criminal mischief, abuse of venerated objects, unlawful applying of graffiti, and vandalism. She was not arrested for her actions. PORTLAND, OR MARCH 01: A young visitor examines a statue of York, the only Black member of the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery, that was mysteriously erected in Mt. Tabor Park on March 1, 2021 in Portland, Oregon. The statue was sculpted by an unknown artist and mounted at the previous location of a memorial to Harvey Scott, a vocal conservative who fought against womens suffrage, which was torn down by activists during racial justice protests last year. (Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images) Grode spray-painted purple letters on the monuments pedestal and on the plaque describing the monument. The words love not hate were spray painted, as well as other symbols. The monument commemorates York, an enslaved Black member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804, and is located at Mount Tabor in Southeast Portland. The expedition was initiated when President Thomas Jefferson tasked Meriwether Lewis with exploring lands west of the Mississippi River that comprised the Louisiana purchase. Lewis chose Willliam Clark as his co-leader for the mission, according to HISTORY. The bust of York appeared months earlier in place of a Harvey Scott statue. A passerby tweeted on Tuesday that he noticed Grode during a bike ride and uploaded pictures of her, saying, Had an interesting encounter during a bike ride this morning. A person was defacing the Bust of York statue on the top of Mt Tabor. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. A Twitter user responded about a similar encounter near the bust, tweeting, She approached my partner and I about the whole thing a few days ago. It was rly intense. She was incredibly racist and agitated about being discriminated against for being a white blonde women. Williamete Week on YouTube shared the video of Grode yelling at bystanders with spray cans in her hand. F all of you! she said. I dont give a f! Do whatever the f you want. Its love and unity. Not this bull to replace a White man with a f Black man. That is not unity, she yelled. Yeah, you can go ahead, shake your headwhite privilege.' Story continues Skye Mitchell visited the park from Alaska and told the outlet that he was confused by Grodes defacement of the bust. Certain things like Confederate statues I totally understand. We shouldnt be honoring the generals that were trying to keep that, Mitchell said. But the people that died who were just trying to be human why cant we honor them? In February, Portland Parks & Recreation officials said the bust would not be removed due to its policy of allowing tributes as long as theyre not a danger to the public. Carmen Rubio, City Commissioner, released a statement at that time, calling the bust a much-needed reminder to city leaders to hasten our work of rooting out white supremacy in our institutionsparticularly our city government, where many processes exclude community participation and discourage engagement. 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 White woman defaces monument of Black Lewis and Clark expedition member appeared first on TheGrio. In 1959, two white men teamed up to tell the Black mans story during the era of segregation in America. George Levitan was born in Michigan in 1905. By 1950 Levitan was living in Fort Worth, where he bought the company that published Negro Achievements magazine. He changed the title to Sepia and hoped to compete with Ebony magazine. In 1957, Levitan hired a young writer who had his own story to tell. John Howard Griffin was born in Dallas in 1920 and by 1930 was living in Fort Worths Fairmount neighborhood with his parents. Griffin briefly attended Paschal High School but at age 15 went to Europe to study medicine and music. He trained as a musicologist. During World War II he worked in the French Resistance as a medic. He then served as a forward observer for the U.S. Army in the South Pacific, where he was blinded. He returned to his parents, now living on a farm near Mansfield. Despite his blindness, he wrote fiction and nonfiction. The year 1957 was monumental for Griffin. First, his sight suddenly returned. Second, he was hired by George Levitan. By 1959, Griffins restored sight had allowed him to observe the South around him for two years. What he saw made him want to trade his eyes for a new pair: Griffin wanted to see the South through African-American eyes at least to the extent that any white person could. So, in 1959 Griffin pitched an audacious story idea to Levitan: Griffin would have his skin darkened chemically and travel across the segregated South as a black man. Levitan told Griffin he was crazy but agreed to finance Griffins Dixie odyssey including the medical procedures in return for the right to serialize in Sepia magazine Griffins account of his experiences. In late 1959 Griffin, his skin darkened and his hair shaved, left New Orleans and headed east toward Georgia, traveling by thumb and by Greyhound. He sat in the back of city buses, ate and slept in cafes and hotels that accepted African Americans, confined himself to colored water fountains and restrooms, worked at the only jobs open to African Americans, such as shining shoes. Yes, he was shown kindness by both Blacks and whites, but he also learned to withstand what he called the hate stare from white people. Story continues Griffin wrote: I found that in New Orleans, the Negro receives many courtesies from the whites, certainly far more than in any other southern city I visited. But all the courtesies in the world do not cover up the one vital and massive discourtesy that he is kept in a status of inferior citizenship because he is a Negro. He is not a second-class citizen, but a tenth-class one ... The feeling of utter hopelessness I found among Negroes elsewhere in the South is replaced in Montgomery by a spirit of passive resistance. The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.s influence, like an echo of Gandhis, prevails. After six weeks living as a Black man in the South, John Howard Griffin returned home. In 1960 he described his experiences often harrowing in the serial Journey into Shame in Sepia magazine. Predictably, reactions to Griffins social experiment were mixed. For example, Sepias rival magazine Ebony pictured Griffin on its cover; in Griffins hometown of Mansfield, he was hanged in effigy. Griffins story was published as the book Black Like Me in 1961 and became a best-seller. A film starring James Whitmore was made in 1964. George Levitan died in 1976. John Howard Griffin died in 1980. Today, a half-century after a white man saw the South through a Black mans eyes, Black Like Me continues to be read in several languages and to be taught in colleges. Mike Nichols blogs about Fort Worth history at www.hometownbyhandlebar.com. Britney Spears wrote a two-page letter breaking up with her high school boyfriend (Brenda Chase/Newsmakers/Getty Images) Letters written by a teenage Britney Spears to her high school boyfriend are among the memorabilia up for auction this weekend. The pop star was dating Donald Reg Jones in her hometown of McComb, Missouri, shortly before the career launch that would catapult her to global fame. Spears broke up with Jones in a two-page, handwritten note that said: Look, Im really sorry that it had to be this way, but I think we both knew this was coming. She later wrote: Ive had a great two years. Who knows, two years from now or even 10, we might get back together if its meant to be. Spears wrote him a second letter in August 1998, which is postmarked from the New York apartment she was living in while Jones was still in Missouri. What was wrong with you at lunch? You were mean, she wrote. The note apparently included expletives but Spears signed off with a love heart. The letters are expected to fetch between 2,800 to 4,250 when they go on sale at Juliens Auction Music Icons event in Beverly Hills this weekend. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Martin Nolan, the auction houses executive director, told Press Association the letters were terrific. It was a school friendship that developed into a relationship and then she was having a hard time trying to break the relationship, she didnt see a future for them, he said. Its really very heartfelt, genuine from her to him and from him to her, he added. Its also unusual to have both sides, if you will, represented in different letters in the one auction. Theyre getting a lot of interest. Spears has returned to the public eye in the past few years due to the ongoing battle over her controversial conservatorship. Two documentaries exploring the matter were released this year, including the New York Times documentary Framing Britney Spears. In April, Spears said she was flattered that the world is concerned with her life. Among the other items up for auction this weekend are Bob Dylans handwritten lyrics for his 1969 song Lay Lady Lay, which have a pre-auction estimate of 250,000 to 425,000. Story continues Meanwhile a self-portrait caricature by Kurt Cobain, signed Kurdt Kobain Rock Star, could fetch 14,000. Read More Queen Elizabeth joins G7 leaders for family photo Liz Phair: It would have been terrible if Id died after my last album I will not make that mistake again Polo G arrested after Hall of Fame album party in Miami FALMOUTH, England (Reuters) - The head of the World Trade Organization said there was a pathway for a global deal to get more COVID-19 vaccines to developing countries, despite a split over whether drugs firms should be stripped of their intellectual property rights. WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, speaking to reporters before joining discussions among leaders of the Group of Seven nations, said she was hopeful there would be more clarity on the way ahead for the IP waiver issue by July. "It may be difficult because some of the positions, maybe, are a little bit far apart, but there is a pathway," she said. "I would very much like to see some form of progress by July." WTO members agreed on Wednesday to start formal talks on a plan to boost COVID-19 vaccine supply to developing countries but the battle lines are drawn for tough negotiations. South Africa and India, backed by many emerging nations, want a temporary waiver of IP rights on vaccines and other treatments to allow local manufacturers to produce shots. U.S. President Joe Biden has said he backs a temporary waiver. But other developed nations, many home to large pharmaceutical companies, say such a move would not boost production and could undermine research and development. Okonjo-Iweala said the debate had moved ahead with the agreement to start the negotiations. "We hope that this will happen in a way that can accelerate agreement into something pragmatic, that will work for developing countries and at the same time protect research and innovation," she said. As well as reaching a deal on IP, countries had to scale back restrictions on exports of materials used in production and back a $50 billion plan to accelerate local vaccine rollouts, the WTO leader added. WTO members are due to discuss next week the format of negotiations with a view to producing a report by July 21-22. The G7 leaders, holding a summit in southwest England, agreed on Friday to donate 1 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to poorer countries, something the United Nations and campaign groups said fell short of what is needed. Story continues Separately, Okonjo-Iweala said she was hoping for a "significant advance" in talks on fishery subsidies by July "even if we don't get to a conclusion which is quite possible". She is due to host a meeting of WTO member countries on July 15 to try to cut fisheries subsidies after 20 years of talks. (Reporting by William Schomberg; Editing by Frances Kerry) Arnold said the goal is to give students tools to do a better job hearing their neighbors, working through differences in a civilized manner. He said the lesson was formed with resources and guidance provided by the Virginia Department of Education and the state superintendent, clarifying ACPS is not required to offer these lessons but should prepare for federal and state laws that may one day require them. The Amherst County Board of Supervisors heard complaints from residents, including some publicly saying they believe the lesson is divisive and part of a left-leaning agenda. A few speakers have expressed concerns the material is associated with critical race theory, a term for an academic framework examining how policies and the law perpetuate systemic racism, which has drawn backlash among conservatives across Virginia. Arnold has said the division is not engaged in teaching CRT and the board recently passed a resolution the prohibits the division from teaching it. Addressing the board during a June 10 public comments period, Gloria Witt, president of the Amherst NAACP, said she is frustrated and somewhere in all the discussion a connection has to be made because all of us want to see a positive result. And while he has seen other squads go under, he said the Concord Rescue squad survives because of its strong community. Though call numbers have dropped since the early 2000s, theyve been steady for the past several years, with about 300 calls annually. According to Fairchild, in 1995 the county had six volunteer rescue agencies. Today, they have three. Just off the ambulance bay Thursday evening, a few of the younger, active members of the squad were in the lounge, eating dinner and chatting. Tyler Coleman, 19, is from Lynchburg, but hes been volunteering with the Concord Rescue Squad for about a year. He said his time there has helped him figure out what he wants to do for the rest of his life. He wants to go to nursing school, and is excited for the 50-year celebration so he can connect with even more of the community. Shantell Brooks, 29, said she joined because of her brothers encouragement. The squad runs on community, on volunteering. Without us, and without the community, there is no squad, she said. As a new person coming into the squad, the 50-year anniversary gives her a future to look forward to. Its inspiration, she said. These people have been here for half of 100 years. I want to do that. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The owner of the Camp Trapezium brewery and Amherst town and business leaders on Thursday celebrated the official grand opening of the new brewery and restaurant. Waukeshaw Development, Inc., the Petersburg company that purchased the historic Amherst Milling Company structure in 2017, has spent several years repurposing the historic landmark into a facility that sells craft beer and brick-oven pizza. The brewery is located at 140 Union Hill Road in Amherst. Dave McCormack, president of Waukeshaw, said the restoration has been one of the "craziest," most emotional and beautiful renovations the company has ever done. He referenced the previous owners, the Wydner family, and Bill Wydner, who attended the grand opening celebration and spoke with folks inside the structure he spent countless hours in over the decades. "This has amazing stories and I want to thank Bill for telling them all to us," McCormack said. "I'm still learning so much. I'm now the guy who has to tell all the stories to the people who come here and that's a serious challenge." McCormack said he is glad to join a chain of owners of the former mill dating back to the 1800s. "It's so beautiful," he said of the building's many features. "I'm so happy to be the steward of this thing." For one thing, hes been imprisoned for no reason. No charges. No information at all. They just rounded up journalists, he said. Theyre just really ignoring our overtures to try to get this thing resolved and cleaned up quickly. Worse, he and Maung reportedly are being held in Insein Prison, a notorious hellhole for political prisoners, including journalists. Meanwhile, back in the U.S., Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said the arrests of Fenster and Maung were of deep concern, and urged that they be freed and allowed to return home to their families. Dannys friends and family are trying to call attention to his case with T-shirts and a MoveOn.org petition that was coming close to its goal of 40,000 signatures. I wont discourage you from adding your name. Adding to the senselessness of his detention, his hiring preceded the coup and his job was mainly managing and editing, his family says. When other journalists left the country or went anonymous, he apparently saw no reason to follow them. He felt he was under the radar, his dad recalled. He wasnt doing any hardcore reporting. But over there, you dont need proof, you just need to be arrested. Pages column is provided by Tribune Content Agency. Over the past five years, Kids & Company has been awarded more than $97,000 through the Reach for the Stars grant program, according to the press release. Due to this grant, we have been able to improve the quality of our program and help increase our QRS ratings at our schools, Smith said. All our sites are at a 4 out of 5 QRS rating. This is the first time ever we were able to get to that level. Childcare has been especially critical during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Tisha Moore, early childhood coordinator for Promise Partners. This year was especially hard, with providers trying to stay open safely so parents could go to work, she said. Promise Partners has been especially focused on childcare the last 15 months for that reason. We appreciate the work of Kids & Company to keep kids safe and well cared for when they cant be at school and their parents are at work. For more information or to make a donation, visit cbsf.org or call the foundation at 712-322-8800. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. "I think it kind of demonstrates the level at which they are willing to go to accomplish what the ultimate goal is, and that is not to resolve this crisis at the border but to continue to ignore it and to continue to see illegal immigrants cross into this country," she added. In a news release issued Thursday, Reynolds office laid out a timeline of the flight that brought refugee children to Iowa. According to the governors office, on May 2 the state became aware of an April 22 flight that landed in Des Moines and carried unaccompanied minor children. After reviewing surveillance footage, the state May 6 reached out to multiple federal agencies. Federal agencies on May 7, May 10, and May 11 told the state the flight was not a federal immigration flight. On May 17, a federal immigration agency told staff at U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassleys office it was not involved in the flight. On May 21, the federal Health and Human Services Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and Office of Refugee Resettlement confirmed to Grassleys office that the April 22 flight was in fact one of its flights. The agency confirmed 19 children were flown from Long Beach, Calif., to Des Moines. Two buses transported the children to various locations to join their sponsors. The election Friday will see voters pick a candidate to replace Rouhani, who is term limited from running again. The vote comes amid tensions with the West as negotiations continue to try and resuscitate the nuclear deal, which saw Iran agree to limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. The structure of the previous two debates having candidates answer questions selected at random from large fish bowls largely prevented aspirants from uniformly offering their opinions. Apparently acknowledging public unhappiness with that, the moderator gave the candidates all the same question this time. The debate later took on the pattern of the previous ones, with hard-liners focusing their criticism on Hemmati as a stand-in for Rouhani. Hard-liner Alireza Zakani went as far to accuse Hemmati of committing a huge treason by sharing financial information to the International Monetary Fund. Hard-line former Revolutionary Guard chief Mohsen Rezaei described the Rouhani government as being run by infiltrators. We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. This year, the board has really pulled together, Blaesi said. We have taken on many hats that we dont normally do. Were helping in every aspect. She said she worked on program books, an area she had not done in previous years. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Peggy (Fox) has done so many things with scholarships and different programs, plus now shes running the whole thing, Blaesi said. Shes our executive director and shes only had less than six weeks to do it all. She has gotten it done amazingly. Every board member has stepped up, Blaesi said, to make sure this is a successful program. I want to emphasize the praise Peggy deserves with the job she is doing, Blaesi said. All of the scholarship money thats being handed out has been (managed by) Peggy and she has done it in less than six weeks. There were numerous hurdles to navigate in a short time. One of the hard things is that we had to wait for Miss America to tell us if we could have a program, Blaesi said. We didnt find that out until January, so we kind of hit the ground running. The next hurdle was whether North Platte High Schools Performing Arts Center would be available to host the program. When the Biden administration rolled out proposals to increase taxes on corporations and wealthy stockholders, the targets of the increases laughed them off. Corporate executives and lobbyists in Washington, New York and around the country say they are confident they can kill almost all of these tax hikes by pressuring moderate Democrats in the House and Senate, reported Politico last month. It seems those haughty fat cats, so confident they could easily work their will in Congress were absolutely correct. The pushback has operated largely behind the scenes, but evidence of its effectiveness has popped up primarily in reports targeted at the inside-Washington audience. Farm-state Democrats in the House are openly protesting Bidens measure to close a huge capital-gains-tax loophole. Bidens plan seems like a rather high rate to me, said Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey. The pushback includes Democratic moderates in both houses of Congress and not only those fighting off strong 2022 challenges. Given the thin margins in the House, and nonexistent margin in the Senate, almost any Democrats can kill almost any Biden legislative proposal for almost any reason they see fit. Insiders now believe Bidens proposals will be heavily scaled back. Theyll take what we give them, gloated one senior Democratic aide. The front pages have been consumed with Bidens struggles to keep his party together on infrastructure and democracy protection. But the quiet Congressional revolt against his tax hikes poses the most serious threat to his agenda. The reason is that Congressional budget rules mandates that any permanent increase in the deficit be fully financed. A temporary outlay for coronavirus relief, or building infrastructure does not require any offset. But the most ambitious measures Biden proposes to reshape government expanding health-care coverage, a more generous child tax credit, universal pre-kindergarten and community college all need an ongoing source of financing. Taxing the rich is Bidens solution. Theres a lot of money in the bank accounts of the affluent, especially after several decades of rising inequality and a big fat Trump-era tax cut for the wealthy. But every dollar Congressional Democrats shave off Bidens proposal for taxing the rich means one less dollar that can be spent on his social programs. Why are Democrats so skittish about Bidens proposal theyre willing to put his domestic legacy at risk? They or the rich people lobbying them cite a mix of political and policy reasons. You are talking about tax hikes that could hit millions of small businesses across the country and taxes that could kill investment, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce tells Politico, From a raw political perspective, it would be a really funky decision for these moderates to say they would be willing to put this much of a wet blanket on an economy that is really poised to take off. A senior financial services industry lobbyist adds that if Democrats pass anything more than a watered-down version of Bidens plan, Democrats are just going to get killed over it. While both these concerns probably sound serious over a comped steak dinner, neither is remotely supported by the data. Start with the politics. Taxing the rich in general is highly popular, and Bidens specific proposals are, if anything, even more popular. In April, Investors Business Daily, a right-wing newspaper that specializes in anti-tax polemics, conducted a poll that I can only assume was expected to confirm strong opposition. Instead, it found that Bidens plans to both raise the corporate tax rate and to increase taxes on capital gains for couples earning more than a million dollars, enjoyed overwhelming support. The support held up even among a subset of investors. (To its credit, IBD published the results anyway.) As for the substance, the bulk of academic economic opinion has a very different view than the C-Suite. Bidens proposals would eliminate preferences in the tax code that distort free-market signals even while benefiting the wealthy. A huge proportion of the American tax-shelter industry is predicated on finding ways to convert ordinary income into capital-gains income. Eliminating that preferential lower rate as the tax-reform act signed by Ronald Reagan in 1986 did would shut down that unproductive paper-shuffling and redirect investment into areas where actual market signals dictate. Likewise, Bidens proposal to close the massive loophole that allows capital gains that are passed on after death to go completely untaxed would eliminate a huge distortion in the tax code that gives older people an incentive to hold on to their stock until they die. The Tax Policy Center has found no meaningful correlation between capital-gains tax rates and economic growth over the last half century. The Congressional Research Service has reached a similar conclusion. A recent paper by two Princetown economists suggests the revenue-maximizing rate for capital-gains income would be in the low forties, about the level Biden proposes. Conservatives, obviously, have a darker view. But when John Harwood surveyed conservative economists to find their view of the economic drag of Bidens tax hikes, they suggested a miniscule effect. Republican economist Doug Holtz-Eakin, after accounting for the benefits of the spending side, came up with an economic hit of 0.2 percent of GDP over the long run essentially a rounding error. The American Enterprise Institute calculates Bidens tax hikes alone, without weighing any effect from the spending,would shave off just 0.16 percent from the economys size. I would not say it is a job-killing disaster, AEIs Kyle Pomerleau conceded to Harwood. Those effects would be undetectably tiny. The notion of Bidens proposals strangling the economy is a scare story being spread by business lobbyists, but not even conservative economic experts actually believe it. But suppose the experts are all wrong, and Bidens plan depresses growth far more than any mainstream economists forecast. Would Democrats be stuck with the damage? Not hardly. There is no policy Republicans are more earnestly eager to solve than excessively high taxes on the rich. Congressional Republicans are available to swoop and cut taxes for the wealthy at any time. Nancy Pelosi could call them up at 3 a.m. on Christmas, and theyd be rushing to Washington to take the vote before brunch. There is no world in which Democrats have to live with excessively punitive taxes on the rich they cant easily undo. The chance Democrats wont have is to build on Bidens social benefits. They have, realistically, one shot. They will probably lose at least one chamber of Congress in the midterm elections, and then have to overcome a heavy Republican tilt in both the House and Senate elections to regain their majorities, an opportunity that may not come again for a decade or longer. Taxing the rich is an incredibly rare sweet spot: a policy change that meets the approval of the partys centrist technocrats and the voters and enables other popular and morally compelling reforms. The cause has been losing ground to an inside game dominated by the prejudices and self-interest of the rich and powerful. Every cent of Bidens tax hike on the wealthy that Democrats leave on the table, because of a handful of gutless members of Congress, will be a sickening waste. A gas station runs out of fuel on May 12, 2021, after the ransomware cyberattack caused the Colonial Pipeline to shut down. Photo-Illustration: Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images As the United States emerges from the coronavirus lockdown, digital experts are combating a pandemic of a different variety, as the former head of U.S. cybersecurity Chris Krebs warned in May. On several occasions in the past seven months, ransomware attacks have shut down large sectors of the American economy, with hackers taking advantage of lax security measures for an easy payday. The concept is fairly simple: Hackers use malicious software to break into and encrypt a companys data, then hold it ransom until the victim pays up, often in seven-figure installments. The Biden administration has made stopping these extremely disruptive attacks a national-security priority, but many experts still think that the worst may be ahead of us. Heres what you need to know about the recent string of attacks and whats being done to stop them. Which businesses have been attacked? Cyber attacks have become a serious problem for the private sector in recent months: These are some of the most damaging break-ins, but they are far from the only examples: One security firm that tracks ransomware attacks estimated that there were some 65,000 successful breaches in 2020. Around the time that Colonial Pipelines system was compromised, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas estimated that $350 million in ransom payments were handed out to groups engaging in ransomware schemes last year. What is a ransomware attack? Groups engaging in ransomware attacks, the most common form of cybersecurity breach, target businesses or individuals by holding their information hostage, locking them out of their systems, and demanding ransom money from the victim so they can be let back in. This form of cyber crime is popular in part because it is relatively easy to execute: The most common tactics involve using software to get around security holes, or tricking users into downloading malware by pretending to be a source they trust. (This is known as a phishing scam.) As weve learned this year, some companies of profound national-security importance have atrocious security. In testimony before Congress, Colonial Pipeline CEO Joseph Blount admitted that the company wasnt using multifactor authentication to log-in the simple step requiring users to plug in their password on a computer and confirm their identitiy on their phone or other device. To end the breach, victims often pay. Many high-profile ransomware attacks have occurred in hospitals or other medical organizations, which make tempting targets: attackers know that, with lives literally in the balance, these enterprises are more likely to simply pay a relatively low ransom to make a problem go away, the cybersecurity blog CSO explains. Recent ransomware targets Colonial Pipeline and the chemical distribution firm Brenntag both paid the equivalent of $4.4 million ransoms to the groups that hacked them in May so that they could regain access to their systems and relaunch operations. JBS paid $11 million to stop their attack. I know thats a highly controversial decision, Colonial Pipeline CEO Joseph Blount said after his firms payment was announced. I didnt make it lightly. I will admit that I wasnt comfortable seeing money go out the door to people like this. But it was the right thing to do for the country. Blount is not alone: According to a survey conducted by the security firm Kaspersky, more than half of ransomware victims in 2021 paid up to gain access to their own information. However, only a quarter of these firms regained full access. Who is carrying out these attacks? Groups known as ransomware gangs work in jurisdictions where American law enforcement cant reach them; as with other notable breaches of U.S. cybersecurity, the threat is predominantly coming from Russia. The names of the groups are what you might expect from professional online criminals in the former Soviet Republic: REvil, Evil Corp, DarkSide. (Their software weapons have fitting monikers, too, including references to the Greek god of the dead and an iconic anime prankster.) Also unsurprisingly, their threats are often quite sinister: A hacker working with DarkSide, the group that shut down Colonial Pipeline, breached the data of a small education publisher earlier this year and threatened to contact their clients to say they had stolen information that could allow them to make fake ID cards, allowing pedophiles to get into their schools. Thankfully, the New York Times reports that the ultimatum was a bluff. Some hackers have a direct affiliation with Russian intelligence: The NSA and FBI have stated that the historic SolarWinds breach first reported in December 2020 was conducted by groups with connections to Russias Foreign Intelligence Service. Notably, this was not a ransomware strike but something called a supply-chain attack; hackers infiltrated the information-technology company SolarWinds, then used that access to break into the systems of the firms clients, which included servers operated by NATO, the European Parliament, the government of the United Kingdom, and several branches of the federal government, including the Treasury and Commerce Departments. In response, on April 15, the Biden administration announced a wave of economic sanctions against several Russian technology companies and financial institutions for their role in the attack and in other harmful foreign activities. SolarWinds represents one of the more direct collaborations between Russian intelligence and cybercriminals. More often, ransomware groups operate under an unstated agreement with the Kremlin, as cybersecurity experts recently told the AP: Like almost any major industry in Russia, (cybercriminals) work kind of with the tacit consent and sometimes explicit consent of the security services, said Michael van Landingham, a former CIA analyst who runs the consultancy Active Measures LLC. Russian authorities have a simple rule, said Karen Kazaryan, CEO of the software industry-supported Internet Research Institute in Moscow: Just dont ever work against your country and businesses in this country. If you steal something from Americans, thats fine. To avoid a crackdown by Russian authorities, hackers in Russia generally avoid targeting any businesses in the Commonwealth of Independent States, the intergovernmental organization made up of former Soviet republics. Why is this happening now? The trend involves a complex blend of geopolitical and cybersecurity factors, but the underlying reasons for its recent explosion are simple. Ransomware attacks have gotten incredibly easy to execute, and payment methods are now much more friendly to criminals. Meanwhile, businesses are growing increasingly reliant on digital infrastructure and more willing to pay ransoms, thereby increasing the incentive to break in. As the New York Times notes, for years criminals had to play psychological games to trick people into handing over bank passwords and have the technical know-how to siphon money out of secure personal accounts. Now, young Russians with a criminal streak and a cash imbalance can simply buy the software and learn the basics on YouTube tutorials, or by getting help from syndicates like DarkSide who even charge clients a fee to set them up to hack into businesses in exchange for a portion of the proceeds. The breach of the education publisher involving the false pedophile threat was a successful example of such a criminal exchange. Meanwhile, Bitcoin has made it much easier for cybercriminals to collect on their schemes. Cryptocurrency provided the perfect answer to allowing hackers to prey on their victims and extort unlimited and anonymous cash payments while completely minimizing their exposure of being caught by law enforcement, programmer Stephen Diehl wrote in a Twitter thread following the Colonial Pipeline hack. As Dahl explained, before the crypto boom, cyber criminals had to resort to huge numbers of pre-paid gift cards in amounts as small as $1,500 for ransom payments not exactly a perfect system when millions of dollars are at stake. In-person payments were obviously off the table owing to the threat of law enforcement raiding the hand-off. Wire transfers were out, too, as banks would never allow such a massive transfer to a criminal operation. But thanks to the anonymized nature of Bitcoin transfers, there is now a clean international method in which theres no upper bound on the extortion amount. Thus, the real value of the Colonial Pipeline ransom was not $4.4 million, but 75 Bitcoin. Finally, theres the behavioral aspect. With firms sending out hundreds of millions of dollars in Bitcoin, ransomware attacks have proven to be a successful way for criminal enterprises to make serious money without having to leave the house. Attacks happen for one reason and one reason only, Brett Callow, a threat analyst with the antivirus firm Emsisoft, told NPR. They are profitable. If you make them unprofitable, the attacks will stop. What can businesses and governments do to stop the attacks? While the Biden administration has encouraged businesses to shore up their cyber defenses and review corporate security, intelligence agencies are working to stop the attacks at their source. In April, the Department of Justice established a Ransomware and Digital Extortion Task Force to tackle the entire process, including efforts to take down services that support the attacks, such as online forums that advertise the sale of ransomware or hosting services that facilitate ransomware campaigns, according to the Wall Street Journal. The task force has already had some success. On June 7, the Department of Justice announced that it had recovered 85 percent of the Bitcoin that Colonial Pipeline paid to DarkSide. While Bitcoin transactions are largely anonymized, the nature of Blockchain technology allows law enforcement to track how funds move to a limited extent. Following the money remains one of the most basic, yet powerful tools we have, said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco on the day of the announcement. President Biden has also said he would bring up the surge in attacks with Russian president Vladimir Putin at their June 16 summit in Geneva, though the tacit support the Kremlin lends to hackers undermining their adversary suggests little will come of the conversation. On May 28, Russia, the United States, and 23 other countries reaffirmed a cybersecurity agreement banning ransomware attacks and other hacking, though that paperwork is of little help to the firms that have been breached since the pledge was signed. Following the G7 conference in June, American and European Union officials also announced a transatlantic partnership to halt ransomware attacks. Closer to home, the Biden administration has encouraged firms to tell the FBI as soon as they are hacked and discouraged them from paying ransoms so as to break the lucrative cycle. Whether youre private sector, public sector, whatever you shouldnt be paying ransomware attacks, because it only encourages the bad guys, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said on June 6. Granholm is in favor of the idea of legislation banning firms from paying ransoms to cybercriminals, though she added, I dont know whether Congress or the president is at that point. Noted digital-security expert and former president Donald Trump has offered his own solution: In a June 7 interview with Fox Business, he recommended a return to a much more old-fashioned way of doing things, citing what he has learned from observing his tech-savvy teenage son. Hes a young person, and he can make these things sing, and when you put everything on internet and on all of these machines you never see a piece of paper, Trump said. I really think that you have to go back to a different form of accounting, a different form of compiling information. So far, the idea isnt getting much traction. Theres a new $22 million Auburn University structural engineering lab on the corner of West Samford Avenue and Shug Jordan Parkway that is an engineers dream, according to Auburn Board of Trustee and 1973 mechanical engineering alumnus Charles McCrary. Auburn Universitys Samuel Ginn College of Engineering hosted a dedication and grand opening of the Advanced Structural Engineering Laboratory Friday afternoon. The labs director Justin Marshall said the key component of the facility is the high bay laboratory complete with three major items: a strong wall and strong floor where tie-down points are seen and the 4,700-cubic-foot geotechnical test chamber. The word strong is pretty descriptive its very simple, but the reality is thats what it is, Marshall said. We build and test structural components at full scale that would be used in bridges, buildings, stadiums, light poles, power poles, anything thats an above-ground structure. Marshall says the chamber is unique to the facility because its within the footprint of the strong floor. We rent our entire house with an average of 4-5 people at one time with our driveway having places for up to 4 cars. I seriously doubt that any of our neighbors even are aware that we have been a part of Airbnb. It took us a while to consider Airbnb as a source of needed additional income. Having strangers in our home with our personal possessions without us there was difficult. But once we understood the kind of atmosphere that is created at an Airbnb we decided with some hesitation at first. It turned out to be wonderful. Meeting AU Alumnus, future AU kids and their parents, brides and grooms that wanted to share their important occasion in Auburn, best friends and their spouse meeting for a small reunion, military guys getting away from the base in Columbus, etc. What makes Airbnb so special? In order to share our home and neighborhood we read their reviews they have gotten from other Airbnb's but they also get to see our reviews from Airbnb guest we have had. They are not renters they are Guests, and we are their Host. Washington, PA (15301) Today Thunderstorms this evening will give way to steady rain overnight. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Thunderstorms this evening will give way to steady rain overnight. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. Thank you for Reading! We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content. The air travel industry is at a critical inflection point. Steady vaccination rollouts and falling infection rates in most Western economies are allowing commercial travel to resume after more than a year of downtime. Rebooked holiday trips, postponed family reunions, meeting newborn kids, weddings, attending memorial services for loved ones are the new norm-- All that pent-up travel demand is expected to trigger a 30% surge in jet fuel demand during the summer compared to first quarter levels. Yet, jet fuel remains one of the biggest weak links in the bullish oil thesis, with a full recovery of aviation fuel demand to pre-pandemic levels not expected to arrive until 2023. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA) summer air travel activity will mainly be dominated by short-haul flights, which are expected to account for almost two-thirds of the total fuel used by the sector. Unfortunately, this category of flight, on average, uses ~35x less fuel than long-haul flights. "You see the passenger numbers are recovering, but they are flying shorter distances, so the relationship between the passenger number and the jet fuel demand is distorted. For the full recovery, we need international travel to recover as well, and for that we have to reach a certain level of vaccination, not just in a couple of countries," Cuneyt Kazokoglu, head of oil demand analysis at FGE, has told Reuters. Jet fuel demand According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration(EIA), jet fuel demand is projected to reach 1.47 million barrels a day during the third quarter, up from 1.13 million in the first quarter and more than 50% higher than a year earlier. Related: A Scorching Hot Middle East Summer Could Send Oil Prices Soaring Global jet fuel demand is expected to clock in at 5.8 million barrels per day (bpd) in the current year, almost 30% higher than 2020 levels, but well below the 8 million bpd of 2019 before the pandemic struck. Source: Bloomberg Despite the ongoing buzz, there is a huge disparity in flight bookings, with many countries with successful vaccine programs remaining reluctant to allow unlimited travel. Last month, Britain allowed international travel to resume from May 17 but has limited the number of destinations open for quarantine-free holidays to 12 countries. U.S. passenger numbers have been surging while those in India and Japan have been falling. According to the TSA, traveler throughput in the United States on 6th June 2021 clocked in at 1.67 million compared to 942,000 at the beginning of the year. However, that number is considerably lower than 2.27 million recorded a year ago. Meanwhile, China stands out as its flight capacity has even exceeded pre-pandemic levels. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about business traffic. While domestic leisure traffic is nearly back to 2019 levels for many U.S. airlines, business traffic remains nearly 80% below pre-pandemic levels, a major factor holding back a broader rebound. Related: NNPC: Lack Of Investment Could Push Oil To $200 For example, even with the added flights for June, bookings at United Airlines Holdings Inc. will still be at just 67% of its domestic schedule compared with June 2019. Another worrying signal: Lagging jet fuel margins. Although the average price of a gallon of jet fuel has increased 80% since a year ago to $1.79, a lack of higher-quality traffic, is leading to lower overall margins and a slower recovery for the industry due to low fares. Driving demand Thankfully, the oil industry can count on encouraging driving trends to continue supporting the oil price recovery. Wall Street continues to be largely bullish on the oil sector, with some analysts saying that $80 per barrel in the summer is now in the crosshairs. John Kilduff of Again Capital has predicted Brent to hit $80 a barrel and WTI to trade between $75 and $80 in the summer, thanks to robust gasoline demand. Brent is currently trading at $71.63 per barrel, while WTI is changing hands at $69.13. Unleaded gasoline was selling at $3.07 per gallon on average Thursday, more than 50% higher than a year ago, according to AAA. "Demand is ramping up very quickly because everybody's driving, and we have the reopening of Europe, which is really starting to happen, while India seems to have hit an inflection point, in terms of cases, which in my mind could mean you also get a return of mobility," Francisco Blanch, global commodities and derivatives strategist at Bank of America, has told CNBC. Oil prices have continued to rally with WTI trading at $70.31 per barrel on Thursday morning while a barrel of Brent is changing hands at 72.62, levels they last touched in 2018. Although the rally appears to be running out of steam, the oil bulls remain confident in the demand outlook with accelerating vaccinations allowing people to travel more. Meanwhile, the technicals appear to be on their side: The Middle Eastern Dubai benchmark is trading in its strongest backwardation in almost a year--a good indicator of supply tightness. By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Remote work was one of the changes bestowed upon us by the pandemicand it may turn into a long-term trend. This trend was most visible in office jobs, but it was by no means limited to them. Oil drillers went remote, too. And they plan to stay remote. The words remote drilling probably conjures up an image of a lonely offshore platform or a field in the Texas shale plays with no crew to man the equipment because everything is done from a command center hundreds of miles away. Yet remote drilling is much more than that. The activities grouped under the term remote drilling are a whole spectrum, Shan Jegatheeswaran, vice president of digital for Oilfield Services at Baker Hughes, told Oilprice this week. It is not only about remote control, either. Remote drilling spans activities as diverse as drilling, logistics, data processing and sharing, and a better operational organization overall. Baker Hughes recently announced what it calls the largest deployment of its remote operations digital technology, and this deployment involved all of Aramcos drilling operations. This is how the company describes what the project entails: a single solution that covers data aggregation from the edge; real-time, unified data streaming and visualization; data management; software development services; rig-site digital engineers; and monitoring personnel. In other words, what we may call remote drilling in a conversation actually involves a comprehensive push to unify and centralize operations in the upstream industry. Baker Hughes has been doing it for 20 years already, and its peers are doing it, too. According to Jegatheeswaran, this is the future of the upstream. Because its beneficial for everyone involved. To begin with, reducing the number of personnel needed on site means reducing costs associated with personnel, the potential for safety issues, and not least, emissions. According to Baker Hughes, for every engineer the company remotes from an offshore platform, it saves travel- and accommodation-related emissions to the tune of 6 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent annually. The emission-reduction side of the remote drilling trend is one of its major benefits, without a doubt. It is also among the benefits of remote drilling that the pandemic made a lot more visible than before. As Schlumberger put it in an article on remote drilling for Offshore magazine, before the pandemic, remote drilling was something that was nice to have. The pandemic turned this technology into a critical element that could ensure operational continuity. The stats speak for themselves. Baker Hughes says the share of remote operations in its drilling services increased from 50 percent in 2019 to 87 percent in 2020. For many of its clients, no remote drilling meant no drilling at all during the lockdowns. So, even if some might have been unwilling to embrace the new era of remote drilling, they now had toor risk their business. Yet remote drilling is not only a way to cut costs by sending fewer people to the field and reducing emissions. It also reduces risks all along the supply chain of the upstream industry by effectively shortening it. The fewer risks there are in an operation, regardless of their nature, the better for everyone. Operational efficiency is another clear advantage of the spectrum of remote drilling. It makes data collection and processing much more productive by centralizing these processes at a single point, Baker Hughes Jegatheeswaran explains. Yet to step away from the digital into the physical field for a moment, remote drilling also speeds up the start of new projects, and this is becoming increasingly important in the post-pandemic industry where budgets will continue to be allocated carefully for the observable future. There are challenges, of course. Finding and training the right talent is one of them, according to Jegatheeswaran. Yet, there is a silver lining in this particular problem: as companies find and train the new remote employees, they can then transfer these skills to another field should they decide to change careers. Another challenge is deriving the maximum value from the technology because its all about value these days in oil and gas as the era of lavish spending on everything because Brent trades at $100 are over. Now, even if Brent does go up to $100, oil companieseven the biggest and richestwill think twice before splashing on extravagant projects with long ROI periods. Remote drillingand data visualization and monitoring, and maintenanceis the future of oil and gas; that much is clear. It will be quite a while before fields are fully automated, and this is good news for the people working in the industry. More people will be needed to ensure the long-term sustainability of remote field operations, and thats good news for the next generations joining the workforce. Because remote drilling is a long-term endeavor. As Baker Hughes Jegatheeswaran put it, once the oilfield services operator deploys the remote operations system, someone needs to monitor and maintain it. Its not like selling a car and letting the customer deal with whatever happens to it afterward. Its more of a long-term partnership of equals, beneficial both for the participants in it and everyone else, with the possible exception of those who want to keep oil and gas in the ground. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Global economic recovery is gradually taking shape as the spread of the coronavirus is slowing in most countries due to summer weather and rapid vaccination in industrialized countries. China was the first country to enter a lockdown in February 2020 and also the first to restart the economy. Rapid economic expansion is driving the need for raw materials such as LNG. As Chinas summer heating season is starting, expect more difficulties in an already tight market. Chinese imports of LNG have seen a remarkable rebound during the past couple of months. Companies on the mainland imported 6.73 megatonnes in April alone which was the second-fastest annual growth since April 2019 and the third-biggest monthly volume ever. As inventories are being refilled and demand is set to soar due to warmer weather, imports are likely to increase. According to Robert Sims, head of LNG short-term, gas and LNG research at consultancy Wood Mackenzie, "China is where much of the growth is currently materializing, with coal-to-gas switching policies gathering pace, resulting in a demand surge of 2.2 million tonnes since the beginning of the year, 8 percent more than in 2020. We expect this strong growth to continue as domestic production growth continues to lag behind domestic demand growth." Another factor that is continuously driving demand for natural gas is the merger of the pipeline systems of CNOOC, China National Petroleum, and Sinopec into the National Oil and Gas Pipeline Network Group. Improved efficiency will lead to lower prices and faster extension of the gas grid. The merger is expected to fuel expansion by 80 percent to 240,000 kilometers by 2025. Furthermore, colder than usual winter weather has drained storages on the mainland which need to be refilled ahead of the next heating seasons. This means an additional 11 bcm on top of meeting short-term demand. Also, seven new facilities are being commissioned in the next couple of months which will increase the storage capacity by 3 bcm. While China is the main source of growth for LNG demand, in the short term Europe will add more pressure on an already heated market. As with Asia, Europe experienced an extended period of cold weather the previous winter which drained the continents extensive storage capacity. Currently, natural gas is traded for $9/mmBtu on the TTF benchmark, a level not seen since mid-2018. Robert Sims again: the key dynamic for the price surge has been the strengthening economics of coal-to-gas switching. Since November last year, carbon prices and coal prices have increased by 33 and 26 percent respectively, which alone have pushed European TTF gas prices up by $3/mmBtu. Winter will see market dynamics getting increasingly tighter. Lower winter starting inventory in Europe, combined with high seasonal Asian demand, will result in increased competition for LNG." European markets could be somewhat shielded from extreme price fluctuations on the global LNG market due to improved connectivity with Russia. The highly contentious Nord Stream 2 pipeline is scheduled for completion in 2021. According to President Putin, the first of two sections is already finished. However, export issues in at least Nigeria, Peru, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Australia are creating additional problems. Reduced supply is contributing to the tight market in a phase of the global economic recovery after the pandemic which needs cheap raw materials. The adverse effects already show in prices where costs for LNG have risen by $0.50 to $10.15/mmBtu in one week in Asia. While LNG provides much-needed flexibility to markets, extreme price fluctuations increase the incentive to insulate the economy somewhat by improving pipeline connectivity. Europe enjoys an unusually high level of connectivity with producers and is spared the worst of the LNG market. China is in a comparable position as the country imports from both Central Asia and Russia through pipelines with ongoing talks with Moscow for another massive project more to the west. Of the current large importers, South Korea and Japan have the least options. For these large countries, long-term contracts with suppliers could insulate them from the worst price swings. By Vanand Meliksetian for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Turkey has dreamed about becoming an energy hub for decades, and as East Mediterranean offshore energy projects develop, it seems that dream may soon become reality. With the discovery of new offshore gas in the area, Ankara has stepped up its aggressive approach to becoming a real energy player. In a move to attract even more attention to the possible gas reserves of the country, Turkeys energy regulatory authority (EPDK) announced the offshore Black Sea gas volumes will be open for trading on October 1 in Istanbul on a futures gas market. To support that endeavor, Turkey will have to set up a futures gas market which, according to Mustafa Yilmaz, head of EPDK, will be connected to the existing energy exchange, EXIST. Turkey indicated that the exchange is meant to de-risk trading by giving more trade stability than the current spot gas market. Yilmaz said that the 540 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas, slated to have a market value of over $100 billion, will be open for trading under the name Black Sea Gas Contract in Turkey's future gas market. This move comes after an announcement by Turkish President Erdogan last week a new 135 bcm gas discovery in the Amasra-1 well in the offshore Black Sea northern Sakarya Gas Field. In 2020, Turkey announced a 405 bcm discovery in the Tuna-1 well offshore Sakarya Gas Field. If these figures are accurate and the quality of the gas reserves is attractive to the market, the age of Turkish energy dependency could well be over. The announcement of these volumes would imply the countrys gas import dependence will soon be slashed. Related: A Scorching Hot Middle East Summer Could Send Oil Prices Soaring Official statements indicate that the first 3-5 bcm per year will come onstream by 2023, which could be increased to around 15-20 bcm per year. That would result in Turkeys gas imports being slashed by around 30%, officials stated. Turkeys Energy Hub strategy will be supported by diversified gas supplies from the Black Sea, in combination with the existing Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline and TurkStream pipelines. For the Turkish domestic gas market, the discoveries are a godsend. In 2021-22 around 30% of Turkeys long-term and oil-indexed contracts will expire. That includes 6.6 bcm from Azerbaijan and 8 bcm from Russia, which represents a financial burden on the countrys economy. The oil-indexed contracts are now more costly than in 2020. Some other supplies are coming in too, such as LNG from Algeria, Nigeria, the USA, and Qatar, while gas pipeline volumes are also being sourced from Russia, Azerbaijan, and Iran. Holding vast offshore gas reserves that will come onstream in 2023 will increase the negotiating position of Turkey in the coming months. 2022 will be a pivotal year for Turkey as contracts will still need to be signed as long as no domestic supplies come onstream. The expectations are that oil-indexed contracts are no longer feasible and most new pipeline contracts will be spot-based. In September last year, the EPDK did a spot pipeline import deal from the Malkoclar entry point on the border with Bulgaria. The countrys total imports at present are set at 48 bcm, while consumption in 2020 was 48.2 bcm. In 2020, domestic gas production was 441 million cubic meters. The annual gas bill is around $44 billion. It will interesting to see if the ongoing East Mediterranean crisis will see some positive effects from this Black Sea bonanza. So far, Turkish officials have reiterated that there will be new drilling operations in the East Mediterranean region, with a specific focus on disputed waters with Greece, Cyprus, and others. Turkish minister of energy Fatih Donmez stated that the country will carry out fresh drilling projects in the Eastern Mediterranean. He reiterated that there is potential in the wells that have been drilled so far, adding that in the coming months the Yavuz drillship will be heading to a new site. Further developments on this topic can be expected from US president Bidens meeting with Erdogan in Brussels this week. A positive meeting could lead to a Greek-Turkish rapprochement. By Cyril Widdershoven for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Local alert 'Huge for the environment': Omaha sees 45% rise in recycling with new carts CHRIS MACHIAN photos, THE WORLD-HERALD A man moves recyclable materials into a pile at Firstar Fiber, which processes most of Omahas residential recycling. The company added 5,000 square feet to the processing center in anticipation of an increase. CHRIS MACHIAN, THE WORLD-HERALD A worker sweeps up items at Firstar Fiber. The Omaha company processes the bulk of the city's residential recycling. CHRIS MACHIAN, THE WORLD-HERALD Firstar CEO Dale Gubbels was expecting an increase in residential recycling with the switch to larger carts. CHRIS MACHIAN, THE WORLD-HERALD A Firstar Fiber worker moves nonrecyclable plastic that was collected with recyclables. CEO Dale Gubbels said as recycling has increased, so has the amount of nonrecyclable material mixed in. He encouraged people to be sure that items can be recycled before putting them in the cart. "Stop and think: There are people that have to deal with this," he said. CHRIS MACHIAN, THE WORLD-HERALD Yard waste mixed in with recyclable flies by on a conveyer belt at Firstar Fiber. CEO Dale Gubbels said employees have seen that happening more amid the big increase in recycling. CHRIS MACHIAN, THE WORLD-HERALD Firstar Fiber is the Omaha company that processes the bulk of the city's residential recycling. CHRIS MACHIAN, THE WORLD-HERALD Nonrecyclable glass was mixed in with recyclable material on a conveyer belt at Firstar Fiber. CHRIS MACHIAN, THE WORLD-HERALD Recycling materials fall to a conveyer belt at Firstar Fiber. Dan Golden and his wife have five children under the age of 10, so it may be an understatement to say the household produces a lot of recyclables. Milk jugs and medical supplies. Eight giant boxes of Huggies diapers per week. Food for five hungry tummies. A seemingly endless stream of Amazon boxes. We probably have 50 boxes flattened and stacked up on the side of our garage, Golden said of the familys home near 50th and Charles Streets. Golden has long been a loyal recycler, and ever since the city switched to a new system of curbside recycling, it appears that more Omahans have joined the cause. Between Nov. 30 when FCC Environmental Services took over collection of residential curbside trash, recycling and yard waste and the end of May, Omahans on average put 53% more tons of recyclable material at the curb per month compared with the same six-month span during the previous year, according to a World-Herald review of city data. In the same span, recycling at the citys drop-off sites dipped by about 16%. Accounting for that change, recycling increased by about 45%. City officials and recycling industry experts largely expected an uptick in recycling. Thats because last fall, the city delivered a large 96-gallon covered cart for recycling to almost every Omaha household (in addition to one for a mix of trash and yard waste). Under the previous system, residents essentially had to opt into recycling by seeking their own 18-gallon green bins from a city library. While the increase was expected, the numbers after six months exceeded the citys and FCCs expectations. Its huge for Omaha, and its huge for the environment going into the future, Justin Gallagher, FCCs general manager in Omaha, said of the increase. The city credits the surge to the larger carts, near-universal access and education in the lead-up to the switch to FCC. We not only (offered) more capacity, but more convenience for more people, said Jim Theiler, assistant director for environmental services at the citys Public Works Department. Mulhall's now operating Omaha's fifth full-service recycling drop-off site Mulhalls is now host to one of Omaha's full-service recycling drop-off sites. The recycling hub at the garden center, located near 120th Street and West Maple Road, opened late last month. The city and FCC dont know how many people in Omaha are setting out their recycling cart every other week. In 2015, the city estimated that in any given week, only about 40% of households put out the green bins. Some put them out sporadically. Others not at all. Now, at least 137,000 of the citys roughly 150,000 households have a cart though its unlikely that all of them are in consistent use. The Recycling Partnership, a Virginia-based nonprofit that promotes recycling nationally, awarded Omaha the largest grant it has ever handed out to a city, $825,000, to help pay for the new carts. The group is excited about the direction recycling in Omaha is trending. By providing that access to everybody, those types of tonnages are to be expected, said Jill Martin, director of community partnerships at The Recycling Partnership. Were really, really glad to see it. FCC Environmental begins trash cart exchange program in Omaha FCC delivered 96-gallon carts to all Omaha residential customers last year for a 90-day trial period. The exchange program is now accepting requests for smaller carts for trash and recycling. The CEO of Firstar Fiber, the Omaha company that processes the bulk of the citys residential recycling, was also expecting the increase. Dale Gubbels saw similar results in Bellevue and Elkhorn over the past two decades, when those suburban communities switched to large carts. In anticipation of Omahas switch to carts, Gubbels purchased another large sorting drum to sift through material and added 5,000 square feet to his recycling processing operation near 103rd and I Streets. The bottles, cans and boxes have been flowing ever since. Gubbels and his employees are also dealing with a less welcome uptick with the recycling carts: Theyre seeing more contaminants and items that cannot be recycled. Gubbels said Firstar employees have noticed a lot more yard waste mixed in with recyclables. They also see garden hoses, VHS tapes, dirty diapers and, in one case that Gubbels experienced personally, a bag of chicken bones. On average, Gubbels said the weight of contaminated material has risen from about 7% of all materials received in a month to 11%. He encouraged people to be sure that items can be recycled before putting them in the cart. Stop and think: There are people that have to deal with this, Gubbels said. Employees take out much of the improper material by hand. You wouldnt treat your own family this way, he said. So if youre in doubt as to whether it can be recycled, leave it out until you find out for certain. Trash pickup problems still reported in Omaha, but fewer complaints coming in The city's Solid Waste hotline received an average of 4,200 calls a weekday during the first week of FCC's service. It averaged about 800 calls a day last week. But Gubbels has noticed another increase that should make recycling advocates happy: He said his company is seeing about double the number of orange Hefty Energy bags compared with before the switch. Under the program, people can buy the orange bags to recycle items such as plastic straws, candy wrappers, plastic foam, empty toothpaste tubes and potato chip bags. The bags can be included in your recycling cart. Employees pull them off the sorting line by hand. When the city delivered covered carts last year, the carts came with sample orange bags and information about the program. Gubbels credited the city for working to educate more people about the program. Firstar plans to make plastic lumber out of the material from the orange bags. The company is working with a Canadian firm to buy a machine to create the building material. Gubbels hopes that it will be up and running by the end of the year. Editorial: Let's work to maximize the benefits from Omaha's recycling program "Omahas launch of new trash and recycling carts opens up a promising new possibility. Lets make the most of this chance for progress for our community." Based on surveys taken as the city was developing the two-cart system, officials came to believe that one larger recycling cart would serve the needs of most recyclers, said Jim Kee, environmental quality control manager at the Public Works Department. People who used two 18-gallon green bins accounted for a large majority of the citys recycling before the carts. But for some Omahans, like Golden, one cart emptied every other week simply isnt enough. He said his seven-member family usually fills the cart within the first week and a half of the collection period. At times, Golden said, he has resorted to throwing away cardboard, comforted only by the fact that it will decompose. He said he would like to see the city develop a better plan to accept large pieces of cardboard that dont fit in the cart. Families of five or more can request either an extra trash cart or recycling cart at no cost. As of May, about 5,100 people had asked for a trash cart and about 320 for a recycling cart. Another 1,800 people are leasing an extra cart. Gallagher, of FCC, said at least 30% of those are recycling carts. Give your green recycling bin new life as a storage container, a planter you name it They can be recycled, but it's better for the environment to find another job for them. The company had to order more carts than it planned, and Gallagher said FCC has already altered some of its truck routes because of how much recycling is coming from residents, especially in west Omaha. Said Gallagher: I dont think that we expected it to be this much. Information on the citys recycling program, including which items can be placed in a cart, can be found at wasteline.org or by calling the Solid Waste Hotline at 402-444-5238. GILTNER, Neb. (AP) In telling the story of Lyle Reab and his sacrifice, Chaplain Zach Brueningsen and historian Terri Mabon each offered Reab a welcome home. Brueningsen and Mabon were the two speakers during a graveside service for Reab on Tuesday afternoon at the Lerton Cemetery south of Giltner. The service included military honors conducted by a detail of soldiers from Fort Riley, Kansas, and American Legion Riders. Reabs remains were interred in the family plot relocated from an unknown soldier grave in Ardennes American Cemetery at Neupre, Belgium and placed alongside those of his parents, Willis Harry and Daisy, in the cemetery. The Hastings Tribune reports Reab, 22, an only child, was killed in a foxhole on the southeastern end of Vossenack, Germany, in November 1944. Vossenack is in the Hurtgen Forest near the Germany-Belgium border and was the scene of intense fighting between U.S. and German forces in the fall of 1944. While Giltner waited for news after Reab was missing, eventually it was determined he and many others had been killed. Omaha police have released the name of a man who they say fatally shot himself Thursday night following a chase in North Omaha. In a Saturday afternoon press release, the Omaha Police Department identified the man as 26-year-old Nigel Phillips. During their investigation, detectives found a witness who corroborated law enforcements initial report. According to the press release, the witness saw Phillips running from the scene of a car crash while armed with a handgun. An officer initially intended to stop a blue 2011 Chevrolet Camaro that had expired license plates at 8:12 p.m. Thursday. Police said Phillips proceeded to drive north, running a stop sign at the North 34th Street and Laurel Avenue intersection, and subsequently crashed into a vehicle driving east on Laurel Avenue. A woman and multiple children were also in the Camaro, according to police. One child suffered a minor injury. Phillips was seen running from the crash. Other officers formed a perimeter in the area and observed Phillips running through houses in the 3600 block of Laurel Avenue. Phillips was behind a residence when he shot himself after an officer gave verbal commands for him to drop the handgun, according to police. The rainforest project never was funded. When the GOP gained control of the House in 2011, Tea Party Republicans chose to eliminate the practice. In his State of the Union address that year, Democratic President Barack Obama promised to veto any bill containing earmarks, saying: The American people deserve to know that special interests arent larding up legislation with pet projects. Hinson and Axne dont see it that way. Their requests are not adding spending to the federal budget. Instead, according to Hinson, who sits on the House Appropriations and Budget Committees, they are asking that money already being designated to certain federal programs be allocated to these projects within those programs. For example, Hinson said, she and Illinois Democratic Rep. Cheri Bustos are asking that the Army Corps of Engineers prioritize the already-authorized Mississippi River locks and dams improvement project within its plans for the next fiscal year, instead of allowing that critical project to sit on the back burner any longer. Its an example of reaching across the aisle and the river to work together in a constructive way that respects taxpayers, Hinson said. This project is of critical economic importance to both of our districts economies. Jorde said hes meeting with TC Energy lawyers soon to talk about what happens next. In an emailed response to voicemails from The World-Herald, TC Energy media relations wrote that the company doesnt comment on matters before the courts. As we exit the project, our first priority is to make sure we wind down construction activities safely and with care for the environment, the statement reads. Kleeb and Jorde would also like to see state law tweaked so that if a pipeline doesnt have its necessary permits such as the permit Biden revoked any land easements a pipeline company acquired would automatically be returned to the landowner. Their argument: A company should not have the power of eminent domain if they cannot do the project for which that power was granted. Im not going to rest until we have stronger eminent domain laws and stronger pipeline laws in our state, because I dont want other families to go through what everybody just went through with Keystone XL, Kleeb said. She said theres no bill being drafted yet, but shes identified a few potential sponsors for legislation. Its not just about the number of hospitalizations, but also the risk to the health of large numbers of younger people, who can suffer long-term symptoms affecting their lives and ability to work, he added. The vaccine rollout, which has primarily been based on age, was extended to 25- to 29-year-olds earlier this week. The government has said it wants every adult to have received at least one dose by the end of July. Around 62% of the British population has had one shot so far, while 43% has had two. Government figures reported Friday showed 8,125 new daily cases. Thats the highest one-day figure since Feb. 26 and means that the 7-day average, which smooths out daily fluctuations, has increased threefold over the past month. The delta variant, which is considered to be at least 40% more transmissible than the previous dominant strain, now accounts for more than 90% of all new confirmed infections in the U.K. Though Johnson appeared to indicate that he was ready to sanction a pause in the lockdown-easing, he sought to downplay any concerns that restrictions would be re-imposed. When announcing the government's four-stage plan for coming out of lockdown in February, Johnson stressed that every scheduled easing would be driven by data, not dates and that each stage would be irreversible. FALMOUTH, England (AP) Turbulence from the divorce between the U.K. and the European Union provided an unwanted distraction at the Group of Seven summit taking place in southwest England, with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying Saturday that post-Brexit agreements will fail if the EU continues to take a theologically draconian approach to the rules. Johnson held meetings with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and the blocs top officials on the sidelines of the summit he is hosting. Afterwards, the prime minister claimed the EU was not taking a sensible or pragmatic approach to post-Brexit arrangements, and he threatened to use an emergency clause to suspend agreed upon rules if the bloc did not compromise. Britain and the EU are locked in an escalating diplomatic feud over Northern Ireland, the only part of the U.K. that borders the 27-nation bloc. The EU is angry over the British government's delay in implementing new checks on some goods coming into Northern Ireland from the rest of the U.K., while Britain says the checks are imposing a big burden on businesses and destabilizing Northern Irelands hard-won peace. U.S. President Joe Biden has gotten drawn into the spat, raising concerns about the potential threat to Northern Irelands peace accord. We all like to think of our state as unique, and in a lot of ways Nebraska truly is. Founded in 1867, our state has a proud history of working the land, building relationships, helping neighbors, and welcoming strangers all of which make it different. But Nebraska is not unique in the benefits it derives from immigrants, and Im calling on Sens. Deb Fisher and Ben Sasse to stand up for our state and our nation in support of two bills that have already passed in the House: the American Dream and Promise Act (H.R. 6) and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act (H.R. 1603). We sent our senators to Congress to act in the best interests of Nebraskans, and these bills will do exactly that. Passing the American Dream and Promise Act and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act will strengthen our states families and economy and live up to our values. Please respect the seriousness of COVID. Just received news that the husband of my daughters best friend in Florida passed away. He was about 64. He was hospitalized four weeks with COVID. Had received vaccine six days before. He was recovering but suddenly took turn for worse and moved to ICU. Died two days later. He had delayed receiving vaccine because he did not believe he needed it. A husband, father, and grandfather is needlessly gone. Virginia Davidsaver, Omaha Facts on 30x30 I believe the governor is running for president (but will settle for vice-president) in 2024. The governor was complaining about President Biden when Biden was merely three weeks into his presidency. The governor tells the participants of Ricketts-organized 30x30 Nebraska-wide tour that they should fear and not believe the federal government. This fight is now in our own backyard. We are on the front lines. We are in the trenches. What is the governor fomenting with words like that? The governor is creating fear and anger against an unfinished federal program that he hasnt even read because, as I said, it isnt finished. US President Joe Biden delivers a speech on the COVID-19 pandemic, in St Ives, Cornwall on June 10, 2021, ahead of the three-day G7 summit being held June 11-13. (Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images) US President Joe Biden called for a continued partnership between the United States and the Philippines on the Southeast Asian country's 123rd Independence Day this June 12. Biden said the two countries should work together in strengthening the health sector to defeat the pandemic. "As we honor this joyful occasion of independence and friendship, lets also look to the future. At the challenges our two countries must continue to work to take on together: from defeating this pandemic and strengthening global preparedness for the next one to advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific for all peoples," Biden said in a video posted by the US Department of State on social media. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Biden emphasized the "enduring friendship" between US and the Philippines as he marked two "momentous anniversaries" between the two countries. The two countries are also marking its 75 years of diplomatic relations and the 70th anniversary of the Mutual Defense Treaty. "This year, our nations are also celebrating two momentous anniversaries. Our 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations and our 70th anniversary of our strong alliance," Biden said. "The Philippines and the United States share so much history and our people are forever connected through our deep bonds and shared sacrifices of valor, of family and of friendship," Biden said. The Philippines is a close ally and former colony of the United States. Western culture continues to have a strong influence on Philippine politics and culture. Biden also praised the over four million Filipinos and Filipino-Americans in the US for making "invaluable contributions" to their communities. They make invaluable contributions to communities all across our country. They enrich the American character, making our nations stronger and more vibrant, he said. "I hope that friendship between the Philippines and the United States will continue to be a source of strength for both our nations through all the decades ahead. I wish you all a safe and joyful celebration," the US president said. Story continues Ana Catalina Paje is a development journalist passionate about grassroots communication geared towards genuine social change. She also writes about showbiz, lifestyle, and all things Pinoy pride. The views expressed are her own. You may also be interested with: Contact sports will not be featured in NCAA Season 96 NCAA looks to implement rule on mandatory vaccination Prince Charles lauds Filipino medical frontliners Pinoy driver hits P13 million jackpot in UAE lottery VP Leni Robredo congratulates Filipino math wiz LAKE GEORGE Warren County has begun accepting applications from owners of property on or near Lake George who are seeking grants to replace or upgrade aging septic systems. Warren County was notified this spring that it is now part of the New York State Septic System Replacement Program. A total of $340,000 in state funding has been set aside for Lake George. Property owners are eligible for grants for up to 50% of the cost of the project, up to a maximum of $10,000, to replace septic systems or cesspools or upgrade system components, according to a news release issued on Friday. Failing septic systems is one cause contributing to degradation of water quality. The issue has been prominent lately with discussion at the county of a law that would require septic systems to be inspected upon transfer of the property. The legislation has currently stalled in committee. The Warren County Planning and Community Development Department is overseeing the program. Department employees will be contacting eligible residents in the coming weeks to advise them of their options. People can find more information about how to apply online at warrencountyny.gov/planning/lakeshoreseptic . Warren County Health Services is monitoring 26 active COVID-19 cases, the fewest since November and a sign that the countys vaccination efforts are paying off. The 26 active cases is the fewest number of cases the county has seen since Nov. 17, and represents a 68% decline over the last month, according to Health Services. Two residents are hospitalized with a moderate illness. The remaining 24 cases are all said to be mildly ill. One person from the Abraham Wing School community tested positive for the virus, according to Health Services. Of the 36,987 residents who have been fully vaccinated as of Friday, 18 have tested positive for the virus. All three vaccines were involved, and 16 cases involved a mild illness. The remaining two cases involved moderate illness. A statewide trend The countys declining caseload mirrors a statewide trend. The state reported 480 new cases on Thursday, the most recent day statewide data is available. The states seven-day positive test rate was 0.47% following more than two months of decline. Morenatti separated himself from his family for months to avoid the risk of exposure as he documented the toll of COVID-19 on the elderly. He credited half the award to his wife, who took care of their children, and the other half to his colleagues. I never thought that I could win the Pulitzer, actually, but much less than I could win at using my electric scooter around a few dozen kilometers from my house in Barcelona, he said. Morenatti is a veteran photographer with wide experience in war zones. He was embedded with the U.S. military in southern Afghanistan in August 2009 when the vehicle he was in was hit by a roadside bomb. His left leg was amputated below the knee. The AP photographers who won in the breaking news category captured the drama and raw emotion of protests that roiled U.S. cities after the May 2020 death of George Floyd, a Black man murdered by a Minneapolis police officer. And Star Tribune journalists were honored for covering the rage in Minneapolis, where protesters burned buildings, including a police station, in the wake of Floyds death. The Black man died after a white Minneapolis police officer pinned him to the ground with his knee on Floyd's neck for up to 9 1/2 minutes. The officer was later convicted of murder. Our staff poured its heart and soul into covering this story. It has been such a traumatic and tragic time for our community, Star Tribune Editor Rene Sanchez said in a statement. We felt that our journalism had to capture the full truth and depth of this pain and the many questions it renewed about Minnesota and the country. Prizes for explanatory reporting went to two recipients. Ed Yong of The Atlantic won for a series of deeply reported articles about the pandemic. Andrew Chung, Lawrence Hurley, Andrea Januta, Jaimi Dowdell and Jackie Botts of Reuters were honored for a look at the legal concept of qualified immunity and how it shields police from prosecution. The committee official said the panel has continued to seek additional information, but the Justice Department has not been forthcoming on questions such as whether the investigation was properly predicated and whether it only focused on Democrats. It is unclear why Trump's Justice Department would have targeted a minor as part of the probe. Swalwell, confirming that he was told his records were seized, told CNN on Thursday night that he was aware a minor was involved and believed that person was "targeted punitively and not for any reason in law." On CNN Friday, Swalwell said he "would not be surprised" if the department had gone after other members as well. He said an internal Justice Department investigation could find that out. The Senate Intelligence Committee was not similarly targeted, according to a fourth person who was aware of the probe and granted anonymity to discuss it. There's no indication that the Justice Department used the records to prosecute anyone. After some of the information was declassified and made public during the later years of the Trump administration, some of the prosecutors were concerned that even if they could bring a leak case, trying it would be difficult and a conviction would be unlikely, one of the people said. In response to a request from its Board of Elections, Atlantic County has identified four locations that could possibly serve as early-voting sites for the Nov. 2 general election, county officials announced Friday. Atlantic County has found county-owned facilities in four of the five voting districts. These locations include: the Shoreview building in Northfield, the Mays Landing and Galloway Township branches of the Atlantic County Library System and 310 Bellevue Ave. in Hammonton. No county-owned facility in District 1 meets the required criteria of having 1,500 square feet, being compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and located near public transportation, Linda Gilmore, the countys public information officer, said in a news release. Under the New Jersey Early Voting Bill, signed by Gov. Phil Murphy in March, counties across the state must hold nine days of early in-person machine voting that ends the Sunday before Election Day. For the 2021 election, the early-voting period will be from Saturday, Oct. 23 to Sunday, Oct. 31. The park is open from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. daily. There is no cost to enter. Crest officials said new signs have been ordered, set to be delivered and installed in the coming weeks, and more fences and landscaping are planned for the park. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The afternoon began to cool, but people continued to arrive to enjoy the park. Among them were Howard Hook LeConey with his daughter, Makena, and son, Buxton. The twins are 14 months old. LeConey said they are Wildwood Crest locals. Hes pleased to see the beachfront addition. Were always looking to create unique attractions, said Cabrera. Moms, dads, grandparents will like to bring their little kids to watch them splash around. The park features multiple jets of water, but no standing water. Instead, it immediately drains from the surface. Think of it like running through a sprinkler, only more so. Sometimes called a splash pad or sprayground, the parks are popular in northern New Jersey but seem rare in beach towns. It is set between the childrens playground and a fitness center with exercise equipment, all close to the beachfront bike path. The Wildwood Boardwalk does not extend into Wildwood Crest. Cabrera also plans events on the lawn of the park this summer. NORTH WILDWOOD On a bench outside the United Methodist Church is a bronze sculpture of a sleeping homeless man covered in blanket, his face and arms obscured. His feet, which stick out, bear the marks of crucifixion: the only indication of his identity. The sculpture, a replica of the famous Homeless Jesus created in 2013 by Canadian sculptor Timothy Schmalz, was unveiled Saturday during a ceremony at the church. Resident and parishioner Jim Wheaton, 89, said he was pleased to see the sculpture finally completed. I think its an asset to the community, and I hope it will develop some more religious beliefs, Wheaton said. His son, Ed, 63, also of North Wildwood added, I think its great to have it here. It will increase awareness for people who live on the margins, which in a resort, that sometimes gets forgotten about, the younger Wheaton said. +8 South Jersey young people are increasingly applying to law school VENTNOR The law has been an integral part of Vanessa Calixtos relatively short life. Bringing it to the community was the work of Pastor Kate Aaronson, who first encountered a replica of the sculpture while on vacation in Madrid. Aaronson said the sculpture was based on the Bible verse Matthew 25:40, What you do unto the least of these, you do unto Christ. CAPE MAY Cape May has gone smoke-free on its beaches and the Washington Street Mall. New signs installed recently will help get the message across, according to city officials. Signs ordered by city manager Michael Voll have been installed at the entrances to the popular pedestrian mall and along the beachfront Promenade. They state: Breathe easy this property is smoke free. The signs are courtesy of the group Tobacco Free for a Healthy New Jersey, funded through the New Jersey Department of Healths office of tobacco control, according to an announcement from the city. The group works to reduce tobacco use and the impact of secondhand smoke throughout the state. But the signs do not only apply to cigarettes and cigars. This spring, Cape May banned smoking cannabis on public property, including on the mall and beach as well as in public parks. Mayor Zack Mullock said the smoking ban on the mall came at the request of the police department. Not many people smoke on the mall, he said, but officers expressed concern with trying to keep cannabis smoking off the mall now that it is legal in the state. The subpoenas were issued in 2018, when Jeff Sessions was attorney general, though he had recused himself in the Russia investigation, putting his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, in charge of Russia-related matters. The investigation later picked up momentum again under Attorney General William Barr. Apple informed the committee last month that the records had been shared and that the investigation had been closed, but did not give extensive detail. Also seized were the records of aides, former aides and family members, one of them a minor, according to the committee official. The Justice Department obtained metadata probably records of calls, texts and locations but not other content from the devices, like photos, messages or emails, according to one of the people. Another said that Apple complied with the subpoena, providing the information to the Justice Department, and did not immediately notify the members of Congress or the committee about the disclosure. And the people whose records were seized were unable to challenge the Justice Department because the subpoenas went to Apple directly. The gag order was renewed three times before it lapsed and the company informed its customers May 5 what had happened. In one case, a Vietnam veteran endured untreated PTSD for more than 50 years after he was wrongly told he didnt qualify for VA health care. The situation was rectified only after a pro bono lawyer intervened. Just as no one should need a lawyer to apply for a drivers license, or enroll a child in public school, a veteran shouldnt need an advocate solely to access VA health care for which they qualify. A new report released recently by Legal Services Corp.s Veterans Task Force further documents the lingering stain of bad paper on veterans. The report notes that, often because of service-related mental health conditions and other hardships, these veterans are often in greater need of supportive services. Yet their bad paper status prevents them from receiving the vital assistance they need to recover and reintegrate into civilian society. In response to the OutVets report, VA officials described an updated enrollment system that would better identify and track those with other-than-honorable discharges. Such promises arent enough. The VA must also work to overhaul the training, guidance and oversight of its staff and improve how it communicates with veterans. Its outreach to those who have been unlawfully refused care should include social media campaigns and easy-to-understand letters that outline who is eligible to receive care. WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT: SO MANY REMATCHES, SO MUCH ACKNOWLEDGING, OTIS HAS A NEW LOOK, AND CAN YOU FLY DOM? We start off with a look at last week when Roman Reigns told the Usos to 'fix their problem' only to have Roman exacerbate the situation. We are in Tampa, Florida and your announcers are Michael Cole and Pat McAfee. We see Roman watching himself on television from the comfort of his comfy chair and Jey is not looking at Roman. Roman says he saved them last week. Y'all owe me. What is the one thing that I will not stand for? Jey says not to embarrass the family. Roman says that he knows Jey understands that, but does his brother. While Roman lectures Jey, we hear Jimmy Uso's music and he makes his way to the ring. Jimmy says last week was supposed to be a celebration. We were supposed to be seven time champions but we were robbed. I am not trying to make excuses, I am spitting facts. First the referee blew the call because my shoulders were up. That is cool because we got a chance to redeem ourselves. Then out he came, the head of the table to stick his nose in our business. You had to make it about you. Jimmy says he thinks Roman got them disqualified on purpose. We see Roman sitting in his chair while Jimmy calls him out. Jimmy says you came out and attacked Rey and Dominik. You almost knocked his head off his shoulders. Jimmy says he knows what the issue is. He says that Roman is jealous. You are jealous I am back and I want my brother with me. You are jealous that we want to represent the family and hold gold, just like you. Jimmy says I see through you. All of those mind games. You are trying to tear Jey away from me. I am my brother's keeper, not you. Tonight, hear me when I say this. I promise I am going to do something I won't regret. Roman tells Jey that Jimmy isn't his brother and he won't be confused with Jimmy like Jey will. Roman tells Jey to take care of it. We go to commercial. We are back and Jimmy asks Jey if he really thinks they could have won the titles and Jey says he does. Jimmy asks if they were mad that they got DQed. Jimmy says it can't be like this no more. When I ask you to go with me, you froze. You are my brother, my family, my friend. Jimmy says you want to talk about a family disgrace, Roman is disgracing the family. Jey says Jimmy was gone for a year and I am loyal to the Tribal Chief. Jey asks Jimmy what to do. Jimmy says if Roman wants to see me, I'll be in our locker room. Match Number One: Kevin Owens and Big E versus Apollo Crews (with Commander Azeez) and Sami Zayn Owens goes after Zayn as the bell rings and then he punches Crews and hits a back elbow. Owens goes to the floor and he attacks Zayn and sends him into the ringside barrier. Owens runs into a boot but Owens with a clothesline and back senton. Owens goes after Zayn on the floor again and sends him into the ringside barrier again. Crews kicks Owens when Kevin returns to the ring. Crews punches Owens and Zayn tags in. Zayn with punches in the corner. Zayn chokes Owens in the corner. Crews tags in and punches Owens. Crews with a suplex and he gets a near fall. Crews sends Owens into the corner and Zayn tags in. Owens with punches and Zayn runs Owens into the corner again. Crews tags back in and Owens with a kick and he avoids Crews to tag in Big E. Big E with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex and he knocks Zayn off the apron. Big E with another overhead belly-to-belly suplex and then he hits a belly-to-belly suplex. Crews gets his knees up to block the Warrior Splash. Crews sends Big E into the corner and Big E with a UranagE for a near fall. Crews with an enzuigiri and a wrist clutch dead lift German suplex for a enar fall. Big E sends Crews to the apron and he sets for the spear to the floor but Crews moves and Big E goes to the floor. We go to commercial. We are back and Zayn tags in and punches Big E. Big E with punches and Crews stops Big E from making the tag. Crews pulls Big E towards his corner and Zayn tags in and hits an elbow drop. Zayn with a reverse chin lock. Zayn with a front face lock and Big E powers his way towards his corner but Zayn with a drop toe hold to stop the tag attempt. Crews tags in and he kicks Big E in the back. Crews with an elbow drop for a near fall. Crews with a boot and he goes to the turnbuckles and misses a frog splash but Big E moves. Zayn and Owens tag in and Owens with a double leg take down and he punches Zayn. Owens with kicks in the corner followed by a cannonball off the apron and a back senton on the floor. Owens sends Zayn back into the ring and Owens with a clothesline into the corner followed by a cannonball. Owens goes up top and hits a Swanton for a near fall. Owens tries for a superplex but Zayn knocks Owens off the turnbuckles. Crews tags in and Owens with a pop up power bomb but Zayn breaks up the cover. Zayn tags in and he sets for a half and half suplex but Owens blocks it and connects with an elbow. Zayn with a half and half suplex for a near fall. Zayn with a Blue Thunder Bomb. Big E goes over the top rope onto Crews. Zayn misses a Helluva Kick and Owens with a stunner for the three count. Winners: Kevin Owens and Big E After the match, Apollo Crews has something to say. He asks Owens and Big E why are they celebrating because you did not beat me. You won because I was burdened with that idiot Sami Zayn. How about we do it next week with you two against me . . . and my Commander Azeez. Sami Zayn wants to know who Crews is calling an idiot. He says that Crews is a fraud. He set me up. You are working with Kevin Owens to keep me from the Intercontinental Title. Sami demands an apology from Crews. Azeez with a Nigerian Nail to Zayn. We see Rey Mysterio yelling at Adam Pearce about something. Will Pearce give Rey what he wants, or will Rey have to pry Sonya Deville away from trying to be Charlotte Flair's friend? We go to commercial. We are back with a look at what happened between the Street Profits and Alpha Academy last week. The Street Profits are in the back and Chad Gable stops by and he apologizes for Otis. Chad says that Otis can be over protective. Chad says they got the tag match canceled as a gesture. Ford says he knows that Gable can't control Otis, but they can. Chad tells Ford that they don't know when to stop. You don't know when to shut your mouth. You talked yourself back into a match so which one of you is going to face me. Ford and Dawkins fight over who faces Chad tonight. Chad says he won't have Otis at ringside if Dawkins does not join Ford at ringside. Chad tells Angelo and Montez that Otis is still angry. Roman is sitting in his chair again and Jey shows up in the locker room. Roman looks around and wonders where is he. Jey says Jimmy is out there. He says he doesn't know what Jimmy is talking about. Roman wants to know where he is. Jey tells Roman what Jimmy told him about going to Jimmy's locker room. Roman laughs about Jimmy having a locker room. Roman wants to know why is Jimmy putting Jey in the middle to make him the bad guy. Roman continues to laugh about locker room. He asks if that isn't Roman's cousin's locker room. Roman tells Jey to tell Jimmy he is coming. Match Number Two: Carmella versus Liv Morgan Liv with a forearm as the bell rings and she sends Carmella into the corner and kicks Carmella. Liv with more boots to Carmella. They go to the floor and Carmella sends Liv into the apron and Carmella wants to be acknowledged. Carmella with elbows in the corner. Carmella with forearms and then she punches Liv. Carmella gets a near fall. Liv avoids a splash into the corner and Liv sends Carmella face first into the turnbuckles. Liv runs into a boot from Carmella. Carmella with forearms and she monlogues while she punches Liv. Liv avoids a thrust kick and Liv wtih a ObLIVion for the three count. Winner: Liv Morgan After the match, we are told that since the "Most Beautiful Woman in WWE' Title is not on the line she maintains that title. Bayley is in the back getting ready for her opportunity to talk to Seth Rollins. We go to commercial. Coverage Continues on Next Page 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! LINCOLN A Lincoln man has been arrested and accused of starting the fire that burned at the Lincoln IGA early Friday. A fire at the grocery store was reported just before 4 a.m. when a caller said they saw flames coming from the building at 713 Pulaski St. Lincoln police and fire responded to the scene and found the building engulfed. Officers noticed signs of a burglary and found a man fleeing the area, according to a statement from Lincoln Police Chief Paul Adams. Michael A. Rowland, 38, was arrested after a search of the area and held on preliminary charges of aggravated arson and burglary. Firefighters from Lincoln Fire Department, Lincoln Rural Fire Protection and Atlanta Fire Department extinguished the blaze quickly, while crews from Middletown Fire assisted the responding stations. The store was heavily damaged by smoke and flame, including significant loss of merchandise. Foxxs office has defended its record, and a spokeswoman said it welcomes the latest special prosecutor. But in a scathing ruling Thursday, Cook County Judge Alfredo Maldonado called for that special prosecutor to look into the alleged perjury of former prosecutor Nick Trutenko, as well as the legal and ethical nightmare posed by assigning assistant states attorneys to represent him as a trial witness and the office as a whole. Trutenko was a key witness in the case of Wilson, which has a complicated history stretching back decades. He was tried and convicted twice in a 1982 cop killing; the case was overturned in 2018 on allegations that he was tortured into confessing; and a separate team of special prosecutors brought him to trial for a third time last year. Trutenko, who prosecuted Wilson in his 1989 trial, was called as a defense witness. From there, an already thorny case took some bizarre turns. Trutenko testified that he had a close friendship with a key witness from Wilsons 1989 trial a witness who was reputed to be an international con man, liar and fugitive. Nobody knew William Colemans whereabouts, so transcripts of his previous testimony against Wilson were read into the record at last years trial. Eldridge Police and investigators with the Scott County Sheriffs Department on Friday continued to investigate the shooting death of an Eldridge woman on Thursday. At about 1:15 p.m. Thursday, authorities were called to 306 Davenport St., to investigate the shooting death of a woman whom authorities identified as Jessica Bostrom, 28. During the investigation authorities arrested Shane Robert Bostrom, 34, who is facing one count each of possession with the intent to deliver marijuana and violating Iowas drug tax stamp law. Each of the charges is a Class D felony under Iowa law that carry a prison sentence of five years. Bostrom also is charged with one count each of child endangerment and obstructing prosecution. Each of those charges is an aggravated misdemeanor that carry a prison sentence of two years. He also is charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, a simple misdemeanor that carries a jail sentence of 30 days. According to the arrest affidavits filed by Scott County Sheriffs Sgt. Joshua Wall, during the death investigation, Bostrom was found to have eight live marijuana plants growing in pots, two growing tents with lights, weight scales, humidity scales and baggies for delivery of marijuana inside the residence. A disagreement on that issue scuttled a potential deal in the final hours of the General Assemblys spring session, with some lawmakers pushing for an exemption for Prairie State because suburban and downstate communities that invested in the facility would still be paying off bonds after it shut down. An exemption for the nations seventh-largest polluter remains unacceptable to the governor, as well as the nearly 50 legislators that have indicated they will not support a bill that does so, the unsigned memo from the governors office says. The governor stands ready to sign this bill should the General Assembly choose to pass it next week in Springfield. The memos proposal contains many ideas in a plan Pritzker laid out earlier this spring, including a push for more investment in wind and solar energy, a $4,000 rebate for electric vehicle buyers, and new ethics and accountability provisions for utilities in the wake of the ComEd scandal. ComEd last summer agreed to pay a $200 million fine and admitted in federal court that it engaged in a yearslong bribery scheme aimed at currying favor with then-House Speaker Michael Madigan in hopes of advancing its agenda in Springfield. Madigan has not been charged and denies any wrongdoing. In Illinois, if the governor doesn't sign legislation establishing new maps by June 30 the job shifts to a bipartisan commission. So Democrats, citing June 30 as their deadline, used the American Community Survey to draw the boundaries something MALDEF and more than 50 other human and civil rights organizations have opposed. Unlike the census, which seeks to count each person, the ACS is an annual sample of a fraction of households used to estimate household characteristics, such as education level and household income. The estimates used by the General Assembly come from data gathered over a five-year period, making it less current than the census, MALDEF argues. Saenz said he's concerned about getting an accurate count because if Latino residents are overrepresented in a district it's a missed opportunity and obligation to create another Latino district. There is no way to know for sure if Illinois Democrats accurately drew the lines or for residents to weigh in on them because the full data for each district hasn't been released, he said. Pritzker said during his 2018 campaign for governor that an independent commission should draw political boundaries and that he would veto politician-drawn maps. But he noted in recent weeks that no commission had materialized and instead promised to veto any map that was unfair. It is not uncommon to see someone at that seven-year mark say, Enough is enough, and they move onto something else less stressful, less challenging, and certainly in some ways a little more rewarding, Thompson said. But neither Thompson nor Bradshaw shied away from changes to police practices that are being challenged and in some cases changed. Both applauded legislation passed in 2020 in Iowa shortly after George Floyd, of Minneapolis, was killed while being detained by a police officer. That new law, among other provisions, banned the use of police choke holds in most cases, barred the hiring of officers who have been disciplined by other agencies for using excessive force, and allows the state attorney general to investigate when an individual dies while in police custody. It didnt change our methodology one way or the other, Thompson said. In my agency or statewide, I didnt hear any sheriffs standing up and saying, Oh my gosh, this is a crisis, because 90% of what was contained in that bill was already being implemented and was already standard practice across the board. The contract will be managed by Performances Services. This sounds like it is exactly the kind of use that CARES Act funding is meant for. Thumbs Up ... to the return to Credit Island of the 10 statues aimed at replicating the figures in the famous Georges Seurat painting "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte." The statues, originally carved from wood in 1998, have been damaged by weather, insects and vandals over the years, and from time to time they have been absent. More recently, they were moved to Credit Island Lodge, where Jean Downey, a Davenport artist, made needed repairs. The statues, which are now clad in fiberglass, were returned earlier this week to their display area. These statues are a much-loved piece of Credit Island Park, and while they are removed occasionally for restoration, we are always happy to see them go back to where the public can again see them and experience the joy they inspire. At this point, what would we even set the quota at? Lets be honest, any quota we would set would have to be a shot in the dark, Landeen said. Another option is to let the market drive the demand and, eventually, licensing issues will work themselves out. To compare potential licensing limits on cannabis with alcohol licenses, Jeffries said Rapid City currently has 51 liquor licenses in effect. Jeffries suggested limiting licenses to one per stakeholder and requiring that licenses be approved or denied before the stakeholder submits another application. Another option would be to limit one license per stakeholder per jurisdiction, both of which Landeen said he would be interested in looking into further. Theres part if me thats kind of like, let the market drive it. It might be a little bit tough at first but eventually it will all work itself out. Well how much [time] is a little bit is that a year, two years, is it five years? Landeen said. But on the other hand, I have issues with caps; Ive seen how that creates other problems, so [it would be best] if we could find some hybrid [option]. Fisher said the next discussion the Council has on medical cannabis needs to have a greater focus on licensing. Council President Laura Armstrong said the Council will meet twice more to discuss medical cannabis, hear from other voices like the police and fire departments, and come up with regulations before a public hearing can be held to discuss those proposed rules. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Mayor Steve Allender recently said that the Indian Boarding Schools Lands group is getting close to having a proposal ready for public and council presentation. There are projects that can easily be supported from a community standpoint and there are things that the tribes have been asking for for decades, he said. The Rapid City Council approved a resolution 9-1 in November that calls for a land substitution valued at $20 million. The resolution addressed the history of the three parcels of land within the city that could revert to the Department of the Interior if the city is found to be non-compliant with a 1948 act stating the lands use. Allender said the city could fulfill the obligation with money, land, other assets or a combination. He also said the primary issue isnt whether there was an inappropriate transfer of land but rather the taking of 1,400 acres of tribal land from West Rapid City. Johnson said the support mission is important for America's standing in the world and the security of the nation. "The American people will sleep better at night, as we have for a long time, knowing the men and women in uniform are willing to answer these calls," he said. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Marlette pledged support for the soldiers' families while they are deployed. "Don't forget that we are here for you. You don't have to walk this walk alone while your soldiers are gone," he said. This will be the first unit deployment to the Horn of Africa. The 2/641st had three previous unit deployments to Afghanistan, which included passenger and cargo transport missions in 2008, as well as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions in 2011 and 2015. Following the deployment ceremony, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the new Army Aviation Readiness Center at the airport. The 58,751-square-foot facility is a $20 million project, with $15 million coming from federal appropriations and a $5 million match from the state. The center will be the home of four aviation units within the South Dakota National Guard, comprised of 154 soldiers. The authorization to build the facility came in 2019. That action earned him the Silver Star, the third-highest military honor for gallantry in combat. He was honorably discharged from the Army, but that separation from the armed forces didn't last long. Sughrue went on to receive his Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from North Dakota State University in 1974, a Master of Public Health Degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1981, and completed the course work for a Doctor of Public Health Degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1982. But the call to military service never fully left Sughrue's mind. Later, he rejoined the military and accepted a number of Reserve military assignments, as well as being called to active duty as an instructor at the Army Medical Department Center and School in San Antonio. He also directed medical screening efforts of more than 15,000 soldiers in support of the initial stages of Operations Enduring Freedom and Noble Eagle while serving as the Battalion Commander for the 114th Combat Support Hospital in Minneapolis. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Sughrue directed the mobilization of 700 soldiers from eight medical units to missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Bosnia, Guantanamo Bay and Germany. He was promoted to the rank of Colonel in the Army Medical Department in June 2003. The attacks come amid an easing of pandemic restrictions in much of the country, including Chicago, which lifted many of its remaining safeguards on Friday. Many hoped that a spike in U.S. shootings and homicides last year was an aberration perhaps caused by pandemic-related stress amid a rise in gun ownership and debate over policing. But those rates are still higher than they were in pre-pandemic times, including in cities that refused to slash police spending following the death of George Floyd and those that made modest cuts. Tracking ups and downs in crime is always complicated, but violent crime commonly increases in the summer months. Weekend evenings and early-morning hours also are common windows for shootings. Many types of crime did decline in 2020 and have stayed lower this year, suggesting the pandemic and the activism and unrest spurred by the reaction to Floyd's death didn't lead to an overall spike in crime. According to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University, only three mass shootings occurred at public places the lowest total for that category in a decade out of 19 total mass shootings in 2020. The database tracks all mass killings including shootings, defined as four or more people dead not including the perpetrator. If you are overtly speaking against critical race theory, you're saying diversity, equity and inclusion is not important in your state. What happens is your diversity, equity, and inclusion people leave. You don't even have to make the decision at the legislative level, because the governor has chilled the environment in such a way that it's really difficult to be able to fill those jobs. Noem wins already, simply by talking about it. Gov. Noems radical right-wing agenda of assaulting academic freedom and diversity have been an audible whistle for her prospects as a national candidate. She is saying, Hey, if you are a white nationalist somewhere in America, I'm your candidate. You should be sending me a check because I'm the one standing up for white people and white nationalism. As a white progressive-minded person, I find that frightening. I can only imagine what that feels like for people of color across the country and in South Dakota. It feels chilling for anybody who isn't white and conservative in South Dakota. I think that must be her goal -- maybe she doesn't want us here. These coordinated attacks by Republicans will have dire consequences for South Dakota, and the outlook isnt good, said Nesiba. Range of jobs available The company is growing quickly and as a result, employees have the opportunity to rotate through various areas of our operations, expand their skills and enjoy a variety of work, Whitmore said, adding that job openings range from farm technicians and growers, to shipping/warehouse, quality, engineering, and support roles with many positions not requiring specialized skills or previous experience. Not only do our employees get to be part of a growth organization that is disrupting norms to improve how food is grown and delivered to consumers, but they also benefit from above-market starting wages, an excellent benefits package five health plans and a 401(k) program with company match, paid time off, a casual, comfortable work environment, complimentary weekly team lunches, and much more, she said. For Olivia, who joined Local Bounti in August as a farm technician and in eight short months worked her way up to a leadership role, the companys investment in its people was a major attraction in her decision to join the team. The team is heavily invested in working with employees to find the right fit for their skills and interests, and help them develop and move up in the company, she said. The Sioux and Assiniboine people on the Fort Peck reservation in northeastern Montana will have a veteran firefighter assisting them for the upcoming wildfire season. Adam Wolf, who has nearly three decades of firefighting experience, recently took on the role of fire management officer for the Bureau of Indian Affairs Wildland Fire Management at the Fort Peck Agency. The position stayed vacant for years prior to his arrival, and the reservation currently has no full time BIA crew. I decided to come here because I know how to get this program back on its feet, and I know how to adapt to this program. I think weve got about five local firefighters ready to go through rookie school but right now theres nobody here, just me, said Wolf, who started his new job on Monday. Wolf, who grew up on the Northern Cheyenne reservation, started his career in the early 1990s as a member of the historic Montana Indian Firefighters. Along with fighting blazes threatening the Northern Cheyenne, he went on firefighting tours in California, Idaho and Washington. As a federal firefighter, he began as a member of a helitack crew before operating heavy machinery like fire engines and bulldozers during wildfires. News Microsoft Tells How To Use PowerShell and Windows Update for Business Deployment Services To Control Windows 10 Updates Microsoft this week described how to use PowerShell to better manage Windows 10 updates when using the Windows Update for Business' new Deployment Service addition. Windows Update for Business is an amorphous set of policies, stored in Microsoft's datacenters. Organizations can implement Windows Update for Business policies for Windows 10 client devices through things like Group Policy settings. They might use Windows Update for Business to delay Windows 10 feature updates from arriving for a short period of time, for instance. Deployment Service Preview In March at its Ignite event, Microsoft unveiled a new Windows Update for Business Deployment Service, which was said to increase IT control over when Windows 10 feature updates and quality updates would arrive. The Windows Update for Business Deployment Service apparently is still at the preview stage since that announcement. It's expected to become "available to all Windows Enterprise customers in the first half of 2021," the March Ignite announcement had explained. Organizations will need E3-type licensing, at minimum, to use it. The Windows Update for Business Deployment Service is powered by Microsoft Graph APIs that were released at the preview stage in April, according to this late-April Microsoft announcement. Microsoft explained in that April announcement that the Windows Update for Business Deployment Service is "the bridge between you and Windows Update." It allows IT pros to more finely schedule Windows 10 updates on devices. IT pros can do things like specify that updates should arrive on a certain day for a certain amount of devices, which might be helpful when planning gradual Windows 10 feature update rollouts. They also can specify an "expedited update" for emergency patching, which will bypass default update settings. Various tools and management solutions can be used with the Windows Update for Business Deployment Service, such as "PowerShell, a Microsoft Graph app, or a complete endpoint management solution such as Microsoft Endpoint Manager," Microsoft's April announcement clarified. Using PowerShell Microsoft's announcement this week was all about how to use PowerShell as the tool to specify Windows 10 update details using the Windows Update for Business Deployment Service. It turns out that using PowerShell with this service isn't for the faint of heart. It's a roll-up-your-sleeves project. The announcement clarified that IT pros can use either the Microsoft Graph APIs in preview or the Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK to script Windows Update actions for Windows 10 clients under the Windows Update for Business Deployment Service scheme. IT pros can use a PowerShell script to get a list of updates. They can then use a second PowerShell script to schedule an update deployment, including an expedited deployment. Lastly, another PowerShell script can be used to specify the devices to get an update. Sample scripts to that end were included in Microsoft's announcement. Requirements Prerequisites to use the Windows Update for Business Deployment Service including having a Windows 10 E3 (at minimum) subscription or a Windows Virtual Desktop Access E3 (at minimum) subscription, or a Microsoft 365 Business Premium subscription. Devices need to be using Windows 10 version 1790 or higher. They need to be either Azure Active Directory-joined or "hybrid AD joined," which means they use a combination of the Azure AD service and local Active Directory. IT pros need to have the right permissions to use the Windows Update for Business Deployment Service. Permissible roles include: Global Admin Role in Azure Active Directory Intune Admin Role in Azure Active Directory Policy and Profile Manager Role in Microsoft Intune Microsoft is planning to add to this list with "a new Windows Update Administrator role." That role will be coming "soon," the announcement explained. The coercive limitation is removed when employers offer an incentive to employees to voluntarily provide documentation or other confirmation that they received a COVID-19 vaccination on their own from a third-party provider that is not their employer or an agent of their employer. Under federal discrimination laws, the employer should not offer an incentive to an employee in return for an employees family member getting vaccinated by the employer or its agent. A company can offer vaccinations and incentives to an employees family member for receiving the vaccine through a third party, but cannot require employees to have their family members get vaccinated and must not penalize employees if their family members decide not to get vaccinated. The waters around COVID-19 vaccinations are uncharted and guidance is changing rapidly. Employers should review the guidance provided by the eeoc.gov and also continue to check for updates. He also urged Beijing to ease pressure against Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy China claims as its own territory, to be annexed by force if necessary. According to Xinhua, Yang said Taiwan involves Chinas core interests" and that Beijing firmly defends its national sovereignty and territorial integrity." The tone of the phone call seemed to echo contentious talks in March in Alaska, when the sides traded sharp and unusually public barbs over vastly different views of each other and the world in their first face-to-face meeting since President Joe Biden took office. At that meeting, the U.S. accused the Chinese delegation of grandstanding, while Beijing fired back, saying there was a strong smell of gunpowder and drama that was entirely the fault of the Americans. Relations between them have deteriorated to their lowest level in decades, with the Biden administration showing no signs of deviating from the established U.S. hardline against China over trade, technology, human rights and China's claim to the South China Sea. Beijing, meanwhile, has fought back doggedly against what it sees as attempts to smear its reputation and restrain its development. On Thursday, its ceremonial legislature passed a law to retaliate against sanctions imposed on Chinese politicians and organizations, threatening to deny entry to and freeze the Chinese assets of anyone who formulates or implements such measures, potentially placing new pressure on foreign companies operating in the country. NEWLYN, England (AP) U.S. first lady Jill Biden told members of a British group that uses surfing as therapy that she once owned a surfboard and it was white with a big butterfly on it. She met Saturday with members of Bude Surf Veterans, a volunteer organization based in Cornwall, England, which offers social support and surfing outings to military veterans, emergency workers and their families to help them cope with trauma. The first lady spent just under an hour talking with about eight people, including a young girl, as they sat at a picnic table outside a contemporary art gallery overlooking Mount's Bay. Her husband, President Joe Biden, attended the Group of Seven world leaders summit that is taking place elsewhere in southwest England. So I'm Jill, she said, introducing herself. The first lady has spent many years working on military family issues, both in and out of public life. She is the daughter of a Navy signalman and her late son Beau served in the Delaware Army National Guard before he died of brain cancer in 2015 at age 46. One member of Bude Surf Veterans told her the group was life-saving. Members wore light blue collared shirts that said: Surf. Grow. Heal. Bude Surf Veterans. Honestly, its not going to help very much at all, said Eric Terry, president of the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging and Travel Association. The minimum wage is so much higher than our state minimum wage, its not going to make much impact. Its not set up correctly to make a difference, said Terry, who represents about 1,500 members, both independent and chain restaurants. This is zilch. Starting May 1, Virginias minimum wage rose from $7.25 per hour to $9.50 per hour. Its the first of three scheduled increases that will raise minimum pay for most non-farm jobs in Virginia to $12 per hour by 2023. Child care providers were more supportive because they need help in hiring employees, while they are still waiting for direct aid under the latest federal emergency relief package. One of the greatest challenges we face in child care today is lack of teachers, said Kim Hulcher, executive director of the Virginia Child Care Association. We commend the governor for taking action to build forward momentum to get people back to work. Many child care centers now have wait lists because they dont have enough teachers to fill the increasing demand. We are hamstrung Richmond Commonwealths Attorney Colette McEachin has requested that a special prosecutor be appointed to review the Virginia State Polices investigation into allegations of election fraud by Mark Earley Jr., who handily won a Republican primary on Tuesday. McEachin cited a social relationship with the parents of Mr. Earley as the reason for her request that a prosecutor from another jurisdiction review the evidence and decide whether to prosecute. Earley is the son of former Virginia Attorney General Mark Earley Sr., also a Republican. McEachin, a Democrat, also just won a primary Tuesday. McEachin said late Friday that her request is pending in Richmond Circuit Court. In May, Virginia State Police confirmed that it was looking into a complaint concerning paperwork submitted by Mark Earley Jr. to the Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council. Even under the cloud of a criminal investigation, Earley easily won Tuesdays Republican primary in House District 68, a seat currently held by Del. Dawn Adams, D-Richmond. Earley received more than 91% of the primary vote against perennial candidate Mike Dickinson, a far-right candidate and former Democrat. Four days later, Daniels arrived in Selma. Five months later, he was dead. The former VMI cadet was clear-eyed about the danger: I had realized that as a Christian, as a soldier of the cross, I was totally free. At least free to give my life, if that had to be, with joy and thankfulness and eagerness for the kingdom no longer hidden from my blind eyes. So, what timeless lessons can Jonathan Daniels teach us in this season of our national discontent? The first is the subtle distinction between happiness and joy from his valedictory address. Happiness is shallow and fleeting. Joy has depth and is lasting. By willingly living and ultimately giving his life for others he realized the joy of a purposeful life. A second lesson is that the kingdom of God that was no longer hidden is built upon the principle of equality, both rights and opportunities. It is an upside-down kingdom, where power is to be used to advance the common good and wealth is to be generously shared. Jonathan Daniels recognized that when he was serving the least of these, his impoverished sisters and brothers who suffered the degradation of discrimination, he was serving his Lord. A smoother ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway, a better bridge to the Roaring Run Recreation Area and improvements to the Virginia Creeper Trail are on the list of regional projects to be funded by the federal government. Nearly $1.5 million for projects in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests is proposed under the Great American Outdoors Act in the coming fiscal year, the U.S. Forest Service said Friday. Another $32.8 million will go to repave a 24-mile stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway from near Bedford to just south of Roanoke Mountain. A construction timeline will not be known until a contact is awarded, according to parkway spokeswoman Leesa Brandon. Passed by Congress last year, the Great American Outdoors Act is a landmark conservation law that seeks to ease a backlog of repairs to national parks and recreation areas on public lands. About $213 million is needed to catch up on maintenance to the Blue Ridge Parkway, the National Park Service has said. A report released Friday by the service found that more than 14 million people visited the parkway in 2020, spending about $1.1 billion in nearby communities along the scenic highways 469-mile path through the mountains of Virginia and North Carolina. Biden told members of Bude Surf Veterans that she had a white longboard of her own with a big butterfly on it. She met with them at a picnic table outside a contemporary art gallery overlooking Mounts Bay as President Joe Biden attended the Group of Seven summit in southwest England. Jill Biden observed that that the water is so calming and spoke about attending the Invictus Games, an international sporting event for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women founded by Britain's Prince Harry. She added that she has yet to visit New Zealand and Australia. CARBIS BAY, England French President Emmanuel Macron says its good that U.S. President Joe Biden is able to lead through cooperation, adding that the United States is definitely back as Europe's partner. Biden and Macron met Saturday as part of the Group of Seven summit in southwest England, where they and other leaders of the world's wealthy democracies are discussing the coronavirus pandemic, the environment, national security, relations with China and economic issues. Former U.S. President Donald Trump took an adversarial approach with NATO allies, but Macron said Biden has shown that leadership is partnership. I recently saw an interview with former Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput, who made the interesting observation that the increasing trend of Catholics to opt for cremation instead of burial takes the focus off of the life that passed. The rituals of mourning that are common when we conduct funerals convey a certain measure of gravitas that a collection of ashes in a box on the mantle do not. Not everyone will agree, of course. But three of my immediate family members are gone, two are buried and one is cremated, and when I visit my two parents in that quiet place under the towering trees at St. Peters, I feel them. It is a destination, and a conscious decision to visit them. With my brother, I do not even know where his ashes are collected. I only have his memory which, precious as it is, has no place or substance or roots in my daily reality. If you have made it all the way through to the end of this piece, you might still be wondering what my point might be. To be honest, it is as trivial and as important as this: In the lieutenant governors race, Roanokes Sam Rasoul was a surprise contender who made a good impression. Rasoul showed lots of strength in the Shenandoah Valley, Southwest Virginia and Southside. In 23 localities, he polled more than 50% of the vote, which is tough to do in a six-way race. He ran far stronger in his part of the state than the eventual winner Hala Ayala of Prince William County did in hers. Rasoul took 86% of the vote in his hometown; she took 47% in her home county. The problem is that even with a smaller percentage she still got almost twice as many votes in Prince William as Rasoul did in Roanoke. That raises a related question 3. Can any candidate from the western part of the state hope to win a statewide race? Given the states demographics that shift eastward (and northward) with every election, its hard. However, we cant say the answer is always going to be no because Rasoul showed a possible path. His second-place finish was better than the third and fourth place vote totals put together, and Mark Levine of Alexandria and Andria McClellan of Norfolk had the advantage of a base in the urban crescent. Jeff Borghoff knew something was wrong after his face developed a twitch, then a droop. When at the age of just 51 he received the devastating diagnosis of early onset Alzheimers disease, his biggest dread was a rapid deterioration in his mental powers. Desperate to keep the condition at bay, the former IT executive signed up for the clinical trial of Biogens experimental Alzheimers drug, aducanumab. Six years on, Borghoff credits the controversial treatment for valuable extra time with his wife and his three children. Our fear all along was that there was going to be a steep decline in all of my mental faculties, but to date that has not been the case, he says. Ive had some symptomatic issues . . . but the medication really is about more time, more time with my loved ones, those are critical things. Now, following the drugs approval this week by the US medicines regulator, many of the estimated 35m living with Alzheimers around the world will be waiting in line for their own infusion of hope. Yet there is a sting in the tail on what might seem like unambiguously good news for patients. A series of problems, ranging from the cost of the drug to questions about the evidence of its efficacy, will pile pressure on health systems already battered by the pandemic and which may be ill-equipped to meet the expectations that have been raised. The approval of the drug risks opening a political and business divide between the US where a price tag of $56,000 a year has been set and Europe, where many governments may be far more sceptical of its value. Complicating the debate is a growing chorus of anger over the FDAs decision to green light the drug in the first place, given the scant evidence of its efficacy. Three leading scientists resigned from its advisory board this week, in an extraordinary repudiation of a supposedly objective and data-driven approval process. Biogen originally abandoned the drug after a futility analysis suggested it was ineffective. But when it examined a larger data set, it found patients taking a higher dose experienced significant benefits on measures of cognition and function such as memory, orientation, and language. Craig Garthwaite, professor of hospital and health services at Northwestern University, says it is terrible that the FDA has bowed to patient pressure groups and not listened to its scientific advisers. He says he is puzzled by this idea that even if we dont know or even if it doesnt work we should try it to give people hope. Yet experts believe health insurers are likely to feel obliged to cover the drug now it has been approved by the FDA. In an unexpected twist, the regulator approved it for all patients with the condition rather than just for those with the early stage of the disease, who were studied in the clinical trial. A doctor points at a brain scan. In order to be eligible for aducanumab, a patient must undergo either a PET scan or the more invasive, but typically cheaper, lumbar tap Matt York/AP Most US patients will be on Medicare, the public health insurer for the over 65s, which Biogen told investors it expects to cover the vast majority of patients. Some experts predict it will quickly become Medicares largest expenditure for physician-administered drugs. The potential costs go well beyond just the medicine. The exigencies of administering it look set to challenge established patterns of caring for those with dementia, creating a need for different kinds of staff and expensive equipment not typically associated with treating the disease. The cost of the intravenous infusion of the medicine, radiology and imaging could add between $2,000 and $15,000 or even more on top of the drugs pricetag, according to estimates from Premier, a group that represents more than 4,000 US hospitals. David Thomas, head of policy for Alzheimers Research UK, says that a lot of care for people with dementia [in the UK] is done from memory clinics, which are largely staffed by old-age psychiatrists. Unlike a neurologist, these doctors often dont have experience of the diagnostics and monitoring required to administer disease modifying treatments. The other big challenge, he points out, is securing the necessary equipment. Diagnoses for those suspected of having the disease customarily involve low-key cognitive tests, requiring no special hardware. In order to be eligible for aducanumab, a patient must have a certain level in their brain of amyloids, proteins that can build up in tissues or organs, which is established through either a positron emission tomography (PET) scan or the more invasive, but typically cheaper, lumbar tap, which involves removing fluid from the spine. Eligible patients must then undergo intravenous infusion once every four weeks with aducanumab and get regular MRI scans which can detect dangerous side effects such as brain swelling and bleeding. When Alzheimers Research UK polled psychiatrists in the country recently, the majority said that it would take up to five years to be ready to administer a treatment only a third thought they could do it in a year, Thomas says. Sanjiv Sharma, Borghoffs doctor and founder of the Advanced Memory Institute of New Jersey, acknowledges the obstacles that lie ahead if it is to reach all those who could potentially benefit. But he is in no doubt that the US must blaze the trail. If we cant do it [here], as the most developed country in the world, where can we do it?, he says. A financial incentive to use the drug Soeren Mattke, director of the Center for Improving Chronic Illness Care at the University of Southern California, argues that few developed nations are currently well prepared to administer the drug let alone middle-income and emerging nations such as China and Brazil with far less sophisticated health infrastructure. However, in the US ready funding for the treatment will spawn its own business models, he suggests. Medicare pays doctors a fee of 6 per cent of the price of the drug, plus infusion and visit fees. The US is very entrepreneurial so once . . . the neurologists or psychiatrists or geriatricians realise, well, I can actually make a good living off this just by distributing the drug via my practice, thats a very powerful draw to institute the diagnostic facilities to find the patients, he says. This may bring its own conflicts of interest, suggests Northwesterns Garthwaite. Theres an actual financial incentive to use the drug even if you dont think it is going to work. Mattke also acknowledges that the same incentives do not exist in more regimented, publicly-funded health systems such as Canada and the UK, where lengthy approvals and limited budgets may constrain the purchase of equipment, or ability to hire new staff. Im a bit nervous about government-instituted change because we all know that governments dont act very fast, he adds. A Biogen lab technician with tubes of aducanumab in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The US -has set a price tag of $56,000 a year for the drug Biogen via AP In the US, Biogen has helped to prepare more than 900 infusion sites across the US to deliver the drug. It anticipates modest revenue in 2021, but then a multibillion-dollar opportunity in years to come, as it could be given to between 1m and 2m patients in the US alone. Roni Christopher, vice-president of design and intervention in the analytics group at Premier, has spent the past year examining everything from developing standard assessments of a patients cognitive state to training radiologists to spot side effects, and even assessing if infusion sites have enough seating. Even with these logistical insights, the most experienced health systems may not be ready to treat patients until the autumn. The FDA decision to open the drug up to all Alzheimers patients, will lead to a bigger flood of interest, Christopher says. Consumer or patient pressure is going to dictate a lot here, because its such a devastating disease, she adds. Jeff Borghoff was diagnosed with Alzheimers disease at the age of just 51. Six years on, Borghoff credits aducanumab for valuable extra time with his wife and his three children Jeff Borghoff Value for money? Bigger, even, than the question of how the drug is to be delivered is how much health systems and the taxpayers who fund them will be willing to pay for a medicine with such little proven impact. In parts of Europe, where so-called health technology assessments are used to assess value for money of a new medicine, the battle has yet to be seriously joined over whether the drug should be offered to patients. In the UK, whose National Institute for Health and Care Excellence carries a lot of international influence, officials are privately concerned that expectations are being raised that will not easily be met. Umer Raffat, an analyst at Evercore ISI, expects that even if aducanumab gets the green light from European authorities, they are not going to allow a price of more than $10,000 per year, which will put Biogen in the difficult position of deciding whether to sell to the US at five times the European price. This difference in approach looks set to inflame Republican politicians who believe that other countries which negotiate cheaper drug prices are in effect freeloading off American innovation. On the other side of the political aisle, some Democrats are using the price Biogen has set as evidence that Medicare should be allowed to negotiate prices a potential bargaining power with the drugs industry that the government chooses not too exercise. Murray Aitken, executive director of the IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science in New Jersey, believes the question of how much health systems should pay for a drug that, however flawed, offers a rare shaft of hope, may prompt a long overdue public reckoning over whether European governments should spend a higher share of gross domestic product on health. He adds: It may precipitate a larger conversation for us as a civil society, in terms of how were allocating our wealth . . . It may trigger that broader social debate and discussion, which I would say is probably overdue. At home in New Jersey, Jeff Borghoff has no doubt about the value of the medicine which he believes has extended his lease on a meaningful life. I know that its not a cure and it probably wont fix everything thats been damaged in my brain from Alzheimers, says Borghoff. He adds: Im 57. Ill be OK if I live into my 70s, thatll be a good run and Im hoping the medication will help me do that. By Francois Murphy VIENNA (Reuters) -Indirect talks between Tehran and Washington on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal resumed in Vienna on Saturday as the European Union said negotiations were "intense" and Germany called for rapid progress. The sixth round of talks began as usual with a meeting of remaining parties to the deal - Iran, Russia, China, France, Britain, Germany and the European Union - in the basement of a luxury hotel. The U.S. delegation to the talks, known as the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA), is based in a hotel across the street as Iran refuses face-to-face meetings. The talks' chief coordinator, EU foreign policy official Enrique Mora, who is leading the shuttle diplomacy between Iran and the United States, has said he expects a deal in this round of talks. Other envoys, however, are more cautious, saying many difficult issues are yet to be resolved. "We are making progress but the negotiations are intense and a number of issues (remain), including on how steps are to be implemented," an EU spokesman said in a statement to reporters, adding that the aim was "to find ways to get very close to a final agreement in the coming days". The top Iranian negotiator, Abbas Araqchi, suggested it was unlikely the talks would conclude before Iran's presidential election on Friday. "I don't think we will be able to reach a final conclusion in Vienna this week," Iranian state media quoted Araqchi as saying. The deal, or JCPoA, imposed strict limits on Iran's nuclear activities designed to extend the time Tehran would need to obtain enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon, if it chose to, to at least a year from two to three months. Iran denies ever pursuing nuclear weapons, saying its aims are solely peaceful. President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the deal in 2018 and reimposed economic sanctions lifted by the deal. Iran responded by breaching many of those limits, producing more enriched uranium than allowed and enriching to higher purity levels, recently to near weapons grade. Story continues "Playing for time is in no-one's interest," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, who is not at the talks, told Reuters, urging all sides to show flexibility and pragmatism. China's top envoy said the main sticking point was U.S. sanctions. "Our message to them (the United States) is that they should stop shilly-shallying by moving decisively to sanction-lifting," China's ambassador to the U.N. nuclear watchdog, Wang Qun, told reporters. On the steps Iran must take to return to compliance with the deal, Wang said: "To a great extent, the major issues have been worked out as a matter of principle, though I think there are some fixes (left)." (Additional reporting by Sabine Siebold and Vera Eckert in Frankfurt, and Dubai newsroomEditing by David Holmes, William Maclean) Fire risk continues to magnify and grow exponentially over the last couple of years, said Sumeet Singh, the utilitys senior vice president and chief risk officer. This week alone, a fast-moving wildfire in Yuba County forced some residents of Beale Air Force Base to evacuate to the bases gym. More than 17,000 acres have burned so far across the state in the young fire season, according to Cal Fire. After causing a string of massive fires that forced it to file for bankruptcy in 2019, PG&E is under severe scrutiny to reduce fire risks this summer. It just paid $43 million to local governments to cover costs of the 2019 Kincade Fire in Sonoma County and last years fatal Zogg Fire in Shasta County and is probably facing another $600 million in damage payments to homeowners and others. Meanwhile, the utility is facing prosecution in Sonoma and a criminal investigation in Shasta. Separately, the Public Utilities Commission in April placed the company in the first tier of its enhanced oversight and enforcement protocol after determining that PG&E did a poor job last year of clearing tree limbs and other vegetation away from its riskiest power lines. SIOUX CITY Mayor Bob Scott voiced concerns Friday about the 36 percent increase in costs for the proposed Woodbury County Law Enforcement Center, saying the project architect failed the joint county-city authority charged with building the jail. County officials estimated the main phase of the jail construction at $43 million. But the low bid, from Lincoln, Nebraska-based Hausmann Construction, came in at nearly $58.4 million. Shane Albrecht of the Baker Group, the project manager, said the jail was estimated at $479.34 per square foot. Compared to some other jails that were built prior COVID-19, Woodburys cost is about $100 more per square foot. At a special council meeting Friday, Scott asked if everyone knew the project was going to be around $400 per square foot. If thats the case, why didnt we know it was going to be (higher)? Scott said at the meeting. When the project was taken to bid, Scott said they were told an increase could occur, but not as much as 36 percent. He said steps should have been taken to reduce the costs before the project was bid. NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) The Yale University graduate student whose body was found on a street next to his car in February had been shot multiple times and at close range, according to court documents released Friday. NEW YORK (AP) Candidates in New York City's heavily contested Democratic mayoral primary on Saturday urged people to go to the polls in the coming days as early voting kicked off. The start of early voting around the state marks the homestretch to primary election day on June 22. As some city mayoral candidates voted, others spoke at a get-out-the-vote rally hosted by the Rev. Al Sharpton, who is remaining neutral in the race. Why on earth would you wait until the last day? candidate Andrew Yang asked at the event. You can vote right now. You can vote tomorrow. You can vote Monday. You can vote Tuesday. I dont know about you all, but I would feel great having gotten it out of the way. Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams has topped some recent polls, though the 13-candidate race remains tight. Other top contenders include 2020 presidential candidate Yang, former city sanitation commissioner Kathryn Garcia, city Comptroller Scott Stringer and civil rights attorney Maya Wiley. This primary is especially hard to predict because the city is debuting ranked choice voting, with voters ranking up to five candidates. Garcia was among those who voted Saturday morning in Brooklyn. ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) The 49 victims who were massacred at a gay nightclub shooting in Florida are being honored this week with a community run, a museum exhibit, a mass yoga session, a gay chorus performance and a street dance party. The tributes will culminate with a remembrance ceremony on Saturday, the fifth anniversary of the tragedy. Frierson said he's confident Nevada can make its case and persuade both national parties to let it go first. He said those conversations have already started and will continue, but he did not offer more details. Iowa and New Hampshire have signaled they're willing to fight to protect their status. New Hampshire has a state law requiring its presidential primary to be held at least seven days ahead of any other similar contest. The law also gives the New Hampshire secretary of state the exclusive power to set the primary date. Harry Reids been doing this for over half a century now, and were just waiting for him to run out of steam, said New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner, a Democrat who's served as the state's top election official since 1976. Given that two of the last four New Hampshire primaries have been in January, Nevada shouldnt count on being first with a February date, he said. It could be the seventh, Gardner said Friday. And at the summit a year earlier in Hamburg, Germany, where Trump seized the interpreter's notes, Americans were able to debrief Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who also jotted down notes, the former official said. Some diplomats and journalists have questioned how thorough the Trump Cabinet secretarys version would have been, however. When Trump unexpectedly sat down next to Putin and first lady Melania Trump that night at dinner for a long chat, press reports at the time said it appeared no other Americans were within earshot. However, the former official said they were able to build a record of what was said from the first lady's aides, who were sitting next to her. Trump in one way made it easier for listeners to follow and document his private words with Putin. Appearing dazzled by the pomp and import of the summits, Trump would have to ask interpreters to repeat Putins comments half the time, the former official said. The results were detailed accounts that were shared among top officials and preserved, according to the former official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. They ultimately will likely be declassified, like the records of past presidencies. The case involved a mother and her three children. Ashley Deminski said her children, two of which are diagnosed with autism, were subject in 2016 to physical violence and sexual harassment and vulgarities by as many as four students at Lakeforest Elementary School in Pitt County. Deminski said the school's leadership and the local school board were largely unresponsive to her concerns. School personnel said changes would take time but no real change occurred, according to the opinion. Ultimately the three were able to transfer to another school, but Deminski sued in late 2017, citing education provisions in the North Carolina Constitution. The family sought monetary damages and an order that the children would never have to return to Lakeforest. A trial court judge allowed the case to proceed, despite arguments by the Pitt County School Board that it was immune from the litigation as a government body. A majority on a three-judge Court of Appeals panel dismissed the case last year, citing a similar case involving the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board and negligence claims related to a teacher's sexual relationship with a high school student. But Newby said the Court of Appeals' majority decision would mean the constitutional guarantee extends no further than an entity affording a sound basic education by making educational opportunities available. NEWLYN, England (AP) U.S. first lady Jill Biden told members of a British group that uses surfing as therapy that she once owned a surfboard and it was white with a big butterfly on it. NORFOLK, Va. (AP) To hear a military prosecutor tell it, U.S. Marine Mario Madera-Rodriguez was tasked with smashing open the bedroom door of a U.S. Army Green Beret with a sledge hammer and then turning on some music. Another Marine was supposed to remove the Green Beret's mosquito netting from around his bed, the prosecutor said. A Navy SEAL would choke the Green Beret into unconsciousness, while a second SEAL would tie him up with duct tape. Their plan was to haze him that night, to humiliate him, Marine prosecutor Jason Samuel said Friday at the start of Madera-Rodriguez's murder trial at a U.S. Navy base in Norfolk, Virginia. But they killed him. The Green Beret, Staff Sgt. Logan Melgar, a native of Lubbock, Texas, died of strangulation. Madera-Rodriguez is one of four American servicemembers charged in Melgar's 2017 hazing death in Africa, where the men were serving together. Madera-Rodriguez, who belongs to a special operations group in the Marines known as the Raiders, is the only one of the four men to plead not guilty. The others have already made plea deals and may testify at his trial. LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) Ann Tillery could see by her own image on the Zoom screen that something was wrong when the left side of her face began to droop. Her speech slurred and her left arm felt heavy. All of the signs of a stroke were there, and the technology of the video conferencing platform helped the Lincoln, Nebraska, woman realize it fast enough to get lifesaving help. The Lincoln Journal Star reports that Tillery was on camera on a Zoom call with state lawmakers on May 18 advocating for the Alzheimer's Association when, in just a split second, my world changed, she said. Problem was, no one else on the call realized what was happening. Tillery was alone in a conference room at the University of Nebraska Foundation. She grabbed her phone and tried to stand but fell to the floor. Finally, she was able to call 911. I knew I had a very limited time to act if I was going to have the best chance of recovery, Tillery said. Luckily I did have my cellphone. The president, at the start of the day, brushed off as irrelevant the number of people who vote. What is important is that those the people vote for have sufficient legitimacy, Tebboune said after casting his ballot in Algiers. The president also brushed off boycotts by the main opposition parties and Hirak supporters. These elections are another stage on the path to change and the construction of a new Algeria, with sovereignty for the people, Tebboune said. I respect the position of those who decided to boycott the elections, but they do not have the right to impose by force their viewpoint on others. Women made up half of the candidates for the first time. But women were largely invisible from the campaign their faces often blurred or concealed in campaign posters. Candidates had just 20 days to campaign, and Algerian media said real debate on major issues of concern, like unemployment, was mostly absent. With such a slew of candidates, the calculation of power is simple: to elect a patchwork assembly, without a majority, which will allow the president to create his own parliamentary majority with which he will govern, political scientist Rachid Grime said. Deep into the reports text is this shocking revelation about plans for armed confrontation: The Capitol Polices intelligence unit received a report on Dec. 21 more than two weeks ahead of the attack with messages among participants saying: Bring guns. Its now or never. Another says: If a million patriots show up bristling with ARs, just how brave do you think theyll be when it comes to enforcing their unconstitutional laws? Yet another says: Anyone going armed needs to be mentally prepared to draw down on LEOs [law enforcement officers]. Let them shoot first, but make sure they know what happens if they do. As those exchanges were occurring, Trump tweeted: Big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there, will be wild! Why was law enforcement not prepared? According to the report, commanders didnt share the threat assessment with Capitol Police officers. The Senate committees made no effort to investigate Trumps role. The report also does not include the word insurrection. The final 22 pages do include a transcript of the speech Trump gave on the morning of Jan. 6, when he told his supporters to fight like hell while directing them to head to the Capitol. With Blunt abstaining, the Senate on May 28 rejected a bipartisan commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack. The joint committee report is a sorry excuse for accountability. Blunt should be ashamed for his cowardly response to this blatant attack on American democracy. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The name of YouTuber, podcaster, and all-around internet celebrity Trisha Paytas trended on Twitter earlier this week after they announced that they were leaving their podcast Frenemies. On Saturdays episode of ICYMI, Slates podcast about internet culture, co-hosts Rachelle Hampton and Madison Malone Kircher explained how Paytas got so popular in the first place, how theyre connected to David Dobriks Vlog Squad, and what all of this has to do with the latest turmoil. The following transcript has been edited and condensed for clarity. Advertisement Rachelle Hampton: Lets start breaking this down by answering a very simple question: Who is Trisha Paytas? Madison Malone Kircher: To give you a little sense of scope, Trisha Paytas has 6 million subscribers across her two YouTube channels, almost 5 million TikTok followers, shy of a million on Twitter, and a couple of hundred thousand on Instagram. Theyre big on a ton of platforms. Theyre a YouTuber, self-described troll, provocateur, former stripper, podcast host. Heres just a little taste of what were talking about: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kircher: So, rewinding a little, Trish Paytas joins YouTube as a potential career move after some time working as a stripper and an escort in California. Theyve talked pretty candidly about this time in their life being really hard. At this point, they develop some substance abuse issues. They also had a side hustle as an extra in music videos. Like with Eminem, Amy Winehouse, All-American Rejects. In 2007, they post their first YouTube video and their account name is Blndsundoll4mj (which is a combination of their blonde hair color, a love of tanning, and a passion for Michael Jackson). Its a video of them rapping to Ice Ice Baby: Advertisement Kircher: Its not until a few years later, though, in 2012, that Trish Paytas has their first viral hit. And I think this is where you can see the light bulb go off over their head, thinking, Oh, making people mad is how Im going to become famous. It was a video called, Why Im Voting for Mitt Romney. Advertisement Advertisement Kircher: For context, Trisha Paytas is now 33 years old, but this sets off a careers worth ofI think its fair to sayintentionally trolly, purposefully controversial content. Trisha used to cosplay as a racist Japanese pop star character known as Trishii. They were known for dropping the N-word when they would rap in videos, and actions like this become their thing. Hampton: And equal opportunity racist. I dont want to say we love to see it, but I just feel like whenever anyone has this broad a selection of offensive things, it is clearly for money. Its provocation for provocations sake. I feel like most people are generally specific in their racism. Maybe thats just me trying to be hopeful about America. Advertisement Kircher: A couple of years later, they expand their equal opportunity-isms into some really crass videos using transness. In 2016, they claimed that they identified as a chicken nugget. Hampton: Are we back on the Tumblr episode? Is this otherkin? A chicken nugget? Kircher: Right, right. In that trash bag video we played a clip of, thats actually a video of Trisha announcing that theyre no longer a person at all. A couple of years after that, they would announce that they are a trans gay man. And then this year, Trish Paytas announced that they are non-binary. All of which are valid things except perhaps the chicken nugget, but its the fact that we go from chicken nugget to I am non-binary and use they, them pronouns that makes it all a little bit murky. Advertisement Advertisement Hampton: Yeah. Murky seems a very generous descriptor of whats going on here. It just makes it extremely hard to tell what exactly is for provocations sake and what exactly is real. Kircher: Throughout these years, Trish Paytas relationships also become a central part of their identity and internet content. Were going to talk about one specifically, with someone who they dated and broke up with and dated and broke up with. A guy named Jason Nash, who you might remember from our very first episode where we talked about David Dobrik. Jason Nash is the old guy in the Vlog Squad. Hes 48. And for comparisons sake, David Dobrik is 24. Hampton: Yes. And the people David is hanging out with are usually late teens, early twenties. Advertisement Kircher: The first time they broke up, Trish Paytas said it was because Jason Nash made a joke about their weight. Trisha Paytas is a very curvaceous, Anna Nicole Smith-esque body type. Thats part of their brand, being this bombshell-esque figure. But that was and remains fodder for mockery for many of the people whom Trish works with. Hampton: This keeps getting worse, and were not even in 2021 yet. Were still somewhere around what? 2018, 2019? Advertisement Advertisement Kircher: Were really nearly there, I promise. Trish has talked about the years where they were close with the Vlog Squad as being sort of mentally taxing because of being the butt of jokes and constantly being pranked, in the way that those YouTuber types do. And lets be clear, Trisha also engages in this. You can at once perpetrate this and also suffer from it. But Trisha Paytas has sort of separated from this group at this point. David Dobrik once allegedly encouraged them to have a threesome with Tana Mongeau, who was a teenager, 19 at the time, and Jason Nash. Its all just very gross. And it seems very easy to believe a person when they say, This was a bad period for me. Advertisement Hampton: Yeah. And I mean, weve seen enough of whats come out of the Vlog Squad too, that makes a lot of this seem quite credible. Kircher: Honestly, Im just going to rapid-fire through some other things you need to know to catch us up to this week. Trisha Paytas has a history of being anti-Semitic online, as recently as their TikTok era, performing Springtime for Hitler, which is a satirical song from The Producers. Trish does the Nazi salute, its very bad. Theyve said that they only learned about the Holocaust after seeing Schindlers List. Advertisement Hampton: What year was this? Kircher: So this was a more recent comment. But then of course the sentient being that is the internet dug up a 2013 video from Paytas called, My Thoughts on Hitler. Theres more things like this, but we will Advertisement Hampton: Theres always more. Kircher: Theres always more. Last year they had a beef with Charli DAmelio. Say what you will about TikToks most famous star, but first and foremost, shes 17 years old. Thats a child. We are very nearly to the present. In 2020, Trisha Paytas starts the podcast called Frenemies with Ethan Klein, as part of his larger media company. And that is the root of why Trisha Paytas is in the news this week. Frenemies is an aptly named show. Have you listened to it? Hampton: No. If you cant tell by the fact that Madison is clearly running this bus, I dont know a lot about Trisha Paytas. Much like with Logan Paul and David Dobrik, this a part of the internet that I largely ignored because it seemed built on what youre describing, which is provocation for provocations sake. Advertisement Advertisement Kircher: The short version of it is that Ethan Klein and Trisha Paytas have this really kind of confrontational friendship. It began when Ethan Klein fat-shamed Trisha in a video. Trisha calls him out and then shortly thereafter appears on his podcast. And they do this over and over, sort of using each other in a weird, spiteful way. I mean, its smart, on Frenemies, they talk about influencer drama, YouTuber drama, and they make a game out of holding bad YouTubers accountable. But within that, you get the drama interpersonally. Its like a show inside a show, and it grows into this really big thing. It has millions of subscribers. People love the show. Sign up for the Slate Culture Newsletter The best of movies, TV, books, music, and more, delivered to your inbox. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. Hampton: I mean, it seems like a cash bucket. As you were describing, gossip plus a kind of antagonistic relationship between the hosts. So even if there is no drama happening externally, there is always going to be drama internally. Madison, we have to start beefing. Advertisement Kircher: Were working on it. Were really trying. But thats the draw. Plus also that Trisha Paytas is the kind of person who doesnt hold back. Who at least gives the appearance of showing you everything. For example, they talk pretty candidly about struggling with their mental health. Sometimes they talk about it well, and sometimes they talk about it in ways that are harmful. For example, at one point they said they had dissociative personality disorder. Advertisement Hampton: Thats a very popular thing to say online. Kircher: And introduce their alters. Hampton: Thats also a very popular thing to do online. Well talk about that at some point, but the DID faking community, wild. Smart for Trisha to kind of capitalize on that. Advertisement Kircher: Right. Paytas later said they had borderline personality disorder. On TikTok, theyve talked about going to therapy, about getting medication, about getting help. Trisha and Ethan both talk about mental health on the podcast, but with all these things and the bombacity of the way the Paytas enterprise works, jurys still out on whether or not this is actually a good thing, right? Hampton: Yes. Jury very much still out. Net good: talking about mental health on the internet, normalizing it. Net bad: using it for clicks. Kircher: Everyone take a breath. Were now at the present. Hampton: We are now in 2021, which, if youve listened to our show, you might know that we covered the David Dobrik Vlog Squad mess, wherein a woman was pressured into a threesome with Durte Dom. Trisha Paytas very much commented on that situation when it happened. So they were at the center of that. Early this month, another YouTuber, Gabbie Hanna, was profiled in BuzzFeed. In the profile, Gabbie namechecks Trish. And none of it is exactly complimentary. Gabbie accuses Trish of causing Hanna to lose a record deal and sponsors, friends. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kircher: Her livelihood. Hampton: Yeah. Trish immediately denies this in a Twitter thread. Not only denies this but denies ever having been friends with Gabbie, which seems a little implausible. Kircher: What this means is the Trish Paytas moment were in now is burbling when this profile comes out. So this drama is all brewing over here. Im gesturing to my left. Now Im gesturing to my right, which is this weeks drama when Paytas quits the Frenemies podcast. This is not the first time that theyve quit the podcast. In the most recent episode of Frenemies, Ethan and Trish have a fight, which well boil down, we will reduce on a low simmer for several hours to describe as a fight over creative control and pay. Advertisement Hampton: Wow, you really did simmer that shit down! Kircher: Look, theres too much. Hampton: There are a lot of Twitter threads. There are a lot of screenshots of text messages. There are a lot of YouTube videos. But, yeah, it comes down to creative control over the show Frenemies. Kircher: Paytas records this 22-minute video on their kitchen floor, and in the video, they talk about how they wanted to be equal partner in the show and that Klein only ever treated them as talent. Meanwhile, Ethan Klein is tweeting out about how he doesnt know what to do, hes so sorry, he tried to save the show. Eventually, as the argument over who was making what money and how the crew of Frenemies are being paid or not paid, Trisha releases a whole bunch of text screenshots to show a conversation between them and Ethan Klein going back and forth on just how much profit share Trisha would get. And in the texts, Trisha refers to Ethan as being Jew-y, which is a deeply anti-Semitic thing to say. Trisha then tweets that theyve come a long way, once again trots out that theyve dated Jewish men, that theyre converting, and that theyre sorry. That theyve grown since this, the screenshots were old, and they just needed them as receipts. Advertisement Advertisement Hampton: Didnt they also say something along the lines of, To not allow me to grow and learn when Ive apologized time and time again is really not cool. But people were calling them out for being anti-Semitic as recently as last year, 2020. Trisha, have you grown that much? In six months? The sound in my head is just question marks, you know? Kircher: The whole situation is a mess. No one involved in it is perfect. A good person or a bad person, its all very murky. Will Frenemies return? Honestly, maybe. Probably? Well be here waiting when it does. To make sure you always understand the latest internet drama, subscribe to ICYMI. Listen to the MP3 audio version of this story here, or sign up for Slates free daily podcast on iTunes . Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Decades before the best-seller was published, my father knew the secret of The Secret. He was aware there were people with esoteric knowledge who controlled all the wealth, had all the power, and were specifically excluding him from getting any. He bought the books of his time that promised, like The Secret, to unlock these mysteries. I loved listening to him spin his theories about how things really workeduntil either I got too old to believe him anymore, or his spinning took him further and further away from reality. He died with nothing, living under an assumed name. So, I will acknowledge that I came to The Secret with a negative attitude. When I bought it, I quickly stuffed it into a plastic bag, glancing around Barnes & Noble to make sure I saw no one I knew. The last time I was this embarrassed at a bookstore was when I bought The G Spot, another best-seller that provided instructions for achieving bliss. For the Human Guinea Pig column, I usually do things that readers are too embarrassed or too intelligent to do themselveslike entering a beauty pageant or entertaining at a kids birthday party. I wanted to see if applying the rules of The Secret to my life would bring me the perfect happiness that it promises. But millions of you have already beaten me to this one. There are now 5.3 million copies of the book in print in the United States, and publisher Simon & Schuster says it is selling about 150,000 a week. A separate DVD version has sold at least 1.5 million copies. Groups have formed to discuss how to best live by The Secrets rules. It is a No. 1 best-seller in Australia, England, and Ireland, and it is scheduled to be translated into 30 languages. Advertisement Advertisement Theres no secret to The Secret. The book and movie simply state that your thoughts control the universe. Through this law of attraction you manifest your desires. It is exactly like placing an order from a catalogue. You must know that what you want is yours the moment you ask. See yourself living in abundance and you will attract it. It works every time, with every person. The appeal is obvious. Forget education, effort, performance. Everything you wantmoney, power, comfortable shoesis yours simply by wanting it enough. There are certain caveats. Apparently the universe has a language-processing disorder and doesnt comprehend standard English usage of the words dont, not, and no. So, as the book explains, if you summon the universe by saying, I dont want to spill something on this outfit, the universe translates this as, I want to spill something on this outfit. If only Rhonda Byrne, the television producer who is the author of the book and creator of the DVD, had been there to counsel those negative authors of the Ten Commandments! Advertisement Byrne says Shakespeare, Newton, Lincoln, and Einstein all owed their achievements to their understanding of the law of attraction. She asserts that the discoveries of quantum physics are in total harmony with the teachings of The Secret. To prove this, she explains, I never studied science or physics at school, and yet when I read complex books on quantum physics I understood them perfectly because I wanted to understand them. (Pop quiz, Rhonda: What is the energy of a single photon [in eV] from a light source with a wavelength of 400 nm?) The book is dotted with quotations from great men of history that supposedly back up The Secrets assertions. Take this one from Winston Churchill: You create your own universe as you go along. Something about this struck me as sounding not terribly Churchillian. I looked it up and it turned out Churchill did write it, but it was his mocking characterization of the metaphysical twits of his day. Advertisement Advertisement Given my skepticism, how could I make myself believe in The Secret enough to give it a fair test? To quote one of The Secrets avatars, Ralph Waldo Emerson, A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds. Clearly, The Secret is drivel, but why should that stop me from sincerely throwing myself into seeing if it worked? I am already deeply susceptible to superstition and seeing signsif I find a penny (faceup only), I pick it up knowing something good will happen to me. As self-absorbed as I already am, I loved the permission the book gave to sink deeper into a Jacuzzi of megalomania. As The Secret points out: You are the master of the Universe. You are the heir to the kingdom. You are the perfection of Life. Just as Id always suspected! Advertisement So, I vowed to follow Byrnes simple rules for abundance and see what happened. The book encourages one to start big: It is as easy to manifest one dollar as it is to manifest one million dollars. But I thought starting with the million-dollar manifestation was like saying, I love you on a first date; I didnt want to scare the universe into not taking my calls. I came up with three things I thought the universe would find reasonable: a kitchen floor, unclogged sinuses, and a new desk. Advertisement At this point I should add that The Secret is not only drivelits pernicious drivel. The obvious question that arises from its claim that its easy to get what you want, is: Why do so many people get what they dont want? As Byrne writes, Imperfect thoughts are the cause of all humanitys ills, including disease, poverty, and unhappiness. Yes, according to The Secret, people dont just randomly end up being massacred, for example. They are in the wrong place because of their own lousy thinking. Cancer patients have long been victims of this school of belief. But The Secret takes it to a new and more repulsive level with its advice not just to blame people for their illness, but to shun them, lest you start being infected by their bummer thoughts, too. Advertisement But look, I needed a kitchen floor, and if abandoning sick friends and loved ones was what was requiredwell, who really enjoys those bedside visits, anyway? We recently renovated our house, and everything went great except our kitchen floor. Remember being told in school that the Holy Roman Empire was neither holy, Roman, nor an empire? My kitchen floor was supposed to be acid-stained concrete. And while it was a floor, it turned out to be neither acid-stained nor concrete. Instead it was made of some sort of epoxy, with a surface that looked as if my dog had fallen into a mud pit and then come inside and rolled all over it. I spent weeks attempting to find an easy, inexpensive way to resurface it. One concrete guy said if he came it to fix it, Id have to remove all my appliances and baseboards, let him grind down the existing floor and pour a new surface, and pay him $4,000 to do it. Thankfully, he decided the job was too small and troublesome to be worth it. Covering the floor with cork tiles would also require appliance removal and an outlay of about $3,500. And so it went with every alternative. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So, I followed The Secrets recommendation and notified the universes call center that I wanted a quick, economical, pleasing, and durable kitchen floor. Once I did that, the next step was to enter such an intense state of visualization that it was as if my new floor already existed. Byrne writes: A shortcut to manifesting your desires is to see what you want as absolute fact. Although normally people who see things that arent there are considered delusional, I went with Byrnes recommendation to act as if you have it already. One day my husband called from work to check on various house issues, and I said, Im so grateful that I finally got a beautiful kitchen floor. Advertisement Are you on something? he asked. It turns out I was on a universal high because a few nights later I awoke at 3 a.m. from a dream that had supplied the answer: Paint the floor to look like acid-stained concrete! The next morning I searched the internet and contacted every faux painter within a 50-mile radius. Only one, Deanne Lenehan Cunningham, agreed to come and take a look. She had never done a floor and was concerned whether her products would adhere to the sealant now on my floor. She said she would talk to the manufacturer, see if was possible, then give us an estimate. Advertisement When a week went by without a callback, my husband suggested I phone her, and that I also explore other alternatives just in case. Normally I tend toward the anxiously obsessive, and I would have already been doing that. Instead I told him it wasnt necessary because we already had a perfect kitchen floor. Secret-speak requires this odd future-present construction, which my husband came to call, sounding like a moron. Advertisement But as Byrne so amply proves, the universe loves people who sound like morons. Deanne finally got back to us, said she could do it, and that she would charge us $912. We now have a gorgeous, glowing floor. And I had to admit just sitting back and letting my desires manifest freed up a lot of timeand was much more relaxing than trying to take care of things myself. With that success, I moved on to my sinuses. Each spring, pollen causes my nose to resemble a drip irrigation device. I spend months spraying my nostrils and popping antihistamines. Why not put in a Secret request to get rid of my allergies? After all, the fiftysomething Byrne describes how it took her only three days of proper thinking to get rid of her reading glasses and restore her eyesight to that of a twentysomething. So I shelved the drugs, walked my dog, breathed deep, and expressed gratitude for my sensational sinuses. Advertisement Advertisement This worked great for weeks, through one of the most frigid springs on record, and I was starting to think that maybe my father was right, maybe people like Byrne really knew how the world worked. Then the weather warmed up and the air was thick with pollen. My eyes swelled, my nose started pouring, and I ended up with a sinus infection and a bag of medications from the otolaryngologist. Of course, one could say The Secret failed. But look at it this way: When I first started imagining myself drip-free, the universe responded by sending a cold snap! Then because I became so blase about my sinuses, the universe decided to warm things up again. Surely there is a lesson here for Al Gore. Advertisement Finally, the desk. I had spent months dragging myself around to furniture stores and cruising the internet for the desk, which I can see quite clearly: Its sleek and made of steel, L-shaped, with plenty of work space on top and storage below. Unfortunately, no one who manufactures desks also sees it. Following The Secrets precepts, I stopped wasting my time looking for it and instead expressed my gratitude for its arrival. Ive now spent six weeks visualizing this desk to no effect. Perhaps the problem is signal interference from my husband, who keeps suggesting I manifest the word Ikea into my search engine and just order a damn desk. Or perhaps the problem is that millions of people are now putting in their orders and the universes servers have crashed. Or maybe its something else. As one of Byrnes favorites, Albert Einstein, said (in a quote that doesnt make it into The Secret): Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and Im not sure about the former. Slates homepage editors spend a lot of time looking for editorial photos to put on our site. Those searches sometimes yield unexpected results: random, perplexing, and mesmerizing photos that dont belong on the homepage, but that are too good not to share. Every week, well share the weirdest photo from the wires. What search term was used to find this in Getty? yair lapid What were you hoping to find? A photo of Yair Lapid, the Knessets current opposition leader and head of the Israeli centrist political party Yesh Atid, with Naftali Bennett, the leader of the far-right Yamina party. Lapid and Bennett have joined forces to topple Benjamin Netanyahu as Israels prime minister. Advertisement What did you find instead? A rowdy reveler wearing a mask of Netanyahus face. The empty eyeholes make the fake Bibi look like a zombie or a ghostdefinitely something from the realm of the (un)dead. The juxtaposition of the older mans face with the young womans body is striking, as the 71-year-old prime minister appears to be partying hard and doing a dance move straight out of the Bangles Walk Like an Egyptian music video. In one photo, the woman is theatrically peeling the mask off like a Scooby-Doo villain. Also like a Scooby-Doo villain, Netanyahu is accused of numerous crimes. He has been mired in corruption scandals and was indicted in 2019 for fraud, accepting bribes, and breach of trust. As the young Israeli woman sheds Netanyahus face, so too the country seems to be on the verge of shedding his leadership. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whats the actual backstory here? These photos were taken at a May 31 demonstration in Tel Aviv in support of ousting Netanyahu for the Bennett-Lapid unity government. In the past two years, Israel has held four inconclusive national elections, reflecting an increasingly polarized electorate, with Bibi often the focal point of the political maelstrom. During his 12 years in power, Netanyahu has shifted further to the right to stay in office, leaning into anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian attitudes to win elections. At times, his grip on power has been tenuous, but in Israels crowded multiparty system, none of his opponents has been able to build enough support to unseat himuntil now. The new coalition draws parties from across the ideological spectrum: religious and secular, right-wing and left-wing, two-staters and pro-settlement annexationists. It will also include the Islamist Arab party Raam, ending the decadeslong exclusion of Arab groups from Israels governing coalitions. Since the Bennett-Lapid alliance spans such a wide range of political beliefs, it is unclear exactly what its leadership will look like in practice. So far, all thats clear is the shared desire to see Netanyahu gone. Why is this the weird photo of the week? As my colleague Josh Keating points out, once Bibi is out of power, Israel is in for what might be the worlds weirdest government. These photos are a fitting way to usher in the new era. Across the country, Republicans like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are fighting against critical race theory, even if they dont know what it is. Professor Ibram X. Kendi joined us on Fridays episode of A Word to explain critical race theory, so even racists can understand. Hes the author of How to Be an Antiracist and the director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research. Hes also the host of a new podcast, Be Antiracist With Ibram X. Kendi. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity. Advertisement Jason Johnson: Dr. Kendi, in your mind, what actually is critical race theory and why do you think Republicans and so many people are so in a kerfuffle about it now? Ibram X. Kendi: Critical race theory emerged among lawyers and legal scholars who recognized that despite being in this postcivil rights America, racial inequity and disparity still existed and persisted. For them and for critical race theorists, the aim was to examine those structures, those laws, those policies, so that we can uncover the structures of racism. And obviously, critical race theory has extended out to other disciplines. Personally, I think that Republicans specifically chose to attack critical race theory because they felt that they could define it more easily than other terms. Since they couldnt come out and say, Oh, those people who are challenging systemic racism are a problem. They couldnt say, Those anti-racists are a problem. So theyre defining critical race theory at the same time they are attacking it, and critical race theorists are like, Thats not how we define it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What is the most troubling thing politicians and the media have gotten wrong about critical race theory? Wow. Man, theres so many. I would probably say the misconception that critical race theory is a theory that seeks to attack white people, as opposed to it is a theory and an intellectual tradition that seeks to attack structural racism. If youre white and youre being told by elected officials, or even the media, that critical race theories are out to go after white people, then I could understand how people would be concerned about that, but its a very different thing when critical race theorists are focused on challenging structural racism. I think thats been very troubling. Advertisement Would you consider yourself to be a critical race theorist? Who are critical race theorists out there that people should be aware of? Ive certainly been inspired by critical race theory and critical race theorists. The ways in which Ive formulated definitions of racism and racist and anti-racism and anti-racist have not only been based on historical evidence, but also Kimberle Crenshaws intersectional theory. Shes one of the founding and pioneering critical race theorists who in the late 1980s and early 1990s said, You know what? Black women arent just facing racism, theyre not just facing sexism, theyre facing the intersection of racism and sexism. Its important for us to understand that and thats foundational to my work. Advertisement Advertisement Lets talk a little bit about academic pushback. Thereve been some academics who have been critical of some of your work, including How to Be an Antiracist. Some people have said, Oh, it kind of lets white America off the hook. Have you found yourself at the nexus of these conversations? Or is it more something where people are debating two sides of the same coin as opposed to questioning the legitimacy of what youre working on? One of the beauties of being an academic is being able to engage in intellectual exchanges and those intellectual exchanges should be based on our consumption of other peoples work. To be honest, Jason, Ive been most frustrated when I see and hear people, including academics, criticize my work when their criticisms demonstrate they actually havent engaged my work or read my work; they just have heard what somebody else has said. Im sure any writer, and Im sure those critics themselves, would be frustrated if theyre being critiqued for something they actually didnt say or didnt believe. Advertisement One thing I will say I have focused on more, and Ive really highlighted, and I wish I would have described this better within How to Be an Antiracist, is that we tend to use the terms racism and racist interchangeably. I even did that in How to Be an Antiracist while at the same time I was trying to define them differently. Were just so used to using those terms interchangeably, and so what Ive done since then, is Ive been very open that its important to understand racism as structural, as systemic, as institutional, but the term racist is a term of individuality. So were really talking about an individual person, an individual idea, an individual policy, an individual nation. Im happy because the conversation around my book has allowed me to really ensure that were not using those terms interchangeably and we have different definitions for those two terms. Advertisement Advertisement I want to talk about Nikole Hannah-Jones. This is a situation where conservative forces use their money and resources to go after a Pulitzer Prize winner, a MacArthur Genius Grant recipient, the author of the 1619 Project, and deny her full tenure with her position at UNCChapel Hill. My question for you was, one, how would we define those particular attacks as either racist or racism? Because the critics say, Oh, no, no, no, this is purely because of academic reasons. And then second, as youve heard about this story, does it make you, as a scholar, worry about the future of academic freedom at colleges around the country? So the attacks, whether its individual members of the board of trustees or the board of trustees collectively, or even those who are defending those trustees for not providing this incredibly talented and qualified journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones tenure, those were individual attacks, and therefore, racist attacks. Then when we take a step back and we look at UNC, or we look at the nation and we see that Black women with tenure are rare, thats a function of a system or structure that is leading to that sort of disparity. Advertisement Are you optimistic that we can overcome these attacks on critical race theory, that we can overcome these attacks on voter suppression? Do you think that our current government and leadership is up to the task? So I do think the Democratic Party is still captive to trying to attract white swing voters who they believe do not want to have serious discussions about the ways in which our nation is racist or about just how pervasive structural racism is. Then you have the Republican Party, obviously, that imagines that structural racism doesnt exist. So you put that together, and unfortunately, we have these two forces or major political forces, neither of which want to have these serious conversations. On the other hand, if you compare 2021 to 1921 or 1821, there are many people who are committed to creating a different type of nation in extremely important and powerful positions, and they just were not there in 1921. We do have these journalists and scholars, and even elected officials and activists, who are in key positions and are in key powerful positions, and their commitment gives me hope. Listen to the entire episode below, or subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts. It was quite the week for Merrick Garland: On Monday, the department took a position in a pending legal case that was so controversial that many liberals are now openly asking whether he is up to the task of running the Justice Department at this unique moment in the departments history. On Thursday, the New York Times reported that the department, under Garlands predecessors during the Trump administration, had taken the highly unusual step of subpoenaing phone records for two Democrats on the House Intelligence Committeealong with aides and family members, including at least one minoras part of the Trump administrations aggressive pursuit of anti-Trump leaks. That revelation prompted outrage among Democrats on Friday as well as questions about why Garland is not being more forthcoming with information about what exactly happened. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the time of this writing, the story exists in the classic, precarious state of a burgeoning Washington scandalthings are clear enough to make people angry but vague enough to raise legitimate questions about how bad this was, and about whether we know the material details or there are other proverbial shoes to drop. On Friday, Politico reported that William Barrwho, according to the initial Times story, had revived the languishing leak investigations after he succeeded Jeff Sessions as Trumps attorney generalwas not aware of any congressmans records being sought in a leak case. The Justice Departments inspector general has already opened an investigation at the request of Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, and Senate Democrats are threatening subpoenas to compel testimony from Sessions and Barr, though that avenue may be foreclosed given the tie in numbers between Democrats and Republicans in the various committees of potential jurisdiction. Advertisement This would be a remarkable set of circumstances under any administration, but as usual, that it was happening during the Trump administration makes it even worse. The Trump DOJs aggressive efforts targeting Democratic members of Congress appear to have occurred at the same time that the Justice Department was fighting a congressional subpoena for Trumps personal financial records, to say nothing of the administration stonewalling during the Houses first impeachment and the department openly flouting congressional oversight throughout Trumps term. Rarely do we get such a stark example of the asymmetry of power between the two branchesa problem that has gotten worse across administrations of both parties. Advertisement It remains to be seen how much of a headache this will prove to be for Garland himself, but it does underscore the peculiar and ongoing liminal state in which the department exists. The Times reported that four department officials with varying levels of involvement are still at the Justice Department and that [t]heir continued presence and leadership roles would seem to ensure that Mr. Bidens appointees, including [Garland], would have a full understanding of the investigations. Advertisement Besides Garland and a handful of others (most notably Monaco and Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta), senior positions in the department that should be staffed by political appointees remain unfilledincluding, notably in this case, the head of the departments National Security Division, who (per the Times) is among those who were being regularly briefed on the underlying leak investigations. The administration identified a replacement several weeks ago, but there remain no nominees for the head of the departments Antitrust Division and all 93 of the U.S. attorney positions throughout the country. Politico reported earlier this week that Garland and the White House have had stand-offs over senior positions with Garland pushing to install many of his own former clerks. Given all of the well-justified talk over the years about the Trump DOJ being one of the worst in history, the foot-dragging suggests the uncomfortable possibility that Garland and the White House do not share the serious concerns about the departments organizational deterioration that many others dothat they are content to let holdovers and career officials who rose through the ranks of the Trump DOJ, however they managed to get there, run the departments most sensitive offices. Advertisement Advertisement The latest fracas also underscores a central tension in Garlands management theorythat it is important to decentralize control of the department after the tumultuous tenure of Barr and his assorted flunkies, who openly embraced their ability to override the decisions of career prosecutors, and to devolve decision-making back to the departments career workforce. It appears that Barr enlisted a career prosecutor from New Jersey to revitalize the leak investigations that led to the subpoenas concerning the House members, but that is not surprising; the same appears to have been true in the recent flurry of cases involving subpoenas for journalists records, which prompted so much outrage that Biden himself directed the Justice Department to change its policies in the area. Advertisement The problem is that you cannot simply turn the page on the Barr-Sessions-Trump years without asking some difficult questions about the involvement of career employees. Far from the caricature that dominated the Trump era, the career workforce is not uniformly comprised of competent, upstanding people. That may be true of the vast majority, but like any other large workplace, there are people who are bad at their jobs or indifferent to ethical and moral imperatives if they might get in the way of their career advancement. In fact, in virtually every scandal you can tick offthe effort to dismiss the prosecution of Michael Flynn, the frivolous effort to prevent the distribution of John Boltons book, the repeated efforts to criminally prosecute former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, the decision not to even open a criminal investigation into Trumps effort to shake down the Ukrainian president, the deterioration of the departments white-collar enforcement efforts, the enormously costly failure to pursue COVID-related fraud in state unemployment systems by foreign criminals, and, worst of all, the family separation policycareer employees played an integral role. Advertisement These are not people who are simply supposed to do their jobsthey have legal and ethical obligations to be competent and noncorrupt. Nor can you excuse their involvement simply by sympathizing with their plight, since I can assure you, when the shoe is on the other foot and prosecutors are pursuing misconduct within large criminal or business enterprises, most of them do not care whether someone involved needed the money or would have found it inconvenient to look for another job. There is a whole set of prosecutorial guidelinesthose that govern investigations of businesses where criminal misconduct has occurredthat are premised on the methodical, surgical pursuit of everyone involved, in part because that is the best way to try to deter people from participating in such schemes in any capacity. Advertisement That does not mean that everyone should be treated harshlyin an administrative setting, simply identifying the misconduct may be sufficient to deter it in the futurebut at the moment, there is an outward casualness to this issue on the part of Garland and other senior officials that is peculiar and frankly disturbing. At the moment, we are being treated to unpredictable, fortuitous revelations about previously unknown and deeply questionable conduct at the Justice Department under Trump, with no apparent control or interest on the part of Garland, Monaco, or Gupta in whether, when, or how the public learns these things; no evident plan to undertake an affirmative effort to identify similar misconduct from the past; and no discernible consequences for anyone involved. To the contrary, senior officials seem to be avoiding doing these things precisely because it might upset career officialsbut these people all work for us, not the other way around. Slovakia is filling the gap on European car battery market High hopes as InoBat announces its investment, prompting comparisons to Eset. InoBat Auto plans to produce first bateries in Voderady within one year. (Source: TASR) Font size: A - | A + While Slovakia is the leader in car production per 1,000 capita with an extensive network of suppliers, none of them has produced car batteries for the increasing production of electric cars so far. This will change as the electric vehicle (EV) battery developer and producer InoBat Auto has launched work to transform a brownfield in Voderady into an EV battery R&D centre and pilot line. If this project succeeds, we will hear a lot more about these people; it may be Slovakia's next Eset, said Speaker of Parliament Boris Kollar, comparing the project to the global IT security provider. The centre might be a benefit not only for the four carmakers located in Slovakia but also European countries, as it will reduce the dependency of electric vehicle manufacturers on the import of batteries from Asia. The goal is to increase the global competitiveness of the European market in this area and provide the automotive industry with long-term sustainable solutions, said co-founder and CEO of InoBat Auto, Marian Bocek. Related article Slovakia is following the trend by producing electric car batteries Read more The site, located 40 kilometres from Bratislava in Voderady, is situated in the centre of central Europes automotive hub, with more than 4.25 million vehicles produced annually in a 500-km radius from the facility. InoBat is preparing to build a 1GWh Gigafactory in Voderady, Slovakia before scaling up to a 32GWh Gigafactory to support and serve the international market at scale. European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic, in charge of the European Battery Alliance, acknowledges that the private sector is maintaining the momentum built up by the European Battery Alliance. This ambitious new InoBat Auto project represents another significant stepping stone towards building a competitive, innovative and sustainable battery value chain here in Europe, said Sefcovic via internet during the ceremonial launch of the hall's reconstruction on June 1. This will help bolster our strategic autonomy and protect millions of jobs in the face of increasing global competition particularly important in Central Europe. 9. Jun 2021 at 16:07 | Jana Liptakova Vaccination is not a race between countries but a race against time Team Europe has become a part of our external action toolbox when it comes to supporting third countries. Font size: A - | A + Ingrid Brockova is State Secretary responsible for development cooperation, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic Jutta Urpilainen is European Commissioner for International Partnerships, European Commission A bit more than a year ago, on April 8, 2020, we launched our Team Europe global response to Covid-19. As soon as the pandemic was declared, all major European development actors decided to come together in the understanding that as long as we are not all safe, no one is safe. In such a grave moment, we agreed that scale, coordination and focus were needed to assist our partner countries with maximum impact. EU Institutions, Member States, their implementing agencies and European Development Finance Institutions combined resources, ways of working, expertise and tools. Team Europe was born. In one year, Team Europe, the collective global recovery package brought together to help partners address the COVID-19 pandemic has reached over 40 billion. percent of this amount has already been disbursed in support of the immediate needs: health, water, sanitation and nutrition systems, as well as tackling the social and economic consequences of the pandemic. Part of the fabric of our external action toolbox This work is more than numbers or sentences on the paper. It is real impact in the lives of millions. The Slovak Republic has substantially contributed to the Team Europe approach. Out of almost 12 million committed the Slovak Republic already spent 4,45 million to support partner countries in facing the multifaceted impact of the pandemic.. The biggest part 1,52 million - has been channelled to the European Neighbourhood. 0,85 million were spent in the Western Balkans and 1,4 million went to Sub-Saharan Africa. Our new concept has delivered. Actually, Team Europe has already become part of the fabric of our external action toolbox when it comes to supporting third countries by joining our individual strenghts and working better together. It is now being mainstreamed in the programming of our 2021-2027 budget for external action. Flagship Team Europe Initiatives which will bring together our collective efforts have the potential to significantly boost our political engagement. Driving international partnerships and recovery Obviously, Team Europe is instrumental to meet the ambition of a renewed and stronger Africa-EU Partnership. We have started to deploy this approach on the continent with significant impact. In Kenya, Team Europe has mobilised 502 million to support the national Covid response plan. Shortly after the Covid-19 crisis became a pandemic, Slovakia sent over five tons of protective and medical aid supplies to the people of its partner countries such as Kenya, Lebanon, Ukraine or North Macedonia to help stop the spread of new coronavirus. In line with the Team Europe approach, Slovakia has actively reacted to the urgent calls of its partners. In Mali, the EU supports the fight against Covid-19 with up to 136 million, covering humanitarian, health and socio-economic needs. At continental level, Team Europe will support the African flagship initiatives on digitalisation, the Continental Free Trade Area climate change and sustainable energy. Team Europe is at the service of a sustainable global recovery, which decisively puts young people in the driving seat. Our Global Recovery Initiative links investment and debt relief to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and building back better. Vaccination is not a race between countries Right now, the urgent issue is of course vaccination. It is not a race between countries but a race against time. We face a common enemy. And, we need to vaccinate everyone. It is both the right and the wise thing to do right now. It is prerequisite to returning to the new normal. Team Europe is leading investment in the global COVAX Facility and we are establishing a coordinated European approach to vaccine sharing by setting up an EU Vaccine Sharing Mechanism to help partner countries overcome the pandemic. The European approach to vaccine sharing will help neighbouring and partner countries overcome the pandemic and comes on top of the close to 3 billion EU investment from Team Europe (Commission, Member States and EIB) in COVAX. So, one year of Team Europe is behind us and plenty still to come. At this stage, we have not taken baby steps, but giant leaps in the way we work and make impact together. We have every reason to continue and to expand this also to other areas of cooperation. Because, even though Team Europe was born out of darkness and despair, it has great potential to shed light for our future generations a light that reminds us that we achieve more and better together, leaving no one behind. 12. Jun 2021 at 7:49 | Ingrid Brockova, Jutta Urpilainen Woodbine Mohawk Park would like to inform the horse racing community of its upcoming training schedule. Training will be offered on Wednesday (June 16) from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Sign-up for training at Woodbine Mohawk Park will open Saturday (June 12) at 3:00 p.m. Each training day will be split into three sessions with a maximum of 50 horses in the first two sessions and 48 in the final session. Sign-up will be required to train at Woodbine Mohawk Park and trainers are limited to a maximum of six horses per day. The training session times are listed below: Session One: 7:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Session Two: 9:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Session Three: 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. The sign-up links for each day next week are listed below: Training Wednesday, June 16 All Paddock COVID-19 protocols will be in place for training hours, including the requirement to have all people wearing a mask. Only Trainers and essential licensed personnel will be permitted through the Security check point and all individuals are reminded to complete the COVID-19 Screening Form before arriving. (Woodbine) Last week, we shared a photo of the Gentry house, and we would like to expand upon who lived there and built it. Ben Gentry completed his formal education at the Northern Indiana Business Institute shortly after the federal government opened land for homesteading in North Platte Valley in 1886. He decided to move to Nebraskas panhandle with his friend John Hall, who owned a wagon and some mules, to claim some land. Ben didnt receive his first claim, so he claimed another plot of land Northeast of Minatare shortly after his marriage to Cora Johnson in November, 1890. Prior to their marriage, Cora had filed for a homestead just east of Bens homestead. Cora Gentry described their early pioneer days in a brief autobiography, which can be found in Early Pioneer Stories and Poems by Donald Max Gentry, who is Cora Gentrys grandson. She wrote, My husband decided that he wanted to try ranching, having gathered a small bunch of cattle, so in January of 1892 we moved to our homesteads located three miles east of Minatare, where we built a four room log house, later improved by siding on the outside and with lath and plaster on the inside. This house still stands staunch as when built, having been modernized by the addition of electric lights, gas service and with running water. There we encountered the ups and downs (mostly downs) of ranch life and after the advent of irrigation, which Mr. Gentry had a large part in promoting, of farming. Less than two years after being named the president of Western Nebraska Community College, Carmen Simone has been named a finalist for a similar position at a community college in Oregon. Simone is one of three finalists for the president position at Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton, Oregon. According to the colleges website, all three candidates completed interviews, forums with faculty, staff, students, community members and the Board of Education earlier this week. Simone interviewed June 8. BMCCs Pendleton campus has a student population around 3,000 students and is part of a five community college system in northeastern Oregon. The college is searching for its eighth president, who will be the successor of Dennis Bailey-Fougnier, who resigned due to health concerns, the East Oregonian reports. The East Oregonian reports the BMCC board is expected to select a final candidate this summer with the plan to name a new president by July. Simone was named the sixth president of WNCC on Nov. 14, 2019, after being named as a finalist to replace then-president Todd Holcomb. The board selected her over finalist Timothy Alvarez, citing her experience as a college president, along with a variety of her other roles that elevated her to the top of the list. A lot of people have egg on their face for dismissing the COVID-19 lab leak theory, tweeted ABC News Jonathan Karl this week. Some things may be true even if Donald Trump said them. Or if Arkansas Tom Cotton did. We still dont know where coronavirus originated. Could have been a market, a farm, a food processing company, he said in January 2020. I would note that Wuhan has Chinas only biosafety level-four super laboratory that works with the worlds most deadly pathogens to include, yes, coronavirus. Cotton never said he was certain the virus came from a lab leak and never suggested a leak was deliberate. But as a Trump supporter, he was quickly smeared, as liberal writer Matthew Yglesias shows in a painstaking analysis -- for pushing conspiracy theories (CBS News), spreading rumors that were easily debunked (Politico), repeating a coronavirus conspiracy theory that was already debunked (Washington Post), and repeat(ing) fringe theory of coronavirus origins (New York Times). In each case, Yglesias points out, writers mischaracterized what Cotton said. Media coverage of lab leak was a debacle, writes New York magazines Jonathan Chait, and a major source of that failure was Groupthink cultivated on Twitter. Brides Across America, along with bridal retailers nationwide, will donate free bridal gowns to our heroes, it was noted in a release, and on June 11, six brides were able to come to the local bridal shop and search for the gown of their choosing for their special day. A second event for military, scheduled for July, will be held at Tulle Bridal LKN as well. Those wishing to register for a wedding gown can go to the Brides Across America website at www.bridesacrossamerica.com. Brides must be vetted and certain criteria must be met in order to be provided a gown by the organization, said Sada. Once that has been done, they can get an appointment with the local shop. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} It was an exciting and emotional day for those being able to realize their dream of selecting a wedding gown. Andrea Straughter of Carolina Beach shared that this day meant getting a nicer gown than I probably otherwise would have and to be a part of such a special organization. She also noted a lot of sacrifice by both of her parents who had served in the United States Army, and her fiance who is an Air Force veteran. I think its amazing, she said. Her mom, Rosemary Straughter, was on hand to witness her daughter find her special dress. Thats where Sen. Vickie Sawyer plays a role advocating for the city. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} To make sure that these types of projects are high on the list. I can only do that when I have support from the city and locals So that the project doesnt get buried by other projects, Sawyer said. According to Assistant City Manager Scott Harrell, NCDOT has indicated they have funds to install improvements at two intersections on Garner Bagnal and are currently studying the Wilson W. Lee Boulevard and Cochran Street intersections along the road. However, changes wont happen overnight. Harrell said the studies take 90 days, and the process of designing and implementing changes goes beyond that. So while people at different levels of government are advocating, it isnt a straight path to having any improvements done. Bureaucracy at its finest, Sawyer said with a laugh. But thats how roads are built. Sawyer said there are many considerations, such as traffic flow, safety for pedestrians, and future road plans that make it a more complex situation than a city simply asking for the improvements. Allow yourself to feel your feelings Work takes up a lot of our time. And if we stop working? There's a lot of time to fill. Some of the emotions you may have been pushing aside in order to get things done will likely come bubbling up. Grief, anger, sadness, fear, depression, and so on. Even though it's uncomfortable, try and feel those feelings. This is where the real healing begins. During my sabbatical, I worked through my grief and other difficult feelings through a mix of journaling, therapy and lots of long walks in nature. It all helped. Even though facing my sadness was scary, it was exactly what I needed and exactly what I wasn't able to do in a bustling office. Identify ways to support yourself upon return Taking time off allowed me to assess what I missed about work and what routines were unhealthy for me. Catching up with coworkers over lunch? Great! Eating a sad desk lunch alone in front of my computer? Not so good. Before I returned to the office, I made a list of work resolutions, including avoiding screens at certain hours, limiting the number of meetings in a day, and turning off Slack and other distractions when I needed to do some deep thinking. All of these things made for a smoother and less stressful transition back to the workplace. Tazewell, Va. With her hand on her grandfathers Bible, Shanna Plaster took the oath of office as the Northwestern District Supervisor June 24. The Bible came from her grandfather Edgell, who was one of 19,000 Americans killed in the four week siege of Bastogne near the end of World War II. Her father was less than a year old when his father was killed and the Bible has remained in the family over the years. Plaster, became just the third woman elected to a supervisors post in the county history said she hopes to be a role model for girls and boys in the program she works with. My day job is for a nonprofit group called communities in schools. I try to give students a hope for the future. I want to try to make sure each child has a future and a future in Tazewell County, she said. Plaster takes office immediately after being elected June 15 to fill the time remaining on the term of Travis Hackworth. Hackworth was elected to the state senate in March and resigned his seat on the board with nearly three years left on his term. Plaster, who ran unopposed for the seat said jobs will be her number one priority and the need for jobs was the main concern she heard from voters while campaigning. She expressed love for the county and a hope she could help make it a better place for people to live and work. She has been attending board meetings unofficially since starting her campaign and said she felt comfortable and ready to vote on the budget June 29 and other issues moving forward. KALAMA Northwest Innovation Works on Friday notified the Port of Kalama it will terminate its lease, ending its seven-year effort to build a $2.3 billion methanol plant at the port. Project supporters including the port, Cowlitz County Commissioners, labor groups and state lawmakers mourned the loss of the project and its potential boost for the county. Conservation groups and residents who opposed the plant applauded the announcement. NWIW did everything right, and their understandable decision to pull out of this project is a real loss for families trying to make ends meet, the future of economic development in our state, and our environment, Port Commissioner Troy Stariha said in a statement. The project also would have been a huge revenue lift for schools, police, fire, roads and other services in our area. It is yet another lost opportunity in southwest Washington. The state Department of Ecology denied a key permit for the project in January, the latest in a long line of setbacks for the project. Northwest Innovation Works said in a press release in light of the decision, the regulatory environment has become unclear and unpredictable. The company halted work on the project to assess the new regulatory and political landscape and determine an appropriate path forward. A regional housing authority has gathered the first $300,000 it needs to build a planned $14 million affordable housing rental complex at 38th Avenue and Pennsylvania Street in Longview. The organization plans to construct an estimated $14 million multifamily rental complex in 2022 to provide affordable housing for the elderly and homeless families with children. The Longview City Council voted unanimously Thursday to allocate $150,000 in federal money to Housing Opportunities of Southwest Washington to construct the 45-unit complex. Executive Director Jennifer Westerman said the city allocated $150,000 for the project in 2020 as well. Backing from the city is needed to receive additional state and federal funds, she said. Longview adds $170,000 in mortgage payments to plan for low-income rental assistance The change comes after the county government received millions of federal dollars to help renters since the pandemic began. We are very grateful for all the support from the city of Longview, Westerman said. The housing authority will apply for federal and state funds to cover the buildout of more than one structure on 2 acres of land next to the Longview Presbyterian Church, Westerman said. She said some buildings could be up to three stories tall. CATHLAMET Graduates were showered with praise and in some cases sporadic downpours at outdoor ceremonies for Wahkiakum, Woodland and Castle Rock high schools Friday as they readied for the next stages of their lives. For three female graduates, that means leaving the halls of high school for the U.S. military. Stand-out grad: Considerate Wahkiakum grad plans to use kindness as nurse CATHLAMET Shannon Dela Cruz has lived in two countries and learned two languages all before graduating from high school. Ellie Wiltse-Hiatt is the first female Wahkiakum graduate to attend a military academy in the schools history, according to superintendent Brent Freeman. She was accepted into the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland. At the ceremony, just before a brief downpour, Wiltse-Hiatt spoke of facultys routine character-building exercises like practicing gratitude on thankful Thursdays and reminding students to make a difference at the end of each day. Character that I believe to be essential as we step out into the world and into the next steps of our lives, she said. Nearly an hour south, Woodland graduate Ashley Burney spoke at her high schools ceremony about altruistic aspirations. Burney always wanted a job where she put service before myself, she said, so she followed her fathers military footsteps and is pursuing a career as a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot. +2 Graduation a welcome celebration together after an unusual year for Kalama High School seniors KALAMA For many of the Kalama High school seniors graduating Friday, the ceremony marked not only the end of high school but the end of 13 y Apple had announced in the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) last year that it is going to allow you to sign in to websites on Safari using Face ID and Touch ID. Now, they are taking that a step further and are introducing passwordless sign-ups. Announced in a developer session called Move beyond passwords, Apple introduced something they call Passkeys. These Passkeys will allow you to sign up for services without any passwords. Despite their prevalence, passwords inherently come with challenges that make them poorly suited to securing someone's online accounts, Apple explained. So how exactly will Passkeys work? When you visit a website that supports Passkeys, you will enter your username of choice when you register and then use Face ID or Touch ID to sign in instead of using a password. Your Face ID or Touch ID will be used to authenticate you and sign you in. Passkey is coming to the iPhone, iPad, and Macs later this year as a technology preview so it will be turned off by default. This new Passkey tech is a part of the iCloud keychain and it is based on FIDO (Fast IDentity Online) Alliances WebAuthn protocol. Apple joined this alliance last year to support password-free authentication. Passkey is coming to the iPhone, iPad, and Macs later this year as a technology preview so it will be turned off by default. (TNW/Apple ) As you can see on the chart, this Passkey is a pretty secure method for authentication and this will prevent you from falling prey to a phishing attack. However, this tech is not going to work for devices that arent a part of the Apple ecosystem. With those Android devices, you will still have to use passwords. Now, its not all bad news since Google and Microsoft already have support for passwordless logins through biometric authentication and hardware keys like Yubico. Microsoft had mentioned in March that more than 200 million accounts are already using a login method that doesnt involve passwords. Besides this new tech involving Passkeys, Apple has also created APIs for hardware security keys in macOS Monterey and iOS 15. Developer beta for iOS 15 is currently out and the public beta is coming soon. Developer beta for Monterey and watchOS 8 is also out. The Joe Biden administration seeks to work with the Indian government and Internet businesses to ensure that freedom of expression is respected while combating the spread of misinformation, a senior US official has told lawmakers. The US believes that the best response to misinformation is truthful information, said Scott Busby, the acting principal deputy assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour while testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia, and Non-Proliferation on Wednesday. "Misinformation has cost lives in India and so has lack of access to independent information. Prior to the pandemic, misinformation led to several instances of 'cow-lynchings' in which hooligans, inflamed by social media, assaulted people suspected of harming cattle," he said. At the onset of the pandemic in India, some leveraged social media to blame Muslims for the spread of Covid-19, Busby told the lawmakers. "The government levied content restrictions and demanded content takedowns of social media companies negatively impacting access to information and freedom of expression," Busby claimed. Throughout South Asia, there have been constraints on liberties such as freedom of expression and association, he said. "In India, authorities tell US businesses to block social media content, including posts relating to public health, and charge or arrest journalists for the same, at the height of the country's Covid-19 surge when up-to-date information is needed most." India's enforcement of its Foreign Contribution Regulation Act resulted in the deregistration of over 1,500 civil society organisations and the closure of such prominent organizations as Amnesty International India, he claimed. "As large democracies, the United States and India have a special responsibility towards combating misinformation with a rights-respecting approach. We seek to work with the Government of India and Internet businesses to respect freedom of expression while combatting dis- and misinformation," Busby said. Observing that information manipulation, whether it is through media capture, censorship, or disinformation campaigns is a global problem, he alleged China actively seeks political, economic, and strategic advantage, including through the spread of propaganda and disinformation and silencing critical voices. "In the Indo-Pacific region, disinformation has profoundly changed how people vote, obtain healthcare and treat vulnerable members of minority groups. Responsible governments must not suppress factual information nor permit their officials to contribute to the spread of misinformation," Busby said. In Bangladesh, the restrictive Digital Security Act infringes upon the exercise of freedom of expression both online and offline and targets civil society, media, political opposition, and religious minorities. Government measures in Bangladesh restrict freedom of expression and authorize the criminalization of defamation and slander, offences most other democracies consider civil infractions while in Nepal, regulations governing the media and online environment carry criminal penalties that trigger self-censorship, the official said. Bhutanese Internet has flourished with news on blogs and social media, though posters risk defamation lawsuits and national security charges filed against them and actively self-censor, Busby said. In this July 29, 2020, file photo Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos speaks via video conference during a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on antitrust on Capitol Hill in Washington. A group of House lawmakers put forward a sweeping legislative package Friday that could curb the market power of Big Tech companies and force Facebook, Google, Amazon or Apple to sever their dominant platforms from their other lines of business. Credit: Graeme Jennings/Pool via AP, File A group of House lawmakers put forward a sweeping legislative package Friday that could curb the market power of Big Tech companies and force Facebook, Google, Amazon or Apple to sever their dominant platforms from their other lines of business. The bipartisan proposals are the culmination of a 15-month investigation by the House Judiciary Committee's antitrust subcommittee, led by Democratic Rep. David Cicilline of Rhode Island. It concluded that the four tech giants have abused their market power by charging excessive fees, imposing tough contract terms and extracting valuable data from individuals and businesses that rely on them. "Right now, unregulated tech monopolies have too much power over our economy," Cicilline said in a statement. "They are in a unique position to pick winners and losers, destroy small businesses, raise prices on consumers and put folks out of work. Our agenda will level the playing field and ensure the wealthiest, most powerful tech monopolies play by the same rules as the rest of us." The proposed legislation targets the structure of the companies and could break them up, a radical step for Congress to take toward a powerful industry. The tech giants for decades have enjoyed light-touch regulation and star status in Washington, but have come under intensifying scrutiny and derision over issues of competition, consumer privacy and hate speech. This combination of 2019-2020 file photos shows Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. A group of House lawmakers put forward a sweeping legislative package Friday that could curb the market power of Big Tech companies and force Facebook, Google, Amazon or Apple to sever their dominant platforms from their other lines of business. Credit: AP Photo, File As a candidate, President Joe Biden said breaking up big tech companies should be considered, though he hasn't spoken on the issue as president. If such steps were mandated, they could bring the biggest changes to the industry since the federal government's landmark case against Microsoft almost 20 years ago. Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado, the senior Republican on the antitrust panel, is pushing the legislation with Cicilline. Many Republican lawmakers denounce the market dominance of Big Tech but don't support a wholesale revamp of the antitrust laws. Advancing the legislation through Congress could be a tough slog. Democrats control the House but they would need to garner Republican votes in the Senate, which is split 50-50 with the Democrats' one-vote margin depending on Vice President Kamala Harris being the tiebreaker. The proposals also would prohibit big tech companies from favoring their own products and services over competitors on their platforms. The House antitrust investigation found, for example, that Google has monopoly power in the market for search, while Facebook has monopoly power in the social networking market. The subcommittee said Amazon and Apple have "significant and durable market power" in the U.S. online retail market, and in mobile operating systems and mobile app stores, respectively. In this Feb. 5, 2021, file photo, an Apple store employee wears personal protective equipment in New York. At an event on Monday, June 7, 2021, Apple unveiled a variety of incremental improvements to the software that powers iPhones, iPads and Mac computers" would do. Credit: AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File The proposed legislation also would make it more difficult for the giant tech companies to snap up competitors in mergers, which they have completed by scores in recent years. And it asks Congress to boost the enforcement powers of antitrust regulators, such as the Federal Trade Commission. The four companies have rejected lawmakers' accusations of abusing their dominant market position and have asserted that improper intervention in the market through legislation would hurt small businesses and consumers. A tech industry group, the Computer & Communications Industry Association, said Friday the legislation has the aim "of regulating a selected group of American digital service providers." "These proposed regulations represent a shift from the market-oriented principles that have characterized U.S. economic policy," the group said. "They would have a severe impact on U.S. economic leadership, and decrease consumers' ability to enjoy free digital services." Explore further Five things to know about the Big Tech antitrust report 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. A sign is displayed outside a McDonald's restaurant, Tuesday, April 27, 2021, in Des Moines, Iowa. McDonald's is the latest company to be hit by a data breach, saying there was unauthorized activity on its network that exposed the personal data of some customers in South Korea and Taiwan. McDonald's Corp. said in a statement Friday, June 11, that it quickly identified and contained the incident and that a thorough investigation was done. Credit: AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall McDonald's has become the latest company to be hit by a data breach after unauthorized activity on its network exposed the personal data of some customers in South Korea and Taiwan. McDonald's Corp. said Friday that it quickly identified and contained the incident and that a thorough investigation was done. "While we were able to close off access quickly after identification, our investigation has determined that a small number of files were accessed, some of which contained personal data," the burger chain said. McDonald's said its investigation determined that only South Korea and Taiwan had customer personal data accessed, and that they would be taking steps to notify regulators and also the customers who may be impacted. No customer payment information was exposed. McDonald's said it will look at the investigation's findings, coupled with input from security resources, to identify ways to further enhance its existing security measures. Businesses across various sectors are being targeted by cybercriminals, including some very high profile cases in recent weeks. On Wednesday, JBS SA, the world's largest meat processing company, revealed that it had paid the equivalent of $11 million to hackers who broke into its computer system last month. And Colonial Pipeline, which transports about half of thec fuel consumed on the East Coast, last month paid a ransom of 75 bitcointhen valued at roughly $4.4 millionin hopes of getting its system back online. On Monday the Justice Department announced that it had recovered most of the ransom payment. Explore further Meat company JBS confirms it paid $11M ransom in cyberattack 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Kelekona drone bus. Source: Kelekona Inspired by the packed to the brim trains from New Jersey to New York, Braeden Kelekona came up with the idea for a 40-seat drone bus. This concept would aim to keep passenger numbers reasonable in order to accommodate desired social distancing in a post-COVID-19 world. The vehicle in question would come to life as an aircraft resembling a futuristic blimp or flying saucer and capable of a lifting body electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL). Its currently 3D-printed airframe would rise from the ground using eight thrust-vectoring fans with various pitch propellers. These fans will operate every stage of the vehicle's flight, including vertical takeoff, forward flight and landing. Kelekona has confirmed that he hopes this aircraft will compete with and possibly even replace public transportation. Also promising to compete with the likes of Uber Elevate air taxi to release in 2023, Kelekona's larger cargo capacity of 40 persons would present an advantage over Uber's limit of four passengers and a pilot. In this way, Kelekona's vehicle would offer to carry 10,000 pounds of cargo for the price of an Amtrak ticket. Kelekona explains how, given the relatively small airspace in a busy metropolis like New York City, the ability to transport as many people at a time as possible makes the most sense. To begin, Kelekona plans to track a first route from Manhattan to the Hamptons, a flight of 30 minutes that costs $85. Future routes are set to include Boston to New York, New York to Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles to San Francisco. Fortunately, Kelekona has also confirmed that the company possesses the significant amount of battery power required to sustain such flights. Indeed, he compares the battery capacity to that seen in Model S, Model 3 Tesla batteries. To that end, the company is developing a battery pack specifically for flight that will run on 3.6 megawatt hours of capacity. This level of energy would prove enough to power hundreds or even thousands of households. Still, Kelekona acknowledges that his startup has yet to actually build one of these massive transit drones. For now, all of the plans have been constructed using computer simulation. As for a timeline, Kelekona projects their airbus to take flight by 2022 for cargo and in 2024 for human passengers, assuming the aircraft passes the required Federal Aviation Administration certification process. For a vehicle that will operate via battery technology and electric motors, this process might prove unique. Kelekona drone bus. Source: Kelekona Kelekona drone bus. Source: Kelekona Explore further Innovative batteries put flying cars on the horizon More information: Dormehl, L. "Forget Drone Taxis. This Startup Is Building a Drone Bus." Digital Trends, Digital Trends, 7 June 2021, www.kelekona.com/ Dormehl, L. "Forget Drone Taxis. This Startup Is Building a Drone Bus." Digital Trends, Digital Trends, 7 June 2021, www.digitaltrends.com/features ying-drone-bus-vtol/ 2021 Science X Network Like a good neighbor ... is perhaps one of the most universally recognized advertising slogans in the world, and Maggie Dutton, of Maggie Dutton State Farm, is committed to being the best neighbor to her clients and the community-at-large. Looking for in-depth reporting on labor issues? You're in the right place. Subscribe to The Chief and get stories that cover every side of civil service in New York City and beyond. You can sign up in minutes for immediate access. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} I first proposed, right after Ike, something based pretty much on what the Dutch have done to their coast, Merrell said in a phone interview this week. The idea is to shorten and strengthen the coast by using gates to stop the surge from coming in from the coast and use that as your primary protection from hurricane-induced surge. Merrells vision for the Ike Dike is a coastal spine design that includes barriers, levees and two enormous gates, each about the size of the Eiffel Tower, that would close off Galveston Bay from storm surge. It would also fund about 43 miles of sand dunes that would encircle and protect the Galveston and Bolivar Peninsula coastline. The bill was formally sent to Abbott on June 1, according to the Texas Legislature website. According to state law, Abbott has 20 days to either sign or veto the bill. If he does not veto the bill, it automatically becomes law without his signature. The estimated cost of the Ike Dike is $26 billion. Hopes are that the majority of funding would come from the federal government as part of President Joe Bidens proposed infrastructure plan, which is in the midst of negotiations in Washington, D.C. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Race-related tensions within the Southern Baptist Convention are high heading into a national meeting next week. The election of a new SBC president and debate over the concept of systemic racism may prove pivotal for some Black pastors as they decide whether to stay in the denomination or leave. It could be a watershed moment for America's largest Protestant denomination. The SBC was founded before the Civil War as a defender of slavery, and only in 1995 did it formally apologize for that legacy yet since 2000 its Black membership has been increasing while white membership declines. Over the past year, however, several Black pastors have exited the SBC in frustration over what they see as racial insensitivity within its overwhelmingly white leadership. Depending on the outcome at the meeting in Nashville, the exodus could swell or subside. Many Black pastors are comfortable with the SBC's conservative theology and grateful for financial support, but do not want it to wade into conservative national politics or distance itself from the quest for racial justice. The 17th annual 10/11 Can Care-A-Van, sponsored by Black Hills Energy and AAA Auto Club Group, starts Monday and includes several stops in central Nebraska. The Care-A-Van will be in Grand Island from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday at both Super Saver locations. The goal is to collect 28,000 pounds of food, which will stay in the community to benefit food pantries at the Salvation Army, Hope Harbor and Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, and Camiles Cupboard at St. Marys Cathedral. Most needed food items include canned fruits, vegetables, soups, meats, sauces, boxed or bagged pasta, cereals, macaroni and cheese, crackers, peanut butter and jelly. Personal hygiene products including tampons, bath soap, shampoo, conditioner, towels, razors, toilet paper, paper towels, diapers, wipes and laundry soap are also needed. Sue Meier is the Grand Island coordinator; for more information, contact her at 308-382-4855. The Care-A-Van will be in Aurora from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday at the Hamilton County Food Pantry, 1118 N St. A meet and greet of KOLN/KGIN personalities will be available for those participating. Grand Island Public Schools is continuing to consider possible names for the former Principal Financial building that it acquired last December. Since the buildings purchase, ideas and plans for the former office building have been kicked around among the districts staff members. Behind the scenes, a cabinet consisting of individuals with a variety of roles in the school district has been discussing what GIPS should call the building. Assistant Superintendent Robin Dexter reported at the districts school board meeting Thursday that the group recommends GIPS Islander Annex. But that idea will remain under consideration until the school boards July meeting, when it will be presented as an action item. The board unanimously adopted a resolution to deal with an abundance of applications for option enrollment students to receive special education services. We are over our capacity in our special education program, Dexter said. She cited space and capacity as the primary issues. As part of the planning process, the board will consider which attributes of the existing land use map should change and what should remain during the next 10 years. Considerations are made with input from the community and guidance from the Hall County Joint Planning Commission. Five Rule completed a housing study that evaluated every house in Cairo and within a one-mile radius, looked at water and sewer plans, and identified where development would be easiest to occur on borders. Adams said the area near Cairos softball fields has a sewer attachment that would make it the easiest place for expansion. None of this takes place unless the landowner and the board get together and come to some decision, she said. There is growing interest in Cairo, Adams said, particularly its 18-acre business park. Were constantly working with potential entrepreneurs who want to grow there, she said. Growth is critical to Cairo, Adams said. The best bang for your buck! This option enables you to purchase online 24/7 access and receive the Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday print edition at no additional cost * Print edition only available in our carrier delivery area. Allow up to 72 hours for delivery of your print edition to begin. Print edition not available for Day Pass option. Alex Nelson, Sister of murdered independent driver Grant Nelson, spoke at the Joe Schelstraete Vigil in Chicago on Friday. CHICAGO "Be careful." She didn't know it at the time, but those were the last words Joe Schelstraete's mother would say to him before he was shot and subsequently put on life support while working as a rideshare driver in west suburban Cicero on Memorial Day. At a Friday afternoon vigil for Schelstraete, 38, and other rideshare drivers killed on the job, his aunt Kim Bova read those words in a statement from her sister, Schelstraete's mom, who wasn't in attendance because she had to say goodbye to her son for the last time at his funeral services Thursday. The vigil was held by the Independent Drivers Guild outside the Uber Chicago Greenlight Hub. After Bova shared the statement written by Schelstraete's mom, she shared her own thoughts highlighting her belief that Schelstraete's three young kids won't be able to celebrate Father's Day next weekend or ever again in part because of Uber's negligence. "There is blood on Uber's hands," she said. Steven Everett, who is on the board of IDG and a rideshare driver himself, opened the vigil by saying they were there to honor all of the drivers who have been victims of violence on the job. He himself has experienced it, he said, and all of it could stop if rideshare companies, like Uber and Lyft, would "press one button." It all began one fall while young Jerry Hubbard stood with his family watching the processions of homecoming parade participants pass by. In fact, when his eyes beheld those neatly-pressed military uniforms and his ears heard the cadence and the marching boots of the South Carolina State College ROTC cadets, a spark was ignited in him. Little did he know at the time that his inspiration would set in motion a family legacy of military service for himself and his two sons. Being from Orangeburg, we attended all of States homecoming parades. I was impressed with the ROTC Cadet Corps marching in the parade in their fine-looking uniforms and I said one day, I want to wear one of those uniforms, said Hubbard. After graduating Wilkinson High School, Hubbard entered college and joined the ROTC program. He later received a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1960 from SCSC. We were encouraged by the university and the ROTC program to give our best to our country, said Hubbard, who married his high school sweetheart, Miriam Brailey, upon graduation from college. NORWAY -- The Town of Norway met via a Facebook Live meeting Monday evening, and Mayor Tracie Clemons emphasized to citizens from the town that they needed to stop the bad habit of the past couple of years of flushing down rags or paper towels of various types into the sewer system. Clemons said, "Please do not flush rags or paper towels down the toilet or down the sewer main line. This costs us a lot of money. Please do not flush rags or feminine products down the toilet. It clogs up the pumps. When that happens, we have to pull the pumps out of the lift station and clear the debris out of there. Then we have to call another company to pull the sewer water out I am begging you as a mayor to stop flushing rags, feminine products and paper towels in the system, she said. She said, "We are going to look into investing in a very high tech grinder pump. This does not mean that you should continue flushing rags down the toilet." Clemons said they are going to look into getting bids for the high tech grinder pump and are going to use Orangeburg County penny sales tax money for that. We have probably paid for two pumps already just by having to do what we have done to clean out the system with the rags, she said. A local clinic specializing in the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases is undergoing an expansion to accommodate its provision of primary health care for an increased population. Located at 1857 Joe Jeffords Highway in Orangeburg, HopeHealth is undergoing the expansion to include the addition of four exam rooms, increased clinic space and a pharmacy. Columbia-based Tyler Construction is completing the project at a price of approximately $2.1 million. The project is tentatively slated to be complete by the summer of 2022. "The old Liberty Room is going to be turning into our new clinical space. We're turning that whole building into HopeHealth. We're going to have more exam rooms, room for another provider and we're going to be adding a pharmacy. We're just going to have a lot more space," site administrator Amber Kadlowec, MBA, said. "We're not utilizing any federal funding for this project," she said. The administrator said the Liberty Room, next to the HopeHealth office, was previously been used as a banquet hall. "The building is not accessible from inside. So we're going to be, like, tearing down a wall so you'll be able to walk through the whole building. The whole building will be HopeHealth," she said. The Regional Medical Center has improved patient safety, according to the latest survey by a national hospital safety watchdog group. The Leapfrog Group gave RMC a "D" in its spring 2021 survey of hospital safety across the nation. That is up from an F the hospital received in the fall of 2020. "My commitment to the board and the medical staff and to the county is that we will work really hard to improve that," RMC CEO David Southerland said of the "D" grade. "It will take a team effort. It takes physicians and hospitals with goals and objective to work together." Southerland said senior leadership has already talked about how to develop a plan to look at quality outcomes. "We will break the plan down and look at those specific areas," he said. "It will be restructuring our quality reporting process to make sure we are on top of things." The 2021 spring results showed the hospital performed below average in 17 of 26 patient-safety measures and above average in nine. That is an improvement from the 2020 fall results, which showed the hospital performed below average in 19 of 28 patient-safety measures and above average in eight. With access to greater resources, we can deepen our customer partnerships by offering increased support, stability, and opportunities, said Suresh Sainath, co-founder and president of CathX Medical. We are excited to expedite plans to expand our team and San Jose facility so that we can continue to collaborate closely with customers in delivering outstanding innovation and customer successes well into the future. However, underpinning the decision for both organizations is their strong cultural alignment. Like Zeus, CathX is very much a people-first company, Peterson said. We share the same core values across excellence, people, integrity and creativity, and are delighted to welcome the entire CathX team into our Zeus family. As a family-run business for 55 years, a major draw for CathX is the family-oriented culture at Zeus and its long-term view. They look after their people, and I know theyll do the same for our team and our customers, Sainath said. This synergy is sure to translate into more of the top-tier products and services customers have come to expect from both Zeus and CathX. Importantly, it positions Zeus for long-term, sustainable growth without changing its corporate culture or compromising its core values. The Justice Department obtained the metadata often records of calls, texts and locations but not other content from the devices, like photos, messages or emails. The order prohibiting Apple from discussing the subpoena, or notifying the people whose records were being seized, was extended three times, one each year, Apple said. We regularly challenge warrants, subpoenas and nondisclosure orders and have made it our policy to inform affected customers of governmental requests about them just as soon as possible, the company statement said. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a statement that the data seizures "appear to be yet another egregious assault on our democracy by the former president. The news about the politicization of the Trump Administration Justice Department is harrowing," she said. The committee official said the House intelligence panel will ask Apple to look into whether additional lawmakers were targeted. The Justice Department has not been forthcoming on questions such as whether the investigation was properly predicated and whether it only focused on Democrats, the official said. ISLANDTON, S.C. (AP) A longtime prosecutor in South Carolina has died just days after his grandson and daughter-in-law were found dead on the family's land in Colleton County in a shooting investigators have said little about. The announcement of Randolph Murdaugh III's death came from his law firm Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth & Detrick on Thursday. The firm didn't give a cause of death, but Democratic state Sen. Margie Bright Matthews of Colleton County said Murdaugh, 81, was in intensive care when she asked for prayers for the family Tuesday on the Senate floor. Murdaugh's death Thursday came the day before the graveside service for his 22-year-old grandson Paul Murdaugh and Paul's mother, 52-year-old Maggie Murdaugh. The mother and son were found shot near dog kennels at the family's home near Islandton on Monday night. The State Law Enforcement Division is investigating the case and has released few details, including what kind of weapons were used to kill them, whether they have any potential suspects or who found their bodies and called 911. Colleton County deputies turned the case over to state police and their police report said almost nothing other than two people were shot. COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) Vice President Kamala Harris and the Biden administration's top environmental official are making stops in several Southern states to promote an intensive White House coronavirus vaccination effort. On Friday, the White House announced that Harris will visit Greenville, South Carolina, on Monday, to be followed by a June 18 visit to Atlanta. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan plans to make Tuesday stops in Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina. Details of the trips were not released. The visits mark the launch of a national tour that's part of of the White Houses month of action, announced by President Joe Biden last week to urge more Americans to get vaccinated before the July 4 holiday. The effort includes an early summer sprint of incentives and a slew of new steps to ease barriers and make the vaccines more appealing to those who havent received them. It's aimed at helping the president close in on his goal of getting 70% of adults at least partially vaccinated by Independence Day. COLUMBIA Vice President Kamala Harris and the Biden administration's top environmental official are making stops in several Southern states to promote an intensive White House coronavirus vaccination effort. On Friday, the White House announced that Harris will visit Greenville, South Carolina, on Monday, to be followed by a June 18 visit to Atlanta. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan plans to make Tuesday stops in Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina. Details of the trips were not released. The visits mark the launch of a national tour that's part of of the White Houses month of action, announced by President Joe Biden last week to urge more Americans to get vaccinated before the July 4 holiday. The effort includes an early summer sprint of incentives and a slew of new steps to ease barriers and make the vaccines more appealing to those who havent received them. It's aimed at helping the president close in on his goal of getting 70% of adults at least partially vaccinated by Independence Day. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Submit Here SUMMER SPECIAL!!! - Sign up at 20% OFF for Full Access to all of the online content and E-Editions on the www.thewordlink.com website here! (The charge will appear as "Country Media Inc." on your credit card statement) Health top story A health task force updated Wyoming lawmakers on its goals. They'll likely take years to achieve. Michael Cummo, Wyoming Tribune Eagle via AP Gov. Mark Gordon gives the State of the State address at the state Capitol in March in Cheyenne. The governor created a task force aimed at coming up with solutions to the state's health care struggles. Getting quality health care in Wyoming is hard. The Equality State in 2018 had the fourth-lowest proportion of physicians to residents in the nation, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. The state was 10th-lowest for primary care providers to residents and ranked 49th for the number of female doctors. In at least 21 different specialties analyzed by the report, Wyoming had too few physicians to even be counted. Every Wyoming county except Teton has a designated Health Professional Shortage Area for primary care providers. Just two insurance providers serve Wyomingites on the federal marketplace one is a new addition this year. And costs in the state are consistently among the highest in the nation. Lawmakers have debated the issue for years, but no solution has come. A task force established by Gov. Mark Gordon is hoping it can find answers. A member of the group Thursday provided an update on that work for lawmakers on the Joint Labor, Health and Social Services Committee. Medicaid expansion could mean 2,000 new jobs, $1.5B boost for Wyoming, new report says Expanding Medicaid could create nearly 2,000 Wyoming jobs and grow the states overall economic output by $1.5 billion in five years, according to a new report. When the pandemic hit in March 2020, Gordon created five coronavirus response task forces, one of which focused on health care. Initially, that group was solely dedicated to the pandemic response, but as cases eased, it evolved its focus to the broad issue of health care costs in Wyoming. But the team soon realized the issue was a complicated web of its own. You cant really talk about cost without talking about the other components of health care because it all rolls in together in that very complex system, Gordons health policy adviser Jen Davis explained. That led the task force to break the issue into four components: aging, infrastructure, primary care and social determinants such as where someone lives and works and how that affects their overall health. Proposal to expand Medicaid dies in Wyoming Legislature, despite apparent momentum "Should we send this to the floor to hear the same thing over and over again?" Sen. Lynn Hutchings asked before voting against the proposal. Davis update Thursday delved further into that strategy. First, the group is analyzing how to improve the states health care delivery system, broadly meaning how easily people receive the spectrum of care, from trauma needs to annual check-ups. Davis said the task force is also analyzing how to make the states funding structure more sustainable, though she did not go into specifics. The final strategy she shared is to improve communication and education between the government, medical providers and the public, to inform residents of what services exist as well as how to navigate them, Davis explained. Budget casualties: Mental health and substance abuse services After 15 years serving adults living with severe mental illness and homelessness, a supervised group home in Campbell County has closed its doors because of state-level budget reductions. Sometimes it might not be an issue that the resource isnt available; it might just be that people arent aware of it, she said, adding, Many individuals are not aware of what health care is in Wyoming. While Davis update was relatively brief, she told lawmakers the work would be a process, adding the governor expects the task force to meet for several years. Their next meeting date is scheduled for June 30. Nine days away provided so many highlights, almost nothing bad and some beautiful, lasting memories. Because I was involved, it also provided moments of hilarity and moments of panic. We covered the Southwest like a blanket, driving 2,648 miles through Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and home sweet home. There were days of 15, 13 and eight hours in the car. The 15 was the familiar route home from Arizona, and because it was light so late and we were so anxious to get home, we did it in a day. The 13 was our first day out, from here to Farmington, New Mexico, which is ridiculously far away. Midday Front Range traffic was hideous. But the reason was worth it, the first birthday party for the friends great-granddaughter, Baby K. Born in the pandemic, we had not yet met the baby, so it was a beautiful day for him to spend with his daughters, granddaughter and the baby. The eight hours of driving was almost all new to us, south to Gallup and then westbound on I-40 to Lake Havasu. I opined that a future bucket list might include the whole of I-40, which starts in North Carolina and ends in California. 2021 theme nights for CNFR include: Sunday, June 13: Bulls, Broncs & Breakaway. With two performances one matinee and one evening one admission ticket is good for both. Tuesday, June 15: Casper Night. All tickets are $10. Highlights include spotlighting local rodeo heroes. Thursday, June 17: Local Heroes Appreciation Night & Ribbon Night at the Rodeo (Cancer Awareness Give Cancer the Boot!). Friday, June 18: Military Night. Tickets for CNFR are on sale now at FordWyomingCenter.com. Flag Day ceremony Sunday Casper Elks Lodge Flag Day Ceremony is at 1 p.m., on June 13, 2021, at the Casper Elks Lodge, 108 E 7th St in the ballroom. Public is welcome. Patio talk at NHTIC Patio talks at the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center are informal, usually outdoor learning experiences. The public is always welcome. June 13, Rendezvous Ramblings with Nic Skalicky and Russ Gilroy, 1 p.m. (outside). Casper Humane Society takes garage sale donations The Casper Humane Society will be holding the Summer Super Garage Sale June 25 to 27 at 2401 E. Yellowstone Highway (the former Wyoming Rents building). Nick Arteaga, who works as the Adult Programs Manager at the Utah Pride Center, added that for transgender people, access to bathrooms can also stop people from getting outdoors. Jones-Greenwood and Arteaga hoped to address some of those issues with this birding group, created by LGBTQ folks for LGBTQ folks. Arteaga had never birded before he helped found this group last fall during the coronavirus pandemic, but he loved the idea of getting a group of LGBTQ folks and allies together in a safer way (as in, somewhere outside) when so many of the other communal spaces for LGBTQ folks were shut down. His experience with birding at the time was limited to liking birds and thinking they were cool. And really cute, he added. Now, hes a baby birder, who finds himself waking up early on some Saturday mornings to try and spot some through the pair of binoculars hes slowly and surely learning to use. Most people in the group start with the same level of experience as Arteaga, Jones-Greenwood said. The center provides everyone who shows up with binoculars and a pamphlet of Utah birds. Tracy Aviary staff is also on hand to give out advice, identify a bird or bird call and generally nerd out when someone spots something cool. That drought persisted into the fall, with the majority of the county categorized as experiencing extreme or severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. While a severe drought currently remains in the eastern half of the county, according to the most recent drought monitor map on June 3, conditions in the western half of the county have improved to abnormally dry. The middle of the county, north to south, is rated as experiencing moderate drought. At the TA Ranch south of Buffalo, farm boss Tyler Terry said recent heat has actually been fantastic for their alfalfa, some of which is currently hip high, and he expects that the crop could grow as much as a foot in the next week. We had kind of a cold spring this year, so that sets you back a little bit, but with this heat that weve been getting, were doing a lot better, he said. Terry said that despite the cold spring, the moisture the county received was crucial. This helped the crop and also provided good availability of irrigation water that Terry has been consistently using. He said they are still irrigating with runoff water, so they are able to fully water their fields without restrictions on how much water they are using. King Kong is coming to Green River, Wyoming. A wireless company would like to erect an eighty-foot 5G tower in a lot immediately east of Ace Hardware. At a Planning and Zoning meeting June 9, this was discussed and somebody made the statement that, It will be there, but nobody will see it. According to images provided, it will be totally conspicuous for a good quarter mile around, and it will seem like a giant ape menacing everybody who lives, works, shops, or visits the area. For perspective, ask yourself, what is eighty feet tall in Green River? A rough guess is that the very tallest building is forty feet high; OK fifty, but where is that? Most structures near King Kongs spot are about twenty, but rarely over thirty feet high. My personal concern stems from owning a nearby apartment building, and I am therefore concerned about property values. Its unclear if spending a lot of time near a 5G tower is detrimental to health, but many people all over the world believe that it causes major health problems, like neurological disorders or even things like COVID. 5G towers are sometimes vandalized or even felled over. Some or all of this is just the result of crazy conspiracy theorizing, which is, in fact, not unusual in Wyoming (whos the legitimate president for example), but the reality or perceived reality could certainly affect property values. AT 32 years old, Zwede Hewitt is building out an app that he is confident is going to take the world by storm. The name of the app is LUHU, which stands for Let Us Help U and Hewitt describes it as social marketplace. It is a place where people can do social networking, but it combines that with the ability to shop. So the concept is essentially social networking meets e-commerce, says Hewitt. Do you have a news tip? Want to share good news story, or do you have information that should see the light of day? Then we want to hear from you. More here Do not bully the people of Tobago and do not bully the Opposition. This was the position taken by Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar as she led a walkout of Opposition members at a heated Parliament sitting yesterday. The move marked a dramatic end to two days of debate on a motion to adopt the report of the Joint Select Committee on the Constitution (Amendment) (Tobago Self-Government) Bill, 2020. MAKING A DIFFERENCE: General manager of Bilda Boyz Construction Services Ltd, Shane Mahabirsingh, carries chairs provided by his company to elderly citizens standing in line at the Ste Madeleine Health Centre yesterday. Citizens 60 and over are being vaccinated via a walk-in system which has caused chaos and pain as they have had to endure long hours standing in line. Photo: DEXTER PHILIP AN ailing, unemployed mother who did not even have the taxi fare to take her daughter to write the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) exam tomorrow has been swamped with help from well-wishers who responded to her plight featured in an article in the Express yesterday. The planned opening of T&Ts borders is the most welcome news for people stranded outside for many months. The rationale for keeping the airports closed since March last year is curious given that the number of active cases and deaths fluctuated between single and low double digits. However, the numbers over the past two months have been in triple digits for active cases and mostly double digits for deaths, ODowd could not be reached for comment. As part of a settlement, ODowd admitted the commissions findings and agreed to the entry of a consent order, the commission said. The restitution order applies to ODowd and his wife, ABCO and Shorey, but it is unclear whether ABCO has funds to pay the restitution. In its order, the commission noted that ABCO Energy in its 2019 annual financial report said it had accumulated more than $6.5 million in net losses through the end of 2019, and that company development activities since inception have been sustained through capital contributions from shareholders. ODowd has been a principal in ABCO Energy since 2011, regulators said, but he hasnt been listed as a principal in ABCOs corporate filings since 2018. In February 2013, the ACC found that Shorey had engaged in fraudulent securities sales involving a wireless company he headed and ordered Shorey and others involved to halt the sales and pay $130,000 in restitution and a $9,000 fine, according to the commissions order. That restitution remains unpaid, the commission said in its recent order. A month later, the commission found that Shorey and others had fraudulently sold unregistered securities in Westcap Energy Inc. which regulators say later became ABCO to 24 foreign investors. The regulators ordered Shorey and Westcap to offer to buy back $388,495 worth of the shares and pay an administrative penalty of $10,000. Contact senior reporter David Wichner at dwichner@tucson.com or 573-4181. On Twitter: @dwichner. On Facebook: Facebook.com/DailyStarBiz The business news you need With a weekly newsletter looking back at local history. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Among the 90 approved applicants, 65 were performing arts organizations or live venue operators, 19 were movie theater operators, four were talent representatives and two were theatrical producers. Awards went to businesses in 32 states, with the most going to California, where 16 applicants got a total of more than $20 million. The program calls for $2 billion to be reserved for businesses with 50 workers or fewer. About half of the total awarded so far went to small businesses, which accounted for 79 of the 90 recipients. The SBA did not release the names of the grant winners, just numbers. The one recipient in Arizona was awarded just over $2.5 million, close to twice the national average award of $1.42 million. Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Phoenix, said in a letter Wednesday to Guzman that he was in disbelief that nearly six months after the program was approved, so few applications have been awarded. Today a venue operator in my district wrote to me, We are past our breaking point. We cant hang on any longer, adding that only a single venue in Arizona has received aid, Stanton wrote. Please tell me, what are my constituents on the verge of closing their businesses forever supposed to do? I went through this thousands of times to make sure this was crystal-clear, she said. I cannot even believe thats their interpretation. Moreover, with the state now flush with cash, Ugenti-Rita said theres no reason for ADOT to take another more than $5.3 million out of the pockets of the 166,793 vehicle owners who are now renewing their registrations that expire at the end of this month. How the fee came to be The fee was a method of raising more money, at least indirectly, for road construction and repair. Those projects are supposed to be funded by gasoline taxes and vehicle registration fees. But lawmakers, in prior efforts to balance the budget, siphoned off some of what was raised to finance the highway patrol. So Noel Campbell, then a Republican state representative, came up with a plan: finance the highway patrol with a separate public safety fee with the amount determined by ADOT added to other registration costs. That, in turn, freed up the existing revenues for roads. But the $32 price tag ADOT put on it resulted in an outcry, not only from residents who saw it as a hidden tax hike, but from lawmakers who were told it would not be anywhere near that much. On Wednesday, both Arizona U.S. senators and three Tucson-area congress members, all Democrats, wrote to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin seeking immediate action by officials of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and the Air National Guard Base in Tucson to expedite investigations and cleanup of PFAS groundwater pollution near those facilities. Immediate action from all parties responsible for the PFAS groundwater pollution is needed to stop the spread of PFAS, the letter said. The Department of Defense has contributed to PFAS contamination of groundwater in the Tucson area for many decades, the letter said, and has failed to act as groundwater contamination continues to spread further into the Tucson community. The city of Tucson is doing everything it can to protect its residents, often at a great financial cost. It is past time for DoD to contribute to the solution, said the letter from Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly and Reps. Grijalva, Tom OHalleran and Ann Kirkpatrick. About six weeks ago, Ducey also wrote Austin a letter urging the Defense Department to accelerate investigations and pollution cleanups at Davis-Monthan, the Air National Guard base here and at two Air Force facilities in the Phoenix area. Consistency in judgments Newman, a longtime Tucson attorney and a Justice Court employee since 2014, started his new post June 2 and says it is a duty I will not take lightly. Having one judge means the evictions calendar can be handled more efficiently, he said, with the goal of reducing delays. The court will also offer settlement conferences for landlords and tenants who agree to participate. The court has not started in-person hearings yet and so all parties are still being required to appear by video or by telephone, as they have throughout the pandemic. Although every case has its own set of facts, with one judge assigned to hear these matters, I believe that tenants, landlords and lawyers can expect consistency on how the law is applied to each case, Newman said. It is also important that every person who appears in court be heard and that regardless of the outcome of the case, all parties should leave the hearing feeling that they have had the opportunity to be heard and that they have been treated with respect and dignity. Thousands wait for a caseworker If you are driving around and notice the American or Arizona flags flying at half-staff, you may wonder why. Sure, you know when a former president has died, but sometimes these are done in memory of a tragic event. For all of 2021, we are going to tell you when and why the flags for the United States of America, Arizona or any other state or territory of the U.S. are flown at half-staff. The source for much of this information is FlagSteward.org According to USFlag.org, which links to a copy of the United States Code, when the flag is flown at half-staff, it should first be hoisted to the peak and then lowered to half-staff. At sunset the flag should be raised back to full-staff and then lowered slowly all the way down. The U.S. flag must be flown at half-staff for the following office holders or former holders: President of the United States or former president: 30 days from the date of death. Vice President, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, retired Chief Justice or Speaker of the House of Representatives: 10 days from the date of death. Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, a member of the Cabinet, a former Vice President, President pro tempore of the Senate, Majority Leader of the House of Representatives and Minority Leader of the House: From the day of death until the date of interment. Unites States Senator, Representative, Delegate or the Resident Commissioner from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico: In the District of Columbia the flag will fly at half-staff on the day of death and the following day, in the state, congressional district, territory or commonwealth of the deceased, the flag will fly at half-staff from the day of death until interment. Governor: Within the state, the flag will fly at half-staff from the day of death until interment. The Old Farmers' Almanac was also used as a source. The sudden spike in PFAS contamination in wells serving a south-side water treatment plant is a product of humans and nature, experts say. Tucson Water could well have increased the buildup of these chemicals in the wells by pumping tainted water out of the wells and toward the plant, said one scientist and a city official. The pumping can pull more heavily contaminated water lying south of those wells into the wells, boosting their PFAS concentrations. At the same time, other experts say some PFAS compounds, unlike the trichlororethylene thats been in the south-sides aquifer for many decades, can move quickly in groundwater, rather than attaching to soil particles that store water in the underground aquifer. Just the fact that it happened is not that big a surprise to some officials, since Assistant City Manager Tim Thomure says, We see that type of change occur routinely with PFAS. But the latest increases, ranging up to 700% since 2017, have now triggered Tucson Waters decision to shut the plant down indefinitely. If concentrations keep increasing, theyll overwhelm the Tucson Airport Remediation Project plants ability to treat PFAS at all, officials said last week. Prosecutors say the couple, who themselves are naturalized citizens from Guatemala, brought the woman and her daughters to the United States in 2016 using temporary visitor visas. They are charged with harboring them after their visas expired and imposing a false $12,000 debt to keep them from returning to Guatemala. They are also alleged to have separated the mother from her daughters, threatened them with arrest, and subjected them to physical, psychological and verbal abuse that included striking the two girls with a stick. The couple operated a restaurant called Latinos as well as Redding Carpet Cleaning & Janitorial Services, according to the indictment. The woman and her daughters were required to live in a dilapidated, unheated trailer, with no air conditioning or running water. They humiliated her in front of her daughters and forced her to eat leftover food scraps, authorities said. The abuse ended in February 2018, according to the indictment, but authorities did not say what happened to the woman and her daughters. The government also moved to seize property held by the two defendants. The couple faces 20 years to life in prison if convicted of the charges, officials said. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Chief Leonard Crow Dog, a renowned spiritual leader and Native American rights activist who fought for sovereignty, language preservation and religious freedom, has died at age 78. Crow Dog, Sicangu Lakota Oyate, passed away June 6 at Crow Dogs Paradise on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota after a battle with cancer, Indian Country Today reported. As a youth, Crow Dog learned about cultural traditions and ceremonies from his father and Lakota elders. He later became a spiritual leader for the American Indian Movement. He did not go to school. Instead his parents enlisted four medicine men to guide his education, Rosebud Sioux Tribe President Rodney Bordeaux said in a statement. Throughout his life, Crow Dog learned from the University of the Universe, as he would say, and he shared his understanding of WoLakota with our Sicangu Oyate, the Oceti Sakowin, and Peoples of all Nations. Crow Dog attended and spoke at countless rallies, marches and protests over the years. He also co-authored a book, Crow Dog: Four Generations of Sioux Medicine Men, which tells the story of his ancestors and his life. The Agriculture Department last October decided to exempt the Tongass from the so-called roadless rule, which prohibited road construction and timber harvests with limited exceptions. The roadless rule, dating to 2001, has long been the subject of litigation. In 2018, Alaska under then-Gov. Bill Walker, an independent, asked the federal government to consider an exemption. Dunleavy supported the request, as have members of Alaskas Republican congressional delegation. U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Alaska's senior senator, said the Trump administration, through the Forest Service and Agriculture Department, put considerable work and effort into the final rule and now the Biden administration is literally throwing it all away." We need to end this yo-yo effect as the lives of Alaskans who live and work in the Tongass are upended every time we have a new President. This has to end, she said in a statement. U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan called the decision misguided, and U.S. Rep Don Young said it was yet another nail in the coffin for economic opportunity in southeast Alaska. The region, heavily reliant on tourism, was hard-hit by the pandemic last year. AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has offered no details on his plans to construct new barrier along the border with Mexico while also launching an aggressive campaign to arrest migrants moves that set up another clash with the Biden administration over immigration. Abbott did not say how much new barrier Texas would erect, where it would be installed along the state's 1,200 miles (1,930 kilometers) of border or what it would look like when he made the announcement Thursday in a room full of sheriffs in the border city of Del Rio. He promised more would be revealed next week. A top official in one of Texas' largest border counties, Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez, said Friday that he sees the goal as putting in place new barriers that would give state troopers grounds to arrest migrants who go around or damage it and then put them in jail for six months. I understand why he wants to do it. It's a tool that gets him to a Class B misdemeanor, Cortez said. He was skeptical of whether jail would deter migrants who travel hundreds of miles and risk death to get to the U.S. SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) Authorities rescued a man who said he had been trapped for two days inside a large fan at a Northern California vineyard. The man was discovered Tuesday by a deputy responding to a call about a suspicious vehicle parked near the winery in Santa Rosa, the Sonoma County Sheriffs Office said in a statement. The deputy saw a hat on a piece of farming equipment and then found the man stuck inside the shaft of a vineyard fan. Firefighters rescued him. The man indicated he liked to take pictures of the engines of old farm equipment, the statement said. After a thorough investigation, which revealed the farm equipment wasnt antique and the man had far more methamphetamine than camera equipment, the motivation to climb into the fan shaft remains a total mystery. The 38-year-old man required medical treatment but is expected to make a full recovery, the office said. The man will be charged with trespassing and drug possession, as well as violations of a probation case, the statement said. Vineyard fans are used to circulate air across vines to keep grapes from freezing during colder months. OPINION: "Two-thirds of the USCCB still believes the majority of Catholics take them seriously? After Pennsylvania? After the revelations about Cardinal Theodore McCarrick? No. We. Dont," writes contributing columnist Renee Schafer Horton. About 38% of Cherokee Nation citizens have applied for pandemic assistance since late May, and the tribe will soon host drive-through community events focused on assisting elders with more applications. Legislation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin signed May 27 promised a $2,000 lump sum payment to each of the more than 392,000 Cherokee citizens. As of Friday, nearly 150,000 had applied for their share. But the tribe wants to ensure that its elders arent being left behind in a wave of new technology, so its living out the name of its online application portal Gaduji means working together. We know some of our elders may lack the technology to register online or have barriers to connectivity, so the Cherokee Nation is coming to their community to assist, Hoskin said in a release. Putting our elders first is the Cherokee way, and we know many of our elders have been especially impacted by COVID-19 with higher utility and food costs. Our staff will be out in full force to ensure that our elders do not miss out on the COVID-19 assistance payments that the Cherokee Nation is offering. A man serving life without parole after pleading guilty in the 2014 death of a 5-year-old boy in Tulsa has been indicted by a federal grand jury in what appears to be another case affected by the U.S. Supreme Courts McGirt decision. The grand jury named Steven Lewis Clement, 41, in a two-count indictment unsealed this week that alleges first-degree felony murder and arson in Indian Country. The indictment alleges that Clement killed Mikael Cabral, 5, when he set fire to a home in the 4000 block of East 28th Street on Sept. 16, 2014. The indictment comes after Clement challenged his state convictions in December on the basis of the McGirt ruling. The landmark ruling determined that since Congress had never disestablished the Muscogee Nation reservation, the state of Oklahoma did not have jurisdiction to try major crimes involving American Indians there. The Muscogee Nation includes much of Tulsa. In his appeal, Clement indicated that he has been a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation since 1997 and that the crimes occurred within the Muscogee Nation reservation. My son called or texted me every day to tell me he loved me, she said. I didnt always talk to my children because I work full time, but now I will not go a day without telling them I love them. Theres no feeling like the feeling Ive been having. I just appreciate how much he loved me and thank him for doing whatever he could to help me or anybody. Joshua wasnt perfect, his sister said, adding that he was making progress beating his addiction problem when he was killed. I want my son to be remembered for the good person he was, not the mistakes he made in his life, Tracy Hurd said. He had a good heart. His cousin was remembered for his kindness as well as for his smile. Wickhams mother, Vicky Cummings, said he would often make it a point to check up on his friends. If he ever met you, he definitely made an impact on your life, Cummings said. Joshuas other sister, Erica Hurd, said Wickhams family is made up of some of the strongest women I know. They were already grieving his loss when Joshua died. Drivers who are at least 16 when they apply for a permit do not have to show they are in drivers education. DPS administers written exams for permit applicants, which are also a requirement, but Stewart said applicants can complete that portion at a CareerTech center for a cost of $25 and bring proof to save time at a DPS office. Completion of the written exam at a DPS location is free of charge. Stewart said permit applicants are still required under state law to visit a DPS examiner in person to at least undergo a vision exam and be entered into the system. We thought if we could push it off to another location it could help out in the appointment arena, as well, she said of the written exam. Also, proof of school enrollment and the proof of an eighth grade reading proficiency test are no longer required. We waived those during the pandemic, but that got passed in an emergency clause in the last (legislative) session, so they wont have to worry about that again. But Scott said that Even if you look at parent-taught drivers ed, the parents still need the kids to get their permit so they can drive on city streets, even in a neighborhood. I recently flew on a plane for the first time in 15 months and was reminded that of all the many annoyances, its a relatively small one that drives me the most crazy: the part where they tell me how to work the seat belt. Just insert the metal end into the buckle, and then pull the strap to tighten, the flight attendant said. To open, simply lift on the top of the buckle. I mean, are they kidding? Is there anyone on the plane or the planet who doesnt know how to buckle a seat belt? Its possible, of course, that there are passengers on airplanes who have never flown before. But have they never been in a car either? Seat belts have been mandatory in cars in the U.S. since the mid-1960s. While theyre at it, why dont the airlines tell us how to sit down in our seats by bending our legs at the knees and simply lowering our buttocks onto the cushions behind us? Answer: because certain things dont need to be spelled out. In an important 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court pushed back against prosecutorial overreach in computer-related misconduct. Whats most interesting about the case is the breakdown among the justices: On one side, all five justices appointed since 2008 by Barack Obama and by Donald Trump plus Justice Stephen Breyer; on the other side, three conservative justices appointed before 2005, two by George W. Bush and one by George H.W. Bush. Generational change is afoot on the Supreme Court, at least with respect to cases involving computers. At issue in the case, Van Buren v. U.S., was the scope and meaning of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, enacted in the aftermath of the 1983 movie WarGames and the emergence of fears about hacking. The relevant sections of the law first say that someone who exceeds authorized access on a computer commits a crime. Then the law defines exceeding authorized access to mean accessing a computer with authorization to obtain information that the accesser is not entitled so to obtain. The Department of Justices interpretation of exceeding authorized access was literal. The government took the view that anyone who was using a computer system with authorization but then broke the rules set by whoever granted access was committing a felony. As Quang Tri Province continues its recovery from the American War in Vietnam, it now looks to sustainable energy and ecotourism for new opportunities and revitalization. An emerging energy hub In 2021 alone, the province expects to add 15 wind energy projects for connection to the national electric grid. According to official data, the central province currently provides 377MW of renewable electricity. It now has plans to add 29 wind farms over the next several years, with an approved total capacity providing the country with 1,100MW of energy. Located in one of Vietnams most disaster-prone regions, Quang Tris long-term plans in the renewable energy sector could have a potential massive upside. In addition to the aforementioned projects, the province is also considering adding 52 other wind power projects to its portfolio and has plans to survey eight more. Should these projects all be realized, the province will be able to generate more than 4,400MW of electricity. Workers construct a wind turbine at a farm in Huong Hoa District, Quang Tri Province. Photo: Hoang Tuan / Tuoi Tre A wind farm in Huong Hoa District, Quang Tri Province from afar. Photo: Quoc Nam / Tuoi Tre Vo Van Hung, head of Quang Tri Province Peoples Committee, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the locality has identified sustainable energy as one of three main pillars of its economic development plans. Quang Tri authorities plan to pull out all stops in order to implement wind energy projects in the western highlands and electrification projects in the Southeast Economic Zone as these two types of power impose few threats to the environment. Several years ago, we had an orientation to develop coal-fired energy. EGATI, an investor from Thailand, negotiated and carried out investment procedures for Quang Tri 1 thermal power plant. The project was also included in the national electricity development master plan. Things are different now. Were prioritizing environment and more aware of the long-term impacts of coal-fired plants in terms of incidents and dust pollution, he said. Quang Tri 1 thermal power plant is currently behind schedule. If the investor continues postponing the project and failing to commit to the European environmental standards, local authorities will cancel the initiative and switch to electrification. A wind turbine under construction in Quang Tri Province. The locality expects wind farms to provide sustainable energy solutions for its growing economy. Photo: Hoang Tuan / Tuoi Tre Regional gateway Quang Tri Province is Vietnams gateway to the East-West Economic Corridor, or EWEC, a regional initiative that connects the country with four Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar. Some 500 to 700 containers cross Quang Tri Provinces Lao Bao Border Gate each day en route to harbours in Da Nang City and Thua Thien-Hue Province, creating a missed opportunity for Quang Tris port. This creates a significant loss to the local public budget and has been the catalyst for an outcry for a proper solution. A model of My Thuy Harbor provided by Quang Tri Province Peoples Committee. The harbor is expected to be a gateway to Pacific Ocean for goods transported on the East-West Economic Corridor. Photo courtesy of Quang Tri Province Economic Zone Management Board My Thuy Harbor, Cua Viet Harbor, and Quang Tri Airport have potential to bridge the gap once they connect with national and regional routes, according to Hung. The provincial leader stressed that investment in My Thuy Harbor will help the port ensure a 100,000-ton capacity. Corporations tell us they dont want to drive 150 to 200 kilometers in order to reach Da Nang City just to ship containers. Its important that we invest in our own shipping ports to bolster regional connections. This will draw more investors and travel agents to the locality, he said. Design options for Quang Tri Airport provided by local authorities. Photo: Quoc Nam / Tuoi Tre Quang Tri Airport, with its tentative capacity of one million passengers per year, is included in the Prime Ministers 2020-30 aviation transport development master plan. We have witnessed a growing number of tourists and investors in Quang Tri Province. Moreover, a hybrid airport which serves both civic and military demands will contribute greatly to security and rescue operations, said Hung. A pre-feasibility study report on developing the airport through public-private partnership is underway as the local authorities expect to have investors complete all necessary procedures and start work on the project within this year. We prefer investors who are capable of limiting their environmental impact, creating jobs, and producing goods with high added values, said Hung. They will help to build up momentum for the provinces economic growth. Some of them have reached out to us. There is even a US$86.9-million tourism project which has already started site clearance. Tourism potential Cua Viet, Cua Tung and My Thuy are hidden gems in Quang Tri Province just waiting to be discovered by the world, according to Hung. Vo Van Hung, head of Quang Tri Provinces People Committee. Photo: Ngoc Hien / Tuoi Tre Some 17 nautical miles from the mainland is Con Co Island an emerging tourism spot. At a conference in May, Nguyen Anh Tuan, head of the Institute for Vietnam Tourism Development Research, emphasized that Con Co Island could be a new highlight and motivation for the provinces travelling sector if effective and appropriate policies are applied. He said a high-end resort would help the island to boost its popularity and transform into a renowned tourism paradise. Tourists dive and view coral ranges in Con Co Island. Photo: The Kiet / Tuoi Tre Majestic mountains in the provinces western side also offer fantastic ecotourism opportunities. A new stalactite-covered system of caves was recently discovered in Huong Hoa District, with many comparing the systems to Quang Binh Provinces famous caves, according to experts. Provincial authorities have sent groups of policymakers and scientists to visit the cave and create solutions to unlock the areas tourism potential. We will call for participation from the private sector to build and offering travelling packages as well as developing community-based and eco-friendly tourism, said Hung. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Teachers in Thach Ha District of Vietnams north-central Ha Tinh Province have prepared boxes of snacks, milk and books as items of comfort for a group of students who was quarantined inside a local school for suspicion of COVID-19 infections. According to Dang Hong Quan, a military officer of Thach That's Tam Lam Huong Ward, over 30 students were sent to quarantine on Tuesday after coming in contact with a young COVID-19 patient at the library of Tan Lam Huong 1 Primary School. A group with the majority being fourth- and fifth-graders, these students are undergoing a 21-day period of quarantine at the Tan Lam Huong Preschool. The youngest quarantined child in the group is eight-month-old N.A.D., who is being taken care of by four-year-old sister N.T.V. and mother N.T.H. in the quaratine ward. However, parents of many other students would not be allowed inside the quarantine zone since only direct contacts of a confirmed transmission case, as well as medical officers, are permitted to stay there. Considering the situation, a group of teachers in the locale has packed boxes of snacks, milk and books to provide comfort for the students during isolation time. They have even added hand written labels with uplifting notes to cheer the students up during the challenging time. H., mother of two quarantined students in the group, showed her gratefulness for the support that her children received from medical officers and teachers. Their living environment suddenly turned upside down, but my children are adapting well. A label with uplifting message is attached to a care package. Photo: Van Sang / Tuoi Tre According to Nguyen Thanh Nga, head of the Thach Ha District Bureau of Education and Training, the library in question for COVID-19 transmissions gained permission to reopen on June 1. Earlier, the library, as well as other education facilities in Ha Tinh, had been closed for nearly one month in an attempt to curb the fourth wave of COVID-19 tranmission of provincial authority. After a group of students was sent to quarantine, local teachers and the provincial Youth Union have prepared packages of necessities as a gesture of care for the children. We hope that the gifts will help the students learn something and not waste their time in quarantine, Nga said. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Fellow farmers mistook it for grass at first. As they got to know I grew asparagus, they grew interested in the plant, recalled Nguyen Ri Bo, a farmer in Co Do District, Mekong Delta city of Can Tho. Asparagus a foreign vegetable to Vietnams cuisine is offering a silver lining to farmers in the countrys rice bowl. From a bus driver to an asparagus farmer Just like most farmers born and raised in Mekong Delta, Bos life was inexorably linked with rice. On a paddy field of one hectare, he grew three crops per year yet still found himself unable to make ends meet. Three years ago, Bo decided to lease the field at VND30 million (US$1,300) per year and switched to driving a bus. The money was not enough to send my children to school and support the family, so I drove a bus to earn a bit more. One time, on a trip, I learned that there was an emerging trend of planting and consuming asparagus and had an idea to start it up once again, said Bo. Planning to grow asparagus organically on his own paddy, Bo received suspicion from his fellow farmers. Rumor had it that he planted asparagus to feed cows. Some people even advised him to turn back to planting rice as it would generate much more profit. Leaving them aside, Bo did several experiments to help asparagus adapt with the paddy fields soil. In 2020, he expanded the farming scope to one more hectare and had his wife, Phan Thi Thuy Trang, give a helping hand. In the daytime, they worked restlessly on the field. At night, they drove a truck delivering goods at VND900,000 ($39) a trip to invest back in the field and pay for workers. I worried all the time and could not sleep. There were some nights we loaded three trucks. However, all these ordeals were washed away as the asparagus started growing well, said Trang. Finding the market for the new product was another challenge set for them. Every day, Bo drove nearly 200 kilometers to other Mekong Delta provinces, from Dong Thap to An Giang then back to Can Tho City to introduce asparagus for traders. Now, he can harvest 50 kilograms of asparagus each time and sell at VND60,000 to 100,000 ($2.61 to 4.35) each, based on quality. Time for tea Under the impact of COVID-19, the consumption of fresh asparagus in the Mekong Delta drops 30 to 40 percent, urging Bo to develop new products. Asparagus tea is his first experiment which is made by thinly chopping and drying young trunks. It helps to preserve the beautiful golden color, sweet taste and special fragrance of asparagus, he said. It takes 20 kilograms of asparagus trunks to make one kilogram of tea, which is sold at VND500,000 to VND1 million ($21.7 to 43.5) per bag. Le Huu Trang, deputy head of the districts Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Development, highly appreciates Bos organic model of farming and processing asparagus. Making tea from asparagus secures a sustainable market for this product, he said, stressing tea would bring higher profits compared to fresh trunks. Le Thanh Tuan, a local farmer, said Bos asparagus field has created jobs for several other farmers in the area. Working with Bo, he can earn VND200,000 ($8.71) per day and up to VND6 million ($260) per month. For a countryside life, the money is enough to pay for food and even savings, said Tuan. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! As Vietnam amps up its social distancing mandate to battle the fourth wave of coronavirus transmission, home-bound consumers in the country are frequenting digital shopping channels, including delivery apps, social media, and e-commerce platforms, in order to get their groceries. Due to several social distancing periods intermittently introduced throughout past year, consumers in Vietnam have gradually moved away from panic buying and have become more accustomed to online shopping for food and other necessities. In demand The footfall at a grocery store on Tran Nao Street in Ho Chi Minh Citys Thu Duc City has been sparse lately. Nevertheless, store staffers still work hard to fill orders for delivery drivers, each of whom stops in front of the shop for just a few minutes to pick up bags of groceries for customers. According to the stores manager, online and phone orders have tripled since social distancing guideline were reinstated in Ho Chi Minh City on May 31. Other retailers across the city have also reported an upswing in online orders, mostly for food and other necessities, since early May when the first cases of community infection in Vietnam were detected after weeks without local transmission. In fact, grocery delivery has been such a boon that several local stores have to suspend their order systems to process a backlog of deliveries. Tung, a tech-based delivery worker, said the majority of the orders he delivers are placed in the morning, meaning he only needs to work half a day to pay his bills. Customers have mostly been ordering spices, bread, veggies, and meat instead of instant noodle like they did during the first lockdown one year ago. To handle the soaring demand, all staffers at the retail chain Saigon Co.op have been mobilized to process online orders, a company representative said. Our customer care hotlines have been repurposed to take orders and transfer them to the Co.op supermarket closest to the customers address. Weve also shifted the focus to our mobile application for the sale of fresh groceries and essential items. Saigon Co.op competitor VinMart has also launched several tech-based shopping options, including apps, websites, hotlines, and shops on various e-commerce platforms. Through many of these portals, they are able to offer four-hour delivery and cashless payments in order to decrease the risk of virus transmission. According to a VinMart representative, the company has received twice as many orders from Ho Chi Minh City during the current social distancing compared to its typical figures. Echoing other retailers, Aeon Vietnam saw online sales in May rise four to six-fold compared to April. Aeons sales continued their upward trajectory during the last week of May, with soaring figures across all channels, including their e-commerce site AeonEshop, shopping application Aeon App, and delivery apps such as Grab and Now. The growth in demand has also benefited grocery sections on e-commerce platforms such as Lazada and Tiki. Lazada reported a whopping ten-fold boost in fresh and frozen grocery sales on their system, while Tiki is expanding its inventory by 50 percent in all product categories to meet the swelling demand. A delivery worker sends packages for a customer in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Q.Dinh / Tuoi Tre Protection galore The social distancing mandate has not only boosted grocery sales, but also driven demand for the online purchase of home appliances and tech products. Electronics retailer Dien May Xanh and its sister chain mobile retailer The Gioi Di Dong have witnessed online sales triple during the current social distancing period. Mobile chain Di Dong Viet also reported that its online customer base has risen 45 percent, with sales across Facebook and YouTube rising by 40 percent. Meanwhile, delivery orders for mobile retailer Shopdunk increased by 50 percent. Many retailers have announced a free shipping policy for areas with virus outbreaks, including Ho Chi Minh City, to persuade customers to make purchases from home. To ensure safety during the pandemic, delivery workers from each company are ordered to limit their travel area and avoid direct contact with sales clerks. They are also required to uphold stringent measures, including body temperature checks before each shift, social distancing, face mask wearing and hand sanitizing. Delivery drivers for The Gioi Di Dong and Dien May Xanh have even been told to divide themselves into two team and rotate shifts in order to reduce transmission risks. Additionally, they must ensure social distancing during deliveries, including when customers are signing for packages. Delivery company J&T went a step further by adding a label declaring the delivery workers health status on packages and thoroughly sanitizing each package before each delivery. Even with such precautions in place, many delivery services are declining orders from grave outbreak areas around the city, including Go Vap District, particularly considering it has been cordoned off by authorities. Delivery workers sit in safe distancing while waiting to collect orders for their customers at a supermarket in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: K.L. / Tuoi Tre Delivery workers at risk In the past few weeks, many customers have complained about mass cancellations of air conditioner orders on e-commerce platforms. Responding to customers, a seller explained that delivery workers and installation technicians are deemed at high risk of infection and have been put to isolation after entering customers houses. In light of the looming risks, many online sellers have shut down their at-home installation service for furniture and home appliances to ensure safety for their delivery workers. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A Chinese man has been arrested in Da Nang City for masterminding the illegal entry of his fellow countryman into Vietnam in the guise of expert, with the abetment of a Vietnamese company director. Police in Da Nang City on Friday detained Jiang Fei, a Chinese national, and his Vietnamese accomplice, Le Thi Kim Anh, director of Boviet Vietnam Investment Management Co., Ltd., on charge of arranging for others to illegally enter Vietnam. As shown in the case file, Anh, 42, hailing from Lam Dong Province, was acquainted with many Chinese, including Jiang Fei, when she worked in Taiwan several years ago. In September 2019, after returning to Vietnam, Anh was asked by the Chinese man to set up the aforementioned company in Da Nang Citys Hai Chau District, where she was made director with a monthly wage of VND12 million (US$525). In fact, this company did not conduct any business in its registered scopes of business, including tourism, hospitality and sports. In March this year, Fei asked Anh to use the companys legal status to sponsor his fellow countryman, Wang Xu, to make entry into Vietnam under the cover of expert. Then, Anh prepared all necessary documents and asked a service company to proceed with procedures for Wang Xu to enter Vietnam as her companys expert at a cost of VND60 million ($2,600). In fact, after his entry, Xu worked for Fei. Further investigation into the case is underway. Earlier in May, Da Nang police arrested three people in the ring that brought foreigners into Vietnam illegally under the cover of experts. Using the same trick, they set up many companies and used their legal status to sponsor 19 South Koreans to enter Vietnam as specialists for their companies, but such foreigners later worked for other firms. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! COVID-19 could result in a rise in poverty and therefore to an increase in child labor as Vietnamese households are forced to use every available means to survive, the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) have warned. The number of children in child labor has risen to 160 million worldwide an increase of 8.4 million children over the last four years with millions more at risk due to the impacts of COVID-19, according to a new report by the two organizations. The report, entitled Child labor: Global estimates 2020, trends and the road forward and released on Thursday, warns that progress to end child labor has stalled for the first time in 20 years, reversing the previous downward trend that saw child labor fall by 94 million between 2000 and 2016. The report points to a significant rise in the number of children aged 5 to 11 years in child labor, who now account for just over half of the total global figure. The number of children aged 5 to 17 years in hazardous work defined as work that is likely to harm their health, safety or morals has risen by 6.5 million to 79 million since 2016. The report warns that globally, nine million more children are at risk of being pushed into child labor by the end of 2022 as a result of the pandemic. A simulation model shows this number could rise to 46 million if they do not have access to critical social protection coverage. In Vietnam, the ILO estimated in April that between 4.6 and 10.3 million workers may be affected by the pandemic. As estimated, over one million children between 5 and 17 years old are already engaged in child labor in Vietnam, more than half of them are in hazardous work. As the pandemic wreaks havoc on family incomes, these children are now at even greater risk of working longer hours or under worsening conditions. This is further evidenced by that many children did not return to school when they reopened in May of this year. I know from speaking with schools, particularly in rural areas, that some children have simply not returned. Those children are aged just nine or ten years and they are now working full time, said Rana Flowers, UNICEF representative in Vietnam. This is hazardous, and it makes them more vulnerable to other protection concerns, including trafficking. Immediate actions must be taken to protect children from labor abuse and to uphold national efforts to prevent and eliminate child labor, said Chang-Hee Lee, country director of ILO Vietnam. Social protection plays a significant role in times of crisis as it provides assistance to the most vulnerable. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A tropical depression in the East Vietnam Sea will strengthen into a storm and move to the Gulf of Tonkin on early Sunday, causing heavy rain and gales to northern Vietnam, the national weather agency has forecast. The depression, which is moving west-northwest at a speed of 15 to 20 kilometers per hour, packing winds and gusts at up to 90 kilometers per hour, will develop into a storm soon, the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting warned on Saturday. The storm will center on the western area of Chinas Hainan Island at 4:00 pm on Saturday, with winds of up to 75 kilometers per hour and squalls of 100 kilometers per hour. The storm will later move in the same direction at the same speed before entering the Gulf of Tonkin at around 4:00 am on Sunday, generating similar gales. Since then, all vessels that operate in the East Vietnam Sea near the Gulf of Tonkin should be highly alert to strong windstorm and tornadoes, the center warned. In the next 24 to 36 hours, the storm will move in the northwest direction at about 15 kilometers per hour and land in Vietnams northeastern and north-central regions. The storm will then downgrade to a tropical depression and enter the southern part of the Red River Delta and Thanh Hoa Province, with winds of up to 50 kilometers per hour, before further weakening into a low-pressure area. Due to the impacts of the storm, the Gulf of Tonkin area, including Vietnams Bach Long Vi Island, will have powerful winds and gusts up to 100 kilometers per hour, along with strong rough sea from Saturday afternoon, the center said. From early morning of Sunday, the northern delta and Thanh Hoa will see increasingly strong winds, which may slash the coastal areas at a speed of 75 kilometers per hour. Meanwhile, the northern region and the provinces from Thanh Hoa to Thua Thien-Hue will have moderate to heavy rains from Saturday afternoon until Monday, with rainfalls of 80 to 150 millimeters or higher in some locations. The southern part of the northern delta and nearby provinces will have downpours, with precipitation of up to over 350 millimeters, along with whirlwinds, lightning and strong gusts, the center warned. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Pan Macmillan, one of the largest general book publishers in the UK, has purchased the international rights, excluding the mother language edition in Vietnam, to two children books written by Vietnamese author Trang Nguyen. Saving Sorya: Chang and the Sun Bear is an inspirational graphic novel adventure, based on a true story about Chang, a young conservationist who overcomes the odds to save a sun bear called Sorya and return the bear back into the wild. The Vietnamese edition of the book was already published in Vietnam in the beginning of 2020. Saving Hnon: Chang and the Elephants has an older version of the character Chang saving an elephant that is forced to work in the logging and tourism industries for 50 years. Hanoi-based Kim Dong Publishing House, on behalf of the author group, sold the global rights excluding Vietnam and in all languages excluding Vietnamese of the two books to Pan Macmillan. The UK book publisher has sold the copyrights to Saving Sorya: Chang and the Sun Bear to its partners in the U.S., Norway, Turkey, China and South Korea. The book is slated to hit the bookshelves in the UK in September. Meanwhile, Saving Hnon: Chang and the Elephants, still in the finalizing phase, is expected to be introduced to readers in 2022. Trang Nguyens two books are illustrated by Jeet Zdung, an artist who fuses traditional Vietnamese art with Japans manga art using pencil, watercolors, ink, and digital tools. Trang is the founder of WildAct Vietnam, a non-profit organization which monitors the illegal wildlife trade and organizes educational programs for youths. She was named in the BBC 100 women 2019 and the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia lists. The book writer plans to donate the entire royalty payment, which was kept undisclosed but said by Kim Dong Publishing House to be a record in the Vietnamese publishing industry, to conservation groups of Free The Bears and WildAct Vietnam. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Its a constant source of public discussion, whether in unison or disagreement, and now the Archibald Prize is again the subject of a fascinating television series. Having previously been showcased in Foxtels 2017 series, The Archibald Prize (also by producers Mint Pictures), ABC now turns its attention to the art contest in its 100th year, in Finding the Archibald. Actor, producer, director Rachel Griffiths is a perfect choice as our art gallery guide, noting that she is the daughter of an art teacher, wife of a painter and an actor who has spent her whole life trying to understand the human condition. While the three part series is a deep dive into the art, history and politics of the Archibald, Griffiths is seeking to choose just one portrait that represents the changing face of Australia over the last century. She is joined by Natalie Wilson from the Art Gallery of NSW as she curates the Archie 100 exhibition. Rather than merely turning the cameras to annual portraits, Griffiths underlines the imbalance of its 100 winners. Until 2020 no Indigenous painter had ever won, and only 3 winners had been a portrait of a First Australian. But there were also only 10 female painters who had won (a ratio not unlike that Logies Hall of Fame list). If the Archibald is any snapshot of our cultural history, what is it saying more widely? Theres also the question of the initial directive, set in the bequest from J. F. Archibald, that portraits feature distinguished Australians from Arts, Letters, Science or Politics. No surprise that the earliest winners post-1921 were of senior white gentlemen in positions of power. Over the years judges choices began to shift, both in art styles and subjects, notably a portrait by William Dobell in 1943. With that came criticism, division, scandal and even legal stoushes over the Archibald. Yet it remains the face that stops a nation. Griffiths meets several painters including Ben Quilty, Vincent Namatjira (grandson of Albert Namatjira), 4-time winner of the Packing Room Prize Vincent Fantauzzo (interviewed with partner Asher Keddie) and muse Wendy Whiteley, former wife of the acclaimed Brett Whiteley. The first episode also features art librarians and art students to contrast the history and future of portraits. Throughout it all Griffiths affection and personal dilemmas around choices and winners is evident. Whether accessing rare paintings kept under lock and key or coming face to face with works she has only seen via reproduction, her passion and conflict is bared for the cameras. Its clear Griffiths is seeking to redress an imbalance in archive of who we are as a culture, as reflected through the eyes and hands of gifted painters. This may not be all the Archibald is, but they are definitely questions worth asking. Finding the Archibald airs 8:30pm Tuesdays on ABC. If you are sick with COVID-19 or suspect you are infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, follow the steps below to help prevent the disease from spreading to people in your home and community. Boris Johnson escalated his dispute with the European Union by warning he will do whatever it takes to keep goods flowing from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. Following talks with the EUs key figures, the Prime Minister said he would not hesitate to take unilateral action to protect the position of Northern Ireland in the increasingly bitter row over post-Brexit trading arrangements. The Prime Minister met French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and European Council president Charles Michel in the margins of the G7 summit in Cornwall. But Mr Johnson appeared frustrated at the way the talks had gone, saying: Ive talked to some of our friends here today who do seem to misunderstand that the UK is a single country and a single territory. I think they just need to get that into their heads. Mr Johnson insisted he did not want a trade war with Brussels, which has threatened to retaliate unless the UK imposes restrictions agreed as part of the Brexit deal signed by Mr Johnson. The row dubbed the sausage war could mean chilled meats will not be shipped across the Irish Sea because of EU rules after the end of the month. The UK is considering extending the current grace period without the consent of Brussels to ensure that sausages and mince can continue to reach Northern Irelands shops. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here to do so. The Prime Minister told Sky News he would do whatever it takes, including using Article 16 of the protocol to act without Brussels agreement. I think if the protocol continues to be applied in this way then we will obviously not hesitate to invoke Article 16, he said. He suggested the EU was adopting a theologically draconian approach to the protocol, which effectively keeps Northern Ireland in the EUs single market for goods as a way of making sure there is not a hard border with Ireland and preserving the peace process. That means goods crossing the Irish Sea from Great Britain need to be checked to make sure they comply with EU rules. Story continues I certainly think that the protocol is capable of being used and interpreted by the way, up to the EU in a pragmatic way or a theologically draconian way, Mr Johnson told 5 News. Prime Minister Boris Johnson with German Chancellor Angela Merkel (Stefan Rousseau/PA) European Commission chief Mrs von der Leyen said we want the best possible relations with the UK but stressed that both sides must implement what we agreed on in the Brexit deal. French sources suggested Mr Macron told the Prime Minister that for relations between France and the UK to be reset, Mr Johnson must abide by the agreement. Meanwhile, the main business of the summit saw the leaders discuss building resilience to future crises, foreign policy issues and the response to Covid-19. Prime Minister Boris Johnson runs along the beach in Carbis Bay, during the G7 summit in Cornwall (Stefan Rousseau/PA) The group committed to a new plan the Carbis Bay Declaration to quash future pandemics within the first 100 days, while the UK is creating a new animal vaccine centre aimed at preventing future diseases crossing to humans. The White House said the leaders had also agreed a Build Back Better World (B3W) plan to help meet the infrastructure need in low and middle-income countries. The move is a response to Chinas belt and road initiative, which has increased Beijings influence in countries around the world. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here to do so. A senior US administration official said the Chinese governments approach had a lack of transparency, poor environmental and labour standards and had left many countries worse off. But until now, we havent offered a positive alternative that reflects our values, our standards, and our way of doing business, the source said. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here to do so. As part of Mr Johnsons Global Britain agenda, the leaders of South Korea, India, Australia and South Africa were also taking part in summit events, expanding the G7 to take in other prominent democracies. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie welcomed Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to the G7 summit (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Those leaders attending the event Indias Narendra Modi is participating remotely because of the coronavirus crisis in his country will close the day at a beach barbeque, toasting marshmallows around fire pits while drinking buttered rum and listening to sea shanties. The RAFs Red Arrows display team performed a flypast over the Carbis Bay venue where Mr Johnsons wife Carrie and their one-year-old son Wilfred were seen with G7 leaders. The Prime Minister was spotted going for an early morning run on the beach before his meetings with the EU leaders on Saturday. Watch: Jonathan Pryce gets knighthood in Queen's Birthday Honours Another crop of famous faces and other deserving Brits has been recognised this week as part of the Queen's Birthday Honours list. Among the most notable awards is a knighthood for Game of Thrones actor Jonathan Pryce and a damehood for The Great British Bake Off judge Prue Leith. Dancer, choreographer and former Strictly Come Dancing judge Arlene Phillips was also made a dame. Read more: Explaining the different ranks of honours There were also awards for singers Lulu, Engelbert Humperdinck and Alison Moyet, TV personality Robert Rinder, keyboardist Rick Wakeman and The Repair Shop presenter Jay Blades. But not everyone has been thrilled to be offered an honour by the Queen. Here are some of the celebrities who have declined or returned their honours over the years... David Bowie turned down a knighthood David Bowie said no to a knighthood, despite his glittering career in the music business. (MediaNews Group/Contra Costa Times via Getty Images) David Bowie was, naturally, offered several honours for his work in the music business. He turned down a CBE in 2000 and also declined a knighthood three years later. In an interview with The Sun after Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger was knighted in 2003, Bowie said: "I would never have any intention of accepting anything like that.I seriously don't know what it's for. It's not what I spent my life working for. It's not my place to make a judgment on Jagger, it's his decision. But it's just not for me." Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders turned down OBEs Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders both turned down the opportunity to receive OBEs for their work in television comedy. (David M. Benett/Getty Images) The comedy duo said no to OBEs in 2001, with Saunders later telling Source magazine that she would accept a damehood "if I felt I deserved" to receive one. She added: At the time, we felt that we were being paid very well to have a lot of fun. It didnt seem right somehow. We didnt deserve a pat on the back. It felt a bit fake to stand alongside people who devoted their lives to truly worthy causes. Danny Boyle turned down a knighthood Danny Boyle was offered a knighthood for his work at the helm of the opening ceremony for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. (Keith Mayhew/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Unsurprisingly, filmmaker Danny Boyle was offered a knighthood in the wake of the 2012 Olympics. The opening ceremony he put together complete with a parachuting Queen brought about a terrific moment of national unity. However, Boyle said he declined the honour because it's "just not me" and that accepting it would undermine the work of the dozens of others who were part of making the ceremony work. Story continues George Harrison turned down an OBE George Harrison accepted an MBE along with the other Beatles, but later turned down an OBE. (Icon and Image/Getty Images) All four members of The Beatles were given MBEs at the peak of their powers in 1965, and all but one of them held on to the honours. More on that other one later. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr have both been knighted in the years since, but George Harrison never received that honour. He was offered an OBE in the New Year's Honours list in 2000, but declined. Journalist Ray Connolly later said Harrison "would have felt insulted" at being offered an OBE, three years after McCartney was knighted. Harrison passed away in 2001 and never received his knighthood. John Lennon handed back an MBE John Lennon received an MBE alongside his Beatles bandmates, but later handed it back. (Vinnie Zuffante/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) Lennon received an MBE along with his bandmates in 1965, but handed it back prior to his murder in 1980. His anti-war politics during the 1960s led him to renounce the honour in 1969, penning a part-serious, part-flippant note to the Queen reading: "I am returning my MBE as a protest against Britains involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam and against Cold Turkey slipping down the charts." He later wrote that he regretted the mention of his solo single Cold Turkey, feeling that it devalued the more serious side of his statement. Nigella Lawson turned down an OBE TV cook Nigella Lawson said no to an OBE in 2001. (David M. Benett/Getty Images) As arguably the UK's most famous TV chef, it was no surprise when Nigella Lawson was offered an OBE in 2001. She declined the honour, though, saying: "I'm not saving lives and I'm not doing anything other than something I absolutely love." Jim Broadbent turned down an OBE Jim Broadbent said that actors shouldn't receive honours from the Queen. (Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images) After the beloved actor Jim Broadbent won an Oscar for his performance in the 2001 film Iris, he was offered an OBE. Broadbent turned it down, telling The Guardian in 2014: "Ive been fairly selfish with everything Ive done and I get enough prizes elsewhere and I didnt think I deserved it, really." He further stated that "actors should be anti-establishment, and I like the idea of being a rogue and a vagabond and not being appreciated by the powers that be". Understandably, that ethos is not really compatible with receiving a medal at a palace. Michael Sheen handed back his OBE Michael Sheen handed back his OBE after studying Welsh history. (Tibrina Hobson/FilmMagic) Michael Sheen accepted an OBE in 2009, but revealed to journalist Owen Jones last year that he handed the prize back in 2017. He had been asked to give a lecture and, while preparing, delved into Welsh history that appeared, to him, incompatible with continuing to accept the honour. I genuinely felt incredibly honoured when I was given it and it meant a lot to me and my family, he said, adding that he would be a "hypocrite" if he held on to the title given "the nature of the relationship between Wales and the British state, and the history of it. Jon Snow turned down an OBE Jon Snow said journalists shouldn't accept honours from those on whom they report. (WIktor Szymanowicz/NurPhoto via Getty Images) One of Britain's most recognisable journalists and newsreaders, Jon Snow turned down an OBE in 2000 and has been an outspoken critic of the honours system in its current form, making a documentary called Secrets of the Honours System. He said he declined the award because he was a "working journalist" and, in an interview with the National Union of Students, added: "I don't think working hacks should take honours from the authorities they are charged with reporting". Benjamin Zephaniah turned down an OBE Benjamin Zephaniah cited anti-empire beliefs when he turned down his OBE. (Roberto Ricciuti/Getty Images) The poet Benjamin Zephaniah took issue with the concept of the British Empire when he was offered an OBE in 2003. Writing in The Guardian, he explained: "I get angry when I hear that word 'empire'; it reminds me of slavery, it reminds of thousands of years of brutality, it reminds me of how my foremothers were raped and my forefathers brutalised." He also wrote that honours "compromise writers and poets" and that he was shocked to see so many of his contemporaries accept them willingly. Watch: Highlights of the Queen's Birthday Honours 2021 By Michel Rose CARBIS BAY, England (Reuters) -French President Emmanuel Macron offered on Saturday to reset relations with Britain as long as Prime Minister Boris Johnson stands by the Brexit divorce deal he signed with the European Union. Since Britain completed its exit from the EU late last year, relations with the bloc and particularly France have soured, with Macron becoming the most vocal critic of London's refusal to honour the terms of part of its Brexit deal. At a meeting at the Group of Seven rich nations in southwestern England, Macron told Johnson the two countries had common interests, but that ties could improve only if Johnson kept his word on Brexit, a source said. "The president told Boris Johnson there needed to be a reset of the Franco-British relationship," the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said. "This can happen provided that he keeps his word with the Europeans," the source said, adding that Macron spoke in English to Johnson. The Elysee Palace said that France and Britain shared a common vision and common interests on many global issues and "a shared approach to transatlantic policy". Johnson will meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel later on Saturday, where she could also raise the dispute over a part of the EU divorce deal that is called the Northern Ireland Protocol. The British leader, who is hosting the G7 meeting, wants the summit to focus on global issues, but has stood his ground on trade with Northern Ireland, calling on the EU to be more flexible in its approach to easing trade to the province from Britain. The protocol aims to keep the province, which borders EU member Ireland, in both the United Kingdom's customs territory and the EU's single market. But London says the protocol is unsustainable in its current form because of the disruption it has caused to supplies of everyday goods to Northern Ireland. (Reporting by Michel RoseWriting by Elizabeth PiperEditing by Guy Faulconbridge and Frances Kerry) After months of continuous trade surplus, Vietnam witnessed the return of a trade deficit in May, but it is too early to conclude whether this represents a new trend in the balance of trade though a bumpy road remains ahead for businesses. According to the General Statistics Office of Vietnam (GSO), the country earned $26 billion from exports and spent $28 billion on imports in May, up 35.6 and 56.4 per cent on-year, respectively. This means a trade deficit of $2 billion. In the first five months of the year, Vietnam saw a trade deficit of $370 million when its exports increased 30.7 per cent on-year to $130.94 billion, and imports climbed 36.4 per cent on-year to $131.31 billion. Meanwhile, Vietnam recorded the latest trade deficit in first two months of last year with $176 million. According to experts, such a trade deficit in May and in the first five months still demonstrated a good signal as exports kept increasing and imports followed suit. The main reason for this is the strong recovery of domestic production, leading to large demands for input imports. The GSO announced the structure of imports in the first five months of the year. Accordingly, value of goods imported for production was estimated at $123.15 billion or 94 per cent of the total imports of the economy, up 36.8 per cent on year. In which, the group of machinery and equipment, transport, and spare parts reached $58.8 billion, up 33 per cent, and the group of raw materials, fuel, and materials reached $64.35 billion, up 40.5 per cent. Meanwhile, consumer goods came out at $8.16 billion, up 29.5 per cent. Le Tien Truong, chairman of state-run Vinatex, told VIR, Since December, the price of yarn has increased by about 20-25 per cent, putting textile and garment makers under pressure. So, to overcome the current difficulties, businesses like us have to increase the stock of raw materials for production, avoid shortages, and increase prices. The trade deficit reflects Vietnams high dependence on imported input materials in the processing and manufacturing sector. China was the largest supplier to Vietnam with $43.3 billion, surging by 53 per cent, followed by South Korea, ASEAN, Japan, the European Union, and the United States in last five months. The dependence on imported raw materials represents a burden for enterprises. For instance, in the first five months, domestic steel prices increased sharply by nearly 50 per cent on-year, which is the result of the dependence on imported raw materials. Ho Duc Lam, chairman of the Vietnam Plastics Association, said that domestically produced materials only meet about 15-25 per cent of the demand, and the remainder depends on imports. In the context of the pandemic, supply chains have been disrupted, directly affecting industries that must import materials and equipment. Thus, some enterprises must import more materials due to supply chain disruptions and focus on inventory management. The most recent COVID-19 wave in Vietnam has hit several industrial zones (IZs) in the northern provinces of Bac Ninh and Bac Giang as well as the central city of Danang, all of which were previously listed in the top 10 localities that benefitted from investment flows into the country. For instance, Bac Ninh is home to global groups such as Samsung and Canon and Vietnam accounts for roughly half of the formers global phone and tablet production. The index of industrial production of this province decreased slightly by 2.2 per cent in May compared to the previous month. Vietnam is now battling an outbreak that causes most factories to run below their capacities, and the resumption of production and exports are part of the states efforts to reach the dual targets of ensuring workers income, attracting more investment into IZs, and contributing to socioeconomic development. Tran Thanh Hai, deputy director of the Ministry of Industry and Trades Agency of Foreign Trade said that exports will still face many difficulties. In addition, input costs such as logistics and materials have increased, while the shortage of empty containers will continue negatively affecting exporters. Source: VIR Enterprises worried as steel prices escalate globally The domestic steel price hike has been attributed to a global price increase. To reduce steel prices, production costs need to be cut. Many people wondered what illness had caused Binh Duong Province's Party Secretary Tran Van Nam to resign from the National Assembly, while many others questioned "whether he failed in the National Assembly election". In the past few days, the public has heard about the health problems of the Secretary of the Party Committee of Binh Duong Province Mr. Tran Van Nam after the local media reported that Nam had resigned from the membership of the 15th National Assembly due to "poor health conditions". Many people wondered what illness had caused him to resign from the National Assembly, while many others questioned "whether he failed in the National Assembly election". The election results released by the National Election Council on June 10 showed that Nam won the election with 425,941 votes, reaching 80.88%. The "poor health conditions" reason that he cited for his resignation was apparently correct. However, only Nam and his doctor really know. Secretary of the Party Committee of Binh Duong Province Mr. Tran Van Nam. Photo: Zing It turned out the National Election Council issued a resolution with 100% consensus to not recognize the election results and did not confirm the status of the 15th National Assembly deputy of the Party Secretary of the southern province of Binh Duong. So whether he is healthy or not has nothing to do with Nams resignation of National Assembly membership. According to Head of the National Assembly Deputies Affairs Commission Nguyen Thi Thanh, the National Election Council did not receive the application for "not being a member of the 15th National Assembly" because of poor health of the Party Secretary of Binh Duong Province. Thanh said that even if the council had received Nam's application, it would not be the reason for the Councils resolution. The Council issued a separate resolution not to recognize the election results and not to confirm the status of a member of the 15th National Assembly of Nam, as he did not meet the criteria, Thanh said. But Nam is a member of the Party Central Committee, a Provincial Party Secretary, and the matter of standards and conditions must have been "checked" very carefully before. According to Thanh, the Central Inspection Committees recent inspection detected signs of violations of the Binh Duong Provincial Standing Party Committee and a number of violations and shortcomings of the committees Party Secretary. Specifically, Nam violated regulations on what party members are not allowed to do. In addition, while he was Vice Chairman of Binh Duong Province, he made a number of decisions related to state management, especially land issues, that caused serious consequences. So everything is clear, except for the "poor health" reason given by Binh Duong Provinces Party Secretary himself. Unbelievable reason At the press conference on the afternoon of May 21 about the preparation for election day, there were two candidates for the 15th National Assembly election who entered the official list after three rounds of consultation who also withdrew from the election, citing poor health. A few years ago, several National Assembly deputies resigned from the National Assembly membership for "health reasons". In 2017, after the conclusion of the Secretariat of the Central Party Committee on violations related to the Formosa case, former Party Chief and Chairman of the central province of Ha Tinh Vo Kim Cu submitted an application to resign from the 14th National Assembly membership for "health reasons". In 2019, the Head of the Internal Affairs Department of the Dong Nai Provincial Party Committee, and Head of the National Assembly Delegation of Dong Nai province Ho Van Nam also submitted an application to resign from the National Assembly membership for "health reasons". And it was coincidental that at that time the Central Inspection Committee asked the Secretariat to take disciplinary action against Nam. This story was once explained by former Secretary of the National Assembly Nguyen Hanh Phuc. After being disciplined, these officials' health may have been affected and they resigned "for health reasons". No matter how it is explained, the "health reason" in these cases is still hard to be believe. Thu Hang I usually have to stay up late at night to take samples for testing, often with an empty stomach, the medical school student said. Phan Ngoc Lam Nhi is a fifth-year student in general medicine at the University of Medicine Pham Ngoc Thach (UPNT) in HCM City. As the Covid-19 pandemic has turned more complicated, medical school students have been mobilized to help take samples for testing to ensure the capacity of 50,000 samples a day. Nhi is continuing to study but works as a medical worker at the same time. On June 1, the city called on medical school students to help take samples for testing in the hi-tech zone in Thu Duc City. Just five minutes after the appeal was launched on the website, hundreds of volunteers registered to join the campaign. When the pandemic broke out in HCM City last year, Nhi learned about it and was well trained in necessary skills to fight the outbreak. She was preparing to join volunteer campaigns by maintaining her health. I will be a physician in the future. I am aware that I need to take care of my health. Only when I am in good health will I be able to take care for others well, she said. Nhi studies online every day. In the morning, she checks whether any medical units need help and goes to sites if necessary. She updates information about newly discovered infection cases from every bulletin and exchanges information with friends and relatives. On June 1, Nhi and her co-workers took 25,000 samples for testing at 17 sites in the hi-tech zone in Thu Duc City of HCM City. Nhi was sent to the team at Jabil Company. About 6,000 samples total needed to be taken in two workshops. In the protective suit, Nhi had to sit and enter data into computer the entire night and she felt dizzy. She lost one kilogram in weight after that night. Nhi said all volunteers and medical workers feel as taut as a violin string, but they never neglect each other or their duties because of fatigue. Huyen from District 9 Medical Center is on our team. She always tells us Go on! Almost everything is done, or Hang in there! I am coming. The students of my school also have strong spirit. Some of them live in District 12 and they have to travel very far to District 9." Nhi said they try not to eat and drink too much to avoid to go to the toilet when wearing protective gear. Masks, gloves, and glasses cause her to feel stuffy. She usually has to work late at night with empty stomach. Born as a city girl, the female student tells herself that she must not be fragile. On tiring days, they tell jokes to ease the fatigue. They ask each other, "Did you get a sale today? Sale here means a seat in the assistance team. And all of them hope the pandemic is stamped out quickly so that everything can return to normal. Many HCM City medical university students have helped combat Covid-19. They said assisting medical workers is a chance for them to use what they have learnt in a practical situation. Phan Ngoc Lam Nhi Here are excerpts from Nhis diary about one day of work: 6.30 pm June 1. I was assigned to take samples at Jabil Company. There were two workshops here and we needed to take 3,000 samples from each workshop. We were told to enter data but we still had to wear protective suits, because we were in the middle of the testing area. Thousands of people stood close to each other and I sometimes felt like I was suffocating in the protective suit. Two layers of protective masks. Two layers of gloves. I felt I became weaker. My stomach began growling. Luckily, I was sitting next to the wall and I could lean against it to relieve the fatigue. I looked up at the people who were standing and taking samples without any second of relaxation. How tired they must be! I was sitting there and I got scared when seeing too many people around. We sprayed alcohol on our bodies and machines once every ten minutes. How much courage and love do the doctors and medical staff have to be able to continue this fight? 0.25 am June 2 I sat with my back against the wall. We still needed to take about 500 samples more. The pace began to slow down, but dizziness struck. Any wrong action at this moment could cause infection to myself and to people. Who will continue if I stop now? We came here so that other people can sleep well. My heart woke me up and encouraged me to go ahead. 1 am June 2 Everything has been done. We bathed the laptop with alcohol, disinfected everything and left. A new day has begun in our country. I went to the middle of the boulevard with overwhelming joy. Tomorrow will definitely be a bright day. Tomorrow is starting from today. 3.20 am June 2 People might be in their bed while I got home, had a bath and dried my hair. I smiled and said thanks for everything. We dont know how many more infection cases will be found tomorrow. But we will still try together. Fatherland, faith and hope. I will continue to do what I want in the days when my heart can't sit still. Le Huyen Local engineer creates air-conditioned COVID-19 testing booth A mobile air-conditioned COVID-19 testing booth has been set up and put into use in the current COVID-19 hotspot of Bac Giang Province I received a call some days ago from a friend. She said she had become an F1 when taking a flight on which there was a person with Covid-19. I am at the airport and I am afraid that I will be taken away and put under concentrated quarantine. What should I do? My friend said she had flown to HCM City because she had a job there, and then returned to Hanoi the next day. When the airplane landed at Noi Bai Airport, she received a call from a HCM City medical agency informing her that there was an F0 on the flight. She was asked to immediately contact medical agencies in Hanoi to be placed under quarantine. The information petrified my friend and she called me to ask for advice. I thought that it was unreasonable and unscientific to take my friend to quarantine, because she had sat far away from the F0 in the aircraft. It would also be heartless to take her away from her parents, who are seriously ill and need her assistance in because they cannot take care for themselves. My friend is also the manager of a business with nearly 100 workers. What will happen if she has to be under quarantine? Who will manage the enterprise and who will pay the workers, who need to feed themselves and their family members? But I told my friend to calm down and advised her to make truthful declarations about her status and strictly observe the regulations. If she unluckily became an F0 and it was discovered later, she would face trouble with the public and the local government. However, both my friend and I were complicating the matter. Our worries were in vain. When my friend came to meet medical workers at the airport and asked what she needed to do, she was told to go home and stay in quarantine there. When she called the medical unit of the ward where she lived, she received the same answer. When she called the building management board, she was told that one lift would be reserved for her. My friend spent a 14-day quarantine at home without knowing if she was infected with nCoV. The story evokes some thoughts about Vietnams current pandemic fighting policy bringing F0s to hospital for treatment and putting F1s under quarantine. New situation Putting F1s under quarantine aims to reduce the risk of the virus spread in the community and society. This strategy was effective in the first phase of the pandemic when the number of infections was small, local quarantine capacity was adequate, hospitals were not overloaded, and the logistics force was strong enough. This explained why social distancing periods in some localities under Directives 15 and 16 have been relatively short and Vietnam still has had a high GDP growth rate compared with other countries. However, the situation is getting different. In HCM City alone, there are 420,000 people related to Covid-19 cases, including 5,593 F1s. In Bac Ninh province, 1,100 infections have been found and 51,085 people have been labeled as F1 or F2. In Bac Giang province, there are 19,181 F1s and 86,575 F2s. The Ministry of Health's (MOH)June 7 morning bulletin showed that 183,923 individuals had been put under quarantine (those who have close contact with sources of infections and migrants from pandemic areas, who are having their health monitored). Of these, 2,895 people were under concentrated quarantine at hospitals, 32,406 under quarantine at other facilities, and 148,622 under quarantine at their homes. As such, the first and the second groups of patients alone had exceeded the figure of 30,000 quarantined people in a worst-case scenario developed by the National Steering Committee on Covid-19 Prevention and Control. Bac Giang province in late May reported that 55 percent of negative F1s became positive at concentrated quarantine areas, while the figure was 79 percent at some companies. So, it was not by chance that Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam suggested that Bac Giang and Bac Ninh provinces think of allowing F1s to spend quarantine at home, supervised via technological solutions and neighbors, as concentrated quarantine areas did not have enough beds for all F1s. Under current regulations, foreigners and Vietnamese citizens entering Vietnam must show a SARS-CoV-2-negative RT-PCR certificate granted by competent medical agencies no more than three days before their departure. The regulation aims to ensure that the virus cannot be brought into Vietnam. However, MOHs bulletin on June 4 showed that 12 positive cases were found and isolated soon after they entered the country. The figure was 10 on April 25. Many individuals demand lockdowns, but they travel everywhere themselves and meet many other people. They want other people to fight the pandemic and demand the Government impose social distancing to protect them and their families, but they themselves neglect the rules. What does this mean? Were their certificates forged, or were they infected during the flight, or even in quarantine areas? The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) in Hanoi on May 31 reported that in the concentrated isolation area in the Hanoi Capital High Command in Son Tay, from May 23 to May 31, as many as 50 F1s tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Of the number, 35 cases were found on May 30 alone. Realizing the problem, municipal authorities immediately decided to ease the load at isolation areas, establish new quarantine areas, and classify F1s in accordance with risk levels. Be responsible Hanoi has been flexible with the measures to fight Covid-19. However, it is unclear about how F1s are expected to quarantine at home. In other countries, people are requested to take personal responsibility. If you have a cough and fever, you have to stay at home. And if your child has a temperature, you have to leave him or her at home. I think that every individual needs to be self-aware and self-disciplined, joining hands with the Government to fight Covid-19. Many individuals demand lockdowns, but they travel everywhere themselves and meet many other people. They want other people to fight the pandemic and demand the Government impose social distancing to protect them and their families, but they themselves neglect the rules. Maybe from now on we can no longer have a peaceful time, because the pandemic risks still exist. The pandemic may break out in one locality today and in another province tomorrow. We will only defeat Covid-19 when we have specific medicine and vaccines. This is the real situation we are facing and we need to adjust the way we fight the pandemic to adapt to the new conditions, including allowing F1s to quarantine on their own. They have to take responsibility for themselves and their family members. Tu Giang "Let's face it. It's time to move forward," Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, told CNN regarding the bipartisan group's negotiations. "The Republicans have held us up long enough." And that's to say nothing of the House, where Democrats also hold a very narrow majority. *** White House reaction The new money in the agreement could represent slightly more than half of Biden's initial physical infrastructure proposal and a senior administration official told CNN that makes it worth exploring. The lack of tax increases doesn't make it a nonstarter, the official added, saying that potentially acceptable pay-fors that the White House still considers in play are "user fees" on corporations, not individuals, and tougher IRS enforcement. The efforts of the group, made up of moderate members of both parties, took on new importance after Biden broke off talks with Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, a Republican who had been empowered by GOP leadership to negotiate with the White House on behalf of the conference. The senators had been negotiating behind closed doors for several weeks before announcing they had come to an agreement. But what insurrectionists couldnt accomplish through a coup, the Texas Legislature now intends to do legally. Like other dutiful Republican-dominated state legislatures, Texas is poised to pass what Republican legislators call an election integrity bill but others more accurately dub Jim Crow 2.0. One could argue this proposed law is designed to disenfranchise Blacks, Latinos and younger voters. Republicans understand all too well that if these Americans vote, the partys chances of holding on to power are diminished. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton admitted as much on May 4 in a podcast with former Trump strategist Steve Bannon (who in turn announced on Jan. 5, the day before the Capitol attack, that All hell is going to break loose tomorrow). Paxton said that had his office not blocked Harris County from sending out mail-in ballot applications to all of its registered voters, Trump would have lost the entire state. Texas, he said, wouldve been one of those battleground states that they were counting votes in Harris County for three days and Donald Trump wouldve lost the election. WATERLOO After moving into the former Ocwen building on Hammond Avenue, Stratacaches Waterloo operation is starting to take off. And the company is looking to hire more employees. In our business, you want bright people, but you dont have to have college degrees, said Stratacache CEO Chris Riegel. Based in Dayton, Ohio, Stratacache manufactures, programs and maintains digital signs across the world. Think of the computerized menu at the local fast-food drive thru and the menu inside that store. They have images of burgers along with the prices. The outdoor menu shows a list of what the customer is ordering as they sit in their car make a selection. In addition to the burger menus, Stratacache makes and runs digital signs in hotels, shopping malls, stores, convention centers, casinos and other businesses all over the globe. The company has 3.3 million signs across the world. Workers at the Waterloo facility push content to those signs, making sure they are up and running and handling technical support. It can 2 p.m. in Waterloo, and a Stratacache worker will be updating information for a sign at a casino in Singapore, where it is 3 a.m. The Waterloo site also houses data storage for the company. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Lubbock, TX (79423) Today A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Considerable clouds this evening. Some decrease in clouds late. Low 69F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Considerable clouds this evening. Some decrease in clouds late. Low 69F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. En espanol | Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits do not change if you move to another state. Like Social Security retirement benefits, SSDI payments are based on your average lifetime earnings and are not affected by where you live. However, if you receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI), a benefit program that is administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA) but not funded by Social Security taxes, an interstate move could change your monthly payments. That's because most states supplement federal SSI payments from their own funds, in varying degrees. SSI pays benefits to disabled, blind and older people with very low incomes and limited financial assets. The maximum federal SSI benefit changes annually; in 2021, it's $794 for an individual or $1,191 for a couple. Forty-six states all but Arizona, Mississippi, North Dakota and West Virginia offer additional funds to residents receiving SSI, as does the District of Columbia. The federal portion of your SSI payment remains constant, assuming other factors that went into your benefit calculation, such as your income, marital status and living arrangements, stay the same. You won't have to reapply for the federal benefit when you move to a new state, but you may have to do so to get a supplement in your new home state. State SSI supplements differ The amount of the supplements, and the conditions for receiving them, vary widely from state to state. The payments can range from around $10 a month on top of the federal SSI benefit to several hundred dollars more. Some states make all SSI recipients eligible for the additional funds, while others set limits based on living situation for example, paying supplements only to people in nursing homes or other types of residential care facilities. In 11 states (California, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont) and the District of Columbia, Social Security administers some or all of the state supplement. In these locales, an application for SSI is also an application for the state payment. The remaining 35 states administer their own SSI supplements, and you need to apply to the state separately for the extra payment. To find out more about states programs and benefit amounts, call Social Security at 800-772-1213 or contact the state's department of human services or Medicaid agency. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... PHOENIX The sheriff of metro Phoenix will not contest a claim that he is in civil contempt of court in the same racial profiling case in which his predecessor, Joe Arpaio, was found to be in contempt. Without explicitly saying Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone was in contempt, his lawyers said in court papers filed Thursday night that the lawman understands that a judge intends to hold him in contempt for noncompliance with a court-ordered overhaul of his agencys much criticized internal affairs operation. Penzones lawyers said he would not dispute a contempt finding and agrees with U.S. District Judge Murray Snows suggestion a week ago that it was more reasonable to focus on remedying the problems stemming from noncompliance. The judge previously suggested it would be a waste of time to argue over whether Penzone was in compliance. The lawyers who won a profiling verdict eight years ago over Arpaios immigration patrols say Penzone is out of compliance because it has a backlog of 1,800 internal affairs cases, each taking an average of 500 days to complete. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ The court requires the sheriffs office to complete the investigations within 60 or 85 days, depending on which operation within the agency handles the cases. One possible remedy mentioned previously by the judge: Imposing a monthly fine against the Maricopa County until it comes into compliance and use the proceeds to hire more internal affairs employees. Penzone unseated Arpaio in 2016 on promises to turn the page on the longtime sheriffs headline-grabbing tactics and get the countys business in order in the profiling case. Arpaio was found in both civil and criminal contempt for disobeying a 2011 order to stop his traffic patrols that targeted immigrants. His conviction was pardoned by then-President Donald Trump. Arpaios defiance in the profiling case contributed significantly to his defeat after 24 years in office. The sheriffs office was found in 2013 to have racially profiled Latinos in Arpaios immigration patrols. The verdict led to two court-ordered overhauls of the agency, one of its traffic enforcement division and another of its internal affairs operation, which under Arpaio had been criticized for biased decision-making and shielding sheriffs officials from accountability. Snow stripped the sheriffs office of some of its autonomy over internal affairs. Transfers of employees in and out the internal affairs unit are now required to be approved by a court official who is monitoring the sheriffs office on behalf of Snow. The sheriffs office also is required to investigate all complaints of officer misconduct, even those made anonymously. Penzones attorneys had said the sheriffs office made warnings about the internal affairs backlog to court officials, but its suggestions for fixing the problem were rejected. Attorneys who filed the profiling lawsuit argued that the length of the investigations has resulted in lost evidence that makes it more likely that officer misconduct wont be confronted. They also pointed out that a community advisory board set up to help improve trust in the sheriffs office has said its questionable whether it should encourage people to file complaints when the process is so flawed. Although some of the agencys compliance numbers are near or at 100%, the sheriffs office hasnt yet been deemed fully compliant with either of the court-ordered overhauls of its operations. The compliance and legal costs for taxpayers in metro Phoenix from the profiling case are expected to reach $202 million by the summer of 2022. Earlier this week, Penzones office released a study that concluded Hispanic drivers pulled over by sheriffs officers were more likely to last longer and result in searches or arrests than those of white drivers. The report echoes some of the same conclusions from past traffic enforcement studies, which the agency is required to produce as part of the profiling case. Three months ago, the lawyers who won the profiling case complained Penzones office hadnt completed an intervention with sheriffs deputies to address indications of bias since early 2019. Penzones office responded by saying a pilot program using traffic-stop data for officer interventions began in 2021. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... KABUL, Afghanistan For the past four years, since she was 14, the notebook was always within her reach. Shukria Ahmadi titled it Beautiful Sentences and put everything in it. Poetry that she liked sometimes a single line, sometimes long verses. Her drawings, like one of a delicate pink rose. Her attempts at calligraphy in swooping Persian letters. Now the notebook is torn and scorched. It was with Shukria the day that three bombings in quick succession hit her school in the Afghan capital Kabul. The May 8 explosions killed nearly 100 people, all of them members of the Hazara ethnic minority and most of them young girls just leaving class. Shukria has been missing since the blast. She took this notebook everywhere with her, her father Abdullah Ahmadi said. I dont remember seeing her without it. She would even use it to shield her eyes from the sun. Everything she loved is in here. The attack on the Syed Al-Shahada School was gut-wrenching for Afghanistans Hazaras, even after so many attacks against them over the years. It showed yet again how Islamic State group militants who hate them for their ethnicity or their religion they are Shiite Muslim were willing to kill the most vulnerable among them. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ The school, which covers grades 1-12, has boys classes in the morning and girls in the afternoon. The attackers waited until the girls were all crowding out the exits as their day ended. Zahra Hassani, 13, recounted how she was thrown off her feet by the first explosion. I saw bodies burning, everyone was screaming, she said. She saw another student raising her hand calling for help. I was going to help her, and then the second explosion happened, and I ran and ran, Zahra said. Speaking in the mostly empty school, Zahra choked back tears and clutched the hand of a friend, Maryam Ahmadi. What is our sin? That we are Hazara? That we are Shiites? said Maryam, who is not related to Shukriya. Is our sin that we are studying? Dasht-e-Barchi, the Kabul neighborhood where the school is located, was built by Hazaras hopes. It had long been the main Hazara district in the capital, and after the fall of the Taliban in 2001, impoverished Hazaras poured in from their strongholds in central Afghanistan in search of jobs. Dasht-e-Barchi swelled into a giant sprawl. Murals at Syed Al-Shahada school promise students that education and hard work will unlock the future. Your dreams are limited only by your imagination, proclaims one slogan emblazoned large and bright across a wall. But the explosions erased the dreams of dozens of Hazara children there. Here are a few of them: Nekbakht Alizada, 17, dreamed of being a doctor. I want to help my family and I want to help poor people, like us, her father Abdul Aziz said she told him. Noria Yousufi, 14, wanted to become an engineer, her father Mehdi said. The best word to describe her, he said: Kind. Ameena Razawi, 17, always had a smile on her face, said her father, Naseem Razawi. She hoped to become a surgeon. Arefa Hussaini, 14, had a slogan she lived by: Where there is a will there is a way. She vowed that one day she would be a lawyer, but even as she studied, she worked as a tailor to help support her family, her uncle Mohammad Salim said. Freshta Alizada, 15, shone in her classes and twice had skipped a grade, her Aunt Sabera boasted. Freshta was always telling her family that one day she would become a journalist. Hadisa Ahmadi, 16, was a math genius and dreamed of becoming a mathematician, her older sister Fatima said. She would always solve Fatimas math problems and tease her that even though she was older, she just didnt get it. Hadisa wove carpets to earn money for her poor family and to pay for additional math tutoring. Farzana Fazili, 13, was the jokester in her family, said her brother Hamidullah. She too wove carpets in her spare time to earn money for her family. When she wasnt teasing her younger brother, she would help him with his homework. Safia Sajadi, 14, made clothes to earn money to pay for her English-language lessons, said her father Ali. Weeping, he boasted how his daughter always had the highest marks. Hassina Haideri, 13, was forever in the kitchen helping her mother, says her father, Alidad. She loved to cook, but she dreamed of becoming a doctor. She sold clothes she made in a nearby shop to earn extra money for her family. Mohammad Amin Hussaini said his 16-year-old daughter Aquila loved him better than anyone. She would read him poetry and hoped to become a doctor. At the Syed-Al-Sahada School, students who survived cried and held each other. Some were angry. Maryam said Hazaras have no hope in the government, which she said has done nothing to prevent attacks. Only God can have mercy on us, she said. From others, we expect nothing. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... LOVELAND, Colo. A search is underway for a man who fell off a pontoon boat at a lake in northern Colorado. The Loveland Reporter-Herald reports the man was visiting from out of state and was boating with three other people from the Boulder area when he fell into Lake Estes on Thursday. His name has not been released. The Larimer County Sheriffs Office says divers searched for the man through Thursday night and switched to sonar early Friday morning. Two men and two women left the Lake Estes Marina on the rented boat Thursday afternoon, and within an hour one of the men fell into the water in the general area of Fishermans Nook on the north side of the lake. His friends beached the boat to call for help when they were unable to locate him. The lake was expected to remain closed Friday. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Copyright 2021 Albuquerque Journal Officials say a migrant collapsed outside an elementary school and was pronounced dead Thursday afternoon after crossing the border into Sunland Park. U.S. Border Patrol Agent Gilbert De Leon said the person was with a group of migrants when he collapsed outside the school a mile from the border and was left behind. He did not identify the person, or give an age or gender, but the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico said in a news release that the person who died was a 20-year-old man. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ De Leon did not immediately respond to additional questions about the incident. The summer heat in the West Texas and New Mexico border region is unforgiving and very dangerous for people attempting to illegally enter the United States, Chief Patrol Agent Gloria Chavez of the El Paso sector, said in a news release. Sadly, yesterday, our Border Patrol agents discovered a deceased individual approximately one mile from the international border who appeared to have suffered heat-related trauma. De Leon said agents working at the Santa Teresa Border Patrol Station were alerted Thursday to a person missing from a group of migrants. Agents learned that the subject had collapsed near a local elementary school, but the group had not stopped and left the individual behind, he said. De Leon said agents found the person, who was later pronounced dead. The ACLU of New Mexico said the man who died in the harsh summer heat of the Sunland Park desert was seeking asylum. Davida Gallegos said the organization is calling on the Biden administration to reverse Trump-era policies that make tragic deaths like this inevitable. This young mans death is yet another example of how inhumane policies such as Title 42 force people who are escaping horrible conditions in their home countries to make dangerous and desperate decisions, Nayomi Valdez, ACLU-NM public policy director, said in a release. All people coming to the U.S. in search of sanctuary should be treated with the care and dignity they deserve. Title 42, which falls under a section of U.S. health law, permits the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to prohibit entry into the U.S. of individuals when there is serious danger of the introduction of (a communicable) disease into the United States. Implemented in March 2020, it has been used to swiftly expel to Mexico undocumented border-crossers who come from Coronavirus-impacted areas. Valdez noted that Biden previously promised to reverse Trumps cruel border policies and his administration must be held accountable to its promises to establish a fair and humane approach at the border. Gallegos said the mans death wasnt the only case of migrants recently found in distress in the area. She said two Ecuadorian women, one of them unconscious, were hospitalized after being found near the Santa Teresa port of entry Wednesday. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Amid a historically tight market for industrial space, Goodman Realty Group is spearheading a massive industrial complex on Albuquerques far West Side. Company vice president Scott Goodman told the Journal that the complex will include three buildings, totaling nearly 400,000 square feet, at the corner of Central Avenue and 118th Street. The project is expected to break ground near the beginning of 2022, and will take six to eight months to complete. The project doesnt have tenants lined up yet, but Goodman said the space could accommodate a mix of uses, from national companies looking to add a distribution hub in Albuquerque to movie studios looking for production space. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Thats really big, theres very little sound stage (space) available in the United States, Goodman said. The market for industrial space in Albuquerque was tight even before the COVID-19 pandemic began. Goodman said the pandemic heated up competition for industrial properties even more, as large companies shifted toward e-commerce. A market report from CBRE showed that the vacancy rate for industrial space in Albuquerque was just 2.5% at the end of 2020, and the average lease rate rose 10.4% year-over-year. Youre seeing a lot more demand than supply, and were out of equilibrium right now, Goodman said. Goodman added that the tight market has discouraged some companies from moving to Albuquerque. If you want to come and lease 100,000 (square) feet, its not really available, he said. Initial plans call for three warehouses: a 128,000 square-foot building, a subdivided 117,000-square-foot building and a 150,000-square-foot facility. Goodman said the new complex will look to attract national companies that have a significant retail footprint in Albuquerque but lack a distribution hub in the state. Goodman named Albertsons, Sprouts Farmers Market and Discount Tire as large retailers that could benefit from having a local distribution center rather than trucking in products from neighboring states. Now that Albuquerque is growing, it makes sense to have a central distribution facility, he said. Additionally, Goodman said the complex could be a fit for local companies looking to increase their Albuquerque footprint. He pointed to Dions Pizza, which announced plans to relocate its commissary to a larger building in northeast Albuquerque earlier this year. Goodman added that his company has had talks with large movie studios about potentially building one of the warehouses to suit the needs of the film industry, with higher ceilings and modified HVAC and electrical systems. Fully leased, Goodman said the complex could create up to 500 warehouse, management and trucking jobs. The buildings will have modern amenities, including abundant yard space and docking capacity, that could help the market attract companies operating in nearby markets. We want to compete with industrial buildings in Phoenix and Dallas, he said. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. A judge on Friday sentenced Maiah Madrid-Schleicher to 14 years in prison in the 2019 shooting death of a woman outside a Family Dollar store on East Central. Amanda Madrid, 25, had been shopping for hamster food shortly before she was fatally shot on Feb. 27, 2019. A 2nd Judicial District Court jury on found 28-year-old Madrid-Schleicher guilty on April 6 of voluntary manslaughter with the use of a firearm in Madrids death, court records show. State District Judge Neil Candelaria said before passing sentence that the April 6 verdict was Madrid-Schleichers fourth felony conviction, making her a poor candidate for probation and making it illegal for her to possess a firearm. I dont understand why you possessed a firearm at the time of this offense, he said. Candelaria also said he agreed with the prosecutions contention that Madid-Schleicher had provoked the conflict with comments she made to Madrid both inside and outside the store. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Copyright 2021 Albuquerque Journal The officer who shot and killed an armed man after responding to a domestic dispute in Ventana Ranch two months ago has now shot four people in his six years with the Albuquerque Police Department. Officer Bryce Willsey was one of several to respond to the 10000 block of Coyote Canyon NW in mid-April, but the only one who fired a shot. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Juan James Cordova, 51, was struck once in the chest. He died at the scene in the driveway of his house. APD released photos of a gun found near his body. In previous shootings one each year since 2018 Willsey had been among several officers who opened fire. He has been with the department since 2015. He was one of four officers who shot Daniel Saavedra-Arreola in an empty apartment building in January 2018 when he jumped out of the closet, swinging a metal pipe and knife. He was one of five officers who shot Jason Scott Perez in December 2019 after Perez was spotted in a car with a stolen license plate and fired a gun inside the car. And he was one of two officers who shot Orlando Abeyta in January 2020 after Abeyta pointed a BB gun that resembled a real gun at people at a bus stop and at officers. All three men were killed. APD Chief Harold Medina said its always concerning when an officer has been involved in multiple shootings, both because of the optics to the public and because of the effects it could have on an officers mental health. Medina said after the April shooting Willsey asked to be temporarily taken out of the field and is now working in the missing persons unit. Were grateful that the officer himself wanted to be removed from the field and kind of take a back step to gather himself and ensure that everything is OK, he said. Well continue to monitor the situation and give resources as needed. Attorney John DAmato, a police union lawyer who is representing Willsey, said officers dont go out looking to shoot people. Police officers dont create the action, they react to the suspects actions, DAmato said. And when deadly force or a threat to others or themselves is apparent the policies require they use deadly force to stop that action. The Multi-Agency Task Force is continuing its investigation into the latest shooting, as is the Internal Affairs Force Division. Confusing scene In a briefing Friday afternoon, Deputy Cmdr. Kyle Hartsock with the Criminal Investigation Division said the incident on April 16 unfolded after Cordovas girlfriend called 911 shortly before 10 p.m.. She said Cordova had fired a gun at himself in their home and said he could take them both out. The girlfriend fled to a neighbors house and called for help. Officers arrived and tried to call Cordovas phone, but it went straight to voicemail, Hartsock said. He said Cordova was in his driveway, armed with a gun off and on and had pointed it at the officers. At one point he fired a shot, Hartsock said, although he said investigators dont know if it was aimed at police. About 10 minutes later, video from a Ring home security system shows the scene as Cordova stands next to his vehicle in his driveway, swearing and yelling at officers to shoot him. APD also provided lapel camera footage. Ive got a 45, 1911, Cordova yells, an apparent reference to his handgun. He waves what looks like a gun toward the sky, the horizon and the ground yelling Shoot! Shoot! Shoot! Thats when Willsey who was posted up at a house across the street fired one shot, killing Cordova. Hartsock said investigators are still combing through videos and conducting interviews about what transpired. In a news release, an APD spokesman wrote that Willsey had said he was aware that Cordovas girlfriend was still nearby and he was concerned that Cordova might go looking for her or fire at an occupied home in the neighborhood. Officer Willsey said he saw Cordova point the gun in the direction of the officers to the north and then the officers to the west, Gilbert Gallegos wrote in the release. At this time, Officer Willsey said he believed the officers, along with the residents, were in danger and he fired his rifle one time. When reached by phone, Cordovas girlfriend declined to comment to the Journal. Third person shot Cordovas mother, Grace Epperson, said her second-oldest child was the father of two, had a grandchild and a family who loved him. She said he was a good man and a happy person who was always wanting to have fun and ride his motorcycle. After Cordovas death a local motorcycle group hosted a ride in his honor. Epperson, who lives in Tucumcari where Cordova was raised, said she mostly just wants answers for why the incident escalated the way it did. I want to know why it went so bad, she said. You can get upset and stuff, but theres always a way out of whatever happened. I dont understand why it went to this. I didnt even know he carried a gun. Cordova is the third person APD officers have shot this year, the second to have been killed. They also fired at a man, but missed, in February. Medina said the two earlier cases are still being reviewed by the Internal Affairs Force Division. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... The Department of Homeland Security has declared the United States has 16 critical infrastructure sectors. Translated, that means these enterprises are crucial to a safe and orderly society. The sectors include: food and agriculture, water, medical and health care, energy, transportation, telecommunications, law enforcement and, of course, our defense systems. With increasing regularity foreign-based cybercriminals are attacking these vital systems and temporarily crippling essential services. Why? Sometimes these keyboard terrorists simply want to create mayhem. More often they are mining for government or corporate secrets, and quite often they seek ransom before they unblock a victims disabled computer system. Item: On June 1, we learned JBS, the worlds largest meat producer, suffered a massive ransomware attack and had to cease operations at 13 U.S. processing plants. There was worry consumers might face a beef, pork and poultry shortage. Thankfully, the company had cybersecurity plans in place, and the shutdown was short. Item: On May 8, the Colonial Pipeline, a major energy supplier that carries 100 million gallons of gasoline daily to customers between Houston and New York, was paralyzed by a cyberattack. Operators were forced to shut down the entire system to stem the damage. Panicked gas buying resulted. A Bitcoin ransom was paid to restore normalcy. In a rare move the FBI was able to claw back some $2 million of the payout. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Item: In December 2020, Solar Winds, a major U.S. technology firm, was reported to have discovered its system had been infiltrated for months by computer criminals who were after sensitive corporate and government intelligence. The hackers were able to spy on private companies like Microsoft and top officials within the U.S. government including the Treasury Department and, yes, even Homeland Security. Item: Last October, in the worst days of the pandemic, hospitals across the U.S. suddenly found their computer data scrambled and held hostage to multi-million-dollar ransom demands. The suspects behind the cyberattacks were also thought to have perpetrated similar sabotage upon several local governments and schools. In all these cases it is suspected that Russian citizens, many connected to President Vladamir Putins foreign intelligence service SVR, were behind the crimes. Russian cyber-agents arent the only threat. Reuters reported in February that Chinese hackers were suspected of breaking into the Department of Agricultures payroll system, potentially exposing personal information on thousands of government workers. Cyberterrorists in North Korea and Iran are also suspected of sabotaging U.S. concerns. This type of espionage has been going on for years. The Pentagon, the White House, the New York Stock Exchange have all suffered attacks. If space allowed I could go on and on listing all the debilitating cyber assaults and near catastrophes on our most important institutions. Its time for important questions to be answered. Are we doing enough to combat this scourge? Are our water supplies and electric grids safe? Imagine life without your bottled water, phone, computer, ATM or summer air conditioner! Since much of this cybercrime is believed to be sponsored by foreign governments, must U.S. companies listed on Homeland Securitys critical infrastructure roster pay for all anti-cybercrime systems or should the federal government step up and offer assistance? Surely experts in Washington are trying to combat the problem with the brightest minds they can find. A public reassurance about that would be nice. But what about a little tit-for-tat here? How about a stern announcement from the White House that says, in effect, when a country allows computer criminals on its soil to attack us, we will retaliate in kind. Shut down one of our food processing plants, and we will shut down two of yours; extinguish one of our electric grids, and we will turn off three of yours. Im thinking Putin or Chinas President Xi Jinping might then take steps to curb their local cyberterrorists since they are sure to know exactly who and where they are. It feels as though the United States is a sitting duck in this age of cyberwarfare. Its time to get our ducks in a row and remember Teddy Roosevelts motto to speak softly and carry a big stick. Today, the time to speak softly is long gone. If there was ever a time to carry a big stick, it is now. www.DianeDimond.com; email to Diane@DianeDimond.com. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... I knew his dogs were vicious; we all knew that something was going to happen. Leslie Martinez, niece of fatal dog-mauling victim Jose Ortega The death of 53-year-old Jose Ortega wasnt just horrifying. It was also entirely preventable, had the dogs owner and authorities simply followed a 2005 state law. Ortegas body was found the afternoon of May 24 in the tiny town of Veguita, southwest of Belen. He had gone to water the plants at the home of a neighbor of Dominic Ribera when police say Riberas dogs got loose and attacked him. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Ortegas niece, Leslie Martinez, said her uncle never had a chance. He was disabled with a slew of health issues. He couldnt fight the dogs off; he wasnt strong enough, she said. Ortegas body was found covered in bite marks, his clothes ripped off his body. A pack of dogs was found nearby, some with blood on their faces. A Socorro County sheriffs deputy shot one of them in self-defense, and an animal control officer pepper-sprayed several others. The pack of pit bull-mixes was seized, including six puppies. In addition to the one shot by the deputy, three other adult dogs were put down. Ribera said he found Ortega dead but didnt call 911 for three hours because he didnt have a phone. Police noted there were numerous nearby neighbors in the area. Police said Ribera instead tried to cover the hole in the fence from which his dogs apparently escaped. Ribera is charged with third-degree felony possession of a dangerous dog that caused the death of a person, fourth-degree felony tampering with evidence for allegedly trying to conceal the hole in his fence, and a misdemeanor count of failure to report a death. While noting more details of Ortegas death may be forthcoming, including what led up to the attack, Jessica Johnson of Animal Protection New Mexico told the Journal that Ortegas death could possibly have been prevented if the states Dangerous Dog Act had been activated sooner. The 2005 act, under which Ribera is now charged with possession of a dangerous dog that caused the death of a person, allows an animal control authority to order the immediate impoundment or humane destruction of a dog previously determined to be dangerous if the owner fails to abide by registration, confinement or handling conditions, or to petition a court to impound a dangerous or potentially dangerous dog. So Ortegas death raises serious questions. Martinez says the danger posed by Riberas dogs was well-known and authorities had received numerous calls about them. She said the dogs had previously come after her and her boyfriend and had attacked her chickens. Martinez also said a neighbor had recently killed one of Riberas dogs for attacking his animals. Even Ribera told a deputy one of the dogs recently bit a neighbor. So why were dogs known to be aggressive not properly confined? Why did Ribera have that many aggressive animals controlled by what law enforcement agrees was a flimsy fence? Martinez says people had confronted Ribera about restraining his dogs, but he refused. Johnson, APNMs chief government affairs officer, says she hopes the tragedy will serve as a reminder for people to take seriously their responsibility to securely confine their dogs and for witnesses to report, and law enforcement respond, to reports of aggressive dogs. We must hold dog owners responsible for the actions of their animals, and there will be serious consequences for these dangerous dogs owner thanks to the Dangerous Dogs Act signed into law in 2005, she says. Being afraid a dog or pack of dogs might attack is all too common in New Mexico, especially in rural areas. Just Google dog mauling and youll see the pain inflicted by irresponsible owners and their animals in our state. To that end, Ribera should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. And Ortegas family and the public deserve some answers as to why Ribera wasnt held accountable for his dogs previous attacks until a man was lying dead outside his home. This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Copyright 2021 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE The defendant accused of killing a man on New Years Day and leaving his decomposing body in a bathtub at a Santa Fe motel will be evaluated to see if hes competent to stand trial. Alvin Crespin, 45, formerly of Santo Domingo Pueblo, is charged with first-degree murder and three counts of tampering with evidence in the killing of Virgil Tortalita, 50, also of Santo Domingo Pueblo. Public defender Kelly Golightley said in a motion that Crespin isnt able to fully understand his charges, process or retain information and rationally or effectively communicate with his attorney. The motion was unopposed. First Judicial District Judge Glenn Ellington approved the motion Friday, ordering the evaluation to be completed within the next 30 days. Golightley said shes continuing to investigate the case, but she believes Crespin is overcharged and a mistake occurred. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Crespin is accused of getting into a fight with Tortalita in a hotel room at the Green Tree Inn on Cerrillos Road, according to court documents. Crespin was checked in to the motel by the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness. After killing Tortalita, Crespin wrapped his body in a bedsheet and left him in a hotel bathtub, according to court documents. Santa Fe police discovered the body after people who had been in the motel room said they noticed an unpleasant odor coming from the bathroom. Police found Tortalitas body with lacerations and puncture wounds to the hip, abdomen and chest, according to court documents. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Copyright 2021 Albuquerque Journal The state Attorney General found no misuse of funds by the La Vida Llena retirement community or its parent company, but both of the not-for-profit organizations have agreed to give residents a greater voice in La Vida Llena financial operations. The agreement signed Tuesday by representatives of La Vida Llena, Haverland Carter LifeStyle Group and the Attorney Generals Office was aimed at resolving concerns raised by the AGs Office in late 2019 about the corporate structure and business conduct of the companies. The corporation has agreed to make important changes and focus on the safety of the La Vida Llena community; and we will continue to work with other oversight agencies to ensure compliance and protect the safety and well-being of its residents, Attorney General Hector Balderas told the Journal in an email. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ According to the agreement, the AG did not uncover any instance of misappropriation of funds by (Haverland Carter) and did not uncover evidence that (Haverland Carters) actions contravened the charitable purpose of LVL. However, La Vida Llena and Haverland Carter agreed to allow a majority of a reconstituted La Vida Llena board of directors to come from the community, including residents, and the board will have fiduciary responsibility, the agreement states. E. DeAnn Eaton, CEO of Haverland Carter, issued a statement saying, While we vigorously disputed wrongdoing by LVL, HCLG and our team members, we agreed to modernize the bylaws governing La Vida Llena. We did so to put the AGs concerns to rest and to strengthen the relationship between our companies. As a continuing care community for more than 400 seniors in the Northeast Heights, residents have paid significant entrance fees, sometimes as much as hundred of thousands of dollars, followed by monthly fees for lifetime housing and continuing care, including assisted living, memory care, and nursing home services, if needed. Some residents complained that their payments to La Vida Llena were being used to open continuing care communities in Rio Rancho and other states, creating potential financial risk. The AGs Office in late 2019 issued a Notice of Action expressing its concerns and demanded mediation. As previously reported by the Journal, Balderas wrote a letter to the state Department of Health that Haverland Carter used its control of LVL to fuel Haverland Carters corporate expansion by leveraging LVLs charitable assets for the construction and acquisition of additional continuing-care communities. Ultimately these findings raise serious concern regarding the fiduciary duties Haverland Carter owes to LVL under the states Charitable Solicitations Act and common law. The new agreement states that the AG has now withdrawn its Notice of Action. The agreement states: Within three months La Vida Llena will establish a board of directors to serve as the fiduciary board of the nonprofit corporation, replacing its current advisory board. Seven of the 13 board members are to be residents or community members, and the chair of the board will be elected by the community directors. When possible, at least eight on the board shall be members representing the four churches that founded La Vida Llena in 1979: United Methodist Church of America, Presbyterian Church USA, Episcopal Church in the United States of America, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The restructuring requires shared approval power between the parent company and the La Vida Llena board of directors with respect to the retirement communitys operating and capital budgets, incurrence of debt, and how certain assets of LVL are disposed of. While Haverland Carter and La Vida Llena disputed that the Attorney Generals issue of concern constituted any violation of any provision (of the states charitable solicitations act) because of their business conduct or corporate structure, both entities engaged in good faith efforts with the Attorney General to address and resolve issues of concern, the agreement states. Im very pleased to see its been resolved in such a manner that will restore fiscal responsibility to the folks who made their monthly payments and made fairly substantial initiation fees, said Sen. Bill Tallman, D-Albuquerque, who first contacted the AGs Office about the residents concerns in 2018. Its a good example of where government can step in and make an impact in peoples lives. Eaton told the Journal in a statement on Friday that the corporation worked with the attorney general for more than a year to resolve the concerns and emphasized that the AG found no conduct that harmed any of our residents or their families, financially or otherwise. Eaton also said the revised bylaws are very clear that prior financial decisions made by La Vida Llena wont be undone. She noted all previous actions by the Board were done according to governing rules and regulations in place and to meet the charitable purposes of serving seniors. The agreement states that the parent company and La Vida Llena undertook a restructuring in 2012 and amended its bylaws, which removed most decision-making authority from La Vida Llenas then board of directors and vested authority over La Vida Llena to its parent company. In 2017, the board of directors was renamed as an advisory board. In a memo to residents, families and staff this week, Eaton wrote that The bylaws will give clearer guidance to fiscal decision making, which decisions are to be made by (Haverland Carter), which are joint, and which rest solely with LVL. The Attorney Generals Office stated that the issues of concern resolved by the agreement, may at any time be reopened by the Attorney General for further proceedings if newly discovered evidence justifies such action. Tallman said the agreement is a victory for residents. LVL residents should be very pleased that their money is now under their control. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Native American artists returned to selling their wares beneath the portal at the Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe on Friday for the first time in more than a year. The Native American Artisans Portal Program was suspended last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While food vendors and other artists have reappeared at Santa Fes historic Plaza in recent weeks, Native American jewelers such as Allen Bruce Paquin of Jemez Pueblo didnt get the OK to return to the portal until Friday. It was a happy day for the artisans, who have been cut off from a source of income since March 2020. And it was a day when friends, such as Lorraine Martinez of Kewa Pueblo and Patricia Anderson, Cochiti/Navajo, could renew ties. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ The Albuquerque Journal, along with KOAT-TV and KKOB radio, plans to highlight literacy over the next 12 months, feature some of the successful programs available in the state and compile and make available a running list of resources for children and adults. STORIES WHERE TO GET HELP The following is the Journals beginning and ongoing effort to compile a list of literacy resources. It is a yearlong work in progress, and we are asking that our readers, if they know of a program in their community that is not listed, please contact us with that information at rnathanson@abqjournal.com, or mmurphy@abqjournal.com. And remember to use your local library as a good place to ask about programs in your area. ALBUQUERQUE ADULT LEARNING CENTER INC.: With four locations around the Albuquerque area, the center was founded in 2010 as a grassroots, community-based organization to provide free adult education and literacy as preparation for students to get their Higher Secondary Certificate, or HSC, or their General Educational Development, or GED, certification. The centers serve people ages 16 and older, regardless of what level of literacy they have. Class sizes are limited to 15 students, with morning afternoon and evening blocks. To learn more, call 505-907-9957, or go online to abqalc.org. ADULT EDUCATION AND LITERACY PROGRAM and NEW MEXICO ADULT LITERACY PROGRAM : Both programs are operated by the Adult Education Division of the New Mexico Higher Education Department. They are taught out of college and university campuses and at nonprofit organizations statewide. The Adult Education and Literacy Program, available at 24 locations, takes place in classroom settings. Serving all adult learners who enter anywhere on the literacy spectrum. Another main focus is on workplace readiness skills to help people participate in the workforce. The New Mexico Adult Literacy Program is available at 15 locations around the state with instruction mostly on a one-on-one tutoring approach. It is geared for adults who may have goals other than jobs or college, such as a desire to support their children in their schools and being able to help them with their homework, or being able to read a newspaper or to become a U.S. citizen, said Amber Gallup Rodriguez, HEDs director of adult education. For a list of adult education programs through the Higher Education Department, go to https://hed.state.nm.us/students-parents/adult_education. ALBUQUERQUE READS: This is a project of the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce and works in conjunction with the Albuquerque Public Schools to provide one-on-one tutoring of kindergartners and first graders. The program currently targets three APS elementary schools Bel-Air, Whittier and Atrisco that have been identified as high priority Title 1 schools with high numbers of low-income children who are at risk of reading failure. Albuquerque Reads has more than 300 volunteer tutors trained by certified teachers. For further information, call 505-843-7323, or go online to abqreads.com ALBUQUERQUE ARCA LITERACY PROJECT: This program offers customized literacy efforts from professional tutors on reading and writing, as well as training in the use of basic computer skills, for people with barriers to traditional learning. ARCA partners with Central New Mexico Community College and other agencies to provide mentors who tutor the students at CNM or via online learning platforms. For more information, call 505-332-6700, or visit www.arcaopeningdoors.org/services/literacy-project. BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF CENTRAL NEW MEXICO: With one location in Albuquerque and one in Rio Rancho, the clubs offer a Summer Brain Gain program and a school year Power Hour program. Cost for Summer Brain Gain ranges from $75 to $100 per week, and includes breakfast lunch and snacks. Financial aid is available for qualifying families. The Power Hour program allows kids K-12 to go to club sites, where before they engage in fun sports, games and other recreational activities, they must sit down and complete their homework or work on some type of educational enterprise. Club staff members and volunteers are on hand to offer assistance. Cost for the Power Hour program is $35 a week and scholarships are available for qualifying families. The fee includes membership to the Boys and Girls Clubs and all its activities. The clubs also plan to offer an after school Power Hour program in the 2021-22 school year at select elementary schools. To learn more call 881-0777, or go online to www.bgccnm.org. CATHOLIC CHARITIES, ALBUQUERQUE: This faith-based organization provides literacy programs and a learning center for non-speakers of English, including immigrants and refugees. The primary vehicle for this is classes in English as a second language. Skills taught include reading, writing, comprehension and preparation for high school equivalency certification. Catholic Charities also provides after-school care for children ages 5 to 12, an adult education program to help students improve their literacy skills and get their high school equivalency certification, and job training and apprenticeship programs. For more information, go to ccasfnm.org, or call 505-724-4670. DISCOVER A BOOK: This program operates through the ABQ Ride bus system. Racks on 185 city buses are regularly replenished with books for young children to look at or read, or for parents to read to their children while riding the bus. They may take the books with them when they depart the bus. Books may be dropped off at any Albuquerque Public Library branch. For information, visit ReadToMeABQnetwork.org. To request free books, send a message to BookDrive66@gmail.com LIBROS FOR KIDS: This grassroots nonprofit gets books into the hands of kids under age 5 who live in Bernalillo County, and serves as the local affiliate for Dolly Partons Imagination Library. The Imagination Library provides one new book each month to kids under age 5. Half the cost must be paid for by a sponsor in most cases. Qualifying children receive the monthly book directly through the mail from the Imagination Library. Libros for Kids also engages in other projects to provide books, particularly for kids in the South Valley, Downtown and the International District. To register, go to librosforkids.org. LUTHERAN FAMILY SERVICES: This is another faith-based organization that offers English as a second language to non-speakers of English. The focus is on teaching enough English to write a resume, fill out job applications, find work or start their own business. Lutheran Family Services also teaches their clients about how banks work, about credit, how to avoid predatory lending and how to create personal budgets and pay bills on time. The vast majority of participants continue to attend ESL classes around their work schedules, either at Lutheran Family Services, CNM or other institutions. For more information go to Lfsrm.org, or call 505-933-7032. OASIS ALBUQUERQUE, INTERGENERATIONAL TUTORING PROGRAM: The focus is on students in first through third grades who are not reading at grade level, although tutors will work with students in the fourth and fifth grades, as well. The students who need reading assistance are identified by teachers at about 65 schools in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Belen and Bernalillo. Oasis is able to call on a pool of 600 volunteers, who typically go into the schools and work with students individually for one hour each week. For more information, go to Albuquerque.Oasisnet.org READ TO ME: This program is intended to put books into the hands of very young children to encourage reading and to help them build their own home library. A yearly book drive generally collects about 60,000 or more new and gently used books that are distributed to local nonprofits, schools with large numbers of low-income students and homeless shelters. Read to Me also provides books for distribution on city buses and on the New Mexico Rail Runner Express. For information, go to ReadToMeABQnetwork.org. To request free books go to BookDrive66@gmail.com STORY TIME IN THE PARK: This Albuquerque Public Schools program is geared toward elementary school children and their families. The intent is to encourage children to read, and parents to read to and with their children, thereby encouraging literacy and academics during the summer. Held daily from June 7 to July 15 at 28 parks in the Albuquerque area, as well as in some community centers and low-income housing communities. Free lunch will be provided Mondays through Fridays, and free books and related lesson plans with reading strategies and parent tip sheets will be distributed Mondays through Thursdays. For Story Time in the Park locations and times, go to www.aps.edu/title-i/story-time-in-the-park. Instagram/WENN Music The two pairs of stars who will be pitted against each other in the next two episodes of Swizz Beatz and Timbaland's popular rap battle series have been revealed. Jun 12, 2021 AceShowbiz - Hip-hop stars Eve and Trina, and Bow Wow and Soulja Boy are set to go head-to-head for the next rounds in the hit "Verzuz" rap battle series. Fans have been calling on co-creators Timbaland and Swizz Beatz to set up a battle royale between Eve and Trina for months, and now their dreams are set to come true as the ladies go hit-for-hit online on 16 June (21). The event will mark the first time two female rappers have gone up against one another since "Verzuz" was launched at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic last year (20). Meanwhile, Bow Wow and Soulja Boy will be pitted against one another on 26 June. Times for the two showdowns have yet to be revealed. For more information, check out: instagram.com/verzuztv. Previous "Verzuz" battles have featured the likes of 2 Chainz and Rick Ross, Snoop Dogg and the late DMX, Brandy and Monica, Redman and Method Man, Alicia Keys and John Legend, and Jill Scott and Erykah Badu. The virtual artist battle series originally streamed on Apple Music but has since moved to Triller. In the previous episode, the two co-creators Swizz Beatz and Timbaland went head-to-head at Miami's Club LIV. The likes of DaBaby, Nas, Rick Ross, Fabolous, and Busta Rhymes tuned in to watch the episode which was dedicated to the recently-deceased DMX. Missy Elliott, who also watched the show, took time to applaud the pair, "First I want to say congratulations to you (Timbaland) and Swizz. And, thank y'all for creating Verzuz for us to relive some of the best moments in music." Swizz Beatz recently revealed his desire to get Justin Timberlake on the show. WENN TV The 'Fast and Furious' actor is set to learn more dishes in the kitchen as his one-off culinary show 'Luda Can't Cook' is ordered for three more installments. Jun 12, 2021 AceShowbiz - Rapper/actor Ludacris is preparing to expand his culinary skills after signing on for three more courses of his TV special "Luda Can't Cook". The "Fast and Furious" star initially stepped into the kitchen for a one-off show for streaming service Discovery+ in February (21), when he tried to make Indian food with top chef Meherwan Irani, but now he will be chopping it up with three other culinary experts to learn about other types of international cuisine. "Our audience loved watching Ludacris accept an unexpected challenge," Courtney White, the president of Food Network and Cooking Channel, told TheWrap.com. "He is unrivaled in the studio and on the big screen, but not so much in the kitchen - and we are excited to bring him back to advance his cooking skills further and explore even more types of food." Added Ludacris, who is a co-owner of the Chicken + Beer restaurant at the Atlanta, Georgia airport, "I had an amazing experience the first time around and went from being clueless in the kitchen to making some delicious dishes." "I'm excited to team up again with Discovery+ and Will (Packer, executive producer) to master all different kinds of cuisine so I can impress my wife, mom and kids with my new skills." Ludacris has an extra reason to learn how to whip up a few more dishes as he is preparing to welcome his second child with his wife Eudoxie later this year. The couple already shares daughter Cadence, six, while the rapper also has Cai, seven, and Karma, 19, from previous relationships. WENN/Instar Movie The 'Aquaman' actor hasn't given up hope to collaborate with The Rock for a feature film, explaining the plan hasn't materialized because the latter is 'way busier' than him. Jun 12, 2021 AceShowbiz - Jason Momoa is determined to make a film with Dwayne Johnson. The "Aquaman" star accepts Dwayne is "way busier" than he is, but they will find time to make a movie together "one of these days." "I met him almost 20 years ago in Hawaii," Momoa told "The Tonight Show". "We both have the same very close friend and we met through that. We said we'd stay in touch and we've tried to get together and make a movie together, just he's way busier than I am and I'm pretty busy right now. One of these days..." Dwayne previously asked Jason if he could make a birthday video for his three-year-old daughter Tiana and, after filming the video message, Jason joked that the wrestler-turned-actor now owes him a favour. He said, "We're kind of partners now. I did the birthday message so now you've got to do the movie!" Johnson enlisted the help of Jason to surprise Tiana with a personalised message to mark her third birthday on 18 April (21), and he filmed his daughter's "priceless" reaction to the clip and uploaded it to Instagram. Jason said in the celebratory video, "I'm sorry I couldn't be there but I love you and tell your papa that I love him too. I'll see you soon, happy third birthday. Bye Jazzy, bye Tia, love you." Dwayne captioned the clip, "I had to make the call... it's what daddy's do. I can't thank my brother @prideofgypsies enough for making this adoring 3yr old's birthday the best EVER. Her reaction is priceless and what it's all about (sic)." Instagram Movie The 'Undoing' actress talks about her upcoming movie with Javier Bardem, saying her new onscreen role as the 'I Love Lucy' star pushed her out of her comfort zone. Jun 12, 2021 AceShowbiz - Nicole Kidman is "way out of (her) comfort zone" playing Lucille Ball. The Australian actress will portray the comedy legend opposite Javier Bardem as her then-husband and co-star Desi Arnaz in Aaron Sorkin's upcoming movie "Being the Ricardos" but she feels like she's "free-falling" because the role is so different to anything she's done before and she's having to push herself hard to master the "I Love Lucy" star's distinctive way of speaking. Speaking to Chris Rock for Variety's "Actors on Actors" series, she said, "I've always come at it through feeling. The technical aspects of performance for me are really interesting. They're almost like homework. And then in you come, and that can fluctuate depending on what's going through my body, my heart, my mind at the time." "The great thing about an accent is you can always go and fix it in looping. So in an accent, I'll put the time in. I've had to put in an enormous amount of time on Lucille Ball right now, because she has a very particular way of speaking..." "I am way out of my comfort zone right now, Chris. I'm free-falling." But "The Undoing" star hopes the role will show a different side of her. "I'd like to be funny. I'm never cast funny...Lucille Ball is hopefully funny," she said. Nicole stressed that the "deep" film is not going to be what a lot of people expect. "The strange thing about Lucille Ball is that everyone thinks we're remaking the I Love Lucy show, and it's so not that," she added. "It's about Lucy and Desi and their relationship and their marriage. It's very deep, actually." The movie marks the Oscar-winning star's first project since the coronavirus pandemic began and she admitted she was "terrified" about going back to work and concerned about how safety precautions would impact on her performance. "When I was coming back to start (Being the Ricardos) here in L.A., it was the hub," she recalled. "I came back in February, and I was terrified, honestly. I was scared." "There's a freedom when you perform where you want to feel like I can touch you, I can breathe on you. Because acting is about energy, it's about freedom. We are actors. There's not really many jobs where they go, 'No, you have to work without a mask.' There's one other profession where you're paid to kiss someone. Or not kiss. Do something else, right?" WENN/Avalon Celebrity Though the Grammy-winning rapper unfollows the 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians' star's Twitter account, the only person he follows on his Instagram account is still his ex-wife. Jun 12, 2021 AceShowbiz - Kanye West apparently doesn't want to keep up with Kim Kardashian anymore. Though the "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" star has vowed to love him "for life" in a sweet birthday tribute, the "Blinding Lights" hitmaker has been caught hitting the unfollow button on the reality TV star's Twitter account. The Grammy-winning rapper is no longer following the CEO of KKW Beauty and her family, including Kourtney Kardashian and Khloe Kardashian, after the Kardashian family paid tribute on his 44th birthday on their Instagram accounts on June 8. To celebrate his special day at the time, his ex-wife shared a sweet social media post. "Happy Birthday Love U for Life!" Kim penned as she posted a throwback photo of the pair during their happier times with their three older kids on her Instagram page. Though Kanye has unfollowed the SKIMS founder, the musician himself still follows the 40-year-old TV personality on Instagram, with her being the only person he follows. Commemorating Kanye's birthday was also Khloe. Alongside a photo of herself with Kim, the "Gold Digger" rapper and her on-off boyfriend Tristan Thompson posing happily in the middle of a clear blue sea, the 36-year-old reality star wished him well by writing, "Happy birthday to my brother for life!!! Have the best birthday Ye! Sending you love and endless blessings.!!" While Kim and her family marked the special day with loving tributes, Kanye was caught having a one-night French getaway with his rumored girlfriend Irina Shayk on his birthday. The Yeezy designer reportedly threw a private party at a boutique hotel, Villa La Coste in Provence. The next day, the rapper was spotted arriving together with the 35-year-old supermodel in the U.S. On Kanye's relationship rumors with Irina, a source close to Kim spilled to E! News that the reality TV star "doesn't mind at all." The source told the outlet, "Kim has heard the rumors about Kanye and Irina Shayk and she doesn't mind at all. If it doesn't impact her kids, then she doesn't mind if Kanye dates." A second source additionally informed the publication, "Irina and Kim don't know each other, so it's a non-factor for Kim. She doesn't mind if Kanye is dating." A separate insider went on to tell Us Weekly that "Kim knew that Kanye and Irina were dating." The so-called inside source also admitted that Kim recognized her ex-husband and the model have "been quietly seeing each other for a couple of months." WENN/Adriana M. Barraza Celebrity The red-and-black flannel shirt that the 'On the Floor' hitmaker wears seems to be the same shirt that the 'Zack Snyder's Justice League' actor sported in May. Jun 12, 2021 AceShowbiz - Jennifer Lopez is giving more signs that she might have rekindled her romance with Ben Affleck. While jetting off to Los Angeles from Miami, the "On the Floor" hitmaker was caught on camera wearing what appeared to be the "Gone Girl" actor's shirt. On Thursday, June 10, the 51-year-old pop star was photographed entering a private plane sporting a red-and-black flannel shirt over a white crop top and sweatpants. The shirt seemed to be the one that her rumored beau wore in May. Rumors about J.Lo and Ben getting back together first emerged in April, shortly after she made public her split from fiance Alex Rodriguez. The alleged couple was also spotted taking a trip together a few times, including to Monaco and Miami, Florida. Earlier this month, the "Shotgun Wedding" actress and the "Zack Snyder's Justice League" star were captured cozying up to each other during a dinner. Some photos published by Page Six saw the pair wrapping their arms around each other as they were heading into Wolfgang Puck's new restaurant at the Pendry hotel. It's also reported that J.Lo has moved to Los Angeles to start her new chapter with Ben. "She will be between L.A. and the Hamptons this summer, but L.A. will be her base... She is looking at schools for her kids in the fall," a source first told E! News, before adding, "She is excited about a fresh start and pursuing things with Ben. They will be at their L.A. home soon." A separate source, meanwhile, spilled to the outlet that J.Lo is "crazy about Ben." The insider explained, "He spoils her with love and is very witty and charming... He's a man's man, and she finds him so attractive and strong. She's in it for the long term and sees her future with him." Instagram Celebrity While visiting the Connor Downs Academy, the Duchess of Cambridge and the First Lady also take part in a roundtable discussion on early childhood education. Jun 12, 2021 AceShowbiz - Kate Middleton has met Jill Biden for the first time. To welcome the First Lady in the United Kingdom for the G7 Summit, the Duchess of Cambridge invited her to have a tour school together at the Connor Downs Academy that works with kids who have experienced trauma. On Friday, June 11, the 39-year-old royal and the wife of Joe Biden visited children aged four and five in the schools' Reception Class. In the clip obtained by Daily Mail, the First Lady could be seen greeting the students, "Hello!" before quipping, "They're scared to death." After they were welcomed by the kids' teachers, Kate and Jill helped to teach the students about landmarks in G7 countries, including Buckingham Palace. Jill could also be seen holding up a picture of the White House as she spoke to the pupils. Speaking about the impact of education early on in life, The First Lady explained, "It's very important to the foundation." She added, "As a teacher at the upper levels if they don't have a good foundation they fall so far behind. This is amazing to see how far advanced they are." During the meeting, Kate and Jill also joined the school's "animal cadets" to help feed rabbits outside. They later participated in a roundtable discussion with a number of representatives to discuss female empowerment, children and early education. In the event, the wife of Prince William looked elegant in a red fuchsia midi dress from Alexander McQueen that she paired with a L.K. Bennett handbag and matching shoes. As for the First Lady, she wore a white dress under a L'Agence pink blazer. Jill and her husband Joe, meanwhile, are scheduled to meet Queen Elizabeth II for tea at Windsor Castle on Sunday June 13 after the G7 concludes. "Joe and I are both looking forward to meeting the Queen," the First Lady said on Thursday. "That's an exciting part of the visit for us." Instagram Celebrity The former reality TV star says that 'it's wild how the universe works' as she raves over her first child's due date which will be the same day she met with her husband Mike Appel two years ago. Jun 12, 2021 AceShowbiz - Ashley Jacobs is going to be a first-time mom. In a new heartwarming social media post, the former "Southern Charm" star revealed that she is "over the moon" with her first pregnancy after secretly marrying her husband Mike Appel. Having exciting news to share, the 36-year-old took to her Instagram page on Friday, June 11 to post a series of sweet photos with her husband Mike from her babymoon. "We've been keeping the biggest little secret and we are absolutely over the moon share our news!" so she captioned the post along with a ring and baby emojis. She went on to spill, "Baby boy coming in August [love]." "Huge thank you to the @koakearesort for making our honeymoon/babymoon a dream come true! The Ko'a Kea will always be where we come back to celebrate," Ashley continued in the caption, pointing out that she is currently on honeymoon and babymoon. In her Instagram Stories, Ashley offered a glimpse of her vacation. The former reality star posted a clip showing dolphins jumping in the sea. In the following Story, she was seen all smiles with her husband. She also could be seen stroking her growing pregnant belly. For the outing, she donned a floral-patterned yellow bikini and a heart-shaped white-framed sunglasses, while her husband went shirtless. Ashley Jacobs on a honeymoon/babymoon in Ko'a Kea. In a separate snap, Ashley and the soon-to-be father were kissing sweetly in the clear blue sea of Na Pali Coast State Park. Over the image, the TV personality wrote a caption that read, "Babymoonin' Honeymoonin' in Paradise!" The star also showed off her ring in the following Story. She then included a sticker GIF that read "Mr. & Mrs." Ashley Jacobs shared sweet snaps with her husband via Instagram Story. Ashley and Mike also confirmed to PEOPLE they are expecting their first child, saying, "We're having a baby!" Raving over her pregnancy, the soon-to-be mama said, "It's wild how the universe works - our first child together is due the same day we met, two years ago!" She added, "We are over the moon to be on this adventure together, as newlyweds." Ashley got engaged to Mike in March, almost two years after they met in a summer rooftop party in her hometown of Santa Barbara, California. At the time, she opened up to PEOPLE that she said "yes" after her husband proposed to her while they were out on a snowmobile ride in Park City, Utah. She also told the publication, "After a year and half of dating, we can both agree that this adventure we're on together is just getting started... We're a great team and we can't wait for what's ahead! Buckle up!" Instagram Celebrity In a video which circulates online, the 'Django Unchained' actor is seen getting intimate with a bikini-clad brunette while frolicking in the water and waiting for his drinks to be served. Jun 12, 2021 AceShowbiz - Jamie Foxx appears to continue enjoying his life as a bachelor following his split from longtime girlfriend Katie Holmes. The Academy Award-winning actor has been spotted cozying up to a mystery lady during a vacation in Florida. Videos surfaced on Friday, June 11 of the 53-year-old frolicking in the water with the bikini-clad brunette while waiting for their drinks to be served. The twosome was seen packing on the PDA while standing near the floating bar. In one clip, Jamie's alleged girlfriend embraced him and put her arms around his waist before showering him with kisses on his cheek. Another video showed the woman, who donned a leotard-print two piece and sunglasses, passing the drink to the "Annie" star. Confirming that it was Jamie who was spotted during the vacation, a TikTok account which posted the second video wrote over it, "We served Jamie Fox (sic)." The identity of the white brunette is currently unknown. Jamie himself has never confirmed he's in a relationship since calling with quits with Katie, whom he secretly dated since 2013. He, however, has sparked dating rumors with multiple women. Back in September 2020, he was photographed holding hands with an unidentified woman when they arrived at a fancy hotel in Los Angeles. The pair showed a little PDA as they unloaded a car. He was later seen on a dinner date in Beverly Hills with a different woman in October. Jamie was previously also romantically linked to 27-year-old model Dana Caprio, comedian Natalie Friedman as well as his ex and baby mama Kristin Grannis. He additionally got flirty with Garcelle Beauvais when appearing on her podcast "Going to Bed with Garcelle" in September. Instagram Music In a new episode of her popular talk show 'Red Table Talk', the wife of Will Smith notes that people need to change narratives surrounding vagina and make it less taboo. Jun 12, 2021 AceShowbiz - Jada Pinkett Smith discussed narratives surrounding vagina in a new episode of her popular talk show "Red Table Talk". During the episode, the wife of Will Smith noted that woman needed to start to celebrate their anatomy instead of considering it as "taboo." The topic was brought when Jada, alongside her daughter Willow Smith and mom Adrienne, talked about the practice of vaginal steaming. "We are going to steam our vaginas. Yes, we're gonna steam our vaginas on camera," the "Girls Trip" star said. "I ordered some kits from a really beautiful young black woman who owns her own business. So we're gonna head on up and we're gonna get started. Let's go get steamed, ladies!" The conversation later got widen when Jada noted that women should feel more comfortable talking about their private part just as much as men do when they talk about penis. "I'm sure boys sit around all day talking about their penises," she pointed out. "I mean, that's why I'm telling you right now I don't want to hear nothing about this show." She then critized rappers for their explicit lyrics on their songs. "It being TMI and all that, 'cause if you can listen to all these little rap artists talk and abuse the vagina, you sure as hell can watch women give it honor and praise. And spend quality time, so I don't want to hear it," she continued. "They'll be like, 'It's TMI. Oh, my God.' And I don't really care because we have to change the narrative around the vagina, and women have to take it back." While Jada didn't name anyone, she might be referring to Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion's "WAP". The controversial song, which stands for wet a** p***y, earned mixed opinions with some people thinking that the song is overly explicit. Defending her song, Cardi explained on Australian radio show "The Kyle and Jackie O Show", "The people that the song bothers are usually conservatives or really religious people, but my thing is I grew up listening to this type of music." The Grammy winner added, "Other people might think it's strange and vulgar, but to me it's almost like really normal, you know what I'm saying?" Instagram/WENN/Ivan Nikolov Celebrity In response to his recent appearance on 'The Wendy Williams Show', Kenya takes to her Instagram account to further slam the comedian whom she previously accused of being a deadbeat daddy. Jun 12, 2021 AceShowbiz - Kenya Duke apparently thinks that it's not time for Gary Owen to sit down and talk about the divorce. In response to his recent appearance on Wendy Williams' talk show, Kenya took to her Instagram account to further slam the comedian whom she previously accused of being a deadbeat daddy. "I was shocked you spent most of your time talking about me, the divorce, son and daughter," she penned. "If the streets are that good to you, they why waste that opportunity and not talk about upcoming projects, club dates, what you are learning in the streets as an older guy, maybe finding out what the host likes to do, she was obviously interested." She continued, "You could have shut it down real quick with 'that's my past, I am focused on my future' why didn't you?...because you want my attention and you knew someone would sent it to me. Your Public Relations machine sent you to the show for damage control regarding a deadbeat but thought they would sell it as you are there to talk about the movie. Did you ever get to the movie?" In her lengthy rant, Kenya also accused him of lying to one of his children about a canceled show and not inviting his kids to the "Meet the Blacks 2" premiere. Instead, he invited a woman named Lisa's daughter and even surprised her with the opportunity to meet Snoop Dogg at the premiere. "Did it cross your mind how that picture with you, her and Snoop would make them feel? Do better!... The text relationship is a joke and not worth discussing," she questioned. In response to him saying that their kids are adults, Kenya wrote, "Neither one of them are legal. Your youngest is 18. I have never heard of parents in conversation refer to their kids as adults. I would never ask a parent how are your adults no matter how old they are. That's just just weird. You have really good kids. Stop being so s****y towards them." Kenya also addressed Claudia Jordan, a friend of Gary. She insinuated that Claudia continued to speak about their divorce because Owen is feeding her information. During his appearance on "The Wendy Williams Show", Gary was asked about Kenya's deadbeat daddy accusations. "We have adults," he replied, before joking, "I just wanna make sure there's no child support. No, for real, 'cause it got out there that I'm a deadbeat dad, but our kids are adults." CHICO, Calif. - The Chico State Associated Students Board of Directors will be offering employees a paid holiday for Juneteenth. Chicos Associated Students is the first student auxiliary in the 23-campus system to honor Juneteenth as a paid holiday. 45 states and the District of Colombia (D.C.) have observed Juneteenth Independence Day as a day to recognize the emancipation of all slaves in the U.S. Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19th. That is the date in 1865 that many slaves in the Southwest who were unaware of their freedom were notified that they were no longer enslaved under U.S. law. They were originally freed on January 1, 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation that declared, Slaves within any State, or designated part of a State in rebellion shall be then... thenceforward, and forever free. According to Chico States Associated Students, Harvard University; Georgetown University; Columbia University; the University of Virginia; Towson University; Drake University; and Loyola Marymount University now recognize Juneteenth as a day of observance. In 2021 Juneteenth falls on a weekend, so Chicos Associated Students will observe the holiday on Thursday, June 17, 2021. Chico State is the second-oldest campus in the CSU system. The 23-campus system is the larger higher education system in the entire U.S. The charge to establish the new holiday was led by 2021 AS President Bre Holbert. The goal was party to set an example for the rest of the CSU system. Holbert said that the culture, transgressions, and success of the Black community need a day of recognition, celebration, and reflection regardless of the demographics of our campuses or auxiliaries. Holbert and the Board of Directors of the Associated Students said the holiday has been established in response to the erratic, state-sponsored, unjustified murders of Black people, including but not limited to George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Stephon Clark. There is a need locally to also honor a student who attended Chico State in the past and was persecuted due to his race. Black student activist Marc Anthony Thompson was killed in 2014 in a remote area northeast of Oroville. His body was found in a burned-out car. Anthony was the 2012-2013 Commissioner of Multicultural Affairs for the Chico State Associated Students. His job was to actively advocate for diversity on campus and through campus programs. A documentary was made about the unsolved murder of Anthony by Chico filmmaker Trudy Duisenberg. It is called "Obligated to the Truth." Duisenberg said when her film was released in 2019 to Action News Now, "Sadly it's like, 'say his name." Why do we use that phrase, 'say the name?' So they get recognition. So we acknowledge that a crime happened." Here is the entire documentary, thanks to filmmaker Trudy Duisenberg. Here is an interview with the filmmaker from the Action News Now archives. Duisenberg's Silk Scroll Productions recently was honored with a Silver Telly Award in the Social Justice Category at the 42nd Telly Awards global competition. She also received the Best Documentary award from the Chico Independent Film Festival in 2019. BUTTE COUNTY, Calif. - Local walnut grower Steve Lambert has been a rancher since he was 22 years old. To him, he has never seen a drought this bad but hes not worried about water levels right now. We are worried about what we are going to be doing in the fall, Lambert said. Weve got water now, but we know that in the next month or two, water is going to drop down and we are going to be tighter. We are seeing a lot more usage on our trees because its been so hot early on. Many farmers are already sizing down their orchards and livestock and Lambert is one of them. I have some friends that farm towards Bakersfield and they are talking about maybe cutting out every other tree just to keep the trees they do have alive, alive, he explained. I know a lot of rice farmers fallowed some ground because they knew they wouldnt have enough water for that. For me, Ive sold a few loads of cows because I knew I wouldnt have enough feed. Farmers are also worried about what this drought will do to employment and the economy, both on a local and state level. But aside from water, many farmers are frustrated over one thing: lack of storage. We havent built anything since Oroville in 65, Lambert continued. Our state has grown three times at least. We need storage and I think this will wake people up. When all of the sudden you turn on your faucet and there is no water, youre going to think we need storage up here. According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, over a third of the countrys vegetables and two-thirds of the countrys fruits and nuts are grown in California. All farmers can do right now is hope for the rain in the fall. Until it affects mass populations, we dont do anything. I think this drought is going to do that. Well get through it. We always do. I just hope we get rain in the fall, he said. CARBIS BAY, England (AP) Group of Seven leaders have brought pledges to share vaccine doses and make a fairer global economy to a seaside summit in England. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson opened the summit on Friday saying the coronavirus pandemic should not be allowed to leave a "lasting scar" on the world. The wealthy nations' leaders were all smiles and unity as Johnson greeted them on the freshly raked sand of Carbis Bay, but jostled about who is doing most to help the world's poorer nations fight back from the coronavirus pandemic. The wealthy democracies club is expected to commit to sharing at least 1 billion vaccine shots with struggling countries including 500 million doses from the United States. Piali Dasgupta, Senior Vice President Marketing, Columbia Pacific Communities It is no secret that COVID-19 has majorly transformed the marketing landscape across the world in the past 14 months. It has been the real accelerator to digital transformation. And it has also given rise to what is being referred to as the stay at home economy. Given that most of us, perhaps for the first times in our lives, have spent inordinate amounts of time at home for the past year, each one of us has realised the importance of home. And because the stay at home economy is here to stay even after the vaccine has been made available, consumers have realised that the home is at the centre of their existence. The Governments Digital India programme, launched in 2015, with a vision to empower India digitally, has been accelerated hugely by COVID-19. Real estate, as a category, was very swift to adapt to the digital transformation propelled by the pandemic. From launch events of projects to webinars, site visits, consultations and bookings almost every step in the customer lifecycle has been digitised in real estate in the past year. Large real estate players such as Puravankara and Lodha Group have taken the lead in digitising the customer journey by accepting bookings online and using VR and 3D walkthroughs to enable customers to make a purchase decision. The pandemic changed ad spends patterns in real estate completely. Real estate relies heavily on ATL (mainly print media) and BTL (outdoor, events and on ground activation, apartment complex activations etc) during the launch and the sustenance phases of a project. However, the pandemic resulted in a sharp decline in BTL activities including OOH, events, apartment activities and seminars etc and BTL budgets were shifted to digital. And although a KPMG report claimed that COVID-19 will not have a long term impact on print advertising, in the initial months of the pandemic, real estate firms shied away from advertising on print. The industry has gone back to advertising on print media as the economy revived. However, now there is increased dependency on digital media for a full-funnel activity from raising awareness to generating leads. At Columbia Pacific Communities, we have always had a digital first approach to marketing, as we find it the most effective for both brand and product marketing. Hence, the pandemic did not really disrupt our marketing mix very much. What it did however, was necessitate the creation of digital sales tools. The new normal digitised the sales process in real estate entirely. Site visits have been replaced by videos of the property, virtual walkthroughs, VR, and in some cases, even whatsapp and Google Hangout calls through which customers have made a purchase decision. Unheard of even a few months ago, we at Columbia Pacific Communities, have closed several transactions virtually with the entire sales process carried out through digital tools. We have even participated in digital expos, that have used augmented reality to give customers a virtual experience of the site. Expos and physical events have been replaced by virtual expos, where customers can get a site experience through VR and chat real time with brand representatives address their queries. Project launches have also started happening virtually, with real estate brands using advanced 3D to unveil the project and live stream it for prospective buyers as well as the media via social media live sessions. In July 2020, Puravankara did three virtual project launches attended by 30,000 people followed by Prestige Group in August 2020, which launched two of its projects in Goa and Bangalore virtually using VR. At Columbia Pacific Communities, we announced two of our joint venture projects in Bangalore and Pune with Embassy Group and Nyati group respectively in October and August last year via a virtual press conference. Marketing in real estate have come of age and become innovative with many brands such as House of Hiranandani and Lodha Group, exploring influencer marketing, content marketing and engagement-driven initiatives such as masterclasses with chefs and fireside chats to build brand salience. Recently, Lodha Group roped in Marathi actress Urmila Kothare for Gudi Padwa who talked about the importance of home. Columbia Pacific Communities tied up with one of Indias most loved authors, Ruskin Bond to carry forward the brand message of community living and positive ageing. A fireside chat and a storytelling session was also organised with the author digitally, to engage current and future residents of Columbia Pacific Communities. The industry which used to largely focus on offer/deal led communication to create an urgency in the market particularly at the time of launch, has slowly shifted focus to soft selling. This is because, real estate brands have realised that the post pandemic consumer, who is spending a lot more time at home, is a more discerning one. She/he is looking for sustainable homes that have a story to tell, are environmentally friendly and have ample open spaces and also values transparency. Therefore, it has become imperative for real estate firms to create and communicate value propositions that appeal to the post COVID consumer. Given that a large number of the young work force has returned to their hometowns due the pandemic and working remotely from smaller towns, there has been a surge in the demand for affordable housing in tier 2 and tier 3 cities. Therefore, developers are gradually shifting focus to these markets to fill the need gap and are carrying out PMF (product -market fit) studies to create products that best addresses the needs of this audience. And finally, the pandemic resulted in innovation in payment schemes in real estate. Examples of this include subvention scheme, or an EMI holiday scheme, the latter similar to what a few automobile brands have done, and even property exchange schemes, offering to sell the buyers existing property to fund a new property. To sum it up, digital adoption, shift in communication strategy, value creation, innovation in payment terms and reimagining the entire customer lifecycle and experience are some of the factors that have defined the flux in real estate marketing and communication in the post pandemic world. News Broadcasters Federation, the largest industry organisation of news broadcasters takes pride to announce that all of its current and prospective members have fully complied with the requirements of Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 ("IT Rules, 2021") by providing information of their entities. Ministry of Information and Technology and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had sought information on May 26, 2021, of Digital Platforms of Traditional News Media Companies to comply with IT Rules, by giving 15days for the compliance. NBF Members news broadcasters with national and regional presence, had provided information sought under IT Rules 2021 much before the deadline. This makes NBF the first industry organisation with strong and robust self-regulatory mechanism to comply with the code. NBF understand the responsibility of accountable journalism of its member broadcasting companies and their digital outlets, who are present in almost every single language and state across the length and breadth of India. NBF Self-regulatory authority is established as a unique content regulatory mechanism irrespective of the platform delivering the information to the larger citizens of the country Following some leading news industry bodies, including NBA, NBF and INS, writing to the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) seeking exemption and exclusion of traditional television news media and its extended presence on Digital News Platforms from the ambit of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Codes) Rules, 2021, the MIB has issued a detailed clarifying its stance. The MIB made it clear that no such exemption and exclusion will be made in the new IT Rules 2021. The Ministry also said that no further extensions would be given for furnishing of information under Rule 18 of the new IT Rules, 2021. MIB had already given a 15-days extension which ended on June 10, 2021. IMAGEXX Awards 2021 Last Date - Monday, June 18, 2021 - ENTER NOW In its letter to Digital news publishers, Publishers of online curated content (OTT platforms), and Associations of digital media publishers, the MIB stated, The rationale for including the digital news portals/ websites of the organisations having traditional news platforms under the ambit of the Digital Media Rules, 2021 is well reasoned. Making any exception of the nature proposed will be discriminatory to the digital news publishers who do not have a traditional TV/print platform. As already mentioned, since the Code of Ethics requires such digital platforms to follow the existing norms/ content regulations which are in vogue for the traditional print and TV media, there is no additional regulatory burden for such entities. Accordingly, the request for exempting the digital news content of such organisations from the ambit of the Digital Media Rules, 2021, cannot be acceded to. The Ministry recognised that entities having traditional TV and print media are already registered/ enrolled with the Government of India either under the Press and Registration of Books Act (by the Registrar of Newspapers for India) or under the Uplinking and Downlinking Guidelines of 2011 of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Hence, while notifying the forms for furnishing information by the digital news publishers, a distinction has been made between organisations having traditional news media and other digital news publishers, and for the former, the information sought is bare minimum. As claimed by the aforementioned entities, the digital version/ digital publication of the organisations having traditional news platforms (TV and Print) may be following internal guidelines of the self-regulating bodies. Accordingly, if the organisations so desire, they can request the same self- regulatory bodies to serve as the Level II of the self-regulatory mechanism, after ensuring consistency with the Digital Media Rules, 2021, MIB further stated. GAMEXX Awards 2021 Early Bird Discount Last Date - Monday, June 21, 2021 - ENTER NOW While addressing concerns relating to increased compliance burden on publishers, excessive Governmental control by way of emergency powers (under Rule 16), the oversight mechanism (under Rule 13) through the Inter-Departmental Committee, and the prescription relating to the composition of the self-regulating body and its registration by the Government, the MIB pointed out that the Rules have been framed under the Information Technology Act, 2000, taking into account the various legal aspects and are consistent with the provisions of the Act. The Ministry further said, On the issue of increased compliance burden due to the stipulation of a 3-Tier regulatory mechanism, it may be mentioned that Level I requires a simple mechanism for a digital publisher to redress the grievances relating to the Code of Ethics within a certain time frame. This is considered appropriate from the view point of providing a forum for citizens who may have certain grievances relating to Code of Ethics. However, the publisher can at its level decide whether or not such grievance is in fact a violation of Code of Ethics and convey the same to the complainant. It may also be made clear that rules explicitly mention that only grievances on content relating to Code of Ethics (and not of any other nature) need be addressed. While addressing the concerns regarding excessive compliance burden for attending to a large number of grievances within a timeframe of 15 days, especially for the small and medium size publishes, the MIB said that, till date the Government has not received any representation from any particular digital news publisher citing the exact number of grievances received by it relating to the Code of Ethics and the difficulty faced by it in the redressal of grievances. In case such a representation is brought before the Ministry, the matter would be considered appropriately. Live news feeds on OTT As reported earlier, several apprehensions had been raised relating to perceived reluctance of OTT platforms in hosting news feed of digital news publishers on their platform on the pretext that the content contained therein would be the regulatory responsibility of the hosting OTT platform under the Digital Media Rules, 2021. In this regard, the Ministry clarified: Online curated content is defined under clause (q) of rule 2 of the Digital Media Rules, 2021, which specifically excludes news and current affairs content. When any news and current affairs content of a digital news publisher is transmitted on an OTT platform, such content would be outside the regulatory responsibility of that platform. However, if any OTT platform receives a grievance related to such news and current affairs content, it may transfer the same to the concerned publisher of that content. Accordingly, there should not be any apprehension on this count either to the digital news publishers or to the OTT platforms. NEW ORLEANS (AP) A Louisiana man has been sentenced to more than a decade in prison following his second conviction involving child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Orleans. Here's an interesting take from veteran journalist Don Surber, under the headline: "WH sends someone to clean up Kamala's mess": Kamala Harris's weak response to the border crisis "do not come, do not come" on a trip to Central America has led the Democrat White House to send a grown up there, Samantha Power. Central American leaders worked with President Trump to stem the flow north. Biden put out the welcome mat. Biden's open borders policy irks the leaders of Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei ripped the Democrat White House for weak messaging, in an interview on Fox. Hence the White House's quick action to call in someone from the bullpen. Here's the AFP News item, which isn't getting a lot of play in the U.S. press. I was able to find it on Google posted only on obscure third-world and small European country news outlet websites: USAID chief Samantha Power will visit Central America on her first international trip since taking office as President Joe Biden's administration seeks to tackle root causes of migration, the agency said Friday. Power, a writer and humanitarian advocate who held senior posts under former president Barack Obama, will visit Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala from June 13-17 and meet with civil society, government and business leaders. She will also meet beneficiaries of US assistance as well as young people, members of marginalized groups and people affected by severe drought and hurricanes, the US Agency for International Development said in a statement. Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei ripped the Democrat White House for weak messaging, in an interview on Fox. Hence the White House's quick action to call in someone from the bullpen. That makes what Surber said absolutely true. What I'd add to it, though, is that Power has been working on this for a while. It wasn't the result of a sudden realization from the White House that Harris is a lemon following her disastrous trip. Here's the evidence of it a May press release, here. And some notes about that from my May 15 piece here. Actually, Power has beavering away on this as administrator of USAID her project to nation-build the migrant-exporting part of Central America. She's doing the legwork and homework as one might expect it would be done. Her coming mission to the three countries of the Northern Triangle is everything Harris's wasn't. Based on the detail, it was the result of actual staff work, meetings, working details, gathering information all things Harris has shown no propensity to engage in. Harris just makes it up as she goes along and laughs off tough reporter questions, even from journalistic marshmallows such as CBS's Lester "fairness is overrated" Holt. As Surber notes, she's from "the bullpen." So it's not surprising. Power lives and breathes this stuff. Power is all in nation-building and cut her teeth during the Soros color revolutions of the 1990s, focusing at the time on genocide in Bosnia. She's a policy nerd and a United Nationsloving globalist bureaucrat. That's what she does; that's who she is. She's got the Eurotrash sensibility down pat. Being from Ireland, America for her is a convenient vehicle with lots of money to get that globalist Davos-style nation-building done. It should be no surprise that she would know well how to do the staff work and administer the aid. The USAID press releases all pay attention to this being part of the Biden-Harris agenda. They're deferential. But it's pretty obvious that Kamala has never been part of this. Back when Power was reporting on genocide and winning Pulitzer prizes and palling around with U.N. official Sergio de Mello, Kamala was out there social mountaineering with San Francisco's Pacific Heights uber-rich. Or sleeping her way up with Willie Brown. Talk about "geocide," "nation-building," even Rwanda was never in her wheelhouse. And I doubt that the pair either know or like each other. Harris is known to be well connected with Hillary Clinton and shares some of her personality flaws. Power once called Hillary "a monster." Power shows work being done...while Harris does photo-ops. Yes, she's cleaning up after Harris. Looking forward to the kind of long-term mistakes she makes. They won't be like Harris's errors of public relations and laziness. Image: Eric Bridiers, United States Mission Geneva via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. If you've been thinking of buying a house, you've probably noticed that house prices are soaring everywhere, not just in the usual preferred ZIP codes. You might have thought this is simply because of market deformations thanks to COVID and the lockdowns. In fact, the soaring prices reflect something much more sinister: BlackRock, an investment company, is buying up housing stock, turning America into a nation of renters that is, people with no stake in their communities or their futures. However, what's really sinister is that it's not just housing stock. BlackRock, along with The Vanguard Group, owns a disproportionate number of American corporations, more even than you realize. Let's start with the housing stock issue. Here's a short Tucker Carlson segment about the way the multinational investment company BlackRock is driving up prices and decreasing housing stock by buying up whole communities: What Tucker and Pedro Gonzalez describe is bad and should have you deeply worried. What's worse is something I learned about some months ago but sat on because I wasn't quite sure what to do with it. It's a video made by a Dutch woman in which, using publicly available information, she points out that very few corporations are the personal playgrounds of millionaires and billionaires. Instead, most of them trace back to BlackRock and The Vanguard Group. For example, if you think Coke and Pepsi are competitors, they might be at a micro-level, but at a macro level, both have the same primary owners: BlackRock and The Vanguard Group: If you don't want to watch the video or don't have 45 minutes to spare, you can read the transcript here. The following is just one segment of the video to give you a flavor: Facebook is the owner of Whatsapp and Instagram. Together with Twitter, they form the most popular social media platforms. Alphabet is the parent of all Google companies, like YouTube and Gmail but they are also the biggest investor in Android, one of the two operating systems for nearly all smartphones and tablets. The other operating system is Apple's IOS. If we add Microsoft, we see four companies making the software for nearly all computers, tablets and smartphones in the world. Let's see who are the biggest shareholders of these companies. Take Facebook: we see that 80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. These are the same names that came up in the food industry; the same investors are in the top three. Next, is Twitter. It forms with Facebook and Instagram the top three. Surprisingly, this company is in the hands of the same investors, as well. We see them again, with Apple and even with their biggest competitor, Microsoft. Also, if we look at other big companies in the tech industry that develop and make our computers, TVs, phones and home appliances, we see the same big investors, that together own the majority of the stock. It's true for all industries. I'm not exaggerating. When I first watched the video, I decided that it was too conspiratorial for my taste or, as I like to describe it, something using imaginary dots to connect invisible lines. I might have ignored it forever if it hadn't been for Tucker's segment about BlackRock. And with the recent revelations about Bill Gates, it suddenly mattered that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Clinton Foundation (which I long presumed to be entirely corrupt) have a lot of fingers in a lot of pies, most or all of which are tied to Vanguard and BlackRock. Once upon a time, I might also have shrugged off concerns about institutional investors owning everything. After all, institutional investors are what enable ordinary people, through mutual funds and other large funds, to have a chance at investing in the stock market and, moreover, to have professionals manage their money. However, I recently began rethinking that viewpoint when I realized that the fact that institutional investors ultimately own the shares in most corporations probably explains why there haven't been shareholder lawsuits when corporations have made social justice decisions that caused their shares to decrease in value (e.g., Gillette's woke ad). While ordinary shareholders might once have objected, the institutional shareholders don't because they hold the same values as the woke corporations. Everything is intended to steer American society (and European society) in a single direction. So maybe this is all lunatic fringe craziness, or maybe Tucker's point about BlackRock and that Dutch lady's video point the way to something that ought to worry us a lot. Image: The real owners of PepsiCo. Bitchute screen grab. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Is mask theatre on the floor of the House of Representatives near the end of Act Three? The Attending Physician of the United States Congress, Brian Monahan, now says so. His post was established in 1928 "to meet the medical needs of Members of Congress." The Capitol Attending Physician, Dr. Brian Monahan, has now updated the pandemic rules for the House. Masks will no longer be required on the floor of the House. Decrease in community transmission/high rate of vaccination (85% in Capitol complex) triggered this decision Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) June 11, 2021 Spencer Brown, of Townhall, believes this means that [v]accinated members of the House of Representatives will no longer be required to wear a face covering when on the House floor after the Capitol Attending Physician lifted the chamber's mask mandate Friday afternoon. "The guideline document reflects that fully vaccinated individuals may discontinue mask wear and 6-foot social distance separations in most situations consistent with the CDC revision regarding fully vaccinated individuals of May 13, 2021," explained the new guidance that came almost a month after the federal government decreed masks and social distancing precautions were no longer necessary for vaccinated Americans. However, I wonder if Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House, will allow his words to overrule her earlier insistence that members remain masked on the floor, even after CDC guidelines stated that vaccinated people need no longer wear masks indoors. I suppose it comes down to minimizing her embarrassment. Her constituents in California still must wear masks indoors in public places, as her fellow San Franciscan and distant relative Governor Gavin Newsom clings to his emergency powers beyond his promise to end them. But keeping the mask mandate operative risks mass rebellion by members, who could cite Monahan's move and accuse her of not following the science, as she already did in shrugging off the CDC's advice. She may miss the opportunity to color-coordinate her masks with her outfits. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Last week, RedState reported that the Defense Intelligence Agency had for some months been working with a legitimate, high-level Chinese defector who knew about the Chinese military's work on bioweapons. Worse, the DIA had refused to let other alphabet agencies know about the defector because it was concerned about Chinese agents having infiltrated those other agencies. Now RedState's Jennifer Van Laar is back with more: (a) the virus was deliberately leaked from a Chinese military lab, and (b) possibly compromised alphabet agencies have covered this up for a year. On September 13, American Thinker wrote about a video out of England in which Dr. Li-Meng Yan stated that she had done virus research in China and had analyzed the COVID virus. She was certain that the virus was man-made. Soon after, Tucker Carlson had Dr. Yan on his show, bringing her assertions to a broad swath of the American public. PolitiFact (among others) claimed that Yan's was a "debunked" theory. On May 17, PolitiFact was forced to update its debunking: When this fact-check was first published in September 2020, PolitiFact's 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 original fact-check in its entirety is preserved below for transparency and archival purposes. Read our May 2021 report for more on the origins of the virus that causes COVID-19. Now, according to RedState's Van Laar, the DIA's vetted defector is confirming everything Dr. Yan said: Technical details provided by the defector, RedState is told, were given to scientists (who were not told how that information was given to the government) who then re-analyzed data from published sources in conjunction with the new data and concluded that the SARS-CoV-2 virus was engineered. And, the defector was able to confirm numerous non-public details Yan provided the US government. What Van Laar also says is that not only did the Chinese create this bioweapon, but it was "deliberately released." It was an act of war. The FBI, says Van Laar, has known most of this for more than a year and, even as the disease was rampaging through the world, did nothing. However, some members of Congress, including Rep. Matt Gaetz, were briefed on the story, which is why Gaetz grilled FBI director Christopher Wray in Congress on Thursday. (The fact that Gaetz knew makes me wonder if the FBI's investigation accusing Gaetz of underage sex-trafficking was meant to silence him.) Gaetz's questions (some of which Van Laar quotes) pushed Wray to explain why the FBI didn't make an effort to investigate Dr. Yan's claims when she arrived in America in April 2020. She was more than willing to talk, but the FBI ignored her. The FBI, instead, relied on EcoHealth Alliance's Peter Daszak. Daszak is the gain-of-function (GOF) advocate through whom Anthony Fauci funneled taxpayer money to China's Wuhan Institute of Virology, and he was the one who got together a cabal of scientists to claim that the virus was natural. I urge you to read Van Laar's whole article. Then sit back and think long and hard about the federal government, the media, the medical establishment, Big Tech, and Democrat-run state and local governments across America in the past 18 months. What we know is that: China was doing dangerous bioweapons research, A virus left that lab, either deliberately or carelessly, China ended travel within China while encouraging travel from China to the rest of the world, Trump got lambasted for trying to shut Chinese travelers out of America, Anthony Fauci lied about GOF research, about masks, and about the potential efficacy of hydroxychloroquine, which Trump had suggested might work, The medical establishment (which hews left) shut down hydroxychloroquine as "dangerous" despite its safe use for decades, Democrat governors and local leaders used lockdowns as an excuse to close houses of worship, Democrat governors shunted COVID-sick patients into nursing homes, where the most vulnerable people lived, Democrats used lockdowns to destroy Main Street and grant monopolies to huge conglomerates, especially Amazon, Democrats drastically increased their police power during the past year, Democrats encouraged overcounting COVID deaths (and a concurrent undercounting of flu deaths), Overcounting or not, it's clear several hundred thousand Americans died from COVID, Democrats are trying to force everyone to get vaccinations and to ignore evidence that vaccinations are unnecessary for people who are naturally immune and potentially dangerous to young people, and President Trump, who was cruising for re-election, watched his beautiful economy get destroyed and found himself accused of being a mass murderer, even though he closed the border, massively mobilized America for medical supplies, got the vaccination ready in record time, and was right about hydroxychloroquine. I don't know about you, but with the latest information, I feel as if there's something very bad going on and that America and Trump-supporters got the short end of the deal. Image: Xi Jinping reviews Chinas military might. YouTube screen grab. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. The legal profession developed an interesting way of thinking about thinking. To lawyers, thinking comes in two varieties: one that must satisfy a "strict scrutiny" standard, the other, that of mere "reasonableness." This latter is usually described as a "mirror test": before delivering your argument in front of a judge, try it before a mirror. If you manage not to fall down laughing at the absurdity of what you are saying, you are good. You have passed the standard of "reasonableness." Your argument will do great in the courtroom. Lawyers and judges are not the only masters of the art of passing patent nonsense for "reasonable"; politicians and the press are pretty good at it, too. The New York Times' report, "U.S. Lifts Some Sanctions on Iranians before Nuclear Talks," describes with a perfectly straight face Obama's "deal" with Iran as having "traded Western sanctions relief in return for Iran's agreement to accept limits on and international monitoring of its nuclear program to ensure that it did not try to build a weapon." By the standards of the New York Times and the Obama (and now the Biden) administration, this is a "reasonable" way to describe the JCPOA. What was not mentioned that those "limits" will expire in 2030, letting Iran legally enrich uranium all it wants renders the "reasonable" argument that the deal will "ensure that [Iran] did not try to build a weapon" laughable. Or how about this assertion, made after telling us that apparently, just out of the goodness of its heart, "[t]he Biden administration on Thursday lifted sanctions on three former Iranian government officials and two Iranian companies involved in the country's oil industry, a conciliatory gesture days before a potentially decisive round of nuclear talks in Vienna"? And "there was "absolutely no connection between the sanctions and discussions among several world powers and Tehran." Was it yet another exercise in laughable "reasonableness," backed up by the simultaneous imposition, for the show of toughness's sake, of obviously far less biting sanctions "on a dozen Iranian individuals, entities and vessels for providing financial support to the Houthi rebels in Yemen"? Those who are more inclined to view Iran's nuclear program as threatening enough to warrant a "strict scrutiny" approach are skeptical. "Robert Einhorn, an arms control expert at the Brookings Institution, said that the timing of the U.S. announcements suggested a connection to the nuclear issue, and that it might be a signal of American flexibility." Though to think of it, isn't "flexibility" a mere politically correct moniker for surrender to Iran's demands? The selling of the Iran deal to the public reminds me of the great scene in Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn, where two crooks who dubbed themselves the king and the duke got themselves into full confidence of a family in a village they were passing by, pretending to be English heirs of its recently deceased member, and now debate what to do with his property. The duke is happy with just slipping out with the ready cash; the king, indignant at such lack of imagination, insists on selling the estate at the auction, and only then getting out. The duke is worried that their cover may be blown since the village doctor is openly laughing off their imitation of an English accent and manner of speech. "Well, the king he talked him blind; so at last he give in, and said all right, but said he believed it was blamed foolishness to stay, and that doctor hanging over them. But the king says:'Cuss the doctor! What do we k'yer for HIM? Hain't we got all the fools in town on our side? And ain't that a big enough majority in any town?'" I was not present in the Oval Office when President Obama and his advisers, Ben Rhodes undoubtedly present, discussed how to sell the Iran deal to the public, but I doubt that the Obama-Rhodes argument differed much from Mark Twain's king's. To a lawyer (and Obama went to a law school, after all), the use of nonsensical, "reasonable" argument is natural; besides, Obama, ably assisted by Rhodes, had "all the fools in town [of Washington] on [his] side." The New York Times' recent report confirms yet again that Obama's method of defending the Iran deal by a "reasonable" i.e., laughable argument has been happily adopted by the Biden administration. That the press still describes the JCPOA as "limiting" Iran's ability to make a bomb tells us that "all the fools in town" are still on Obama/Biden's side. The "doctors" the people who think, who can subject Biden's argument to "strict scrutiny" have been voted out, or are silenced by the press. What a shame. And what a tragedy... Image: Chickenonline via Pixabay, Pixabay License. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Time flies, but the threats from the left keep on coming. As President Reagan himself said: Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free. On this day in 1987, or many years ago today, we watched President Reagan call on the USSR to tear down the Berlin Wall. I watched it later in the evening with our new three-week-old son. According to Peter Robinson, a speechwriter, the "line" about tearing down the wall was discussed and argued about in the U.S. State Department. Some of President Reagan's advisers thought the line might be seen as provocative by the Kremlin. In the end, President Reagan said it anyway. What a great moment it was. It is critically important that we remind our young people that the communist threat is ongoing. They want to destroy our way of life as much today as they did when President Reagan told them to tear down that wall. Who knew that evening in 1987 that we'd be facing the leftist threat to our country in 2021? Who could have guessed that our universities today would be schools of political indoctrination graduating students who hate the country and don't have a clue about anything? Who knew that math would be racist? Or that Dumbo, the Disney movie that my sons grew up watching, would insult anybody? Or that we'd be debating whether boys who think are girls would be beating girls in competitions? Did President Reagan see the future? We will never know but he warned us that our freedoms are always under threat. Freedom is not guaranteed, as my late Cuban parents would always tell me. We must keep our guard and defend our way of life. PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk). Image: GPA Photo Archive. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Andover, MA (01810) Today Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to cloudy skies after midnight. Low 71F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to cloudy skies after midnight. Low 71F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Purchase an online subscription to our website for $7.99 a month with automatic renewal. Each online subscription gives you full access to all of our newspaper websites and mobile applications. To cancel you may contact Customer Service @ 256-235-9253 or email JPAYNE@ANNISTONSTAR.COM For a limited time, for NEW SUBSCRIBERS ONLY a NEW ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION is just $59.99 for the first year. Existing customers do not qualify for the specials! After the first year, well automatically renew your subscription to continue your access at the regular price of $69.99 per year. Please note *Your Subscription will Automatically Renew unless you contact Customer Service To Cancel* Boris Johnson has warned Brussels he will not hesitate to take unilateral measures to protect the position of Northern Ireland in the increasingly bitter row over post-Brexit trading arrangements. The Prime Minister met key players from the EU side in the margins in the G7 summit as wrangling over the Northern Ireland Protocol threatened to overshadow his hosting of the international gathering. While Downing Street characterised the discussions as constructive, Mr Johnson complained that some of the leaders failed to understand the UK is a single country. I just need to get that into their heads, he said. Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron at the G7 summit (Leon Neal/PA) He warned that unless there was a solution he would invoke Article 16 of the protocol which allows either side to take unilateral action if its implementation were to lead to serious economic, societal or environmental difficulties. His comments followed a series of talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and European Council leader Charles Michel. The Prime Minister told Sky News: I think we can sort it out but it is up to our EU friends and partners to understand that we will do whatever it takes. I think if the protocol continues to be applied in this way, then we will obviously not hesitate to invoke Article 16, as I have said before. Dont forget, the EU themselves invoked Article 16 in January, to disapply the protocol, so they can stop removal of vaccines from the EU to the UK. Boris Johnson greets French President Emmanuel Macron at the G7 summit (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Ive talked to some of our friends here today, who do seem to misunderstand that the UK is a single country, a single territory. I just need to get that into their heads. The protocol which is intended to protect the peace process effectively keeps Northern Ireland in the European single market to avoid a hard border with the Republic, meaning a trade barrier in the Irish Sea for goods crossing from Great Britain. Mr Macron and Mrs von der Leyen have both insisted that the protocol is the only way to ensure an open border on the island of Ireland and that there can be no renegotiation of its terms. However, the UK has complained the EUs purist interpretation of the rules is strangling trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland and leading to a rise in sectarian tensions particularly among unionists who fear their place UK is under threat. Boris Johnson and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen at the G7 (Peter Nicholls/PA) Downing Street has previously indicated the Government would be prepared to unilaterally delay the full implementation of the protocol to prevent a ban on chilled meats crossing the Irish Sea from Great Britain. Restrictions on British-produced chilled meats entering Northern Ireland are due to come into force at the end of the month. Delaying the checks without Brussels agreement risks triggering a sausage war trade dispute, with the EU threatening to respond to any breach of the deal signed by the Prime Minister. Mr Johnson insisted that he did not want to see a trade war, but said that it was up to the EU whether the protocol was applied in a pragmatic way or a theologically draconian way. Oxfam campaigners pose as G7 leaders on Swanpool Beach near Falmouth, Cornwall (Aaron Chown/PA) I think the treaty we signed I signed is perfectly reasonable. I dont think that the interpretation or application of the protocol is sensible or pragmatic, he said. What Im hearing from our friends in the EU is that they understand the strength of our feelings on this, and they understand why governments might want to protect the territorial integrity of the UK, plus the UKs internal market. I think that the protocol can work if it is sensibly applied but at the moment there is its not just a question of chilled meats or sausages, there are all kinds of impediments being constructed, and we need to sort it out. Meanwhile, the main business of the summit will see the leaders discuss building resilience to future crises, consider foreign policy and then decide on their response to Covid-19. The group will commit to a new plan the Carbis Bay Declaration to quash future pandemics within the first 100 days, while the UK is creating a new animal vaccine centre aimed at preventing future diseases crossing to humans. As part of Mr Johnsons Global Britain agenda, the leaders of South Korea, India, Australia and South Africa will also take part in summit events, expanding the G7 to take in other prominent democracies. Those leaders attending the event Indias Narendra Modi is participating remotely because of the coronavirus crisis in his country with a beach barbeque toasting marshmallows around fire pits. The European Union has been urged to back down in a dispute with the UK over Northern Irelands post-Brexit trading arrangements. Boris Johnson was holding talks with the EUs key players on Saturday as the dispute threatened to overshadow his hosting of the G7 summit. The Prime Minister was meeting European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, European Council head Charles Michel, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the margins of the gathering in Cornwall. German Chancellor Angela Merkel with Prime Minister Boris Johnson ahead of talks at the summit (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab urged the EU to take a more pragmatic approach to the Northern Ireland issue. The main summit agenda will see the leaders of the UK, the US, Canada, Japan, France, Germany and Italy commit to a new plan aimed at preventing a repeat of the Covid-19 pandemic. Mr Johnson also faces a potentially tricky series of meetings with the EUs senior representatives. Downing Street has indicated the UK would be prepared to unilaterally delay the full implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol to prevent a ban on chilled meats crossing the Irish Sea from Great Britain. Restrictions on British-produced chilled meats entering Northern Ireland are due to come into force at the end of the month. Delaying the checks without Brussels agreement risks triggering a sausage war trade dispute, with the EU threatening to respond to any breach of the deal signed by the Prime Minister. Mr Johnson has suggested the EU is taking an excessively burdensome approach to post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland. Mr Raab told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: They can be more pragmatic about the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol in a way that is win-win or they can be bloody-minded and purist about it, in which case I am afraid we will not allow the integrity of the UK to be threatened. During the meeting in Cornwall, Mr Macron reportedly told the Prime Minister the UK-France relationship could only be reset if Mr Johnson stood by the Brexit deal, according to French sources. Prime Minister Boris Johnson greets French President Emmanuel Macron at the summit (Stefan Rousseau/PA) The protocol effectively keeps Northern Ireland in the European single market to avoid a hard border with Ireland, meaning a trade barrier in the Irish Sea for goods crossing from Great Britain. The Prime Ministers official spokesman told reporters in Cornwall the immediate priority was to find radical and urgent solutions within the protocol. But we keep all options on the table, he added, indicating the possibility of a unilateral extension of a grace period to allow sausages to continue to be shipped across the Irish Sea. Downing Street played down expectations of Mr Johnson finding a resolution to the impasse at the Carbis Bay summit. The spokesman suggested the meeting was not the forum in which he is necessarily seeking to come up with an immediate solution. At a press conference ahead of the G7 summit, Mrs von der Leyen insisted the protocol is the only solution to prevent a hard border with the Republic and must be implemented in full. Mr Macron also warned the Brexit deal cannot be renegotiated. The G7 leaders in Cornwall (Leon Neal/PA) The main business of the summit will see the leaders discuss building resilience to future crises, consider foreign policy and then decide on their response to Covid-19. Leaders from the G7 will commit to a new plan the Carbis Bay Declaration to quash future pandemics within the first 100 days. The UK will also create a new animal vaccine centre aimed at preventing future diseases crossing from creatures to humans. As part of Mr Johnsons Global Britain agenda the leaders of South Korea, India, Australia and South Africa will also take part in summit events, expanding the G7 to take in other prominent democracies. Oxfam campaigners pose as G7 leaders on Swanpool Beach near Falmouth, Cornwall. The charity is calling on the G7 countries to commit to cutting emissions further and faster (Aaron Chown/PA) At the end of the day, the leaders attending the event Indias Narendra Modi will participate remotely because of the coronavirus crisis in his country will relax with a barbecue on the beach cooked by Simon Stallard, chef at the Hidden Hut in Portscatho. They will be served sirloin and lobster and can then enjoy hot buttered rum and toasted marshmallows around fire pits on the beach. Sea shanty group Du Hag Owr will provide the musical accompaniment, and there will also be a Red Arrows flypast. A large fire which destroyed a recreated Iron Age roundhouse on the shore of Loch Tay has been described as devastating by the trust which runs the site. The Scottish Crannog Centre, which is also a museum of life in ancient Scotland, burned down on Friday night. It was engulfed in flames shortly before midnight, with firefighters called out to extinguish the blaze. There were no reports of any injuries. The tourist attraction stood on stilts on the loch shore in Perthshire. The Crannog Centres trust said it would shortly be launching an appeal for donations and continuing its efforts to develop a new site on the north shore of the loch. Mike Benson, director of the Crannog Centre, said: The outpouring of support from the local community and friends from further afield has been tremendous at this difficult time and the Crannog community would like to thank everyone for their heartfelt messages. The loss of the Crannog is devastating but, importantly, the museum collection is intact and no-one has been hurt. We would also like thank the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Police Scotland for their instant response to the emergency and their faultless efforts in tackling the blaze and keeping everyone safe in the local vicinity. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here to do so. Deputy First Minister John Swinney said the fire was absolutely devastating. He tweeted: This is absolutely devastating news. @ScottishCrannog is a centre of such archeological and historical significance and has such an impact on the Breadbane area. I was due to meet the team on Monday and will offer all my support to recover. Historic Environment Scotland tweeted: Absolutely heartbreaking news this morning. Our thoughts are with our friends at @ScottishCrannog. As well as the recreated loch dwelling, the centre offered visitors the chance to immerse themselves in the life of Iron Age Scotland, with demonstrations of crafts and ancient cooking. Last year the Scottish Crannog Centre was one of a number of community projects which shared almost 200,000 in funding as part of Scotlands Year of Coast and Waters. The centre was given 18,723 by Historic Environment Scotland to help repair the walkway and decking surrounding the loch dwelling, as well as creating an outreach project for local schools. Pete Wishart, MP for Perth and North Perthshire, called for the centre to be rebuilt. He tweeted: Simply awful. The internationally renowned Crannog Centre is a huge part of the whole community of Kenmore/Loch Tay. So sorry for all involved with the centre who will be really upset this morning. We must rebuild it. The remains of the blaze on Saturday afternoon (Laura Barrie/PA) A spokesman for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said it was called to the scene at 11.12pm on Friday, where there was a well-developed fire, which was extinguished just after midnight. John Ward, who witnessed the blaze, told the PA news agency it was devastating to watch it burn. He said: I saw it from the road end and my boat is at the marina. So lucky the wind was a westerly or it would have done a lot more damage. Britain is set to pursue a virtual trial over the death of Harry Dunn who was killed when a car crashed into his motorbike outside a US military base in Northamptonshire. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said that while the US has blocked the extradition of US diplomats wife Anne Sacoolas to face charges stemming from the collision, the path is now clear for the UK to push for a form of virtual trial or process to provide accountability and justice for Mr Dunns family. It comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said US President Joe Biden was actively engaged and extremely sympathetic about the case after face-to-face meeting at the G7 summit in Cornwall this week. Mr Raab told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: The US has not agreed to the extradition, but the path is clear for the legal authorities in the UK to approach Anne Sacoolass lawyers without any problem from the US government to see whether some kind of virtual trial or process could allow some accountability and some solace and some justice for the Dunn family. I would like to see some accountability. I think the family deserve no less. Joe Biden met Boris Johnson in Cornwall on Thursday (Toby Melville/PA) Mr Dunn died aged 19 in August 2019 when a car crashed into his motorbike outside RAF Croughton, a base used by US personnel. The aftermath sparked an international controversy when Sacoolas, who worked at the base for the US State Department, had diplomatic immunity asserted on her behalf allowing her to leave the UK nine days after the crash. She has since been charged with causing death by dangerous driving. Speaking after the meeting of Mr Biden and the Prime Minister, Mr Dunns mother Charlotte Charles told the PA news agency: We are incredibly grateful that Harrys case is being taken so seriously as to be raised on the eve of the G7 meeting with so many worldwide crises going on. We very much hope that President Biden takes a different view to the previous administration, given his deeply personal connection to the case, having suffered loss in similar circumstances. Mr Bidens first wife and daughter were killed in a road crash in 1972, while his sons Beau and Hunter survived. Ms Charles added: We are all suffering intensely as a family and really need a resolution as soon as possible and now await to hear from the CPS as to what steps they plan to take next. We have been working incredibly hard behind the scenes having dialogue with as many people on both sides of the Atlantic as possible and believe that these efforts will help us in our search for justice. It is almost two years since we lost Harry in August 2019 and it would be lovely to think that all parties can now come together to help bring this living nightmare to an end so that we can try to rebuild our shattered lives. Harry Dunn (Family handout/PA) After discussing the matter with Mr Biden, Mr Johnson told the BBC: As you know, he has his own personal reasons for feeling very deeply about the issue. And he was extremely sympathetic, but this is not something that either government can control very easily because there are legal processes that are still going on. The Dunn family has challenged the diplomatic immunity asserted on Sacoolass behalf, which will be heard in the Court of Appeal next year. Ms Charles and Mr Dunns father Tim Dunn have also brought a civil claim against Sacoolas and her husband in the US state of Virginia. Take shorter showers. Only use the sprinklers in the cooler parts of the day. Run the dishwasher less often. Recycle sink and shower water for plants. Turn off the water while your brushing teeth. I don't. Other. Vote View Results Choksi had approached the high court after the magistrate had rejected his bail petition Antigua and Barbuda businessman Mehul Choksi is taken to a police van via a wheelchair by a police officer after attending a court hearing, in Roseau, Dominica. (AP) New Delhi: The Dominica High Court has denied bail to fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi in the case of illegal entry into the island country after his mysterious disappearance from neighbouring Antigua and Barbuda where he is staying as a citizen since 2018, local Caribbean media reported. The high court on Friday (local time) gave the ruling by concluding that Choksi was a "flight risk", did not have any ties with Dominica and the court could not impose any conditions which will stop him from leaving the country, news outlet Antigua Newsroom said. Choksi had approached the high court after the magistrate had rejected his bail petition. The 62-year old diamantaire, who has an Interpol Red Notice against him, had mysteriously gone missing on May 23 from Antigua and Barbuda where he has been staying since 2018 as a citizen after fleeing from India. He was detained in the neighbouring island country of Dominica for illegal entry after a possible romantic escapade with his rumoured girlfriend. Choksi's lawyers had filed a habeas corpus petition calling his arrest illegal and alleging that he was abducted, tortured and handed over to Dominica authority to deny him rights available to him in Antigua and Barbuda as a citizen. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the External Affairs Ministry have sought to implead in the habeas corpus petition by filing two affidavits in the Dominica High Court, officials said here. The central agency will focus on establishing criminal culpability of Choksi, fugitive status, pending warrants against him, Red Notice and charge sheets, while the External Affairs Ministry will argue that Choksi continues to be an Indian citizen, they said. The affidavits, if admitted, will pave way for noted lawyer Harish Salve to plead Indian case in Dominica, they said. Choksi, promoter of Geetanjali Gems and other famous diamond brands in India, had fled the country weeks before Rs 13,500 crore fraud in Punjab National Bank (PNB) allegedly involving him and his nephew Nirav Modi surfaced. His lawyers alleged that he was kidnapped from Jolly Harbour in Antigua by policemen looking like Antiguan and Indian and brought to Dominica on a boat. Choksi was also brought before a Roseau magistrate, on the orders of High Court Judge Bernie Stephenson, hearing the habeas corpus matter, to answer charges of illegal entry where he pleaded not guilty but was denied bail. His lawyer in London Michael Polak has filed a complaint with Scotland Yard seeking a probe into alleged abduction and torture of his client. Polak said Choksi was removed from Antigua and Barbuda, where as a citizen he enjoys rights to approach the British Privy Council as the last resort in cases on his citizenship and extradition, to Dominica where these rights are not available to him. "The aim was to remove him from Antigua to Dominica to diminish his protection under the law. Choksi has ongoing proceedings in Antigua in regards to attempts by the prime minister to remove his citizenship, the only citizenship that he possesses, and to extradite him to India," he had said. Glouster man sentenced to nearly five years in prison on multiple cases Stay up to date on COVID-19 Get Breaking News Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox. Wind Catching Systems was founded in 2017 and develops offshore wind technology. The Windcatcher is their pride and joy and its a huge multi-rotor grid that consists of more than 100 small turbines. It is secured on the ocean floor via methods used in the gas and oil industry.The company claims its wind-catching structures can generate five times the annual energy of a conventional single turbine, which means it can power 80,000 homes. This technology can offer a 500 percent boost in energy every year. Another way to put it is that five of these gigantic structures produce the same amount of electricity as 25 conventional turbines.The units are all connected through an integrated substation in "mother vessel," and they dont require any special cranes or vessels.In addition to offering impressive numbers when it comes to energy production, the Windcatcher is also a sustainable method of harvesting wind energy, minimizing the effect on marine life, and combating climate change.Another notable aspect regarding this new type of wind turbine is its durability. Wind Catching Systems claims its Windcatcher has a lifespan of 50 years as supposed to 30 years, as is the case with conventional turbines. The fact that one of these units is built using small pieces as supposed to large single parts, makes it easier to operate and maintain.The Norvegian company is backed up in its project by Aibel, a European supplier in the offshore wind segment and IFE (Institute for Energy Technology), and more recently by Ferd and North Energy, which are the companys first external investors. Wind Catching Systems hasnt offered any details regarding the next plan for the Windcatcher and when we can see it floating in waters. kW HP Part of the third generation that came out almost seven years ago, it uses the Ingolstadt brands familiar 2.5-liter, turbocharged five-cylinder engine, capable of pumping out 394 horsepower (400 PS / 294) and 354 pound-feet (480 Nm) of torque.The sonorous lump works in concert with a seven-speed S tronic transmission and quattro-branded all-wheel-drive, for a 0-62 mph (0-100 kph) in 3.7 seconds and an ungoverned maximum speed of up to 174 mph (280 kph). Those are some serious numbers, yet they pale in comparison to this murdered out example that can give supercars a run for their money.According to the information shared in the clip, its force-fed power unit develops a mind-blowing 616(625 PS / 460 kW) and 530 lb-ft (718 Nm). Mind you, that is more than youd get in a 2021 R8, whose naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V10 produces 532 HP (540 PS / 397 kW) and 398 lb-ft (540 Nm). With a quoted 3.0 seconds for the 0 to 62 mph (0-100 kph) acceleration, it is also 0.7 seconds faster than its blue-blooded sibling, which can hit 201 mph (323 kph).Now, the tuned TT RS in question proved its mettle by doing 197 mph (317 kph), as indicated by the OEM speedo, on a de-restricted section of the German Autobahn. The almost 5-minute long video shared down below shows it in action from inside and out. Mind you, before hitting the play button, it is worth mentioning that the Launch Control function was not used at all, at the request of the cars owner, who probably wanted to preserve the clutch. The UKs capital has its fair share of exotic automotive apparitions, but it seems that people still celebrate them with a nice photoshootunlike Beverly Hills, California dwellers, where the Lamborghini Sian FKP 37 and Centenario didnt enjoy the same attention level. At least that's we can tell from the latest footage provided by the hypercarhooligan social media account.For example, we noticed that his social media spotter friends (lacarspotter_ and supercarsunlimited) had ample time to shoot a lot of stills with almost no one around the supercar duo, while a short video also embedded in the feed below clearly signals that the crowd of fans was quite thin to begin with.Never mind the fact that two limited-edition Lamborghinis are probably so common in Beverly Hills they dont even create a ruse anymore; we still feel the Sian and Centenario look great against the sunny Los Angeles County backdrop.After all, were dealing with a black carbon fiber clad (with blue accents) Centenario , one of just 40 examples created back in 2016 specifically for Lamborghinis celebration of 100 years since the birth of company founder Ferrucio Lamborghini. Only 20 coupes and 20 roadsters were created, each harnessing the power of the 6.5-liter V12 engine of the Aventador and going out into the world with 759 horsepower (770 PS).Meanwhile, the white-on-green Sian FKP 37 is even newer and more powerful. Lamborghinis first hybrid model adds to the V12 mill a 48-volt electric motor assembly to increase power to a grand total of 808 hp (819 PS). And that should be more than enough to hit 62 mph (100 kph) in around 2.8 seconds before maxing out somewhere beyond the 217 mph (350 kph) threshold. The fastest road-legal car that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles offered in recent memory is the Demon, but its go-faster credentials have been obliterated by Tesla with the introduction of the Model S Plaid. The full-size sedan from Fremont whoops the Mopar machine to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers) and over the quarter-mile run, and this poses a rather obvious question.Whats next for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and especially for the Demon?According to more than a half-dozen insiders who spoke to The Detroit Bureau , at least six electric vehicles are currently penned in the companys design studio in Auburn Hills. The cited publication understands that one of those vehicles will be the fastest Dodge ever, which is a tall order indeed.Not that long ago, the original Fiat 500e wasnt a segment-leading car. The 2021 model year Fiat 500e isnt on par with the electric vehicles offered by Groupe PSA, the French conglomerate that merged with FCA to create Stellantis, and the all-electric Jeep Wrangler still is nowhere to be seen. Be that as it may, Guidehouse Insights analyst Sam Abuelsamid believes that the days of the Hellcat are numbered. Its not a product thats sustainable.As the headline implies, theres no hard evidence to confirm an electric-powered replacement for the Demon. The Detroit Bureau relies on hearsay and industry analysts to vaguely guesstimate what the future holds for the American half of Stellantis N.V., and given time, the inevitable will happen.The most plausible outcome for the next-generation Hellcat and Demon is plug-in hybridization in the guise of an electric motor built into the transmission. FCA ordered lots of hybridized transmissions from ZF Friedrichshafen in July 2019, and the most potent configuration of them all provides 215 horsepower and 332 pound-feet (450 Nm) of e-assistance.Add a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 to the mix, and you get a strip-slaying machine that should use less dinosaur juice than today's muscle cars. Its not the first time that Dynetics would be collaborating with the Army, but an expansion of what they had previously worked on, including ground-based launcher systems. Enduring Shield is a redesigned version of the launcher, which is meant to be more cost-efficient and practical, while also displaying improved capabilities. A mobile ground-based system, Enduring Shield is able to track and defeat drones and cruise missiles , as well as rockets and artillery.The Army s IFPC, which has been in the works for several years, is supposed to provide a mobile solution for protecting essential fixed or semi-fixed assets. The Iron Dome, developed by Rafael and Raytheon, is a provisional solution until the final system will be ready to become operational.This truck-towed, multi-mission air defense system is specifically designed to protect against short-range rockets and artillery threats with ranges of up to 43 miles (70 km). Its an important asset for the Israeli Air Force (IAF) and the U.S. Army troops are expected to being deploying it by the end of this year.Enduring Shield was made to be flexible enough to be adapted not just to the current Army capabilities, but also to future ones. Its modular design and open architecture can be fully integrated with the Army's Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System. Its not only capable of engaging multiple threats at the same time, but it can also fire a various range of missiles. Dynetics system was reportedly tested, together with the Rafael and Raytheons product, in a recent Army shoot-off at White Sands Missile Range, in New Mexico.According to Dynetics, it will start manufacturing components for the initial assembly of the Enduring Shield in Huntsville, Alabama. One of them is being auctioned off by Triumph, via the Mecum sale in Monterey in August, to benefit a non-profit dedicated to troubled youngsters. The California-based organization is called Boys Republic, and Steve McQueen himself was a 1946 alumnus of the group.The bike to be sold is serial number 0278, a number that matches the number plate McQueen used on his bike in the 1964 International Six Days Trial. Moreover, it is being sold with a unique certificate of authenticity with the signatures of Steves son, Chad, and Triumph CEO Nick Bloor.As an extra perk, the buyer of the motorcycle will also receive an invitation to the annual dinner of the Steve McQueen Car and Motorcycle Show.Other than that, the bike is just like the other 999 slotted for production. It was designed to be reminiscent of the Triumph TR used in the 1963 movie The Great Escape, and comes powered by a 1200cc Bonneville twin engine.The two-wheeler comes painted in Competition Green, like all others of its breed, but also boasts gold lining and heritage Triumph logos. Engine protection dresser bars, pressed aluminum radiator guard with laser etched Triumph branding, and a brown bench seat with stitched ribbing are also part of the deal.Unlike the bike it is inspired by though, this one comes with a few modern-day appointments, including LED lighting, the My Triumph connectivity system, keyless ignition, and single-button cruise control.There is no estimate on how much the motorcycle is expected to fetch during the auction , but it will probably be more than the $16,400 the bike maker is asking for the rest of the bikes in the series. You cant even charge your phone in five minutes, but this team of researchers has managed to come up with a battery technology that allows you to charge an eVTOL (electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing) aircraft in just five minutes, offering a range of 50 miles (81 km).This is not the first time researcher Chao-Yang Wang from the Pennsylvania State University wows us with his developments in the battery technology field. Its only been two years since the engineer built a prototype battery that can charge electric vehicles in only 10 minutes, offering a range of 200 to 300 miles (320 to 483 km).Now, the researcher and his team have extended the utility of that battery design, making it suitable for eVTOLs. While at this time the battery can only offer 50 miles of flight, it takes you only five minutes to charge your flying vehicle and take off.Batteries needed to power eVTOLs require a very high energy density, for both their vertical take-off and landing as well as for keeping the aircraft in the air.According to the study published by the team of researchers, conventional lithium-ion batteries used in this type of vehicles only work fine in a certain temperature range. Cold or hot conditions can affect them.Chao-Yang Wang has managed to come up with a way to heat the battery to 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees C) in only 30 seconds and keep it at that temperature for 10 minutes. After that, the battery is cooled down. The battery developed by the team at the Pennsylvania University can be charged in such a short time (five to ten minutes) thanks to that exact technology that brings it to that high temperature so rapidly.In addition to charging that quickly, the battery is also durable, with a lifespan of over 2,000 fast charges.Wang stated that this breakthrough proves the viability of eVTOLs and hopes to see them commercially available as soon as possible. 500 million COVID-19 vaccine doses. Jill Biden's "Love" jacket. And an updating of the Atlantic Charter that briefly let President Biden and Prime Minister Boris Johnson channel FDR and Winston Churchill. The big picture: Joe Biden's first foreign trip as U.S. president is a carefully-managed mix of multilateralism and message discipline so far and a deliberate contrast to his predecessor's M.O. on the international stage. Why it matters: We're still in the off-Broadway soft opening ahead of next week's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Be smart: Biden isn't Donald Trump. We already knew that. But the scheduling and visual cues of this trip are driving that message home. It's old friends first for Biden and coalitions over unilateralism and bilateralism. He has G7 events today (Friday) through the weekend in the U.K., then NATO and the European Union meetings in Brussels, before his June 16 session with Putin in Geneva. In 2017, Trump shook things up by making Saudi Arabia the first stop of his debut foreign trip remember that ceremonial sword dance. He also criticized NATO members for not paying "their fair share," and left G7 members hanging on the Paris climate deal. The jacket First Lady Jill Biden wore on Thursday with the word "Love" stitched in beads across the back drew immediate comparisons with the jacket that Melania Trump wore in 2018 en route to a child migrant center, with, "I Really Don't Care, Do U?" in white lettering across its back. Biden travels old-school: a newspaper tucked under his arm as he heads to his aircraft, and a notebook in hand for his meetings with leaders. What we're watching: Aides to Biden, 78, have kept his events and pacing manageable in a way reminiscent of Ronald Reagan's travel in the 1980s. The Group of 7 wealthy nations on Friday pledged to deliver more than 1 billion doses of the coronavirus vaccine to lower-income countries beginning this summer. Why it matters: The G7 countries have been criticized for not sharing vaccines with nations that have fewer resources and are struggling to contain new waves of the pandemic. The big picture: The G7 committed to delivering COVID-19 vaccines to other countries over the next 12 months, per a White House statement. Why it matters: By the time large numbers of sick people start showing up in hospitals, it's often too late to quickly curb a new outbreak. But devices that can instantly alert health officials when unusual fevers are popping up in households can give them time to stop further spread. New York City will harness data from thousands of internet-connected smart thermometers to identify future outbreaks days or even weeks before case numbers start rising. New York City will harness data from thousands of internet-connected smart thermometers to identify future outbreaks days or even weeks before case numbers start rising. Why it matters: By the time large numbers of sick people start showing up in hospitals, it's often too late to quickly curb a new outbreak. But devices that can instantly alert health officials when unusual fevers are popping up in households can give them time to stop further spread. Driving the news: Over the coming months, the California-based startup Kinsa will distribute for free up to 100,000 of its internet-connected thermometers through New York City's elementary schools. Readings from the thermometers are sent to Kinsa's app, which also quizzes users on any other symptoms they might have and sends them guidance on any next steps on care. City health officials will have access to aggregated, anonymized Kinsa data, which will help them identify unusual illness clusters as soon as possible, while school administrators and families will be able to view data about grade-level trends at their school. What they're saying: "We're aggregating data to be able to do outbreak detection down to the level of New York's 42 neighborhoods," says Inder Singh, the founder and CEO of Kinsa, who adds that distribution is starting with the areas that were hardest hit by COVID-19. Background: Most disease-tracking efforts depend on data reported by hospitals and doctors' offices, but days will often pass between infection and a patient showing up at a clinic, and some people will never get tested. But because Kinsa is able to instantly identify when a fever shows up at the point where someone is "mildly symptomatic," Singh notes it's been more successful than most existing models in predicting disease outbreaks ahead of time. When COVID-19 first hit early last year, Kinsas models detected an unusual rise in fevers more than two weeks before peak deaths hit. "If New York had shut down just a week earlier, it would have prevented 200,000 cases and saved 36,000 lives," says Singh. The bottom line: On an individual level and on a community one, early detection saves lives. The three-day G7 summit in the seaside village of Carbis Bay, England, kicked off on Friday, with U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson welcoming his counterparts from the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the European Union. Driving the news: The leaders of the world's wealthiest democracies, as well as the presidents of the European Union, announced a pledge to provide the world with 1 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses. In addition to plans for global efforts to combat COVID-19, the first in-person gathering of G7 leaders since the pandemic began is anticipated to bring discussions about climate change and confronting Russia and China, among other topics. This weekend's summit marks President Biden's first trip abroad since taking office. What they're saying: "It is vital we don't repeat the mistakes of the last great crisis, the last great economic recession in 2008, when the recovery was not uniform across all parts of society," Johnson said in a brief press availability before the leaders began their private meeting. "What's gone wrong with this pandemic, or what risks to be a lasting scar, is that I think the inequalities may be entrenched," he continued. "And we need to make sure that as we recover, we level up across our societies and we build back better. And I actually think that we have a huge opportunity to do that because as G7, we are united in our vision for a cleaner, greener world." In photos European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, France's President Emmanuel Macron, European Council President Charles Michel, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi dining together ahead of the G7 summit. Photo: Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden arrive for the G7 summit. Photo: Phil Noble/Pool/AFP via Getty Images Justin Trudeau walking to greet Boris Johnson. Photo: Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images Johnson greets France's President Emmanuel Macron Photo: Phil Noble/Pool/AFP via Getty Images G7 leaders pose for the "family photo." Photo: Phil Noble/Pool/AFP via Getty Images Biden with Macron. Photo: Phil Noble/Pool/AFP via Getty Images First lady Jill Biden visits Connor Downs Academy with Kate Middleton, the duchess of Cambridge. Aaron Chown/WPA Pool/Getty Images 28 transgender and gender non-conforming people nearly all Black and Latina women have been killed this year, according to the Human Rights Campaign, which has tracked such deaths since 2013. Why it matters: At this time last year, there were only 13 known killings of trans people, per the HRC. If this current pace continues, 2021 will be on track to significantly beat last year's all-time record. More trans people have been killed so far this year than in all of 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019. What they're saying: LGBTQ advocates say the record number of bills targeting trans children this year has encouraged more widespread transphobia and violence across the country, the 19th reports. The big picture: While these cases often involve bias against trans people, HRC argues that chronic unemployment, poverty and homelessness caused by discrimination also fuel the violence. Studies have also shown that trans adults attempt suicide more often than cisgender adults. The recorded number of killings in the U.S. is well below the rate in Latin America, which by some counts has the highest concentration of trans murders in the world, reports Transgender Europe (TGEU). is well below the rate in Latin America, which by some counts has the highest concentration of trans murders in the world, reports Transgender Europe (TGEU). But the U.S. has a higher rate of murdered trans persons reported per million inhabitants than in Australia, Canada, South Africa, France and India, per TGEU. What to watch: Overall homicides have been trending up in many cities across the U.S. after economic hardship and pandemic-induced fear propelled urban homicide rates to a record level in 2020. The Pentagon announced plans on Friday to send Ukraine $150 million in military assistance that will include counter-artillery radar, counter-drone technology and electronic warfare equipment, Reuters reports. Why it matters: The move comes as tensions continue to climb between Russia and Ukraine and days before a summit between President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Flashback: In 2014, the Russian government invaded and seized Ukraine's Crimea region, backing a pro-Russian separatist rebellion in eastern Ukraine that killed over 14,000 people. In recent months, Ukraine and Russia have taken shots at each other amid a surge in fighting in Ukraine's Donbas. In what it called a defensive operation, Russia amassed troops on its border with Ukraine and in Crimea, per Reuters. Details: The new funds, which were already committed by Congress, join $125 million already set aside for Ukraine. The Pentagon said the assistance includes capabilities "to enhance the lethality, command and control and situational awareness of Ukraine's forces," according to Reuters. The United States will also provide training and equipment to bolster Ukrainian Air Force bases. The big picture: Biden reassured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday that he will stand up for Ukraine's sovereignty. The United Nations' high commissioner for human rights on Friday condemned the ongoing military build up in parts of Myanmar, warning that escalating violence between the military junta and armed minority groups threatens to produce an "even greater loss of life." Why it matters: Michelle Bachelet said the junta, which came into power by overthrowing Myanmar's democratically elected government in February, is singularly responsible for the human rights catastrophe unfolding across the country. Context: Since claiming power, the junta has killed hundreds of people participating in anti-coup demonstrations and has arrested thousands more. Elected lawmakers who were unable to take their seats in parliament because of the coup asked ethnic minority groups in Myanmar's borderlands to form an army to oppose government armed forces. Government forces in response have launched attacks on territory controlled by the minority groups. What they're saying: As I had feared, armed conflict and other violence are intensifying in many parts of Myanmar, including Kayah State, Chin State and Kachin State, with the violence particularly intense in areas with significant ethnic and religious minority groups, Bachelet said in a statement. Citing credible reports, Bachelet said Myanmar security forces have used heavy weaponry like airstrikes against civilians and civilian buildings while fighting the armed minority groups. She said the reports also indicated that security forces have used civilians as human shields, shelled homes and churches and blocked civilians from receiving aid by attacking humanitarians. More than 108,000 people have fled their homes in Kayah State over the last three weeks alone, many into forest areas with little or no food, water, sanitation or medical care. These are people in urgent need of humanitarian assistance." The big picture: The human rights chief added that the escalation in violence is contrary to the commitments the junta made to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a 10-member regional bloc that is attempting to end the crisis through a consensus plan. Myanmars military, the Tatmadaw, have a duty to protect civilians. The international community needs to unify in its demand that the Tatmadaw cease the outrageous use of heavy artillery against civilians and civilian objects and respect the principle of distinction." "The newly formed 'peoples defence forces' and other armed groups must also take all feasible measures to protect civilians," Bachelet said. Go deeper: Deposed elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi formally charged with corruption by Myanmar military PHOENIX (AP) Prosecutors have moved to permanently dismiss charges against more than a dozen people accused of crimes that included assisting or participating in a criminal street gang after being arrested at a protest against police brutality in Phoenix. Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel's office filed a motion Friday to drop the charges stemming from the mid-October protest with prejudice, meaning they cannot be refiled. Her office previously dismissed the charges but allowed them to be refiled. It then retained a former judge to provide an outside review of the events. The American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona and others have called the gang charges against the protesters an abusive political prosecution intended to silence dissent and scare protesters. Critics of Adel called for her resignation and disbarment Friday. Police contended the protesters met the criteria for gang affiliation because they wore black clothing, carried umbrellas and chanted a slogan critical of officers. Adel said her office decided to permanently drop the charges because of the time and resources needed to pursue the misdemeanor cases, The motion was filed ahead of a scheduled court hearing, which later was canceled. It is not any easy decision to step away from a case when we believe crimes were committed, but in this case, it is the right thing to do, Adel said in a statement. Forest Service officials have had to scramble to find a fire lookout to work this summer on Mount Ireland COLUMN: The genius behind such delicacies as the Frito FILE - In this June 3, 2021 file photo California Gov. Gavin Newsom listens to questions during a news conference in San Francisco. Most of California's coronavirus rules governing public gatherings will disappear on Tuesday, June 15, 2021, after Newsom signed an executive order Friday afternoon that heralds the end of the pandemic's hold on much of public life for the nation's most populous state. Did the FBI go too far questioning Chinese researchers without reading them their rights? Drew Petersons ex-fiancee uses TV to reveal what she says happened to his missing 4th wife Gov. Gavin Newsom presents a check to Nancy Gutierrez, the winner of $50K lottery for getting vaccinated as Assemblywoman Tasha Boerner Horvath, right looks on in San Diego, Calif. on Friday, June 11, 2021. For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, The Sun. Executive Editor Christine Peterson answers your questions and takes your complaints about The Californians news coverage in this weekly feedback forum. Questions may be edited for space and clarity. To offer your input by phone, call 661-395-7649 and leave your comments in a voicemail message or email us at soundoff@bakersfield.com. Please include your name and phone number. Sen. Shannon Grove named CityServe, a national network of churches that provide for the needy, the nonprofit of the year for her Senate distri Three seats of five on the Panama-Buena Vista Union School Board are up for reelection this year. With only one incumbent running for reelecti Mary Barlow shared a letter with the Fairfax School Board, letting them know that she was opening an audit into the way they had awarded their Bluefield, WV (24701) Today A few clouds with an isolated thunderstorm possible after midnight. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight A few clouds with an isolated thunderstorm possible after midnight. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%. Looking to log in? Click the person icon (at the very top of the site, on the right) to login or register. Not getting your Beacon editions in your e-mail when they come out? Log in, click here, click "Email lists" and make sure "e-Edition subscribers" is selected THIBODAUX, La. (AP) Mining company BHP has donated $200,000 to a Louisiana university for upgrades to housing facilities. The Houma Courier reports that the donation was made for renovations on two residence halls North and South Babington at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux. It will also go toward establishing what the university calls a living learning community for a campus mentoring program known as the Colonels Retention Winners Network, or CROWN. That program began in 2018 to mentor freshman, Black, male, non-athlete students. Living Learning Communities house students with shared academic, cultural or organizational interests. Students are able to live with peers and attend events to enhance their knowledge of their subject matter. Throughout this year, we have all come to recognize the importance of community and connection, and we are proud to support spaces that enable a sense of community for the students at Nicholls State University," said Myron Protz, general manager for the BHP Petroleum Gulf of Mexico Production Unit. PORT ARTHUR Port Arthur ISD is shifting leadership at schools across the district as it prepares for an intensive and important school year when all students return in-person in the fall. I have been telling you for some time, we would change some things for the district for the 21-22 school year, Superintendent Mark Porterie said at a recent board meeting. As we move into looking at exactly what the needs for our students are, we have to figure out who can do what and how. The district leader compared the move to rearranging the seats on a bus. I think we have a great group of individuals that can ride the bus, but now we have ... to change seating in some of them, which I think is going to be good, he said. That new seating chart means the principals at almost all Port Arthur ISD secondary schools will change. Top hits: Get Beaumont Enterprise stories sent directly to your inbox Glenn Mitchell, who currently serves as Principal at Memorial High School, will transition to Abraham Lincoln Middle School. Melissa Olivia will take over at Memorial High School, leaving her previous role as principal at Thomas Jefferson Middle School. LaSonya Baptiste will leave her role at Abraham Lincoln Middle School to serve as the principal of the Woodrow Wilson Early College High School, and Brenda Brooks-Coleman, an assistant principal at Memorial High School, will take over leadership at the Port Arthur Alternative Campus. At Thomas Jefferson Middle School, new principal Kristi Lewis is looking forward to the challenge of recapturing and recovering the love of learning for students that has been lost due to the pandemic. Growing and retaining a strong capacity of teachers that can reach and teach the students of Thomas Jefferson Middle School and creating an innovative learning environment that peek the students interest is of the utmost importance, Lewis told The Enterprise. Preparing the young students for their futures beyond middle and high school in order for the students of PAISD to one day become productive citizens in the nucleus of society is a fundamental component in the success of our students. Lewis currently serves as an assistant principal at Memorial High School. Board President Brandon Bartie said the announcement of the new principals, in addition to the creation of new leadership positions across the district will help the entire community. I think we are doing a great job of shifting the atmosphere, he said. Related: PAISD looking to reengage lost students Principals at the Memorial ninth-grade and the career and technical education campuses will remain the same. Porterie said he expects to make leadership announcements in the coming months. I think these individuals will do well in their new seat on the bus. We are ready to give them support, he said. There will be more changes. There'll be other changes as we come along some assistant principal positions and others, and we will continue to move. We are excited. In addition to recovering lost academic learning due to COVID-19, Lewis said she will focus on the social and emotional needs of students. We as educators must meet our students where they are and move them forward to where they need to be in a total collaborative effort, she said. I plan to put measures in place to recover lost learning due to COVID by making certain that we have set goals and expectations (and that) the learning and focus is student centered. Teachers across the district are began training last week, along with intensive summer school designed to recoup some of the learning lost in recent months. Together, we will recover our students and the learning that has been lost and prayerfully exceed the expectations, Lewis said. isaac.windes@hearstnp.com twitter.com/isaacdwindes More Vidor residents turned out during early voting than during the entirety of any other mayoral runoff in the past decade. More than 500 ballots were cast 441 in-person and 86 by mail in just six days of early voting. According to Vidor City Secretary Vicki Watson, the most recent mayoral runoff elections were in 2010 and 2011. Neither of those elections saw more than 450 ballots cast. In fact, turnout totals even far exceeded the expectation of Ward 3 Councilwoman and mayoral candidate Misty Songe. Related: Vidor voters turn out for mayoral runoff Originally, she expected 300 people would turn out in total. After 256 ballots were cast in the first few days, she revised her hope to 500. On the eve of election day, she said she hopes to see about 100 more people cast a ballot, but she expressed excitement about how many people already have been involved especially for a run-off. Mayoral Candidate Ronnie Herrera said, regardless of who wins, hes proud of the residents who decided to turn out. At a glance What: Vidor mayoral election runoff When: 7 a.m.-7 p.m. today Where: Raymond Gould Community Center, 385 Claiborne, Vidor Details: Follow The Beaumont Enterprise online tonight for election results. See More Collapse I am glad it was a clean race, he said. It is a win for the city either way the race turns out. But the more voters, the better with such high stakes. Top hits: Get Beaumont Enterprise stories sent directly to your inbox The next mayor will be tasked with leading the relatively new council through continued storm recovery, drainage improvements, code enforcement and other related issues. While campaigning, Songe has boasted her experience on the council as a reason to choose her to fill the seat, while Herrera said hes followed along the councils operations while his brother has been a member of the council. Additionally, he said the city manager runs the citys actual day-to-day business and will be there to guide all council members. Nearly 200 voters would have to turn out on election day to at least meet the May regular election total. kaitlin.bain@beaumontenterprise.com twitter.com/KaitlinBain The Latest on the Group of Seven nations meeting being held in England: FALMOUTH, England The head of the World Health Organization has welcomed the vaccine-sharing announcements coming out of the Group of Seven summit but says we need more, and we need them faster. The challenge, I said to the G-7 leaders, was that to truly end the pandemic, our goal must be to vaccinate at least 70% of the worlds population by the time the G-7 meets again in Germany next year, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters Saturday at the summit in southwest England. To do that, we need 11 billion doses, Tedros said, adding that it was essential for countries to temporarily waive intellectual property protections for coronavirus vaccines. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the summit's host, has said the group would pledge at least 1 billion doses, with half that number coming from the United States and 100 million from Britain over the next year. Tedros reiterated his target of vaccinating 30% of the population of every country by the end of 2021. He said that reaching the goal requires 100 million doses in June and July, and 250 million more by September. ___ FALMOUTH, England British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife, Carrie, have welcomed leaders from South Korea, Australia and South Africa, as well as the secretary-general of the United Nations, to the Group of Seven summit taking place on the coast of southwestern England. The leaders elbow-bumped and posed for photos Saturday on a pristine beach in Cornwall. The G-7 nations are the U.K., the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan. The British government said the guest nations were invited to take part in the summit as part of Johnsons Global Britain agenda and that the expanded group can help the G-7 intensify cooperation between the worlds democratic and technologically advanced nations. India was also invited, but its delegation is not attending in person because of the severe coronavirus outbreak in the country. The leaders, whose 3-day summit is scheduled to end on Sunday, are expected to commit to a new plan, called the Carbis Bay Declaration, to quash future pandemics within the first 100 days. ___ NEWLYN, England U.S. first lady Jill Biden met Saturday with members of an organization that teaches surfing to military veterans, first responders and their families. Biden told members of Bude Surf Veterans that she had a white longboard of her own with a big butterfly on it. She met with them at a picnic table outside a contemporary art gallery overlooking Mounts Bay as President Joe Biden attended the Group of Seven summit in southwest England. Jill Biden observed that that the water is so calming and spoke about attending the Invictus Games, an international sporting event for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women founded by Britain's Prince Harry. She added that she has yet to visit New Zealand and Australia. ___ CARBIS BAY, England French President Emmanuel Macron says its good that U.S. President Joe Biden is able to lead through cooperation, adding that the United States is definitely back as Europe's partner. Biden and Macron met Saturday as part of the Group of Seven summit in southwest England, where they and other leaders of the world's wealthy democracies are discussing the coronavirus pandemic, the environment, national security, relations with China and economic issues. Former U.S. President Donald Trump took an adversarial approach with NATO allies, but Macron said Biden has shown that leadership is partnership. The desire for cooperation cuts both ways. Biden described the European Union as incredibly strong and vibrant, which he said not only helps with tackling economic challenges but also provides a backbone for NATO. ___ BERLIN German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. President Joe Biden have met on the sidelines of the G-7 summit in England. A spokesman for the German chancellor tweeted two pictures of the leaders sitting at a table in Carbis Bay on Saturday. At noontime on the second day of the G7 summit the chancellor talked to U.S. President Biden in between the work meetings," read the caption accompanying the photos. Merkel spokesman Steffen Seibert didnt give any details about what the two discussed. Merkel, who is leaving office later this year, plans to visit Biden in Washington next month. The president invited her to the White House earlier this week. ___ FALMOUTH, England Hundreds of environmental protesters took to the Cornish seaside Saturday morning in a bid to draw the attention of world leaders and the international media outlets that have descended on southwest England for the G-7 summit. Some protesters paddled out to sea, while others sunbathed on the beach wearing masks of leaders' faces. A crowd of surfers, kayakers and swimmers gathered Saturday on a beach in Falmouth for a mass paddle out protest organized by the group Surfers Against Sewage, which is campaigning for more action to protect oceans. U.S. President Joe Biden and fellow leaders from the Group of Seven wealthy democracies are meeting near the town of St. Ives for talks focusing on the pandemic and climate change. Earlier, activists from Oxfam assembled on Falmouth beach to protest climate change and put on masks depicting the leaders attending the G-7 summit. Max Lawson, Oxfams head of policy, said activists want the G-7 countries - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K. and the United States - to commit to bigger reductions in carbon emissions and to financing to help poor countries adapt to the impacts of climate change. ___ CARBIS BAY, England The White House says President Joe Biden will hold a solo news conference after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two delegations will have a working session and smaller session as part of their meeting on Wednesday in the Swiss city of Geneva. But the White House says it is still finalizing the format of the meeting. The White House says a news conference with only Biden is the appropriate format to communicate the topics discussed, areas of agreement and sources of significant concern. ___ FALMOUTH, England British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has held meetings with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of a G-7 summit, as post-Brexit turbulence strains relations between Britain and the EU. Johnson also met the blocs leaders, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel, on Saturday at the Carbis Bay resort where G-7 leaders are gathering. The two sides are locked in an escalating diplomatic feud over Northern Ireland, the only part of the U.K. that has a land border with the bloc. The EU is angry at British delay in implementing new checks on some goods coming into Northern Ireland from the rest of the U.K., while Britain says the checks are imposing a big burden on businesses and destabilizing Northern Irelands hard-won peace. The spat has drawn in U.S. President Joe Biden, concerned about the potential threat to Northern Irelands peace accord. The EU is threatening legal action if the U.K. does not fully bring in the checks, which include a ban on chilled meats such as sausages from England, Scotland and Wales going to Northern Ireland from next month. Britain accuses the bloc of taking a purist approach to the rules and urged it to be more flexible in order to avoid what has been dubbed a sausage war. ___ FALMOUTH, England U.S First Lady Jill Biden and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, have written a joint article on the importance of early childhood education after their visit to a primary school on the sidelines of the G-7 summit in England. The two women met for the first time Friday at a school in Cornwall, southwestern England, where they visited 4 and 5-year-olds and spoke with experts on early childhood development. In their article, published on the CNN website Saturday, they said the disruption of the pandemic has helped people focus on the things that matter most, and they have a joint belief that the future must include a fundamental shift in how our countries approach the earliest years of life. If we care about how children perform at school, how they succeed in their careers when they are older, and about their lifelong mental and physical health, then we have to care about how we are nurturing their brains, their experiences and relationships in the early years before school, they wrote. They said business leaders, among others, should give more support to the parents and caregivers in their workforces. If we want strong economies and strong societies, we need to make sure that those raising and caring for children get the support they need, they added. Biden is a longtime English teacher who focuses on education, a passion she shares with Kate, a mother of three young children. Texas and the nation went 102 years between the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 and the coronavirus pandemic of 2020, and we hope the next one is at least that far off. If another pandemic strikes, however, it wouldnt be a bad idea to have a Texas Epidemic Public Health Institute. A bill that passed the recent session of the Legislature would create such an agency, which is envisioned as a Texas equivalent of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. No other state has an entity like that, although a big state like Texas could benefit from one. It would be based at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and operate in partnership with other campuses and academic centers across the state, as well as the state health and emergency management departments. Based on the National Guard model, the institute would train 3,500 public health professionals across the state who would be ready to mobilize if a pandemic occurred. The institute would have about 100 full-time employees such as epidemiologists and data analysts to conduct training, build up the statewide laboratory infrastructure and improve statistical reporting. Training opportunities for staffers in the reserve would be ongoing and include, again under the National Guard model, weekend simulations of pandemics. Most of the funding would come from the $16 billion in federal coronavirus relief funds Texas has received. In the first two years, the institute would need about $30 million annually, then $20 million annually after that. Its a good proposal, and it represents forward thinking instead of just reacting to a crisis. But with all these good intentions, the elephant in the room remains: Would state officials actually heed the advice of this new institute if a pandemic strikes? They did, mostly, when coronavirus started sweeping through Texas and the nation. The sensible response was wearing masks and social distancing, and then taking vaccines when they became available. But it didnt take very long for some Republican members of the Legislature to begin complaining that these restrictions violated public freedom. When Dallas beauty salon owner Shelly Luther notoriously defied orders to keep her business closed for a few more weeks, state officials virtually trampled each other pledging to support her and even pay her fine and revoke the law that permitted violators to be jailed. Gov. Greg Abbott already has a Republican challenger for re-election, and one of his main complaints is that Abbott reacted too strongly to the pandemic by actually closing bars temporarily and ordering other safeguards. The Legislature just passed new laws limiting a future governor from requiring various types of precautions without legislative support if another pandemic strikes. In view of this response, Texans need to know if the new Texas Epidemic Public Health Institute would be staffed by the best experts available and whether their advice would be heeded if another pandemic threatened. They would undoubtedly suggest safeguards that some businesses or people wouldnt like. Would their sound medical advice be implemented or scorned as needless infringements of public freedom to do as much or as little as you wanted during a public health crisis? On paper, the institute sounds like an excellent idea. How it plays out in reality is what will matter. Bedford, PA (15522) Today An isolated thunderstorm possible this evening, then occasional showers overnight. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight An isolated thunderstorm possible this evening, then occasional showers overnight. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. Protesters in Kuala Lumpur call for the arrest of Jho Low, portrayed as a pirate on this sign, for his alleged role in the theft of billions from 1Malaysia Development Berhad, April 14, 2018. A new federal indictment in the United States has charged a Malaysian financier and an American rapper with lobbying the former Trump administration to stop investigating the 1MDB corruption scandal, and to deport a Chinese dissident, the U.S. Department of Justice said Friday. The unregistered, back-channel lobbying campaigns were directed by fugitive Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho and Chinas vice minister of public security, the DOJ said. Low Taek Jho, 39, also known as Jho Low, and Prakazrel Pras Michel, 48, are alleged to have conspired ... to have the 1MDB embezzlement investigation and forfeiture proceedings involving Low and others dropped, and to have a Chinese dissident sent back to China, the statement said. The charges against the two were brought through a superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia on Thursday, the department said. The two are alleged to have conspired with Republican fundraiser Elliott Broidy and Hawaiian businesswoman Nickie Lum Davis to engage in undisclosed lobbying campaigns at the direction of Low and the Vice Minister of Public Security for the Peoples Republic of China, respectively. The DOJ statement did not name the Chinese vice minister of Public Security. Nor did it name the Chinese dissident that Low and Michel were lobbying the Trump administration and U.S. justice officials to send back to China. However, news reports last year, including in The New York Times, said the Chinese dissident is a billionaire asylum seeker named Guo Wengui, who Beijing has charged with corruption. Low and Michel lobbied both to drop the 1MDB embezzlement investigation and forfeiture proceedings and to have the Chinese critic of the Chinese Communist Party deported home. Low faces criminal charges in Malaysia and the U.S. for his role in allegedly embezzling billions of dollars from 1MDB, a Malaysian state investment fund, through his relationship with former Prime Minister Najib Razak, who was convicted last July and sentenced to 12 years in prison on corruption-related charges. Rapper Michel, who was a member of the hit hip-hop group Fugees, will fight the charges, his lawyer Benjamin Brafman said, in a statement, according to Bloomberg News. According to Bloomberg, the back-channel efforts by Low and Michel failed. Low and Michel were charged in May 2019 for conspiracy to funnel the formers foreign money into U.S. presidential campaign contributions in the run-up to the 2012 election. The two attempted to buy access to, and potential influence with, a candidate, the candidate's campaign, and the candidate's administration, a copy of the 2019 indictment said, without specifying which candidates campaign they targeted. Low directed the transfer of approximately $21,600,000 from foreign entities and accounts to Michel for the purpose of funneling significant sums of money into the United States presidential election as purportedly legitimate contributions, all while concealing the true source of the money, the DOJ statement in 2019 said, citing the indictment. To facilitate the excessive contributions and conceal their true source, Michel paid approximately $865,000 of the money received from Low to about 20 straw donors, or conduits, so that the straw donors could make donations in their names to a presidential joint fundraising committee. Separately, Republican fundraiser Broidy, who is alleged to have worked under Lows direction, was pardoned by Trump in January after he pleaded guilty last October of conspiring to violate foreign lobbying laws. Businesswoman Lum Davis, who is alleged to have worked under the direction of a Chinese vice minister of Public Security, pleaded guilty last August for violating foreign lobbying laws. Members of a Philippine tribal community join students during a protest in Manila against a Chinese-backed dam project which, critics say, would destroy the environment in the Sierra Mountain range in Luzon Island, April 9, 2019. Two Chinese debt contracts with the Philippines contain dispute arbitration and asset seizure clauses that unduly favor Beijing, according to analysts and loan agreements recently digitized and published by a U.S. think-tank. Agreements to fund the 12.2 billion peso (U.S. $255 million) Kaliwa Dam and 4.3 billion peso ($90 million) Chico River Pump Irrigation Project were two of 100 Chinese debt contracts published and analyzed by the authors of How China Lends, according to a report released in March by the Washington-based Center for Global Development. The Philippine contracts were the only ones from Southeast Asia included in the research. There are relatively few Southeast Asian countries in this database, and thats largely a function of those borrowing countries not being fairly transparent, said Scott Morris, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development and one of the authors to the report. Morris said the data likely points to similar concerning clauses in Indonesian, Cambodian, Malaysian, or Laotian deals. We do see consistent behavior on [the] part of the Chinese lenders, said Morris. BenarNews contacted the Malaysian and Indonesia finance ministries to ask if Chinese loan contracts to their countries were publicly available, but did not hear back. The two Philippines deals availability is due to domestic political pressure and transparency provisions in the countrys constitution, an analyst said. The details of the loans were revealed since public pressure erupted, said Alvin Camba, a Filipino scholar and incoming assistant professor at the University of Denver in the United States. The terms of the China deals in the Philippines arent that different from what most countries get. Skewed toward China Clauses in the two contracts give China power over the settlement of disputes, said Renato de Castro, a researcher at the Philippines Stratbase ADR Institute, which analyzes strategic issues influencing the Philippines and the Indo-Pacific region. If there are issues in terms of the implementation of the contract, it has to be arbitrated in Beijing, de Castro told BenarNews, referring to the Chico River Pump Irrigation Project. During the arbitration, each side picks one of the three members, but if they cant agree on the third member, CIETAC can choose that member, giving China overt control of the process. Under the 2018 loan agreement for the Chico River project, in which the Export-Import Bank of China agreed to lend Manila $62 million, disputes are to be arbitrated by the Beijing-based China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CEITAC), the document says. Similarly, under the 2018 contract on Chinas $211 million loan for the Kaliwa Dam project, a dispute between the Philippines and China would be arbitrated by the Hong Kong International Arbitration Center. These clauses contrast with arbitration practice for World Bank loans. The Washington-based global financial institution uses the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes, a multilateral body in which 163 member countries have a stake. While the center has been criticized for favoring investors rights over those of states, it is an autonomous institution. BenarNews contacted Philippine Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez for comment on these issues, but did not hear back. However, a 2019 Facebook post from the Department of Finance defends the arbitration clause. It says that a loan agreement with France in 2015 signed under the Aquino administration requires arbitration to be held in Paris at the International Chamber of Commerce. Some critics online commented on the post, asking why the government any partys government would agree to such arbitration terms at all. Commercial assets as collateral The Chico River project has also raised concerns, with critics saying it placed the Philippines patrimonial assets as collateral. The contract states that the Philippines irrevocably waives any immunity on patrimonial assets and assets dedicated to commercial use. This clause of the April 2018 lending agreement between the Export-Import Bank of China and the government of the Philippines states that national assets dedicated to commercial use could be claimed by the lender as part of the settlement of a dispute arising from the loan. [Loan Agreement] Patrimonial assets are properties owned by the Philippines that are not for public use, public service, or the development of national wealth, legal sources say. That means under the Chico River loan contract, the Philippines has no immunity on assets it owns that are used for commercial purposes. Antonio Carpio, a former senior associate justice at the Philippine Supreme Court, believes Beijing could end up taking over assets such as the gas-rich Reed Bank in the disputed South China Sea, if Manila failed to pay back the loan. In March 2019, then-Finance Assistant Secretary Antonio Lambino told CNN Philippines that Reed Bank could not be classified as a patrimonial asset because its exploitation would increase national wealth. But Carpio told BenarNews that Reed Bank must be considered a commercial use asset because the government would sell gas obtained from it to the market, There are many laws authorizing the sale of oil and gas to private parties under Service Contracts. Once covered by a Service Contract, [they] are patrimonial assets, they can now be collateralized and subject to seizure by creditors, he said. Other countries that lend do not employ such clauses in their loan agreements. For instance, Japan, also a major investor of infrastructure projects in the Philippines, does not require waivers of immunity, or the use of Japanese law. Japan also doesnt require waiving rights to patrimonial assets in its general terms and conditions for overseas development loans. Dominguez had pushed back on criticism of these Chinese deals in April, after local media outlet the Philippine Star published an article on the report How China Lends. In a letter to the publication, he said the article contained several inaccuracies and falsehoods in connection with Chinese-funded projects in the Philippines. The letter did not address concerns around patrimonial assets. But in 2019, the Department of Finance pointed out that the French contract, too, waived Philippine rights to patrimonial assets. Randy dela Cruzs son peeks into his fathers coffin, March 16, 2021. Tribal communities have protested displacement due to the Kaliwa dam project, and have faced sometimes violent reprisals, including the killing of two Dumagat community members during an anti-communist crackdown. [Jojo Rinoza/BenarNews] The need for transparency The Philippines example shows that countries borrowing from China could do more to make deals public, said Morris, of the Center for Global Development. I hope [the database] provides a roadmap for those who want to hold their governments accountable and ask for the nature of the commitments their government has made. Over the past decade, through its One Belt One Road (OBOR) infrastructure initiative, China has vastly increased the funding and construction of infrastructure projects across Southeast Asia. Ongoing construction in the region includes the $6 billion Bandung-Jakarta high-speed rail project in Indonesia and the $1.3 billion Kyaukphyu deep-water port in Myanmar, among others. According to Baker McKenzie, a multinational law firm, at least $166 billion has been invested by China as part of the OBOR in the region. But OBOR memoranda of understanding have [mostly] yet to be made publicly available, Angus Lam, an OBOR expert at the U.S.-Asia Institute in Washington, told BenarNews. It is no wonder that citizens across Southeast Asia generally disapprove of Chinese investment. Jason Gutierrez in Manila, Ahmad Syamsudin in Jakarta, and Hadi Azmi in Kuala Lumpur contributed to this report. Bennington, VT (05201) Today Thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. On Friday, The Associated Press reported on stories circulating online incorrectly claiming COVID-19 vaccines make people produce a spike protein that is a toxin and can spread to other parts of the body and damage organs. Police in Austin have arrested one suspect and are searching for another after a mass shooting on a crowded downtown street in which 14 people were wounded A bill approved by the Massachusetts House would upend the process of drawing precinct lines, setting off a squabble that pits Democratic lawmakers against the Democratic secretary of state and local municipal leaders Chuck Leach, president and CEO of Lee Bank, says that treating people's financial position and their financial situation with a high degree of care is always the approach he has brought in wealth management. "This is very much sacred ground," he says. "People aren't just a black box ... people shouldn't be treated like a number. Every case should be treated with a great degree of care. There should be a relationship built with that person." Elliott Greenblott is a retired educator and coordinator of the AARP Vermont Fraud Watch Network. He hosts a CATV program, Mr. Scammer, distributed by GNAT-TV in Sunderland, Vt.: gnat-tv.org . NORTH ADAMS While some who die in car crashes are memorialized at the spot where they died, George Ferris is being commemorated in an area where he spent a lot of his life. At Main and State streets, in a grassy park owned by the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, sits a wooden bench with a plaque honoring Ferris, a longtime barber in the city. Its between all the locations that my dad worked, which is nice, Craig Ferris, George Ferris son, said Thursday afternoon, while sitting on the bench. Two times I went over there myself or with my son, he said. Wed go over and sit on the bench and talk to my dad. Its a nice little park theyve created, he said. I know he would have liked to sit there. George Ferris was a third-generation barber who cut hair at his familys shop, Mans World Styling Salon, which had several locations in the city, including next to where the park is now and across the street. Last fall, he died at age 82, in a head-on collision on Curran Highway. His brothers closed the barbershop this year. Michelle Kirby, George Ferris cousin, said she called Mass MoCA and suggested that the museum dedicate a bench to Ferris. It was something I thought would be a nice tribute to George, she said. He was like my brother, even though he was my cousin. She also is a regular visitor to the bench. Maybe once a week I go over and sit on the bench and remember how good he was, she said. He was in good health, thats the thing. Its such a tragic way to die. Ann Meier, of Adams, is being charged with motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation and marked-lanes violation, according to the Berkshire District Attorneys Office. She was arraigned in Northern Berkshire District Court in March, and a pretrial hearing is scheduled for this month. The plaque, which is being cleaned and will be reinstated soon, reads: In memory of George Ferris, who dedicated his life to his family and friends. George Ferris was a beloved member of the North Adams community where his family owned and operated a barbershop since the 1930s, a Mass MoCA spokesperson said in an email. It seemed a fitting place to honor his legacy. George Ferris was a fixture at the shop. In 2006, he told The Eagle that barbering was in the blood for him. Its like washing up in the morning or brushing your teeth, he said at the time. He loved the people, his customers at the barbershop, Craig Ferris said. He really liked getting the lowdown of what was going on in town, what was going on with the customers. ... Hed get into everybodys business and theyd talk to him not unlike they were at a bar talking to a bartender. Growing up, he said, I knew he knew a lot of people, and I couldnt go anywhere without someone knowing who my dad was. I couldnt get away with anything, he added with a laugh. He still receives condolences from people who knew his dad. Its also a nice feeling knowing that that many people knew him and cared, he said. Its been a nice feeling having that kind of support behind the whole community. Its definitely helped. North Adams mayoral candidate Lynette Bond believes that her grant management and planning experience make her the best choice to lead the city. DALTON Like employers everywhere, when Dalton Police Chief Deanna Strout picks a job candidate, she is eager for that handshake of welcome. But, hiring by the department, already tricky because it must take candidates from a Civil Service list, got harder this year. A month before Strout was sworn in this past winter, police reform legislation vaporized the program used to train reserve officers those who work less than full time and whose ranks number in the thousands. Amid the transition of leaders at the Dalton Police Department, that change escaped notice. We certainly didnt know. We signed this gentleman up for the reserve academy, only to find out that it was shut down, Strout said of her candidate. With its usual training pipeline blocked, Dalton opted this spring to add two full-time officers by elevating existing reserve staff. Now, instead of going to the reserve academy at Springfield Technical Community College, Strouts hoped-for new hire will have to undergo more rigorous training over 23 weeks, as required by the new law. Current reserve officers, meantime, will be compelled to undergo additional training that will take about 200 hours to complete. That higher bar will compel cities and towns across the state to pay more to train officers. And once all officers have the higher level of training, whats to stop those who work part time in small towns from applying for full-time positions anywhere? Thats a question being asked by leaders of small departments that have used a cadre of part-time officers. Filling the ranks is going to be difficult, said Chief Timothy Sorrell, of Lanesborough. Why, he asks, would a candidate for a part-time police officer position, after working to attain the full training credential, be satisfied with a part-time post? And come back to a job that would only offer them part-time employment? Sorrell asked. Not many would settle for that, he thinks. Police Chief Craig W. DeSantis, of Lee, thinks the new law will, over several years, lead smaller departments to discontinue use of part-time officers. I see no long-term staffing model that maintains reserves, DeSantis said. That will have a significant impact on many communities, Lee included. In the meantime, area police chiefs say their ability to recruit and fill vacancies is on hold. If we needed someone to come in right away, wed be in a bad place, said Michael Ziemba, interim police chief in Williamstown. Fortunately for the department, staffing is stable, he said. Even if we had new people we wanted to bring in the state doesnt have any training in place. Its going to make things harder, thats for sure. Recruiting is hard to begin with. Strout, the Dalton chief, says that as her department waits like others for clarity on future training rules and options, its as if the reform imposed a hiring freeze. Im stuck right where Im at, because the kid on my list has not been through the academy. Reforms goals In January, the states Municipal Police Training Committee halted the training of reserve police officers because of the reform law signed by Gov. Charlie Baker on Dec. 31. Be patient, the committee said. 'Tough on crime': Reform efforts buck longstanding trends in Massachusetts, some say In debates over Massachusetts police reform bill, some lawmakers and police unions have suggested the bill responds to issues that exist else We are diligently reviewing the new law and gaining a better understanding of its requirements as they relate to our agency and the various law enforcement agencies we serve, the group said in a Jan. 13 statement. While we understand that there are questions about the status of reserve officers in the Commonwealth and the impact this law will have on numerous agencies we ask for your patience at this time as we develop a plan to move forward. Officers who already received training as reserve police will remain certified under the law. But, before those certifications expire, they must complete additional training. The reform law, driven in large part by public outrage over police killings, brings an array of changes to how Massachusetts police departments operate. In terms of training, the law created a Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, on which Pittsfields Michael Wynn serves as the only police chief. The new group has the power to investigate police misconduct, and to certify and decertify officers. If an officer is decertified, that person loses the protection of qualified immunity, which has shielded officers from civil lawsuits. The law also sets up a task force on the use of body cameras, calls for a review of Civil Service, bans chokeholds, requires new policies on the use of force and sets up three Legislative commissions to examine structural racism in criminal justice, among other provisions. Costs of change At recent annual town meetings in the Berkshires, chiefs of small departments briefed officials on the reform measures fallout particularly its costs. In Lanesborough, Sorrell allocated more money for training for the coming year but saw his departments budget request be cut. Sorrell estimates that the cost of bringing the departments eight part-time officers up to the new training standard will exceed $36,000 and could well be more. Its going to be interesting to see, he said. One saving grace for town budgets is that the bridge training for current part-time officers might be held in groups over the next three years, perhaps by taking trainees in alphabetical order. The demand for training, even before the new law, had been building during the pandemic, due to enrollment limits set to provide social distancing. Sorrell has checked Lanesboroughs training list and thinks just two of the eight part-time officers might undergo training in the coming fiscal year. There are thousands of officers throughout the state who will have to meet this requirement, said Sorrell, who retires June 30. Local chiefs say they are waiting to get a fuller picture of what lies ahead, once the POST commission takes shape. In Dalton, Chief Strout likens the change to having a law come along that declares that all nurses need to be registered nurses with the additional training that would demand. The way it was done had a significant impact on us, she recently told members of the Select Board. Its not just our department. Its every department around us. It will be 12 to 14 months before we see a candidate start from a hire date now. There was certainly no funding available to us to get this done, she added. We will not be hiring reserve officers any more. It changes our staffing strategy, said Joe Diver, the boards chair. I dont think people understand the impact of the police reform, said Robert W. Bishop Jr., a board member. Strout said she supports the police reform bill and values having a force with higher levels of training. Trust me, I have no issue with that level of training. Im happy with that part of it. Its a huge change thats been forced upon us, but well get there, Strout said. LENOX Help (and housing) wanted! ASAP! Many, if not most, local businesses, especially in the hospitality industry, are begging for workers as a blockbuster summer tourism season already is in full swing. Reasons typically cited for the staffing shortage include ongoing child care issues affecting working parents, lingering fear of COVID risks in the workplace as vaccination hesitation and resistance continue, and a cushion of unemployment benefits that makes minimum wage jobs unappealing. Theres another major obstacle in the Berkshires, especially in prosperous towns outside the two cities: the lack of subsidized mixed-income and workforce housing for area businesses and large employers such as General Dynamics, Wayfair and Miraval thats affordable in a tourism-oriented area where home prices have been soaring and rentals are scarce. Now comes a preliminary proposal from a highly regarded developer, Pennrose LLC, for 13 buildings with five units apiece, and a community center clubhouse with a management office. The 65-unit, mixed-income, rental housing village would be on 8.5 acres of the 68-acre Brushwood Farms property in Lenox, centrally located in a mixed-use area along Route 7/20 (Pittsfield Road) on the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority bus line, close to health care professionals, a fitness center and retailers, but not directly adjacent to a residential area. The company, which developed the Village at Nauset Green complex in Eastham on the Cape, entered a purchase and sale agreement this week with Dr. James R. Hashim, trustee of the family-owned Brushwood property. The cost of the land acquisition, near the Courtyard at Marriott and across from Lenox Commons, is undisclosed. At a well-received briefing for the towns Affordable Housing Trust on Thursday, Pennrose Regional Vice President Charlie Adams pointed out that were just approaching the starting line but offered a general overview of the plan for workforce and affordable units. The site is on a plateau atop a hill southeast of the Marriott, avoiding wetlands and preserving adjacent areas for potential development. Pennrose envisions creation of a welcoming residential community centered on sustainability and connection to our natural environment, reflecting the historic nature of local Berkshire architecture, providing accessible and attractive rental housing options for Lenox families of all incomes. Other project highlights: The mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments in two- and three-story buildings would cater to singles, young families and seniors looking to downsize, with pricing, based on area median income, ranging from an estimated $700 to $800 monthly for a one-bedroom to $1,200 for a three-bedroom. One-year leases could be renewed automatically. Adams pointed out that this is such an important project to the town, since only 7.2 percent of housing in Lenox (178 units) is in the affordable category. The state wants communities to reach a 10 percent goal. He projected that 75 percent of the towns residents would be eligible for units allocated by lottery, with a first-year preference for locals. Financing would include federal and state tax credits, other state funding programs, local Community Preservation Act support and multiple other sources. The estimated cost would be well above $20 million, not including the purchase of the land. The preliminary site plan includes donation to the town from the Hashims for land conservation and open space, including trails open to the public, for a majority of the 68-acre property. After meetings with town boards and committees, if all goes well, the goal would be to complete the permitting for the project by the end of this year, then put together financing, complete the design and potentially break ground by December 2022 at the very earliest, Adams said. We have a social responsibility to our families and our neighbors, Olga Weiss, a member of the Affordable Housing Trust, declared after the preliminary project presentation. It is exciting to think that we could come up with something like this. She also praised the land-conservation aspect of the plan. This will serve a lot of people trying to get out of their homes or coming into the community and just starting out, said Marybeth Mitts, chairwoman of the Affordable Housing Trust and a Select Board member. Judging from the applause by town officials and a few residents attending the meeting, this mixed-income development may get a warm welcome in town. Construction of workforce and subsidized housing is always a heavy lift in any community, since, for no good reason, affordable housing is an off-putting concept for some residents. The Pennrose proposal is off to a promising start. 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. In at least a dozen states, legislators have passed bills that restrict the focused teaching of historical lessons of racially violent, intense or uncomfortable incidents like the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921, the Trail of Tears and other episodes in a pushback against critical race theory in classes. But educators have countered with pushback of their own. In 22 cities they are organizing protests against the legislative efforts to make teachers sidestep education about race in America. On Saturday (June 12), led by a group called the Zinn Education Project, a collaboration of two nonprofits: Teaching for Change and Rethinking Schools. Teachers will hold nationwide events like rallies or even history-oriented teach-ins in what they are calling a Day of Action. "Our children deserve to be taught authentic, connective histories," Tamara Anderson, a member of Black Lives Matter at School, told USA Today. "Indigenous, Black, Latino, Asian and other people of color make up the fabric of what is actually America." On its website, the Zinn Education Projects organizers are encouraging participants to select sites in their respective cities that make it so that teachers would be forced to lie about or omit information because of legislation that requires it; organize rallies with other educators and concerned individuals; have everyone speak out on the importance of teaching history fully; and post content about it to social media with the hashtag #TeachTruth. What the educators say they are fighting against is an essential whitewashing of historical events showing a perpetuation in America of white supremacy and systemic racism. States like Texas are moving bills through their legislatures that would at least limit the teaching of critical race theory, criticizing it as a way to implement teachers personal biases into the classroom, the Texas Tribune reports. In Arkansas and Mississippi, lawmakers are moving bills forward that would ban teaching of The New York Times 1619 Project, which outlines how slavery as an institution was established that year in colonial Virginia. The bills say the series misrepresents history, according to EducationWeek. RELATED: The New York Times 1619 Project About Slavery Draws Criticism From People Who Want To Bury Its Legacy The National Education Association balks at such legislative attempts to thwart teaching of the nations racial past. The National Education Association, which is supporting the Zinn project along with BLM at School, says it is considering legal action against legislation that would hinder how history is taught to students. Becky Pringle, president of the NEA told USA Today that the union would defend any teachers brought up on charges. Perspectives like that of the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank view the push toward critical race theory counterproductive. "The account of history becomes derogatory," Charles Lehman, a fellow at the organization, told USA Today. "Theres a difference in saying, 'We have done evil things,' from the stronger claim that America is essentially racist." But to others like Chris Stewart, CEO of brightbeam, an education nonprofit, that misses the point. "Theres a long-overdue reckoning happening right now around George Floyd and race in this country that bad-faith actors on the conservative side want to shut down," Stewart told USA Today. "The reckoning from one side is to shut it down by never talking about it, and to stop your teachers from exploring it, because we dont want to feel bad about it." The Zinn projects Day of Action has rallies planned for places like African American Civil War Memorial in Washington, D.C.; Northside Pool in Youngstown, Ohio where Blacks were once banned by segregation; and in Richmond, Va., at the Daughters of the Confederacys national headquarters. Raymond Riles has been on death row since 1974 but he has now been sentenced to life in prison. According to the Associated Press, Riley, 71, will not be executed by the state of Texas after prosecutors concluded he was ineligible for execution and incompetent for retrial due to his long history of mental illness. Riles also has heart disease and is recovering from prostate cancer. Raymond Riles is the countrys longest serving death row prisoner for the 1974 shooting of John Thomas Henry, which was supposedly over a car. RELATED: Death Row Chronicles Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a statement, We will never forget John Henry, who was murdered so many years ago by Riles, and we believe justice would best be served by Riles spending the remainder of his life in custody of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Riles new sentence means he is up for parole, but Henrys family will fight against his release, according to the Associated Press. Jim Marcus, one of Riles attorneys, said in a statement, Mr. Riles is in very poor health but, if the Board of Pardons and Paroles sees fit to grant parole, he has family with the capacity to care for him. Sasha Obama turned 20 on June 10, and while she trended on social media for hours, she also received tons of love from her father and mother, former First Couple Barack and Michelle Obama. Her dad posted an adorable throwback photo of Sasha with the caption, "Happy birthday, Sasha! Youve grown so much, and its been a joy to watch you become the person we always hoped youd be. Your mom and I cant wait to see where life takes you next." See below: The family of Alton Sterling, who was fatally shot by police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 2016, announced Friday (June 11) it has settled a lawsuit against the city for $4.5 million. Sterling was 37 when he was fatally shot. His family, including his five children, filed suit the next year. Attorneys for Sterlings children say the settlement will allow the city to heal and provide a pathway for Mr. Sterlings children to be provided for financially. RELATED: Alton Sterlings Family Offered Settlement In a statement, lawyers for the family said that aside from the funds, they are grateful for the significant policy changes that have been and will be implemented by the city of Baton Rouge and the Baton Rouge Police Department following Mr. Sterlings death. Following Sterlings death, Baton Rouge prohibited the use of chokeholds and firing into moving vehicles in its police department. The attorneys, which include L. Chris Stewart, Brandon DeCuir, Michael R.D. Adams, Justin Bamberg, and Dale Glover say the new police implementations will ensure that no other family has to endure the trauma and heartbreak that Mr. Sterlings family went through and will create a better future going forward for Baton Rouge residents. In July of 2016, Alton Sterling stood outside Triple S Food Mart. Baton Rouge officers Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake II were called to the scene to investigate a report of a man threatening people with a gun. RELATED: Police Chief Apologizes For His Department Hiring The Cop Who Killed Alton Sterling The officers approached Sterling and wrestled him to the ground. While Sterling was pinned, the officers screamed, "He's got a gun!" Sterling was then shot in the chest and back several times. Sterling's death was recorded by witnesses outside the mart. Police alleged Sterling was reaching for a gun. Federal and state prosecutors never pressed charges against the officers. Blane Salamoni was fired from the department in 2018. Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce employees, city officials and members of the community gathered outside the Chamber on Friday, June 11, 2021, to cut a couple ribbons including one made of face masks under an explosion of confetti to signify the grand reopening of the business community to full capacity. Close Call ahead to confirm events. Due to COVID-19, many events have been canceled but hosting organizations might not have updated their entries. Email Blast Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. Daily News Headlines & Events Email Blast Would you like to receive a digest of each day's headlines & events from The Daily News by email? Signup today! The Amplifier Headlines & Events Email Blast Would you like to receive a weekly digest of headlines & events from The Amplifier by email? Signup today! Daily News Hosted Events The Daily News is a proud host of community enrichment events. Join our Daily News Events mailing list to learn about the next event we are planning. Sign up now. Manage your lists A Fathers Foolish Decision In Judges 11:29-40, we read a story about a father who made a foolish vow that affected the life of his daughter. Jephthah was a leader, a judge of Israel. One day he set out to do battle with the sons of Ammon. Instead of simply asking God to show him favor, he makes a vow that he will offer up to the Lord the first thing that comes out of his house to greet him if God brings him victory. The text seems to imply he was thinking of a sacrificial animal. God hears Jephthahs prayer, and gives his enemies into his hand. Imagine his dismay when he returns home and is greeted by his one and only daughter. He realizes his vow will cost her dearly and affect him as well. Some translations (and biblical scholars) indicate that Jephthah actually sacrificed his daughter as a burnt offering, but we know this cannot be true. God would never accept or approve of child sacrifice; He declares it to be an abomination. The context tells us what happened. Jephthahs daughter asked for two months to go to the mountains with her friends and weep because of her virginity. In other words, because of her fathers vow, she would never marry, but be set apart in devotion and service to the Lord as an unmarried, single woman. She would never know the joy of having her own family, and as Jephthahs only child, his family line would end. Judges 11:39 is clear: At the end of two months she returned to her father, who did according to the vow which he had made; and she had no relations with a man. The course of Jephthahs daughters life was irrevocably changed because of the actions of her father. We dont know what happened after this event, but there are only two possibilities. The daughter accepted her fate and decided to embrace this new course of her life, maintaining a forgiving and loving relationship with her father, or she became bitter and broken, angry that her father had done something which to her mind was foolish and unfair. Photo credit: Getty Images/Photoboyko Editor's note: This story is for Insiders, but is being provided for everyone for free as an example of the great work available to Insiders. Read more great journalism work from the staff at the Pioneer by becoming an Insider today. MORTON TOWNSHIP A petition is circulating in one Mecosta County community to establish a special assessment district to fund a gypsy moth suppression program. Gypsy moths have caused headaches for many residents around Mecosta County. The infestation this year has gotten so severe, the Board of Directors of the Tri-Lakes Association of Morton Township started a petition to create a special assessment district for the Tri-Lakes area only. The Tri Lakes area consists of Lake Mecosta, Round Lake and Blue Lake with roughly 660 properties and about 550 residents. The special assessment district would fund a three- to five-year program to battle the bugs. Heres how it all started COMPLAINTS ABOUT CATERPILLARS Gypsy moths are known for feeding on the leaves of oak, aspen, crabapple and many other types of trees. The leaf-eating caterpillars are hairy, up to 2 inches long, and have a pattern of blue and dark-red spots. Female moths are white with black, wavy markings and do not fly. Males are dark, buff in color and fly. Last summer, northern Michigan experienced an outbreak of gypsy moths and a large population in 2020 resulted in more caterpillars hatching this spring. Dave Lewis, a Round Lake resident and president of Tri-Lakes Association of Morton Township, approached the Morton Township board in September 2020 to bring the gypsy moth situation to their attention. A month prior, Sandy Brogan, secretary of the association, encouraged the board to have a survey completed and see which areas were effected. The Morton Township board of trustees agreed to spend up to $12,000 to conduct a township-wide survey of gypsy moth egg masses, according to the boards Oct. 13, 2020, meeting minutes. The township hired Aquatic Consulting Services to complete the survey. SURVEY SAYS: INFESTATION Morton Township trustees received Aquatic Consulting Services findings December 2020. During our survey, we were able to confirm that the areas of concern referenced by Morton Township officials and residents are in fact infested with gypsy moths, Neal Swanson, owner/biologist of the company, wrote in his letter to the board. Several of the areas showed evidence of successive years of infestation the newly deposited egg masses from summer 2020 were the most numerous, he added. There are three major environmental controls that limit gypsy moth population buildups: a fungus called E. maiamiga; a gypsy moth virus called Nucleopolyhedrosis; and a class of egg parasitoid wasps. Aquatic Consulting Services recommended 32 infested areas to spray for treatment 1,452 acres in total. The areas included Morton Township, School Section Lake, Canadian Lakes, the Tri-Lakes and the village of Mecosta. The most common reasons to spray were evident tree damage and high egg mass densities. All recommended areas contain potentially damaging gypsy moth egg mass numbers, Aquatic Consulting Services stated in its recommendation. Accordingly, all spray areas are highly recommended for Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (B.t.k.) treatment in spring 2021. We strongly advise Morton Township maintains a monitoring program for the next 2-3 years at least, it concluded. SOARING COST, LACK OF FUNDING Morton Township supervisor Mark Klumpp told the Pioneer the purpose of the survey was to map out the township and determine the highest concentration of gypsy moths. "We got the survey back and it showed approximately 1,400 acres that was targeted for spraying," Klumpp said. "The majority of that is around the Tri-Lakes area. That 1,400 acres is about 6.5% of the township. Not overwhelming, but on the radar." Upon seeing the numbers, the township officials decided to do some research on spraying for suppression of the gypsy moths, he said. "The last time the infestation was this bad, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the cost for spraying was much cheaper and was subsidized by county and state funding," Klumpp said. "The cost is now upwards of $100 and acre. "For Morton Township, that 1,400 acres is going to be around $143,000 a year," he continued. "To be successful, you can't do one and done. You have to do three years of application, so that would be about $500,000 over the three years." Klumpp said they reached out to Mecosta County officials, and other townships in the state, but there was no funding support available. "At that point, we decided not to spray, based on the fact that it is not an emergency situation, it is more of a nuisance," he said. "That's when our residents came forward and talked about a special assessment (district)." Originally, he said, the idea was to impose the special assessment townshipwide, but that would mean residents that didn't have a problem with the gypsy moths would be paying for the suppression program. The township's legal counsel suggested getting a petition for a special assessment district that would come from the residents. The township's assessor began working with the Tri-Lakes Association to create the special assessment district for their area. The petition will be presented to the township board in July, at which time they will begin the process of public hearings. "If it is approved by the residents, we can impose it and collect it and start spraying next spring, just for the Tri-Lakes area," Klumpp said. The suppression program would involve spraying in spring 2022, and following that with another survey in the fall to see if there is a need for additional spraying the following year. Another thing the township had to take into consideration, Klumpp said, is that the gypsy moth problem is cyclic, so it may go away on its own. "When we talk to the state and the DNR, the gypsy moth is not a huge thing on their radar," he said. "It is hard to convince property owners of that, however, when they can't go out on their deck and have a cup of coffee without getting covered in gypsy moth stuff." "What I want to get across is, that we care about our residents, and we are doing whatever we can," he added. 'PETITION PROCESS IS IN PROGRESS' To create a special assessment district, a petition must be signed by a majority of area residents and presented to the township board for consideration. The Tri-Lake Association posted a notice on its website April 1 alerting its residents of the petition. If enough signatures are acquired, and the board concurs, affected residents will have at least two opportunities to express their opinions at scheduled public hearings, the notice states. The area recommend for spraying this spring around the Tri-Lakes will be assessed between $75-100 per year of the program. The amount will be determined by Morton Township when it prepares a budget for the project. The current assessment plan is for 3-5 years, and if gypsy moths are still present after that, another public meeting will be held to determine if the program should be extended. The gathering of parcel owners signatures in the petition process is in progress at this time, Lewis told the Pioneer. In order to satisfy township requirements it will be necessary to complete this task by early July in order to get the proposed assessment on the winter 2021 tax roll, if passed. With a population of about 550, Lewis said the petition must collect 51% or roughly 280 of residents' signatures in support prior to submitting it. His goal is to collect 300, he said. Our township board is being diligent in their performance of their duties and we appreciate their help in doing this, Lewis said of Morton Township officials. SIMILAR STORIES: 'IT'S NOT PRETTY' Earlier this week, the Pioneer shared Morton Township resident Mike Quillens story about the gypsy moth infestation on his property. We asked our readers to share their experiences with gypsy moths this year and received a number of similar stories. Responses have been edited for clarity. Ronald Kaledas, Colfax Township Last year, most of our oak and poplar trees were stripped completely of all foliage. It was so strange to walk through our wooded areas that were completely without shade. This year, things are even worse. About 25% of our trees have died because of the damage done by the caterpillars last year. Everett Farmer, Mecosta Its not pretty. The canopy of quite a few trees have been nearly cleared, and the droppings are ridiculously nasty. I have, for the last (few) days, had to leaf blow the driveway, sidewalks, and the deck to attempt to clear up the partially-eaten leaves that have fallen and all the caterpillars droppings. Angela Shell, Blue Lake What else can we do about this issue? Every time you walk outside, some of their poop falls on you. Its all over the ground. They are everywhere. Jo Anne Gibbons, Morley "I have had thousands of gypsy moths on my house and garage. They are everywhere. Hanging under my walnut trees and hanging down on silken webs. They are leaving a covering of poop on all the outdoor furniture." Marlies Manning, Big Rapids "I am distressed and stressed watching our mature oaks, maples, apple trees, witch hazels, and now perennials become victims. We have to blow off the patio, sidewalk, and patio furniture twice a day to clean off the frazz and leaf debris." If you're experiencing a problem with gypsy moths on your property, share your story with Editor Bradley Massman at bmassman@hearstnp.com. See what Marion resident Wayne Smith's gypsy moth infestation looks like at his property in the videos below. Alyssa Dewitt went to the beach on Wednesday for the first time since last month when she saved several children from a near drowning incident at First Street Beach in the city of Manistee. It was really calm and it was really beautiful. The water was so nice, there was people all over," Dewitt said. "And I just found myself scanning the water constantly watching people swim just making sure that everyone was OK, which I dont feel like Im ever going to stop doing that. On Friday, June 11, Dewitt received several awards during a ceremony from the Manistee City Police Department, Manistee Fire Department and Great Lakes Water Safety Consortium for her successful efforts to save three children on May 25. On that day, she had noticed several children were waving for help at First Street Beach and she ran out onto the pier and was able to pull the children to safety. After the ceremony, Dewitt, of Manistee said she was hoping this incident would help parents and kids realize the danger and to make better choices when it comes to recreating in Lake Michigan. I dont think (people) realize how quickly you can get sucked out there, she recalled. It was a matter of minutes that those girls started struggling and only a matter of minutes before I got to them and they were struggling to keep their heads above the water at that point. Dewitt said she helped each girl one at a time. My only thought was get them out of the water because theyre not going to make it another minute,' she said. She also noted that she is pregnant. Manistee Police Chief Josh Glass presented Dewitt with the Citizen Heroism Award given for a conspicuous act of valor and heroism by a citizen under hazardous conditions in which the person is placed in potentially life-threatening position. (She saved) three children who were struggling to swim in Lake Michigan during hazardous weather conditions and subsequently pulling them to safety onto the pier, he said on behalf of the police department and Manistee Fire Department that it was their honor to present her with the award. Its a great honor to feel like we have members like this of our public walking around (who are) nothing less than superheroes. Glass said that drowning incidents happen very quickly and often do not end like this incident where all were saved. He added that the departments did not think the Citizen Heroism Award was enough. Mark Cameron, Manistee Fire Chief also presented a plaque for the award to Dewitt on behalf of both departments. (This is) in recognition of your act of valor and heroism in sudden and unexpected situation which resulted in the preservation of the lives of three children, he said. Jamie Racklyeft, executive director of the Great lakes Water Safety Consortium, noted that the group focuses on making sure people avoid drowning, escape drowning and can safely save lives of others. And thats what you did, safely saving someone else, Racklyeft told Dewitt at the award presentation. Because too often would-be rescuers become drowning victims because they didnt take precautions. But you were smart, you saved them and you were able to come home to your own family. Were very grateful for that. He presented Dewitt with the consortiums Water Safety Hero Award in honor of her bravery. That award also makes her eligible for the groups annual Superhero Award, he said. Racklyeft said the group focuses on advising communities and parks on how to keep beaches safer, educating the public on how to be safer around the water. He said several key slogans that help people stay safer are: knowing before you go, staying dry when waves are high and steering clear of the pier. Dewitt said she is extremely grateful for all the love she is receiving from Manistee and around the world. I am getting messages from Australia, Thailand, people want permission to share my Facebook post and to rewrite the story in their language and post it on their websites, she said. Its coming from everywhere. I was just baffled at how far that story has gotten. But back at the beach, Dewitt said she doesnt think she will ever stop scanning the water and thinking about the what ifs. It was kind of sad to sit there and think about that day, but very happy of course that it worked out, she said. The study has received funding support of 3.5 million from the Wellcome Trust and Chen Yet-Sen Family Foundation LV Prasad Eye Institute in collaboration with the Queen's University of Belfast, along with nearly 30 other partners from the US, the UK, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and India, is working on a suite of studies to explore the impact of vision care on the global level to achieve Sustainable Development Goals in low and middle-income countries. The study has received funding support of 3.5 million from the Wellcome Trust and Chen Yet-Sen Family Foundation. Led by Professor Nathan Congdon of Queens University Belfast (QUB) in the UK and Dr Rohit Khanna of the LV Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI), various universities, schools non-government organisations, public health bodies, government ministries, institutions and patient groups are part of the multi-disciplinary study team. From LVPEI, Senior Public Health Specialists Dr Srinivas Marmamula and Asha Latha Metla and Senior Retina Consultant - Dr Raja Narayanan are also part of the study. The other collaborators from India include Dr Suvarna Alladi from NIMHANS at Bengaluru, Dr Pallab Maulik from The George Institute for Global Health India at New Delhi and ShashidharKomaravolu from the Alzheimers and Related Disorders Society of India, Hyderabad Deccan Chapter. Termed as ENGINE (Eyecare Nurtures Good-health, Innovation, driving-safety and Education), it is a five-year project designed to leverage high-quality research results to drive lasting policy change and achieve an improved quality of life for people in low and middle-income countries. ENGINE comprises four research trials in India, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, to examine the impact of glasses on promoting better living, from childhood to old age, and the impact on multiple SDGs, says Dr Rohit Khanna, Director, Gullapalli Pratibha Rao International Centre for Advancement of Rural Eye care (GPR ICARE), LV Prasad Eye Institute. The four research projects that are part of this study are: CLEVER (Cognitive Level Enhancement through Vision Exams and Refraction) that supports the Indian governments strategy of finding scalable, low-cost means of preventing dementia. This project is built upon the work done in homes for the aged project funded by Wellcome Trust India Alliance. STABLE (Slashing Two-wheeler Accidents By Leveraging Eyecare) that will assist local partners, including the Vietnamese Ministry of Transport, to combat Vietnams twin epidemics of uncorrected short-sightedness and motorcycle crashes in the young. ZEAL (Zimbabwe Eyecare and Learning) will work with local partners who currently implement the Zimbabwe governments national school vision project to explore how targeting long-sighted children with the novel, low-cost screening can add to the academic impact of the programme. THRIFT (Transforming Households with Refraction and Innovative Financial Technology) that will capitalise on the Bangladesh governments novel and forward-looking plan to digitise all social safety net payments to the elderly by providing free glasses and training to help them better cope with unfamiliar smartphones, thus improving financial independence. Dr V K Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, has highlighted the need for due scientific process in arriving at such decisions The UK government has reduced the gap between two doses of COVID-19 vaccines from 12 weeks to 8 weeks for the people who are in the top 9 priority groups who are yet to receive both doses. This latest development was announced on June 11, 2021 as a recent study by Public Health England (PHE) showed that two doses of the COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective against the Delta (B.1.617.2) variant. It may be noted that the Delta variant, which was first detected in India, is spreading rapidly in the United Kingdom and has quickly become the dominant strain there, and causing surges of COVID-19 in some parts of England. While India which is just taking control of the second wave of COVID-19 and preparing for the third wave, it is looking at what the UK government has taken to control spreading of the B.1.617.2 variant. On June 12, 2021, India has reported 84,332 Daily New Cases in the last 24 hours. The country has recorded less than 1 lakh Daily New Cases for 5 continuous days now. Out of the people infected since the beginning of the pandemic, 2,79,11,384 people have already recovered from COVID-19 & 1,21,311 patients have recovered in the last 24 hours. This constitutes an overall recovery rate of 95.07 per cent, which is showing a sustained increasing trend. However briefing media on June 11, Dr V K Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog has assured that there is no need for panic on the need for an immediate change in the dosage interval. Dr Paul has highlighted the need for due scientific process in arriving at such decisions. He has appealed to the public to respect the decision taken by National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI), where there are quite a few people who have been a part of World Health Organisation (WHO) panels and committees and are globally renowned and recognized for their eminence. Let the decision regarding dose interval be examined by NTAGI, as per due process. The United Kingdom must have adopted due process and examined data scientifically, to revise their previous decision regarding the gap. The UK had earlier kept the gap at 12 weeks, but as per data available to us, we did not consider it safe at that point. So, let us entrust this to our scientific fora, they must be addressing it already. They will review it based on the pandemic situation in our country, depending on the extent of prevalence of the delta variant in our country and then take a comprehensive view. Whichever decision is taken by our scientific community, we will honour it. It may be noted that India had extended the gap between two doses of COVISHIELD vaccine from 6-8 weeks to 12-16 weeks based on recommendation of COVID Working Group on May 12, 2021. The COVID Working Group chaired by Dr N K Arora has recommended extension of the gap between the first and second doses of COVISHIELD vaccine to 12-16 weeks. Based on the available real-life evidences, particularly from UK, the COVID-19 Working Group agreed for increasing the dosing interval to 12-16 weeks between two doses of COVISHIELD vaccine. No change in interval of COVAXIN vaccine doses was recommended. The COVID Working Group comprises of the following members: Dr N K Arora- Director, INCLEN Trust; Dr Rakesh Agarwal, Director and dean, JIPMER, Puducherry; Dr Gagandeep Kang, professor, Christian Medical College, Vellore; Dr J P Mulliyal, Retd professor, Christian Medical College, Vellore; Dr Naveen Khanna, Group Leader, International Centre For Genetic Engineering And Biotechnology (ICGEB), JNU, New Delhi; Dr Amulya Panda, Director, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi; Dr V G Somani, Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), Government of India; The recommendation of the COVID Working Group was accepted by the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19 (NEGVAC), headed by Dr Paul, Member (Health) Niti Aayog in its meeting on May 12, 2021. On June 11, Dr Paul has pointed out that We must remember that when we increased the gap, we had to consider the risk posed by the virus to those who have received only one dose. But the counterpoint was that more people will then be able to get the first dose, thereby giving a reasonable degree of immunity to more people. Dr Paul further added that We need to balance these concerns. So, please remember, that we need to necessarily have this debate and discourse in the public domain; however, the decision has to be taken by appropriate fora comprising eminent people who are knowledgeable about this. Let the COVID Working Group take an appropriate and quick stand regarding the gap between two doses so that it will be a win-win situation for all. Narayan Kulkarni (narayan.kulkarni@mmactiv.com) The new effort will track the emergence of viral variants correlated to epidemiological dynamics and clinical outcomes A consortium of four city clusters Bengaluru, Hyderabad, New Delhi, and Pune has been established to upscale SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus genomic surveillance, complementing national efforts led by INSACOG. The consortium is established with generous support and seed funding from Rockefeller Foundation. The new effort will track the emergence of viral variants correlated to epidemiological dynamics and clinical outcomes. The consortium aims to develop targeted sampling strategies based on granular epidemiological and clinical data. Coupled with intense environmental surveillance and advanced computational techniques, the consortium would also focus on building capabilities for real-time surveillance and epidemiology. The consortium is led by CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CSIR-CCMB), Hyderabad, and currently includes different partners in three other cities: NCBS-TIFR, InStem-DBT and NIMHANS in Bengaluru; CSIR-IGIB in New Delhi; Pune Knowledge Cluster, IISER-Pune and CSIR-NCL in Pune. It will work closely with local governments, hospitals, and clinicians. In collaboration with INSACOG, the consortium aims to eventually make this a national effort by expanding to other strategic locations in India. Dr Rakesh Mishra, Advisor, CSIR-CCMB will lead these efforts along with Prof Satyajit Mayor, NCBS, Prof LS Shashidhara, Pune Knowledge Cluster and Dr Anurag Agrawal, CSIR-IGIB. The team says, We aim to develop strategies and capabilities to identify Variants of Concern before they spread widely and cause outbreaks. This will also help correlate with clinical symptoms and disease severity, potentially associated with emerging variants. Prof Satyajit Mayor, Director, NCBS adds on behalf of the Bengaluru partners, "Leveraging the capacity of each of the city clusters both in academic institutions and industry, is a much-needed effort at this time. This can help create a sustainable platform for genomic surveillance long after Covid, and many other infectious diseases." Via: USA Today: Lake Mead has declined to its lowest level since the reservoir was filled in the 1930s following the construction of Hoover Dam, marking a new milestone for the water-starved Colorado River in a downward spiral that shows no sign of letting up. The reservoir near Las Vegas holds water for cities, farms and tribal lands in Arizona, Nevada, California and Mexico. Years of unrelenting drought and temperatures pushed higher by climate change are shrinking the flow into the lake, contributing to the large mismatch between the demands for water and the Colorados diminishing supply. The lakes rapid decline has been outpacing projections from just a few months ago. Its surface reached a new low Wednesday night when it dipped past the elevation of 1,071.6 feet, a record set in 2016. But unlike that year, when inflows helped push the lake levels back up, the watershed is now so parched and depleted that Mead is projected to continue dropping next year and into 2023. Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the country, now stands at just 36% of full capacity. If and when the powers-that-be decide to move on from their pandemic narrative, lockdowns wont be going anywhere. Instead it looks like theyll be rebranded as climate lockdowns, and either enforced or simply held threateningly over the publics head. At least, according to an article written by an employee of the WHO, and published by a mega-coporate think-tank. Lets dive right in. THE REPORTS AUTHOR AND BACKERS The report, titled Avoiding a climate lockdown, was written by Mariana Mazzucato, a professor of economics at University College London, and head of something called the Council on the Economics of Health for All, a division of the World Health Organization. It was first published in October 2020 by Project Syndicate, a non-profit media organization that is (predictably) funded through grants from the Open society Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and many, many others. After that, it was picked up and republished by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), which describes itself as a global, CEO-led organization of over 200 leading businesses working together to accelerate the transition to a sustainable world.. The WBCSDs membership is essentially every major company in the world, including Chevron, BP, Bayer, Walmart, Google and Microsoft. Over 200 members totalling well over 8 TRILLION dollars in annual revenue. In short: an economist who works for the WHO has written a report concerning climate lockdowns, which has been published by both a Gates+Soros backed NGO AND a group representing almost every bank, oil company and tech giant on the planet. Whatever it says, it clearly has the approval of the people who run the world. WHAT DOES IT SAY? The text of the report itself is actually quite craftily constructed. It doesnt outright argue for climate lockdowns, but instead discusses ways we can prevent them. As COVID-19 spread [] governments introduced lockdowns in order to prevent a public-health emergency from spinning out of control. In the near future, the world may need to resort to lockdowns again this time to tackle a climate emergency [] To avoid such a scenario, we must overhaul our economic structures and do capitalism differently. This cleverly creates a veneer of arguing against them, whilst actually pushing the a priori assumptions that any so-called climate lockdowns would a) be necessary and b) be effective. Neither of which has ever been established. Another thing the report assumes is some kind of causal link between the environment and the pandemic: COVID-19 is itself a consequence of environmental degradation I wrote an article, back in April, exploring the medias persistent attempts to link the Covid19 pandemic with climate change. Everybody from the Guardian to the Harvard School of Public Health is taking the same position The root cause of pandemics [is] the destruction of nature: The razing of forests and hunting of wildlife is increasingly bringing animals and the microbes they harbour into contact with people and livestock. There is never any scientific evidence cited to support this position. Rather, it is a fact-free scare-line used to try and force a mental connection in the public, between visceral self-preservation (fear of disease) and concern for the environment. It is as transparent as it is weak. CLIMATE LOCKDOWNS So, what exactly is a climate lockdown? And what would it entail? The author is pretty clear: Under a climate lockdown, governments would limit private-vehicle use, ban consumption of red meat, and impose extreme energy-saving measures, while fossil-fuel companies would have to stop drilling. There you have it. A climate lockdown means no more red meat, the government setting limits on how and when people use their private vehicles and further (unspecified) extreme energy-saving measures. It would likely include previously suggested bans on air travel, too. All in all, it is potentially far more strict than the public health policy weve all endured for the last year. As for forcing fossil fuel companies to stop drilling, that is drenched in the sort of ignorance of practicality that only exists in the academic world. Supposing we can switch to entirely rely on renewables for energy, we still wouldnt be able to stop drilling for fossil fuels. Oil isnt just used as fuel, its also needed to lubricate engines and manufacture chemicals and plastics. Plastics used in the manufacture of wind turbines and solar panels, for example. Coal isnt just needed for power stations, but also to make steel. Steel which is vital to pretty much everything humans do in the modern world. It reminds me of a Victoria Wood sketch from the 1980s, where an upper-middle class woman remarks, upon meeting a coal miner, I suppose we dont really need coal, now weve got electricity. A lot of post-fossil utopian ideas are sold this way, to people who are comfortably removed from the way the world actually works. This mirrors the supposed recovery the environment experienced during lockdown, a mythic creation selling a silver lining of house arrest to people who think that because theyre having their annual budget meetings over Zoom, somehow China stopped manufacturing 900 million tonnes of steel a year, and the US military doesnt produce more pollution than 140 different countries combined. The question, really, is why would an NGO backed by among others Shell, BP and Chevron, possibly want to suggest a ban on drilling for fossil fuel? But thats a discussion for another time. AVOIDING A CLIMATE LOCKDOWN So, the climate lockdown is a mix of dystopian social control, and impractical nonsense likely designed to sell an agenda. But dont worry, we dont have to do this. There is a way to avoid these extreme measures, the author says so: To avoid such a scenario, we must overhaul our economic structures and do capitalism differently [] Addressing this triple crisis requires reorienting corporate governance, finance, policy, and energy systems toward a green economic transformation [] Far more is needed to achieve a green and sustainable recovery [] we want to transform the future of work, transit, and energy use. Overhaul? reorienting? transformation? Seems like were looking at a new-built society. A reset, if you will, and given the desired scope, you could even call it a great reset, I suppose. Except, of course, the Great Reset is just a wild conspiracy theory. The elite doesnt want a Great Reset, even if they keep saying they do they just want a massive wholesale transformation of our social, financial, governmental and energy sectors. They want you to own nothing and be happy. Or else. Because thats the oddest thing about this particular article, whereas most fear-porn public programming at least attempts subtlety, there is very definitely an overtly threatening tone to this piece [emphasis added]: we are approaching a tipping point on climate change, when protecting the future of civilization will require dramatic interventions [] One way or the other, radical change is inevitable; our task is to ensure that we achieve the change we want while we still have the choice. The whole article is not an argument, so much as an ultimatum. A gun held to the publics collective head. Obviously we dont want to lock you up inside your homes, force you to eat processed soy cubes and take away your cars, theyre telling us, but we might have to, if you dont take our advice. Will there be climate lockdowns in the future? I wouldnt be surprised. But right now rather than being seriously mooted they are fulfilling a different role. A frightening hypothetical A threat used to bully the public into accepting the hardline globalist reforms that make up the great reset. Many thanks to all the people on social media who brought this to our attention. Notorious for his presence in viral video of Israeli home thefts in Jerusalems Sheikh Jarrah, Yaakov Fauci is actually a federally charged con artist from Long Island named Justin Fauci. This article was originally published at Hamzah Razas Substack. Subscribe to the Raza Report here. Over the past few weeks, a video has gone viral of a man named Yaakov Fauci, in a New York accent, asserting to a Palestinian woman whose house that he has forcibly taken, If I dont steal it, someone else is going to steal it. The video has prompted global attention towards the violent dispossession occurring in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem. Faucis candor has exposed the blatant ugliness of the forced removals of Palestinians in East Jerusalem, as well as the broader cruelty of the Zionist project that similarly stole homes from Palestinians, expelling and displacing them from 1948 to 1967 up until today to establish the modern state of Israel. Interestingly enough, despite introducing himself as Jacob, Yaakovs name is actually Justin. A search of Yaakov Fauci turns up an alias for a man from East Meadow, New York named Justin C. Fauci. Moreover, the directory lists family members including Rhonda Fauci, who is his mother. Rhonda Fauci goes by Ronni Fauci on Facebook, and lists Yaakov Fauci as a family member of hers while also referring to him as Justin in some Facebook posts. Justin Fauci graduated from East Meadow High School in Long Island in 1997, and subsequently from Brandeis University in 2002, per the schools database. In 2003, a Justin C. Fauci of Long Island, was found to be engaging in forex fraud, and federally charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States government. One blog post indicates that Fauci and his partners were able to accumulate nearly $110 million from the fraud, and that Fauci once set fire to $10,000 in cash as a show of how much money they were accruing. It is likely that Fauci served time in prison as a result of his crime, though it is not known for how long. Not much is known about Justin Fauci in this period between 2003 and 2009. It is possible that much of this time was spent in prison. Following that, Fauci, through the help of the US settler organization, Nahalat Shimon International, moved into the home of Nabil El-Kurd and his family, in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem. In an interview with Vice, Justin Fauci strangely introduced himself as Jacob, the English translation of his Hebrew name, Yaakov. He is evidently going by Yaakov and Jacob now, putting the name of Justin behind him. Fauci described his move to the neighborhood as a long story and asserted that he was not there to keep Palestinians out but rather to keep Jews in it. He stated that [Palestinians] are not coming back into here, so whether I am here, whether I am not here, whether its me, whether its someone else, whether its a monkey, whether its a giraffe, theyre not coming back into this house ever. Support for Far-Right Extremism in the US and Israel Much attention has been given to Faucis support for former US President, Donald Trump. Trump was obviously avid in his support for settlers such as Justin Fauci. Fauci has also decried covid lockdowns and vaccinations, and denounced requiring a vaccine passport as apartheid. Ironically, Justin Fauci has not extended the notion of apartheid to Israels treatment of Palestinians, a claim made by Human Rights Watch, the Israeli human rights group Btselem, Desmond Tutu, and the Cyril Ramaphosa, the current President of South Africa. In addition to support for Trump and covid conspiracies, Fauci has also supported the far-right, fascist, Rabbi Meir Kahane. Fauci has shared quotes and articles from Kahane on his Facebook page. Meir Kahane was a Brooklyn-based Rabbi who founded the Jewish Defense League(JDL) in 1968. Kahane advocated that each and every single Jewish person migrate to Israel, that non-Jews not be allowed citizenship in the state of Israel, and that Israel annex the West Bank and Gaza, and expel the Palestinians living there. Kahane asserted that Zionism and Democracy are at odds. I say clearly I stand with Zionism, and that the idea of a democratic Jewish state is nonsense. Kahanes organization was eventually declared a terrorist organization by the FBI after JDL members attempted to murder Alex Odeh, the head of the Anti-Arab Discrimination Committee in 1994, and Congressman Darrell Issa in 2001. Another follower of Kahane was Baruch Goldstein, a Brooklyn-based doctor who, in 1994, murdered 29 Palestinians and injured 125 more while they were praying in the Ibrahimi Mosque in the West Bank city of Hebron. At the funeral of Goldstein, Rabbi Yaacov Perrin, another Kahane follower, asserted that one million Arabs are not worth a single Jewish fingernail. Those in the crowd responded to Perrins dehumanizing declaration by chanting We are all Goldstein. Arabs out of Israel. Goldstein was subsequently buried across the street from Meir Kahane Memorial Park right outside of Hebron. His gravesite has become a pilgrimage site which has been visited by tens of thousands of people. His grave read that he gave his life for the people of Israel, its Torah, and its land. Kahane migrated to Israel in 1971, and founded the Kach Party. Kahanes Party was banned from participating in Israeli elections in 1992, after the Kach Party supported a grenade attack on butchers in East Jerusalem. Following statements supporting Baruch Goldsteins massacre of Palestinians in Hebron, the Kach Party was completely banned in Israel in 1994. The Otzma Yehudit Party emerged in 2012 as the ideological inheritor of Kahanes Kach Party. Interestingly enough, Justin Fauci has expressed support on his Facebook page for the Otzma Yehudit Party. Below is a profile picture of his with a banner that displays the logo of the Otzma Yehudit Party. The Otzma Yehudit Party was founded by Michael Ben-Ari, who prides himself on being an avid follower of Meir Kahane. Ben-Ari has notoriously carried on Kahanes message of opposing the citizenship of any non-Jews within Israel. Ben-Ari has organized far-right protests in Israel calling for the expulsion of African migrants to Israel. Ben-Aris protests were joined by politicians across the Israeli political spectrum, who made statements referring to African immigrants as a cancer who emit a bad stench and are likely to cause all kinds of disease. When asked why he felt that Africans were such a threat, Ben-Ari stated that Our country is different from other countries. Our country is a Jewish stateA Jewish and democratic state. Its a very delicate balance. In some cases, the two contradict each other. If you bring in a million Africans, it will no longer be Jewish. We are waging war against the phenomenon of assimilation. Ben-Ari has also followed Kahane in arguing that most Palestinians should be expelled from Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. He has also called left-wing Israelis germs and enemies of Israel. The Otzma Yehudit Party faced criticism in the 2012 Knesset elections for displaying an ad which included the word, loyalty in Arabic with the Hebrew caption,Because without duties, there are no rights. The Israeli Central Elections declared the ads racist for insinuating that Palestinian citizens of Israel must be loyal to the Israeli state in order to receive rights, and subsequently banned the adds. The Israeli Supreme Court later ruled in favor of the party, and allowed the ads to continue. On his Facebook account, Fauci also supported Aryeh Kings United Jerusalem faction for Jerusalem City Council. King, the current Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem, has been very supportive of settlers and Kahanists. In the face of recent protests against Israeli settlers, such as Justin Fauci, violently dispossessing people of their homes in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, many protests occurred. In the wake of these protests, Israeli police shot Palestinian activist and protestor, Mohammed Abu Hummus in the lower back. Aryeh King, the Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem, witnessed this incident live and mocked Abu Hummus, telling him that it was a pity that he was not shot in the head. As he said this, King was standing next to two followers of Meir Kahane, Bentzi Gopstein, and Member of the Knesset, Itamar Ben-Gvir. In many ways, Justin Fauci may come across as a goofy face of evil. He moves his hands a bit too much when he speaks and is perhaps a little bit too open about the settler-colonial nature of his project. He is out of the ordinary in the sense that one would not expect every settler in East Jerusalem to say If I dont steal it, someone else is going to steal it. But behind that aloof character is an utter lack of regard for the humanity of the Palestinians whose homes that he is stealing. It is critical to trace what created that lack of regard. It is well-known that Israeli society is thoroughly racist. In 2014, the former President of Israel, Reuven Rivlin, declared that Israel is a sick society after there was an escalation of vigilante violence against Palestinian citizens of Israel. The Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem laughing at a protestor shot by Israeli police too speaks to this sick society. But what is noteworthy about Justin Fauci is that he did not grow up in Israel. He grew up in Long Island. He studied at Brandeis University. He was involved in American Jewish communal activities. He likely worked as a financial broker, and possibly spent time in American jails. If an American from Long Island were to join a militant or extremist group, we would ask the question: What radicalized him? In the case of Fauci, we too must ask the same question: What radicalized him? How dehumanized are Palestinians in mainstream American discourse that someone can grow up for nearly three decades in the United States, embrace the teachings of Meir Kahane and Michael Ben-Ari, and think that it is okay to do this to someone? Fauci is also not an isolated incident. Meir Kahane was an American. Baruch Goldstein was an American. What exists about the way that our country views Palestinians that some of the most violent, deadly, and pernicious figures who terrorize Palestinians come from the United States? In many respects, the communal spaces that Fauci lived his life through are responsible for what is happening in Sheikh Jarrah to this day. For everyday that Justin Fauci remains in the home of the El-Kurd family, the communal spaces that Fauci lived in are responsible for indoctrinating him to ignore the basic humanity of the Palestinian people, and their right to dignity and justice. Many see the Israeli occupation as an international issue very far away, but what Justin Fauci, in all of his aloofness shows, is that Israeli occupation is a fundamentally American issue. The Trump Justice Department in 2017 and early 2018 issued subpoenas to Apple to obtain the communications records of at least two Democratic members of the House Intelligence Committee, Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Eric Swalwell (D-CA). According to The New York Times, DOJ prosecutors attempting to determine who leaked classified information to the media about Russiagate suspected the two House Democrats were the culprits, and to prove that, they obtained their communications records as well as those of family members, including minor children. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) (L) and committee member Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) return to a closed-door hearing at the U.S. Capitol March 06, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) A DOJ leak investigation aimed at sitting members of Congress is highly unusual. Both the Obama and Trump administrations, in a hunt for leakers, created controversy by obtaining the communications records of journalists, including in the case of the Obama DOJ the family members of those journalists. But investigating members of the House Intelligence Committee for leaking crimes as opposed to corruption or other standard criminal charges can present different dangers. Neither Congressman was charged with any crimes and the investigation reportedly bore no fruit. The two House Democrats, among the most fanatical disseminators of baseless Russiagate conspiracies and long known to serve as anonymous sources of leaks to liberal media outlets, reacted with predictable outrage. This baseless investigation, while now closed, is yet another example of Trump's corrupt weaponization of justice, Schiff intoned on Thursday night. As difficult as it is, Swalwell, as he often does, found a way to be even more melodramatic than Schiff: Like many of the worlds most despicable dictators, former President Trump showed an utter disdain for our democracy and the rule of law. Investigating possible crimes such as leaking classified information is the job of the Justice Department. To accomplish that, FBI agents and prosecutors often obtain personal communications records about their suspects. But invading the communications records of journalists, as both the Obama and Trump DOJ did, can create serious threats to press freedom and the possibility of abuse and retaliation. The same is true for invading the communications records of members of the legislative branch, particularly ones hostile to the president. An investigation is certainly warranted to determine the propriety of these subpoenas. But like so many politicians before them, Schiff and Swalwell have zero credibility to object to this targeting. When it comes to ordinary Americans, both have been long-time champions of expanding domestic spying powers and blocking efforts at reform designed to curb abuses of the type they claim took place here. From the start of the Trump administration, Schiff and Swalwell were among the lawmakers most shrilly depicting Trump as some sort of Nazi-like figure bent on fascistic control of the United States. Yet their actions were sharply at odds with that cable-friendly rhetoric, as they repeatedly voted to preserve and expand the military budget, war powers and spying authorities of the New Hitler. Perhaps the most relevant example was a 2018 amendment introduced by then-Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI), the long-time privacy advocate who had repeatedly sought to rein in the U.S. Government's domestic spying powers and impose safeguards as a way to curb abuses. Amash's amendment was part of a bill to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which allows the NSA to spy on the communications of American citizens without a warrant as long as it can claim that their target is a foreign nation and that they only incidentally listened in on the calls or read the emails of citizens. That 2008 law was enacted with bipartisan support to retroactively legalize the clearly illegal Bush/Cheney program of warrantless domestic surveillance. That law also authorizes the FBI to search NSA-collected communications of Americans without a warrant for use in its criminal investigations. Amash's 2018 amendment was designed to prevent those abuses and rein in the power of the Executive Branch to spy on Americans. Its key provision was that it required federal law enforcement agents [including those with the DOJ/FBI] to get a warrant before searching NSA data for information on Americans. It appeared that Amash had secured enough GOP votes to ensure passage of his reform bill. Fifty-seven House Republicans part of the anti-spying wing of that party announced their intention to support Amash's bill. Had the 193-member House Democratic caucus delivered its votes for Amash's amendment, it would have passed, and the U.S. Government's spying powers could have finally been reined in, with meaningful safeguards imposed. Instead, then-House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi announced her opposition to Amash's amendment. She then convinced just enough of her caucus fifty-five members to join with the GOP majority to defeat Amash's bill. Among those who joined with Pelosi and the pro-spying wing of the GOP led by then-House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) were Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell. In other words, while they were basking in the adoration of MSNBC and CNN hosts for calling Trump a dictator, they were joining with Pelosi and the GOP Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, to ensure that no limits were imposed on Trumps powers of domestic spying. What's Included With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 814-368-3173 or email nfinnerty@oleantimesherald.com. RENO, Nev. (AP) Nevada has become the latest flashpoint in a national debate over how to teach students about racism and its role in U.S. history, with parents clashing over curriculum proposals. People wore MAGA hats and waved signs outside a packed school board meeting this week in Reno, while trustees considered expanding K-5 curriculum to include more teaching about equity, diversity and racism. Opponents say the proposal would lead to the teaching of critical race theory, which seeks to reframe the narrative of American history. Critics say such lesson plans teach students to hate the United States. A conservative group even suggested outfitting teachers with body cameras to ensure they arent indoctrinating children with such lessons. You guys have a serious problem with activist teachers pushing politics in the classroom, and theres no place for it, especially for our fifth graders, Karen England, Nevada Family Alliance executive director, told Washoe County School District trustees Tuesday. District officials there and in Carson City, where a similar debate is playing out, say critical race theory is not part of their plans. The clashes mirror fights underway throughout the U.S. In GOP-controlled statehouses, lawmakers have passed measures prohibiting the teaching of critical race theory, a reaction to the nations racial reckoning after last years police killing of George Floyd. Nevada has bucked that trend. Gov. Steve Sisolak signed legislation this week to add multicultural education to social studies curriculum standards and teach students about the historic contributions of members of additional racial and ethnic groups. Dr. Jonathan Moore, deputy superintendent of Nevada's education agency, said the laws clarified social studies content themes, which already included concepts like social justice and diversity. The standards do not include critical race theory, which draws a line from slavery and segregation to contemporary inequities and argues racism remains embedded in laws and institutions. Meanwhile, the Black mother of a mixed-race student is suing a Las Vegas charter school over a Sociology of Change course that covers the concept of privilege as it pertains to race, gender and sexual orientation. In Reno, the Washoe County School District arranged overflow rooms and set up loudspeakers outside Tuesday's school board meeting to accommodate a large crowd. Opponents gathered outside carrying signs that read No CRT, CRT teaches racism and The School Board works for the people! You say theres no CRT (critical race theory) in this curriculum, Sparks resident Bruce Parks told trustees. It is being taught in our schools right now. When you use words and language like white male privilege, systemic racism, thats straight out of CRT. On the other side of the entrance, students, parents and teachers wore green T-shirts and carried signs with slogans including Amplify Student Voices to signify support for Washoe County School District Students for Change, a group that has pushed for curriculum additions. These are systemic issues, and theyve been here for a long time. But I think the protests last year really gave light to how divided people were and how polarized people were, said Michael Arreygue, a college student who attended Washoe County schools. Theres people who dont want to acknowledge that these problems exist that there is systemic racism and injustice. Superintendent Kristen McNeill recommended the district form a task force to review curriculum instead of implementing the plan. The board approved the task force on Wednesday. In Carson City, a proposal to incorporate concepts like equity into the strategic plan raised concerns about how schools broach the topic of race. At a Tuesday school board meeting, parent Jason Tingle said he was worried when he heard talk about critical race theory in schools. But he reviewed district materials and concluded the fears were unfounded. "Ive yet to see anything in the curriculum that shows that we are actually going to take a hardcore approach to critical race theory," said Tingle, who has four children enrolled in district schools. Until our kids come home and show us something different or tell us something different, then we should keep our faith in the school district and let them do what they were sent here to do. Sam Metz 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. This version corrects the last name of the college student. It is Arreygue, not Arreyguy. MINNEAPOLIS (AP) The teenager who pulled out her cellphone and recorded the police restraint and death of George Floyd, helping to launch a global movement to protest racial injustice, was on Friday awarded a special citation by the Pulitzer Prizes. Darnella Frazier was cited for courageously recording the murder of George Floyd, a video that spurred protests against police brutality, around the world, highlighting the crucial role of citizens in journalists' quest for truth and justice," the Pulitzer Prizes said. Fraziers publicist did not immediately respond to an Associated Press message seeking comment. Frazier was 17 when she recorded the arrest of Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, on May 25, 2020. Her video, which she posted to Facebook hours after it happened, sparked a reckoning on race in America and demands for an end to police brutality. The video was seen worldwide and was prominent in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who knelt on Floyd's neck, pinning him to the pavement for 9 minutes, 29 seconds, as he said repeatedly that he couldn't breathe. Chauvin was convicted in April of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter. He will be sentenced June 25. Frazier was also honored last year by PEN America, a literary and human rights organization. She was awarded the PEN/Benenson Courage Award. PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel said at the time: With nothing more than a cellphone and sheer guts, Darnella changed the course of history in this country, sparking a bold movement demanding an end to systemic anti-Black racism and violence at the hands of police." Frazier also testified at Chauvin's trial, telling jurors that she looks at her father and other Black men in her life and thinks about how that could have been one of them. Its been nights I stayed up, apologizing and apologizing to George Floyd for not doing more, and not physically interacting and not saving his life, she testified, adding of Chauvin: But its like, its not what I shouldve done, its what he shouldve done. The three other officers involved in Floyd's arrest are scheduled to face trial next year on aiding and abetting counts. All four officers are also charged with violating Floyd's civil rights. Find APs full coverage of the death of George Floyd at: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd Bradford, PA (16701) Today Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy after midnight with light rain possible. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy after midnight with light rain possible. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. After years of stops and starts, the Westman Hospice Association is still laser-focused on one overriding goal: to establish a stand-alone hospice house in or around Brandon. Advertisement Advertise With Us After years of stops and starts, the Westman Hospice Association is still laser-focused on one overriding goal: to establish a stand-alone hospice house in or around Brandon. Now that the registered charity has bolstered its ranks with some new members, board president Betty Hinch told the Sun last week that they are looking to recruit even more advocates in the community to help make this dream a reality. "Its something that can be done," Hinch said on June 4. "We just need help in getting a business plan started and hopefully in the near future we can actually showcase the kind of hospice we would like to have." Hinch said that an organized effort to set up a hospice in Westman can be traced all the way back to the spring of 1992, when a group of like-minded citizens came together to discuss the possibility of establishing end-of-life services outside of what was being offered at the Brandon General Hospital. This meeting eventually led to the formation of the Westman Association for Terminal Care in Hospice, which was later shortened to just the Westman Hospice Association. Throughout the years, the WHA and its trained volunteers have administered hospice and palliative care to individuals suffering through serious illnesses, while also lending a sympathetic ear and healthcare resources to families in need. However, until now, the WHA has only been able to offer these services at clients homes or palliative care units inside hospitals, since no stand-alone hospice facility currently exists in Westman. Having worked on these hospital floors throughout her multi-decade career as a health-care professional, Hinch firmly believes this is not the ideal location for someone to pass away in, especially since a lot of these units for terminal patients have become increasingly crowded as the years roll by. "I can remember pulling the curtains around someone and I just felt terrible, because the palliative beds were full, there were no single rooms anywhere," she said. "And thats not the way for someone to die peacefully." Instead, Hinch and the WHA board in general would like to give Westman residents the option to die in a more comfortable and private environment that is specifically tailored to the needs of someone who is suffering from a terminal illness. New WHA member Lindsay Westersund told the Sun that she has seen the benefits of this kind of facility first-hand, having worked at the Foothills Country Hospice in southern Alberta for five years. During that time, Westersund learned that taking a holistic approach to meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of its patients during their final days can make all the difference. While this means putting a larger emphasis on end-of-life treatment in general, the people behind the Foothills Country Hospice also invested a lot of money into making their facility architecturally accessible to the terminally ill. "All of the doors were installed wide enough for beds to go through ... with outdoor areas for families to utilize," Westersund said on Monday. "So even for patients who were very, very sick, we could roll the bed right outside if that was their desire." Because of all this experience, Westersund needed very little convincing to join the WHA after moving to Manitoba in 2020, since she firmly believes that a facility like Foothills should exist in Westman. For local families, the closest stand-alone hospice house in Manitoba is located in Winnipeg, which doesnt leave them with a lot of choice when it comes to selecting end-of-life care for their loved ones. "Its not always comfortable for somebody to die at home or in hospital," Westersund said, referencing the benefits of utilizing a hospice care facility. "Sometimes it alleviates the stress on family and that patient for them to just focus on their relationship together instead of being caregivers." This lack of accessibility to proper end-of-life care is prevalent in other provinces as well. According to a 2018 study by the Canadian Institute for Health Information, less than 15 per cent of the Ontarians and Albertans who died in 201617 received publicly funded palliative home care. While there are various causes behind this discrepancy, Westersund believes that some of it comes down to a matter of psychology, where a lot of Canadians simply dont want to support or engage with certain subject matter. "We put great emphasis on birth and delivery, especially in western cultures," she said. "Death and dying is the really hushed discussion and something that were not actually great at talking about." In order to change this conversation in southwestern Manitoba, WHA is in the early stages of putting together a strategic plan for the development of a stand-alone hospice house in Brandon, having recently completed an extensive bylaw and code of ethics review. This process involves recruiting experts in law, finances, fundraising and business development, who will form the backbone of a forthcoming campaign. Of course, this is far from the organizations only attempt at kick-starting a stand-alone hospice house in Brandon, with the Sun reporting on a similar push back in 2015. But after years of dwindling volunteer involvement, the WHAs board is now sitting at 13 members strong, which includes new advocates like Westersund who can bring some fresh ideas and perspectives into the mix. Because of this, Hinch and Westersund remain hopeful that this latest campaign will be successful and that the people of Westman will finally have access to comprehensive end-of-life care at some point in the future. "I know most people think of a hospice as the end of days, and it certainly is," Westersund said. "But in my experience, there is still so much life left to live in those final days, and providing an environment thats really conducive to that is a very special, purposeful thing to do." Anyone interested in volunteering for the Westman Hospice Association should contact the group directly at 204-727-1745 or westmanhospice@gmail.com. kdarbyson@brandonsun.com Twitter: @KyleDarbyson The office was an elegant loft conversion with exposed bricks, high ceilings and steel columns. There were bright modernist paintings on the walls. Through the centre of the newsroom ran a long row of tiny cornflower-blue desks for the Burmese reporters. Many of the journalists typing away were female, and unlike the majority of women Id seen on the streets of Yangon, they mostly wore Western-style clothes rather than the traditional Burmese dress of a fitted blouse and ankle-length longyi skirt. Tom and I stopped at a row of larger workspaces that flanked the church side of the newsroom. Each was divided by a bookshelf and had a large window. Geoffrey, this is Jessica. Jessica, this is our world news editor. A lanky middle-aged man with straggly ash-blond hair glanced up from his keyboard and swivelled his chair round to face us. Gday, he said. Loading There was the briefest flicker of a smile before it was snuffed out and Geoffreys grey eyes returned to the screen. The window for me to say anything was shut before Id even had time to utter a quick hello. We took three steps to the left and repeated the underwhelming welcome, this time with the Canadian arts and culture editor, Douglas. He at least smiled and said hi, but was clearly busy. On my third introduction, I was greeted with a grunt. I was so confused that I didnt register Tom telling me that we were going to meet the business editor until wed reached his desk on the other side of the newsroom. Jess, Stuart. Stuart, Jess. Hey there. Good to have you here, Stuart said with a wide smile and a strong Aussie accent. Ive got plenty of stories that need subbing. I smiled and started gushing about how excited I was to be working at The Myanmar Times. Stuart stared at me a little incredulously before Tom changed the subject. If youre wondering why Stuart sits on the opposite side of the newsroom from the rest of the English language team, its because he had an argument with the boss. Afterwards, Ross was so pissed off with him that he moved him to a desk where an elderly Burmese copy editor died a few months ago. Our Burmese staff think the area is haunted and theres a rat in the panelling that pops his head up every now and again. Dont mess with the boss or youll cop it, Stuart said with half a laugh. Seriously though Ross can be a real arsehole. Oh wow, OK thats good to know, I said, not knowing what else to say. The writer outside the Ministry of Information. Credit:Courtesy of Jessica Mudditt The boss Stuart and Tom were referring to was the newspapers co-founder, Ross Dunkley, a Walkley Award-winning journalist from Perth and the person who had given me the job trial. With the backing of an Australian mining magnate named Bill Clough, Ross had opened Myanmars first privately owned newspaper in 2000 with his Burmese business partner, Sonny Swe. It was a move that took a lot of guts, considering the country had been ruled by one of the worlds most oppressive military dictatorships since 1962. Indeed, half of the duo was in prison. By the time I arrived, Sonny had been in his cell in Shan State for seven years, and he had another seven left to go. He had been retrospectively found guilty of bypassing censorship laws as the publisher of The Myanmar Times meaning that his actions were not criminal at the time, but only deemed to be so after the event. His supposed crime was gaining approval for stories from the wrong censorship authority, and he was given a seven-year sentence for the English edition, and seven years for the Burmese. Everyone knew that the charges were politically motivated and had more to do with his father having made some powerful enemies while serving as a senior member of military intelligence. Sonnys dad was serving an unfathomable 146-year sentence. Ross, on the other hand, wasnt prosecuted, and the newspaper was allowed to continue operating. He was nowhere in sight that morning Tom had told me that he would introduce us when he arrived, which was usually after 11 oclock. Tom ended the tour by introducing me to his wife, Moh Moh Thaw, the editor of the Burmese language edition. She had a lovely smile and was dressed in a chic green dress. Tom then showed me my seat, which was next to his and at a workstation that seated four people. As the other expat editors filed out past me, chatting as though I didnt exist, I pretended to be engrossed in the story I was sub-editing. But the truth is that I was crushed. Opposite me was a Burmese translator who was long in the jowls and appeared to be nodding off. The fourth member of staff at the workstation was Tim, who was studying journalism at the Ivy League Princeton University. He had arrived a couple of weeks earlier with another student from Princeton called Bill. Both of them scarcely glanced my way. The coolness from some of the editors was a shock. But perhaps they were simply on deadline and stressed out, or had just been dealt a blow by the censorship board, who made them submit every article for approval before it could be published the result being that around a quarter of all content was lost every week and had to be replaced with filler and fluff. Midway through the morning, and without any further chitchat having ensued, Tom yawned and stretched his arms over his head before calling out, Douglas, fancy a cuppa? Sure. Douglas popped his head into Geoffreys workspace. Keen for a tea? Oi, Tim, Bill, Ben lets head out, added Tom. Stuart says he will meet us there. As the other expat editors filed out past me, chatting away as though I didnt exist, I pretended to be engrossed in the story I was sub-editing. But the truth is that I was crushed. Loading The friendliest person I met that first day was Nicky. I was taken aback when he came up to my desk and offered his hand for me to shake. Being a teenager, it seemed rather formal. Im Nicky. My dad is Sonny Swe: hes in prison still. My grandfather is in prison, too. But they are kept in different prisons so that they cant talk to each other. He had scarcely got this out when I saw a tear roll down his cheek. Without thinking, I stood up and hugged him. Nicky regained his composure and told me he was doing an informal internship at the paper. By the end of my first week, I had just about given up on being invited to take part in the morning tea ritual. Having lived overseas already for six years, I had taken it for granted that a fellow Australian could be relied on as a friendly face in a strange place. It was such bad luck to encounter these grumpy ones. So I was pleasantly taken aback when Tom invited me not for tea one Friday morning, but to a party that night at the British Club. I excitedly agreed, seeing it as my chance to melt the ice with my new colleagues. And I would bring Sherpa as my trump card. Everyone liked Sherpa. And it might help that he was a guy. Edited extract from Our Home in Myanmar (John Reed Books) by Jessica Mudditt, out now. Two of Australias top mental health advocates and researchers have described Scientologys anti-psychiatry campaigning as dangerous and harmful to the community and said the church should be stripped of its tax-free status. Professor Patrick McGorry, a former Australian of the Year, and Professor Ian Hickie, a co-director of the University of Sydneys Brain and Mind centre, both say they have been harassed over many years by Scientologists and Scientology-linked front groups at conferences in Australia and overseas. Former Australian of the Year Professor Patrick McGorry said Scientology should not receive a tax exemption Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui A key tenet of the Church of Scientology, which was founded in the 1950s by former science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, is its hostility towards psychiatry. The church is strongly opposed to medication for mental health treatments and has campaigned against it for decades, including harassing people who support scientific-based mental health approaches. This is social harm, Professor Hickie said. Over generations psychiatry has been the target of untruths this has been a major problem, particularly in the child and youth areas of tackling childhood things like attention deficit disorder, neurodevelopmental disorders. In normal times Madlaina believes Finn, like many adolescents navigating puberty and the transition between primary and secondary schools, may have experienced some anxiety. But not like this, she says. The severity, the extent of it, I think is a direct result of the pandemic, or the lockdowns resulting from the pandemic. She worries about the impact of this epoch-defining disaster on a generation of young people. Hopefully theyll come out the other end with a war story to tell, but I do think its going to have a long-term impact on a lot of kids in terms of their mental health. Across the globe, people are questioning what the impact of a calamity of this scale will have on what some are already dubbing Generation C - those growing up in a society profoundly altered by COVID-19. What are the long-term effects of things like lockdowns and school closures on young people? And what lessons can we learn from the past? Modelling conducted by Orygen, the national centre for youth mental health and University of Melbourne, in May 2020 predicted an additional 82,000 young Victorians would experience mental health disorders by mid-2023 as a result of the pandemic. Unfortunately our predictions appear to have been strongly validated by the growing surge we have seen in need for mental health care for young people in recent months. And we know from all previous disasters that this crisis wont be over when the pandemic itself recedes, says Orygen executive director Professor Patrick McGorry. Our predictions are in the process of being updated by others now, but it does look like there will be a significant increase - up to a 30 per cent increase - in need for care for young people sustained over the coming months and years. McGorry says the modelling showed young people would be more severely affected, and this has now come to pass. Young people ... are naturally more fragile in their coping skills and experience of life. Theyre in a transitional stage of life, which puts them at the highest level of risk for mental ill health across the whole lifespan. Olive spent most of her last year of primary school in lockdown. She missed out on all the year 6 milestones: camp, an excursion to Funfields Themepark, picnics and the school fair. We were really upset because it was our last year and we didnt even get to have it. Olive with her mother Simone. Credit:Jason South Olive found online learning difficult. It was really hard to pay attention in class, it was like everything would be a distraction and I didnt really get much done. This year she feels way more behind than everyone else, especially in maths and science. Since last year - even this lockdown - Ive lost a lot of motivation. And I just feel really sad and depressed a lot of the time. Olive figured this time the lockdown would be a week and she could hang out with her friends on the weekend. But it got extended and we got really really upset. Whenever Im sad a lot of the things that makes me happy is my friend, because I dont like the feeling of being alone. And my friend is an escape from my sadness, and when I cant see them it just makes me feel worse. Olives mother, Simone, a casual relief teacher, has seen the effect lockdowns have had on children from a range of year groups, academically and socially. I was at a primary school working on the day that lockdown was announced and there were kids crying because they didnt want to be stuck at home again. Simones oldest daughter wasnt able to do work experience because of COVID-19. Little things like that that I took for granted, growing up, they havent been able to have that experience, she says. Unfortunately I feel this cohort of students going through constant lockdowns - and no one knows when this might all end given the pervasive nature of COVID - have been tragically short-changed with their education and experience of school. In the autumn of 2020 (spring in the northern hemisphere) schools were closed in countries across the world. There has never been such a social experiment in human history, Dr Klaus Zierer, professor of education at the University of Augsburg in Germany, writes in one of the first multi-country analyses of the impact of pandemic-related school closures. In the review - published in the peer-reviewed journal Education Sciences on May 22 - Zierer analysed data from the US, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany. He found that students across all the countries had already fallen behind in learning after 6 to 8 weeks of school closures in the first lockdown. These measures resulted in a reduction in learning of between 23 and 35 per cent of a school year, which amounts to between 8 and 13 weeks of learning loss, he told The Age. This was greater than the duration of the school closure itself, he says, because attitudes to learning had suffered, children missed out on social contact and some schools had not responded adequately when students returned to school. What should not be overlooked here is that school closures have been longer in almost all countries in the meantime, so that even greater effects can be expected, Zierer adds. But he stresses there is more at stake than just student performance. Mental disorders are on the rise in the wake of the pandemic, Zierer says, an increase in screen time has led to a reduction in physical activity and surveys showed many students had experienced a decline in motivation to learn. In the longer term, these factors are more serious than the decline in learning performance because they form the foundation for it, Zierer says. The damage caused in this way is not even visible yet. Dr Peter Goss, who leads PwCs Australias school education consulting practice, says while it was anticipated the effect of lockdown on learning would be grim, there have been some surprises. University of Newcastle research in NSW government primary schools, for example, found only year 3 students from the least advantaged schools fell behind academically during the remote learning period. However the study found student well-being did suffer, with teachers and principals expressing concern even after the return to face-to-face schooling. Education researcher Professor John Hattie believes those concerned about a loss of learning can be reassured by what occurred after the 2011 Christchurch earthquakes, which shut schools for weeks. At the time Hattie was an adviser to the New Zealand Qualifications Authority, which oversaw senior high school exams. The authority was under pressure to give students special dispensations for exams. But Hattie advised against this based on research on the impact of teachers strikes, which showed no effects on students performance at the upper school level, with positive effects in many cases. Sure enough, the performance of Christchurch students went up, and as schools resumed, the scores settled back down, Hattie says. Hattie attributes this to teachers focusing explicitly on what students didnt know in the lead up to their exams. Teachers move from lots of talking to lots of listening, Hattie says. Its early days yet, but Hattie is similarly sanguine about the impact of COVID-19 shutdowns. Overall the average negative effect is pretty small, he says. I think weve got to give credit to teachers for stopping major learning loss. As students return to school Hattie believes they should all be evaluated to determine how the pandemic has impacted on them: What COVID has done is shown that the social and emotional is a key part of learning and not something that we should be thinking of as a separate issue. Sebastiano, who is in year 10, says his mental health took a massive dive towards the end of last year. He switched off at the end of term three, worried about his friends in Italy and the US, where he grew up. By the second week of term four, he had stopped doing school work completely. Year 10 student Sebastiano says his mental health took a massive dive towards the end of 2020. Credit:Jason South I missed out on a fair amount of school work as a cause of my cracking under pressure ... not too much, it could have been worse, Sebastiano says. My friends, especially those in New York, have also seen a decline in their mental health, everything seems to be magnified more. But even from a distance we often spent time sitting together in a voice chat speaking to one another doing things from video games to helping on another complete work. Now back at school and doing one VCE subject in year 10, Sebastiano believes he will recover quickly from the effects of the pandemic. Teachers have been doing their best to organise us all and try to patch up gaps in our learning which we missed on. Its generally very chaotic. He and his friends agree they will never forget living through the pandemic. It certainly will ensure we keep our cleanliness and there will be ones throughout the younger generations who will be mentally impacted, in a sort of way, it will scar us, leaving us in a critical point of our lives. Professor Janet Clinton, the deputy dean of the Melbourne Graduate School of Education, believes most young people will be fine. Broadly children are resilient, she says. My concern is for those students who are already facing issues within their lives. Clinton says the effect of the pandemic is exacerbated for children from violent homes, for whom school can be a safe haven, those with behavioural issues, children living in poverty, who may not have access to the internet or sufficient food, and those whose parents are unable or unwilling to assist with their school work. Loading Last year a report found 10 per cent of Victorian students from disadvantaged schools were absent during the states first period of remote learning compared to just 4 per cent in advantaged schools. If you look at the young people who are already in that vulnerable group, for some of them the probability of getting out of that vulnerable group becomes less and less, Professor Clinton says. Social worker John Chellew, the director of Bayside School Refusal Clinic, has received a massive increase in referrals of young people refusing to go to school after the lockdowns. The children that tend to come to me are smart, creative, risk averse over-thinkers who worry a lot, Chellew says. When kids are anxious they require structure and predictable routines in their day to feel at all in control of their lives. When school is disrupted, they feel less connected, so therefore more likely to to kick back about going to school. All the research says that the longer kids have been out of school, the harder it is to get them back. On June 1, the Victorian Commission for Children and Young People began surveying how young people were feeling during the states fourth lockdown. Victorian Children's Commissioner Liana Buchanan. Credit:Justin McManus Commissioner Liana Buchanan says that of the 220 responses received so far - most of whom were aged between 13 and 16 - common themes were experiences of anxiety, feeling overwhelmed and feeling isolated. I am trying to find the right word - it makes me deeply concerned, Ms Buchanan says. A number of them were talking about significant mental illness, about having experienced depression or self-harm last year and either experiencing that again or being fearful that theyre going to go through that again during the lockdown over the last two weeks. Buchanan is hopeful that in the future Victoria will be able to contain the community transmission of COVID-19 without blanket shutdowns of schools. What children tell us through these surveys is not going to school really increases their isolation, it increase their anxiety, for many it leaves them feeling completely disconnected from education, she says. If we can find a way to safely keep schools open, Ill be very very pleased. On Friday, the Victorian government announced an extra $9.57 million for mental health services, including funding for headspace, which provides mental health services for 12-25 year olds and services for people with eating disorders. Loading The number and severity of eating disorders among young people surged during the pandemic, with stress, anxiety, loss of control and dislocation from friends, school and normal life all potential triggers for disordered eating. The current restrictions are in place to protect every Victorian but we know this is a tough time and many are struggling with their mental health, said acting Premier James Merlino. In March the BMJ, a peer-reviewed journal published by the British Medical Association, published an article on the mental health of children and young people during the pandemic, noting that deterioration is clearest among families already struggling. The long-term effects also remain uncertain, it says. What we do know is that education has been disrupted and many young people now face an uncertain future. During a visit to emergency, the triaging nurse asked what religion I belonged to. I thought for a heartbeat before saying Hinduism, secretly wishing that one of the available options could be its complicated. Like many others, I dont see Hinduism as a religion. Its a way of life, an evolving relationship and a learning journey. Its helped me answer questions and make peace with challenges. However, all this is internal. On the outside, I am not a regular temple visitor, nor do I spend hours in prayer or indulge in rituals. My enduring connection to my faith is rooted in the Hindu concept of sanatana dharma (eternal order), which asks us to do our duties with virtue, honesty and empathy. Growing up in a paradoxically liberal but spiritual home, one of the abiding lessons I learnt from my parents was that being true to faith does not involve being ritualistic, intolerant or fearful. I learnt that Hinduism is vast enough to allow my version and many other versions to happily co-exist. I find comfort and convenience in being able to park anxieties and fears in the hands of a higher power while quietly working hard to achieve goals. These temper both my elation and deflation. Its strangely easy to process grief when faith tells you one journey has to end so another can begin. It is this faith that has helped me come to terms with the curveballs that life throws. More than two years ago, my father suddenly collapsed while on holiday here in Melbourne. He was given less than a week to live and my energies were focused on doing everything to keep him comfortable, look after my mum and try to get my brother here to say goodbye. State and territory governments say more Australians must be vaccinated before they will consider allowing people who have received both jabs to cross closed borders or avoid restrictions during a COVID-19 outbreak. Meanwhile, Australian Medical Association president Omar Khorshid says vaccine passports could be used to prevent unvaccinated people entering pubs, clubs and restaurants, especially if vaccine uptake does not get to the level required for herd immunity. The reality is we live in a society and we accept various measures that curtail our freedoms in order to protect other people, Dr Khorshid said. Prime Minister Scott Morrison addresses reporters following a national cabinet meeting on June 4. Credit:Getty Images The Morrison government last week unveiled a COVID-19 vaccine certificate, accessible through Medicare records, but Prime Minister Scott Morrison said after the most recent national cabinet meeting that there was no agreement on how they would be used and he would leave it up to each state to decide. The pandemic legislation will be permanently shaped by the demands of three upper-house crossbenchers: Animal Justice Party MP Andy Meddick, Reason Party MP Fiona Patten and Greens leader Samantha Ratnam. The pandemic legislation is set to include safeguards against sudden lockdowns of public housing towers like those in 2020. Credit:Getty They hold significant power because the government relied on their support to pass a nine-month state of emergency extension in March and a six-month extension before that. The three crossbenchers promised their votes on the condition that new, more targeted laws would be drawn up with a particular focus on preventing the recurrence of incidents of the past 16 months that they viewed as government overreach, such as the snap lockdown of nine public housing towers last year. In an unconventional move that has infuriated the Coalition and other crossbenchers, the Health Department is negotiating the new legislation with only Mr Meddick, Ms Patten and the Greens, and has held a series of meetings with them behind closed doors in recent weeks. If you didnt vote for it in March, you didnt get a seat at the table, said one source familiar with the discussions. Strengthening the crossbenchers power is the fact that if one were to pull out of negotiations because their demands were not met, the government would be back to square one in its attempts to pass powers that are integral to managing the coronavirus pandemic. The Greens outlined a series of demands at a meeting with senior Health Department officials on Tuesday. Most radical was a request for police to report the racial identity of every person they stop during a pandemic. In response to questions from The Age, Greens health spokesman Tim Read said the change would make transparent any bias or racism among their [police] ranks, similar to an initiative in the United Kingdom that has consistently proven that police more frequently stopped and searched black and Asian people than white people. Dr Read said his party would like organisations such as Victorias Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) to scrutinise policing in a pandemic. Greens MP Tim Read and party leader Samantha Ratnam want police to record the racial appearance of people they stop. Credit:Chris Hopkins We would also like to protect disadvantaged members of the community from disproportionate impacts of lockdown, including public housing residents, people of colour and young people from low-income families, Dr Read said. That includes reducing the amount they pay in fines - an agreement the Greens partially secured in March - and preventing immediate lockdowns of public housing towers. Mr Meddick said he agreed on reforming fines and public housing interventions, telling The Age he wanted the new legislation to be a health response first with legal consequences and enforcement as a support structure only. I feel we havent had that balance right at times in the last year, he said. The Animal Justice MP said he wanted the bill to include a provision that any tough restrictions are enacted in stages, with trigger points for the progression to the next phase. It is yet to be decided under what conditions the extreme powers enabled by specific pandemic legislation would be activated and deactivated. Animal Justice Party MP Andy Meddick was elected to the upper house in 2018. Credit:Morgan Hancock That is all about public transparency and giving the community surety about what would happen next and when, Mr Meddick said. I dont want Victorians to be pitted against each other, arguing whether we should have one rule or not. If theres better transparency on how we go about dealing with this, I think to a very large degree youll find a lot of that confusion and anger evaporates. In a move that triggered condemnation among opposition MPs and lawyers in September, Labor proposed an addition to the state of emergency powers whereby authorised officers would be allowed to pre-emptively detain somebody they suspected of breaking health directions. While the controversial idea was soon retracted, Hugh de Kretser, executive director of Australias Human Rights Law Centre, said it was an example of the government misjudging the balance between protection of health and an individuals rights. Loading Mr de Kretser said strong legal safeguards, which are not built in to the current Public Health and Wellbeing Act, were critical given the potential for major restrictions on the publics lives and employment. Restrictions must be no wider than what is strictly necessary to protect public health. They must be time limited. People must be able to test restrictions that affect them through accessible review mechanisms, he said. Governments must be transparent in a timely way about the health evidence justifying any restrictions and the impact of those restrictions on peoples lives. Confusion surrounded several major decisions during last years lockdowns in Victoria, particularly around the imposition of a night-time curfew. Weeks after Premier Daniel Andrews announced the curfew, Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton and Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton separately spoke on radio to reveal the curfew was not their recommendation. Mr Andrews subsequently refused to confirm whose idea the curfew was. In negotiations with the government, Ms Patten has raised transparency as a key demand, and she told The Sunday Age the Parliament should play a more pronounced role in overseeing government decisions. The public deserve to know the underlying thinking and scientific information that leads us to things like lockdowns, the Reason Party MP said. Mr de Kretser also encouraged wide consultation on any new laws to deal with pandemics. Getting this right is critically important. Were talking about matters of the utmost public interest. Liberal MP Georgie Crozier, the oppositions health spokeswoman who shares the upper house with the three influential crossbenchers, went further, saying the government was being held to ransom. Opposition health spokeswoman Georgie Crozier said the government was being held to ransom. Credit:Justin McManus These three are not from major parties, they dont have a big voter base and yet they are wielding so much power over the government, she said. This government is only the government of the day. They are now making enormous decisions based on three crossbenchers who want their narrow agenda accommodated. Its not good for our democracy and its not good for Victorians. A government spokesman confirmed the Health Department was exploring an addition to the existing Public Health and Wellbeing Act that will update and streamline key parts of Victorias pandemic response. Loading A constructive process is under way with key stakeholders to inform the development of this change, to ensure that Victorias approach is best practice in comparison with other jurisdictions and complements our own existing and highly effective emergency management frameworks, he said. Greg Buchhorn, a lawyer and policy committee member of civil rights group Liberty Victoria, said the broad State of Emergency laws have resulted in some extreme intrusions on individual rights, such as forcing new prisoners to do 14 days of quarantine - effectively solitary confinement - even with little to no COVID-19 in the community. Because we dont have clearly defined laws on what governments or bureaucracies can do, were giving away all this power and it has real-life consequences, he said. Ultimately theres no specific way to challenge these decisions under the current legislation and it doesnt specify: where do we draw the line on the powers we give the government? Confirmation that Premier Andrews will resume his leadership of the pandemic response comes after a week in which the circumstances around his fall dominated the agenda at Parliament, starting when Liberal MP and shadow treasurer Louise Staley demanded he answer 12 questions about the March 9 injury. The questions included who called the ambulance and whether police interviewed Mr Andrews, leading Labor MPs to accuse Ms Staley and the opposition of peddling QAnon craziness. A spokeswoman for the Premier - who wore a North Face shirt, the brand that became synonymous with his 120 consecutive press conferences last year, while receiving his Pfizer shot - said Mr Andrews had been keen to get vaccinated as soon as possible and experienced no adverse reaction to the jab. Bryan, OH (43506) Today Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 64F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. South Korea's top economic policymaker said the government plans to provide support to help around 1,000 makers transform into key suppliers of next-generation automobiles by 2030. Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said the country plans to create a 500-billion won ($448 million) fund to support research and development and facility investment in the next-generation vehicle sector. "It is very necessary to take the lead in the next-generation vehicle and related parts markets," Hong said at a government meeting on new industries. Korean automakers are accelerating the development and production of next-generation automobiles, including autonomous and hydrogen-fueled vehicles. But local makers have been struggling to cope with the changing trend due to lack of technology and manpower, reports Yonhap news agency. plans to allocate 282.6 billion won this year to help firms transform their business portfolios to cover next-generation automobiles. plans to have eco-friendly cars, including hydrogen fuel cell cars, take up 30 percent of the total automobiles registered in the country by 2030, rising sharply from the current estimate of 3 percent. Outbound shipments of auto parts came to $18.6 billion in 2020, down 17.2 percent on-year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. is a powerhouse of memory chips, led by Samsung Electronics, the world's largest memory chip maker, and its smaller rival SK hynix Inc. But they have relatively lagged in developing non-memory chips, including system semiconductors. --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.) Steel Authority of India is set to "dissolve" its raw material division headquarters in Kolkata, sources said on Saturday, a decision that would deal a blow to contractual employees associated with the unit. An official announcement to this effect, however, is yet to be made. "The company's board has decided to dissolve the RMD and transfer control of its mines to Rourkela Steel Plant (Odisha) and Bokaro Steel Plant (Jharkhand) depending on their location," sources told PTI. SAIL's mines located in Odisha would come under the administrative control of RSP, and the ones in Jharkhand will be under the jurisdiction of BSP. RSP would get control of the Bolani, Kalta, Taldihi and Barsuan iron ore mines in Sundargarh and Keonjhar districts of Odisha, while the BSP would manage the Chiria, Megatburu, Kiruburu, Gua, Bhavnathpur and Kuteswar mines in Jharkhand, they said. The non-contractual employees at the RMD headquarters in would be shifted to Rourkela and Bokaro, the sources said, adding, the axe could fall on the contractual workers. The steel major is likely to save around Rs 40 crore a year courtesy of the move, they said. A section of the contractual employees of the division had approached Chairman Soma Mondal to reconsider the decision, and also sought West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's intervention. It also apprehends disruption in raw material supply to Durgapur and Burnpur Steel Plants in the state when the RMD ceases to exist here. A local group named 'Bangla Pokkho' had recently protested against the proposed step, calling it an anti-Bengal measure. (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.) company Byju's is now India's most valuable unicorn startup with a valuation of $16.5 billion, surpassing fintech company Paytm's $16 billion valuation. As per CB Insights data, as of June 2021, Byju's is the 11th most valuable startup in the world. The total number of unicorns worldwide is 708 with a valuation of $ 2319 billion. Chinese company Bytedance, the parent company of TikTok, is the most valuable startup in the world with a valuation of $140 billion. Byju's investors include Tencent Holdings, Lightspeed India Partners and Sequoia Capital India. It has recently raised $350 million from UBS, private equity giant Blackstone, Abu Dhabi state fund ADQ, Phoenix Rising and video conference firm Zoom's founder Eric Yuan. One97 Communications, the parent company of Paytm, has a valuation of $16 billion with investors like Intel Capital, Sapphire Ventures and Alibaba Group. A unicorn company, or unicorn startup, is a private company with a valuation over $1 billion. As of June 2021, there are more than 700 unicorns around the world. Popular former unicorns include Airbnb, Facebook and Google. The variants include a decacorn, valued at over $10 billion, and a hectocorn, valued at over $100 billion, CB Insights said. Oyo Rooms is valued at $9 billion with investors like SoftBank Group, Sequoia Capital India and Lightspeed India Partners. The National Stock Exchange is valued at $6.5 billion with investors including TA Associates, SoftBank Group and GS Growth. Ola Cabs is valued at $6.3 billion and has investors like Accel Partners, SoftBank Group and Sequoia Capital. Zomato is valued at $5.4 billion with investors including Sequoia Capital and VY Capital. Another food delivery chain, Swiggy, is vaued at $5 billion and its investors include Accel India, SAIF Partners and Norwest Venture Partners. Internet software company Dream11 is valued at $5 billion with investors including Kaalari Capital, Tencent Holdings and Steadview Capital. Logistics company Udaan is valued at $ 3.1 billion and has investors including DST Global, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Microsoft ScaleUp. Fintech company Razorpay is valued at $3 billion with investors like Y Combinator, Tiger Global Management and Matrix Partners India. Fintech company Pine Labs is also valued at $3 billion with investors namely MasterCard, Temasek and PayPal Ventures. Logistics company Delivery is another firm that is valued at $3 billion with investors including Times Internet, Nexus Venture Partners and SoftBank Group. Policybazaar is valued at $2.4 billion, Renew Power at $2.28 billion, fintech company CRED at $2.2 billion, consumer company FirstCry at $2.1 billion, software company Meesho at $2.1 billion, while Sharechat is also valued at $2.1 billion. copany Unacademy is valued at $2 billion, ecommerce company Urban Company is valued at $2.1 billion, BillDesk at $1.9 billion and DigitInsurance at the same number. Lenskart is valued at $1.5 billion, Five Star Business Finance at $1.4 billion, Rivigo at $1.07 billion, Snapdeal at $1 billion as also Inmobi, Ola Electric, Cars 24, Daily Hunt, Infra Market and Groww. (Sanjeev Sharma can be reached at Sanjeev.s@ians.in) --IANS san/arm (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two civilians and two policemen were killed and 7 others were injured on Saturday in a militant attack on the security forces in J&K's Sopore town. Earlier reports had said only one civilian was injured in this incident. Police said two civilians and 2 policemen were injured when militants hurled a grenade at the security forces in Sopore town. Later they succumbed to critical injuries in the hospital during treatment. "Four policemen and 3 civilians were also injured in this attack which took place in the main market of Sopore town," police said. "Reinforcements have reached the spot to carry out searches. The area has been cordoned off", police said. Reports reaching here said that the militants targeted a vehicle of the local police with a grenade in the main market of Sopore town. --IANS sq/skp/ (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 is helping India in its time of need amid a raging second wave of the COVID-19 infections just like it extended help when the hospitals here were strained due to the pandemic, an official in the Joe Biden Administration has told lawmakers. With the support of the Defence Department, USAID has airlifted critical medical supplies, Jeremy M. Konyndyk the Executive Director of COVID-19 Task Force Office of the Administrator, USAID, told a House Foreign Affairs Committee Subcommittee International Development, International Organizations and Global Corporate Social Impact. "Our support is improving India's capacity to provide life-saving oxygen to COVID-19 patients," he said. The Biden Administration, he said, is constantly consulting with the Government of India, non-governmental stakeholders and its interagency partners to ensure that USAID's response is targeted to where it is most needed and will be most effective. "Just as India sent assistance to the when our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, the is helping India in its time of need." As this crisis continues to unfold, USAID stands with its staff in India, some of whom have lost family members to the virus or have themselves been gravely ill, he told the lawmakers. Konyndyk said what started as a COVID-19 crisis in India is impacting its immediate neighbours and beyond. Last month, when Nepal's per capita COVID-19 cases and COVID-19 deaths surpassed India's, USAID responded swiftly with three flights of supplies and assistance to improve Nepal's ability to respond to this crisis, he said. "This includes improving laboratory and hospital testing capacity, helping both federal and local governments facilitate infection prevention and control, supporting remote services for those seeking access to care, and addressing the secondary effects of the pandemic." USAID has also sent two flights to Bangladesh and one flight that made stops in the Maldives, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka in the past week as those countries seek to meet the urgent health needs of their populations. One additional flight is planned to provide a final round of commodities to Nepal and Pakistan, he told the lawmakers. In her testimony, Gayle E. Smith, the Coordinator for Global COVID Response and Health Security at the Department of State said the number of deaths being reported in India is an undercount. "Given low testing rates in many countries and gaps in death registrations, the numbers we do have do not tell the full story: 351,000 deaths in India, for example, is most certainly an undercount," she said. The US is providing significant emergency assistance to the hardest-hit countries in South Asia, including India and Nepal, by allocating more than USD 300 million under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which President Joe Biden had signed on March 11. Combined with the generous USD 400 million in support from American private sector donors, more than a half-billion dollars in assistance has been provided to South Asia, she said. Gayle said the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is pursuing investments designed to expand global vaccine production and manufacturing in critical markets, including through the March announcement by the Quad Partnership, that includes the United States, Japan, Australia, and India, to support expanding manufacturing capacity at India-based Biological E. "In Africa, DFC is currently working with the International Finance Corporation and others to boost investment in vaccine manufacturing in the continent. This will support increased production this year and onward -- in Africa and for Africa," she added. Gayle said the administration supports a waiver of intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines under the World Trade Organization's agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights. Its support for intellectual property protections is firm but the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic call for extraordinary measures. The next steps will include text-based negotiations at the WTO, she told the lawmakers. (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 Friday has ordered a judicial inquiry in the matter of the Malad that claimed the lives of 12 people. "It seems that despite this Court taking suo-motu cognizance of an incident of in Bhiwandi on September 21, 2020, which took as many as 38 lives, to initiate this Public Interest Litigation for ensuring the protection of lives of citizens and having passed several orders seeking to activate the respondents to come down heavily on illegal and unauthorized buildings/structures," the court said. "This Court is pained to observe that officials employed with the respondents have exhibited extreme lack of solicitude for the rule of law and failed to discharge their statutory duties effectively, which could have prevented the recent building collapses as well as saved the lives of the inhabitants thereof," it stated. The court appoints Justice JP Deodhar (Retd) of Bombay HC as commissioner of inquiry for Malad Taking suo motu cognizance of the Malad Building collapse, the on Friday said politics on the matter is not fair and courts cannot be blamed for this. Bombay High Court's observation came after Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials on Thursday had said the evacuation of dilapidated buildings could not be done due to the COVID pandemic and the court's restrictions on that. The high court said it categorically said in its order in April to continue with the evacuation drive of dilapidated buildings. The High Court said that in April 2021, it made clear that action (demolition or vacating the structure) regarding dilapidated structures can be taken. So the corporation or any other government body cannot put the blame for not being able to take the action on the court. Notably, the last year put a temporary stop on demolitions because of the lockdown. However, the order as per the court was lifted by April 2021. HC said it was surprising that despite being order in place, the government body is putting the blame on the court. The Court also said that most of these buildings were in dilapidated condition before the court orders. At least 12 people, including eight minors, lost their lives after a residential building in Mumbai's Malad area on Thursday morning. As many as 18 people were rescued safely, while several were injured in the incident.As per the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the collapse engulfed a nearby residential structure. It also affected another residential structure in the area that is now in a "dangerous condition". The building, which is in dangerous condition has been evacuated. Meanwhile, Police arrested Contractor Ramzan Sheikh who had built the house in Malvani that had collapsed. Cases have been registered against the contractor and the owner of the property Rafeeq Siddiqui. (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 Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has written to commerce minister Piyush Goyal, urging him to direct the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to immediately start a probe into the alleged antitrust practices of and Amazon. On Friday, the Karnataka High Court dismissed a petition from Amazon and requesting a stay on Indias antitrust watchdog CCIs probe into both companies alleged anti-competitive practices. The two ecommerce companies had requested a stay on CCIs probe, claiming that it didnt have adequate evidence to launch an investigation. The case had been going on for a year. has also urged the commerce minister to issue a fresh Press Note replacing Press Note 2 of the FDI policy with a monitoring mechanism to ensure that the law of the land prevails and no one should dare to violate the policy, law or the rules. In a press conference on Saturday, secretary general Praveen Khandelwal said the traders body will observe the week from June 14-21, 2021 as Ecommerce Purification Week. Several trade associations, on June 16, will handover a memorandum in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to their respective District Collectors urging the Union Government to take immediate steps to stop continued violations of the policy and the rules by Amazon, and other similar foreign-funded ecommerce companies. These ecommerce companies, should provide a list of the top 10 sellers on their portal in the last five years which will reveal the fact that names of the same set of sellers will exist during these five years as the top sellers which are prominently related to them in one way or the other thereby consolidating the sales into few hands only. These foreign ecommerce entities are habituated to make tall claims about helping and assisting small and medium retailers while ruthlessly destroying the very fabric of our traditional Kirana and small merchants, Khandelwal said in a press note. Amazon and Flipkart have consistently faced allegations from sellers associations for preferential treatment of select sellers entities, in which these etailers purportedly own a stake, either direct or indirect. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Saturday cautioned that the chances of a third Covid wave were quite real, and asserted his government was preparing on a "war-footing" to combat it. He said that the indications of a third wave are coming from the UK where cases are rising again despite "45 per cent of its population" being vaccinated. "So, we cannot afford to sit idle," he told an online event to inaugurate 22 new PSA oxygen plants at nine hospitals across Delhi. He said these plants have a total production capacity of 17.3 MT, and they will strengthen the preparations to fight Covid. As many as 17 more oxygen plants will be started by July, he said. The Delhi government is also procuring oxygen tankers to aid the fight against a third wave, he said, adding that the previous wave, which in on the wane, was "very dangerous". Expressing gratitude towards industries for their help in fighting the second wave, he also said the people of Delhi came together to combat it with struggle and discipline, and have "succeeded in controlling it". He prayed that a third wave of Covid doesn't arrive. However, he cautioned that the chances of a third wave are "quite real", and "if it happens, Delhi has to again fight together". "We cannot afford to sit idle and our government is preparing on a war-footing to combat it," he said. He also underlined the need for expanding the vaccination drive to fight the pandemic, saying, "Our vaccination program has been running successfully. The shortage of vaccines is still a problem, but our 'Jahan Vote, Wahan Vaccination' (vaccination at polling booths) is a success." What was the second wave for the country during April and May this year was the fourth for Delhi as the city had already battled three waves till November 2020, Kejriwal said. Doctors, nurses, paramedic staff, sanitation workers, and others played a huge role in the fight against the virus, he said, adding, "I know many doctors who did not go home for days. I want to thank them on behalf of the people of Delhi." The chief minister underlined that the number of peak cases in a day in the first wave was about 4,500 which escalated to over 28,000 in the fourth. He said Delhi witnessed a huge shortage of oxygen during the fourth wave as Delhi is not an industrial state and doesn't have its own source of production of oxygen. Delhi needs 150-200 MT of medical oxygen for non-Covid purposes, apart from some amount of industrial oxygen. This requirement rose to 700 MT during the fourth wave, he said. Delhi saw a massive crisis of medical oxygen supply during mid-April to early May period, when several hospitals issued SOS for oxygen. Many deaths were attributed to this scarcity, and the Delhi government has already formed a committee of experts to examine and ascertain if those fatalities were indeed caused by the scarcity of the life-saving gas. "We didn't have the means of production or even tankers to procure oxygen from states like Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the directions of the Central government. Now, we have to be fully prepared," Kejriwal said. He mentioned that on Thursday he had inaugurated three storage tanks of 57 MT each, along with oxygen tanks of 13.5 MT each. A total of 27 PSA oxygen plants, including the 22 inaugurated Saturday, have been made operational in Delhi. Apart from these, six plants have already been started by the Central government and seven are going to begin soon, the chief minister said. Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said that of the total PSA plants opened Saturday, 17 have been given by HCL Technologies and four by Maruti Udyog. HCL will be supplying five more plants soon, he said. HCL Technologies Chairperson Roshni Nadar and the heads of various city government-run hospitals took part in the event. The hospitals where these plants have been installed include Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital, Deep Chand Bandhu Hospital, and Babasaheb Ambedkar Hospital. All these hospitals have a capacity of 9,500 LPM (litres per minute). This means, 1,000 beds daily will be able to receive oxygen from within the hospital itself, Jain said. "This will let us be independent." he said, adding many plants are the pipeline. "We are working on a war-footing to equip ourselves for the third wave especially on the front of oxygen availability, which was a crisis that we faced in the second wave," Jain said. HCL Technologies' Roshni Nadar said, "HCL is contributing 21 ready-to-install Oxygen plants, imported from France, and 17 of these have already been installed across seven hospitals in Delhi. The remaining four have also arrived and will be installed over the next few days". (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.) China's crackdown on cryptocurrencies has spread to the country's southwest with a campaign against misuse of electricity by bitcoin miners in Yunnan province, local media reported on Saturday. In addition to concerns about the huge amounts of energy needed for the computing power to create cryptocurrencies, the central government is also concerned about speculation after a surge in the price of bitcoin. accounts for a over half of global bitcoin production, but some miners have been considering moving elsewhere after the State Council, China's cabinet, vowed to clamp down on bitcoin mining and trading last month. The Energy Administration of Yunnan on Friday issued a notice ordering a probe into misappropriation and unauthorized use of electricity by bitcoin miners, vowing punishment, the Science and Technology Innovation Express News said. A copy of the notice, which sets an end-June deadline, was circulating on Chinese social media. Calls to the Energy Administration of Yunnan were not answered on Saturday. The probe in Yunnan, China's fourth-biggest bitcoin mining hub, follows restrictions in several other areas. The northwestern province of Qinghai and a district in neighbouring Xinjiang have ordered mining projects to close. Inner Mongolia has unveiled measures to root out cryptomining, while Sichuan is probing the industry. An increasing number of Chinese crypto miners are considering folding the business in China, and moving offshore, said Lei Tong, managing director for financial services at Babel Finance, a Hong Kong-based crypto lender and asset manager. (Reporting by Samuel Shen and Emily Chow; Editing by William Mallard) (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 Saturday reported a net reduction of 40,981) in active cases to take its count to 1,080,690. Indias share of global active cases now stands at 8.8 per cent (one in 11). The country is second among the most affected countries by active cases. On Friday, it added 84,332 cases to take its total caseload to 29,359,155. And, with 4,002 new fatalities, its Covid-19 reached 367,081, or 1.25 per cent of total confirmed infections. With 3,433,763 more Covid-19 vaccine doses being administered on Friday, Indias total count of vaccine shots so far reached 249,600,304. The count of recovered cases across India, meanwhile, reached 27,911,384 or 95.07 per cent of total caseload with 121,311 new cured cases being reported on Saturday. With a daily increase of 84,332 in total cases, Indias tally of coronavirus cases has risen from 29,274,823 on Friday to 29,359,155 an increase of 0.3%. has reached 367,081, with 4,002 fatalities, an all-time high in daily spike. Now the second-most-affected country by active cases, total cases and recovery, and third by death, India has added 664,276 cases in the past 7 days. India now accounts for 8.8% of all active cases globally (one in every 11 active cases), and 9.55% of all deaths (one in every 11 deaths). India has so far administered 249,600,304vaccine doses. That is 850.16 per cent of its total caseload, and 17.92 per cent of its population. Among Indian states, the top 5 in terms of number of vaccine shots administered are Maharashtra (30264410), Uttar Pradesh (27322619), Rajasthan (24041412), Gujarat (23698353), and West Bengal (21493823). Among states with more than 10 million population, the top 5 in number of vaccine shots per one million population are Kerala (383318), Delhi (375438), Gujarat (371027), Uttarakhand (339322), and J&K (314099). Backwards from here, the last 1 million cases for India have come in 10 days. The count of active cases across India on Saturday saw a net reduction of 40,981, compared with 46,281 on Friday. States and UTs hat have seen the biggest daily net increase in active cases are Mahrashtra (1043), Bihar (552), West Bengal (473), Arunachal Pradesh (65), and Andaman and Nicobar Islands (25). With 121,311 new daily recoveries, Indias recovery rate stands at 95.07%, while fatality rate increased to at 1.25%. The Indian states and UTs with the worst case fatality rates at present are Punjab (2.63%), Uttarakhand (2.06%), and Nagaland (1.90%). The rate in as many as 18 is higher than the national average. Indias new daily closed cases stand at 125,313 4,002 deaths and 121,311 recoveries. The share of deaths in total closed cases stands at 3.29%. Indias 5-day moving average of daily rate of addition to total cases stands at 0.3%. Indias doubling time for total cases stands at 241 days, and for deaths at 63.2 days. Overall, five states with the biggest 24-hour jump in total cases are Tamil Nadu (15759), Kerala (14233), Maharashtra (11766), Karnataka (8249), and Andhra Pradesh (8239). Among states with more than 100,000 cases, the five with worst recovery rates at present are Tamil Nadu (91.24%), Karnataka (91.39%), Kerala (94.63%), and Maharashtra (95.40%). India on Friday conducted 1,920,477 to take the total count of tests conducted so far in the country to 376,232,162. The test positivity rate recorded was 4.4%. Five states with the highest test positivity rate (TPR) percentage of tested people turning out to be positive for Covid-19 infection (by cumulative data for tests and cases are Goa (18.75%), Maharashtra (15.65%), Dadra & Nagar Haveli-Daman & Diu (14.44%), Kerala (12.86%), and Sikkim (12.45%). Five states with the highest TPR by daily numbers for tests and cases added are Kerala (13.29%), Goa (11.75%), Sikkim (10.51%), Meghalaya (10.15%), and Manipur (8.79%). Among states and UTs with more than 10 million population, five that have carried out the highest number of tests (per million population) are Delhi (1075279), J&K (667588), Kerala (588735), Karnataka (464215), and Uttarakhand (450931). The five most affected states by total cases are Maharashtra (5887853), Karnataka (2747539), Kerala (2702823), Tamil Nadu (2324597), Andhra Pradesh (1796122). Maharashtra, the most affected state overall, has reported 11,766 new cases to take its tally to 5887853. The state has added 126,838 cases in the past 10 days. Karnataka, the second-most-affected state, has reported 8249 cases to take its tally to 2747539. Kerala, the third-most-affected state by total tally, has added 14233 cases to take its tally to 2702823. Tamil Nadu has added 15759 cases to take its tally to 2324597. Andhra Pradesh has seen its tally going up by 8239 to 1796122. Uttar Pradesh has added 596 cases to take its tally to 1701668. Delhi has added 238 cases to take its tally to 1430671. In a major setback to fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi, Dominica High Court has denied bail saying that he has no ties to Dominica and the court cannot impose any conditions which will assure it that he wouldn't abscond. Dominica High Court also pointed out how Choksi proposed that he will stay with his brother in the hotel, but that is not a fixed address. The court also noted that his trial has not started yet. Judge Wynante Adrien-Roberts of Dominica High Court decided not to grant bail to after conclusion of the submissions made by both the sides.The court also highlighted that didn't offer any strong surety before the court while he sought bail and he's a flight risk too, Antigua Newsroom reported. Currently, Choksi has got interim relief from immediate repatriation to India by the Dominican court. Choksi's Counsel while argued for bail citing medical grounds and not at flight risk. The court verdict comes a few days after Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit termed Choksi as an "Indian citizen" and stated that the courts will decide what happens to the fugitive. He added that the government will protect the rights of Choksi as he awaits trial. "The matter with this Indian citizen is before the courts, the courts will decide what happens to this gentleman and we allow the court process to go through," Loop Jamaica News quoted that Dominica PM as saying. Choksi had gone missing from Antigua on May 23 after going out for dinner and was soon caught in Dominica. He was charged with illegal entry by the police in Dominica after he allegedly escaped from Antigua and Barbuda in a possible attempt to evade extradition to India. The 62-year-old fugitive is wanted in India in connection with a Rs 13,500-crore fraud in the Punjab Bank (PNB). According to the Writeups 24, Choksi's disappearance from Antigua and Barbuda and his apparent attempt to escape to Cuba, was unlike the Hollywood drama that it was made out to be. The Caribbean newspaper said that the whole planning was to manipulate the entire scenario into an abduction story, and the media was trapped in a hoax created by Choksi's family on the advice of his lawyers. Responding to such media reports, Mehul Choksi's brother on Monday sent a legal notice to Caribbean-based media outlet Associate Times, for publishing an article, what they termed as "fake, unsubstantiated, false and with unverified facts."The media outlet had recently reported that Chetan Chinubhai Choksi, the elder brother of Mehul met with the leader of opposition Lennox Linton at the latter's home for two hours and had promised to pay for election donation in exchange of support from the opposition to press the matter in the parliament. Chetan Choksi's lawyer Ayush Jindal, said his client has sought an unconditional apology and issuance of a corrigendum clarifying the correct facts, in all print and digital media, and other social media platforms. (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.) Heavy rains, coupled with thunderstorm and strong winds, lashed and its suburbs on Saturday, leading to disruption of train and bus services as tracks and roads got waterlogged at several locations, officials said. A Central Railway spokesperson said the suburban train services between Dadar and Kurla stations on the main line were suspended after the water rose above the track level, while a Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) official said that several of its buses had to be diverted due to water-logging at some points. At 10 am on Saturday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued a thunderstorm warning for a few districts in Konkan region, including Mumbai, for the next three hours from that time. "Thunderstorms accompanied with lightning and moderate to intense spells of rain with gusty winds 30-40 kmph are likely to occur at isolated places," the IMD said in its warning for Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Raigad and Ratnagiri districts of Konkan. It had earlier issued an orange alert' for for Saturday. An orange alert implies that authorities should be prepared to handle any situation arising out of severe weather condition. The Central Railway official said, "Due to more than 61.21 mm rainfall in the last one hour, coupled with a high tide of 4.34 metres at 1.32 pm and closing of Mithi river floodgates, water level has been rising on track between Kurla and Sion. The suburban services on the Harbour line also slowed down due to water-logging on tracks near Chunabhatti station as a result of "extremely heavy rain", he said. Trains have been running at a restricted speed for safety reasons, the official said. The operations of local trains on other sections of the main line and other routes, including the Thane-Vashi line, are normal, he added. A Western Railway spokesperson said that the suburban services on their corridors are running without any disruption, but they are closely monitoring the situation. Water-logging was witnessed at several locations in Bandra east, Hindmata, King's Circle, Kurla Kamani and Wadala. The BEST spokesperson said the undertaking diverted its buses on at least 17 locations due to water logging on roads. has been witnessing since Wednesday. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The increased transmissibility and deaths in May were found linked to B.1.617.2, generally known as double mutant, Principal of Government Medical College (GMC), Jammu Shashi Sudhan Sharma said on Saturday. As many as 68.5 percent of the tested positive patients were reported to have B.1.617.2, which has been classified as being of concern by the World Health Organisation, Sharma said, quoting the recent epidemiological studies. She said the sudden increase in the number of Covid-related deaths in the Union Territory, especially in the Jammu region, raised an alarm about the circulating variant of concern (B.1.617.2) in Jammu, which was proved right by the study. Sharma said the epidemiological studies have suggested the role of the new SARS-CoV-2 variants for ragging second COVID-19 wave in She said the Covid positive samples are routinely sent to Indian SARS CoV-2 Consortium of Genomics (INSACOG) for genomic sequencing and analysis of circulating COVID-19 viruses and several variants have been reported in Jammu. "There is available information to suggest that the increased transmissibility and increased deaths in the month of May were linked to the variant of concern, the GMC principal said. According to the recent data of Covid positive samples sent from the Department of Microbiology, GMC Jammu to the National Centre for Disease Control in Delhi for genetic sequencing, she said the mortality rate among patients admitted in the GMC, Jammu was 62.5 percent in those infected with the 'variant of concern,' with a very high number of young patients, indicating the higher public health implications of the variant. Sharma said among those patients admitted 58.4 percent were reported to have B.1.617.2 (double mutant), 22.47 per cent were reported to have B.1 mutation, 6.74 per cent were having B.1.1 mutant, 3.37 per cent had B.1.617.1 variant while 1.1 per cent had B .1.1.7 the UK variant. She said 2.247 per cent of admitted patients were reported to have no mutant at all. Among the infection tally of 3,06,638 and 4,174 fatalities, recorded a total of over 1.12 lakh COVID-19 cases and 1,609 deaths -- 1,006 in Jammu division and 603 in Kashmir valley in May. (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.) Indian-origin Megha Rajagopalan has won the US' top journalism award, the Pulitzer Prize, for innovative investigative reports harnessing satellite technology that exposed China's mass detention camps for Muslim Uighurs and other minority ethnicites. The award in the international reporting category that she shared with two colleagues from an internet media, BuzzFeed News, was announced on Friday by the Pulitzer Board. Another of Indian-origin, Neil Bedi, won a Pulitzer in the local reporting category for investigative stories he wrote with an editor at the Tampa Bay Times exposing the misuse of authority by a law enforcement official in Florida to track children. This is the 105th year of the Pulitzer Prizes awarded by a board at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism in New York recognising the outstanding work. In recognition of the proliferation of citizen journalism in the internet age, teenaged non-journalist, Darnella Frazier, was awarded a Pulitzer Special Citation for her courage in filming the killing of George Floyd, the African-American who died in police custody in Minneapolis last year. The video clip made on her smartphone went viral and set off prolonged nationwide protests against police brutality and led to measures in many states and cities to reform policing. The sight of a policeman kneeling on the neck of dying Floyd as he repeated, "I can't breathe", appealed to America's conscience and led to a broader consideration of the problems faced by African-Americans. The Board said her that her video "spurred protests against police brutality around the world, highlighting the crucial role of citizens in journalists' quest for truth and justice". Rajagopalan and her colleagues used satellite imagery and 3D architectural simulations to buttress her interviews with two dozen former prisoners from the detention camps where as many as a million Muslims from Uighur and other minority ethnicites were interned. "I'm in complete shock, I did not expect this," she said. According to the publication, she and her colleagues, Alison Killing and Christo Buschek, identified 260 detention camps after building a voluminous database of about 50,000 possible sites comparing censored Chinese images with uncensored mapping software. Rajagopalan, who had previously reported from China but was barred from there for the story, travelled to neighbouring Kazhakstan to interview former detainees who had fled there, BuzzFeed said. "Throughout her reporting, Rajagopalan had to endure harassment from the Chinese government," the publication said. The series of stories provided proof of Beijing's violation of Uighurs' human rights, which some US and other Western officials have called a "genocide". Bedi and Kathleen McGrory were given their award for exposing "how a powerful and politically connected sheriff built a secretive intelligence operation that harassed residents and used grades and child welfare records to profile schoolchildren", the Pulitzer Board said. Bedi, who has a degree in computer science, is now a Washington-based reporter for ProPublica. (Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed @arulouis) --IANS al/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.) In a sign of relief from the sweltering heat prevailing in most parts of the country, the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) on Saturday also forecast "no conditions likely over any part of the country during the next five days". As per the Met department, the conditions are favourable for further advancement of southwest monsoon into some more parts of Madhya Pradesh, remaining parts Chhattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar, and some parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh during the next 24 hours. Maximum temperature of more than 40-degree Celsius as on Saturday were recorded at most places in west Rajasthan; at many places in Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi; and at a few places over east Rajasthan, Punjab, west Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. On Friday, the highest maximum temperature of 44.2-degree Celsius was reported in Ganganagar in west Rajasthan. The latest report of the National Forecasting Centre of the IMD received on Saturday evening predicted heavy rainfall over the next 24 hours at isolated places in Delhi, over the Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, west Uttar Pradesh, west Madhya Pradesh, central Maharashtra, Marathwada, Kerala and Mahe, coastal Karnataka, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam. As per the IMD, wind blowing at a speed of 30-40 kmph is also likely at isolated places over Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Mahe and Telangana. Lightning at isolated places over Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Muzaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, Konkan, Goa, Marathwada, Lakshadweep, Coastal Karnataka, Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam is also expected. Thunderstorm or dust storm with gusty wind speed reaching up to 40-50 kmph is predicted at isolated places over west Rajasthan. Besides, heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places with extremely heavy rain at isolated places is very likely over Konkan and Goa, Chhattisgarh, sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Odisha, Assam, Meghalaya, Uttarakhand, east Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha and Telangana. "Strong winds (speed 40-50 kmph gusting to 60 kmph) are very likely over southwest and adjoining west central Arabian Sea and south, central and north Bay of Bengal and along and off north Andhra Pradesh-Odisha-West Bengal coasts; speed reaching 45-55 kmph over Gulf of Mannar and speed reaching 40-50 kmph over North Arabian Sea and along and off Gujarat-Maharashtra coasts predicted," the IMD said. Fishermen are advised not to venture into these areas, said the IMD. The low-pressure area now lies over northwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining coastal areas of West Bengal and north Odisha. Associated cyclonic circulation extends up to mid-tropospheric levels tilting southwestwards with height. It is likely to become more marked and move west-northwestwards across Odisha, Jharkhand and north Chhattisgarh during the next 2-3 days, said the IMD. An east-west trough at lower tropospheric levels runs from south Punjab to the centre of low-pressure area over northwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining coastal areas of West Bengal and north Odisha. The east-west trough is very likely to persist during next 3-4 days. In addition, strong southwesterly winds are prevailing along the west coast at lower levels and an offshore trough lies off the west coast. These conditions are likely to persist during the next 4-5 days, the Met department said. Under their influence, fairly widespread to widespread rainfall activity with isolated heavy to very heavy falls is very likely over Odisha, Chhattisgarh, east Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha and Telangana during the next 3-4 days. Fairly widespread to widespread rainfall with isolated heavy falls is expected over West Bengal and Sikkim, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand during the next 4-5 days. Widespread rainfall activity with heavy to very heavy falls is also possible over coastal and adjoining Ghats districts of Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka during the next five days, the IMD said. Moderate to severe thunderstorms are likely over Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Northwest Himalayas, which will be accompanied by frequent cloud to ground lightning and strong gusty winds during the next 4-5 days, it added. "This may cause injuries leading to casualties to people and animals working outdoors," the IMD warned. --IANS rak/arm (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister will be participating in the outreach sessions of the UK-hosted G7 virtual summit in Cornwall in the United Kingdom. As per officials, Prime Minister Modi will take part in G7 outreach sessions on June 12 and 13 in a virtual format. The holds the presidency of G7 and has invited India, Australia, South Africa and South Korea to the upcoming summit. Last month, Prime Minister Modi called off his visit to the for an in-person visit to Britain to attend the summit due to the COVID-19 situation in the country. The Group of Seven (G7) summit began formally on Friday as the leaders of the world's most advanced economies gathered on the Cornish coast for the first time since the outbreak of the global coronavirus pandemic. The theme for this year's G7 summit is 'Build Back Better' and the has outlined four priority areas for its presidency - leading the global recovery from coronavirus while strengthening resilience against future pandemics, promoting future prosperity by championing free and fair trade, tackling climate change and preserving the planet's biodiversity and championing shared values and open societies. This is the second time that the Indian Prime Minister will be participating in the India had been invited by the G7 French presidency in 2019 to the summit as a goodwill partner and the PM participated in these sessions on climate, biodiversity on oceans as well as on digital transformation. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Defence Minister has approved a new policy on the archiving, declassification and publication of war/operations histories, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on Saturday. The policy requires MoD organisations, such as the army, navy, air force, coast guard, Integrated Defence Staff and Assam Rifles, to transfer their records -- including war diaries, letters of proceedings and operational record books to the ministrys History Division for proper upkeep, archival and recording of history. The requirement of clear cut policy on declassification of war records was recommended by the Kargil Review Committee headed by K Subrahmanyam as well as the NN Vohra Committee, in order to analyse lessons learnt and prevent future mistakes, said the MoD release. War histories are henceforth to be formulated by the MoDs History Division, in coordination with various departments. A joint secretary from the MoD will head the committee, which will include military, foreign ministry and home ministry representatives and prominent military historians. The above-mentioned committee should be formed within two years of completion of war/operations. Thereafter, collection of records and compilation should be completed in three years and disseminated to all concerned, says the policy. Military historians are welcoming the move towards greater openness. The MoDs Historical Division painstakingly compiled histories of the 1947-48 Jammu & Kashmir war, the 1962 Sino-India war and the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pakistan wars. Yet it took, decades for the MoD to allow the publication of three of these histories. Meanwhile, the history of the 1962 war remains classified, as does the history of the Indian Peacekeeping Force (IPKF) that fought in Sri Lanka from 1987 to 1990. In addition to war histories, other important studies remain classified more than half a century after they were completed. In 1962, after the Indian armys defeat by the Peoples Liberation Army of China, a high-powered committee, led by Lieutenant General TB Henderson Brooks, comprehensively investigated the debacle. The so-called Henderson Brooks Report remains Top Secret till today. In the National Archives in New Delhi, most of the post-1914 correspondence relating to the border between China and India remains classified and inaccessible even to accredited scholars. The responsibility for declassification of records is specified in the Public Record Act 1993 and Public Record Rules 1997. The policy mandates that records should ordinarily be declassified in 25 years. Records older than 25 years should be appraised by archival experts and transferred to the National Archives of India once the war/operations histories have been compiled, said the MoD. Anit Mukherjee of the Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, who is a former Indian army officer, says: We do not just need war histories. More importantly, we need access to the source code which informs the war histories. In other words, scholars should be given access to all the original historical documents which were used to write up the war histories. Second, it would be important to see how the military and its associated bureaucracies go around declassifying documents. In this effort they must involve military historians and not leave it to the uniformed fraternity to decide what is sensitive and what is not, said Mukherjee. The effort should not be about writing up a correct version of history, as history is often an argument without end. Instead, the policy should enable more people to be able to read up on the evidence and come up with their own analyses, he said. An Indian scholar points out that national security-related documents are often deliberately over-classified in order to hide failings and shortcomings. He points to a classic cartoon by the legendary Herbert Lawrence Block, illustrating a conversation between two Washington bureaucrats. One says: "Well, we really botched that job. Should we classify it 'Secret' or 'Top Secret'"? Chief Minister M K on Saturday said he has sought a meeting with Prime Minister on June 17 to discuss major State- related issues with him. Though the Prime Minister's Office has given a nod tentatively, the actual time would be announced later, told reporters after releasing water from Mettur Dam in Salem district for irrigation in 12 delta districts during the Kuruvai season. has written a letter with regard to the meet with Modi to discuss, among other things, GST dues, allocation for various development scheme and NEET. On releasing water, Stalin said the State government was firm on it as was mentioned in the DMK's election manifesto and exuded confidence that the State would create history in agriculture production due to the timely release. On availability of water from Cauvery from Karnataka, he said he had written to Central Water Commission to ensure continuous release of water as per the Supreme Court order of 9.19 tmc in June and 31.24 tmc in July. To make the water reach the delta districts, the government has taken up 647 desilting works in nine districts at a cost of over Rs 65 crore and appointed a special officer to monitor the progress, he said. To a question on Covid-19, Stalin said the incidence of positive cases was declining in majority of the districts, particularly Chennai, and based on that more relaxations were announced in 27 districts. However, the districts in western such as Coimbatore and Tirupur were reporting little higher, he said adding that overall, the government has succeeded in controlling the spread. On the criticism of opening government-run liquor outlets, the Chief Minister said they were opened following the decline in Covid cases and as part of relaxation of restrictions in a few districts. State Ministers Durai Murugan, K N Nehru and Senthi Balaji, and senior officials from various departments were present. (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 Tennessee and North Carolina, demand for the COVID-19 vaccine has slowed down so much that they have given millions of doses back to the federal government, even though less than half of their total populations are vaccinated. Oklahoma has not asked for new doses from the government for more than a month, spurning its 200,000-a-week allotment. Around the country, states are rushing to use up doses before they expire this summer. The US is confronted with an ever-growing surplus of vaccine, looming expiration dates and stubbornly lagging demand at a time when the developing world is clamouring for doses to stem a rise in infections. Million-dollar prizes, free beer and marijuana, raffled-off hunting rifles and countless other giveaways around the country have failed to significantly move the needle on vaccine hesitancy, raising the spectre of new outbreaks. The stockpiles are becoming more daunting each week. Oklahoma has more than 700,000 doses on shelves but is administering only 4,500 a day and has 27,000 Pfizer and Moderna doses that are set to expire at the end of the month. Millions of Johnson & Johnson doses nationwide were set to expire this month before the government extended their dates by six weeks, but some leaders acknowledge it will be difficult to use them up even by then. We really cannot let doses expire. That would be a real outrage, given the need to get vaccines to some under-vaccinated communities in the U.S. and the glaring gap in vaccinations and the inequity of vaccinations that we have globally, said Dr Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, chair of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco. The US averaged about 870,000 new injections per day at the end of last week, down sharply from a high of about 3.3 million a day on average in mid-April, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. President Joe Biden wants to have 70 per cent of the adult US population at least partially vaccinated by July 4. But the US could well fail to meet that target. As of Friday, 64 per cent of Americans 18 and older had had at least one dose, by the CDC's count. Some states, especially in the Northeast, have already reached that 70 per cent goal for adults, while places like Mississippi and Alabama are nowhere close. Mississippi, in fact, has been transferring large quantities of vaccine to other states and the federal government. Amid the glut, the White House has announced plans to share 80 million doses globally by the end of June and also buy 500 million more doses of the Pfizer vaccine and donate them to 92 lower-income countries and the African Union over the next year. With demand stronger in Maine and Rhode Island, the two states received 32,400 doses each from Mississippi, where only about one-third of the state is at least partially vaccinated. Mississippi has also transferred 800,000 doses to a federal vaccine pool. The state has seen demand plunge to levels not seen since the opening weeks of the vaccine rollout, with only 18,400 doses administered there this week. Mississippi State Health Officer Dr Thomas Dobbs said Friday that the state health department was more than happy to help states in the Northeast. In Mississippi, if people don't understand how important it is to keep alive, we want to protect other Americans, he said. Each week, states are allotted a number of doses from the government and are allowed to order shots from that. But more states, including Oklahoma, Alabama, Utah, Delaware and New Hampshire, have stopped placing orders for new doses in recent weeks because they have such a large inventory. That has added to the ballooning federal stockpile. Those skipping the vaccine include Benjamin Schlink of Pearl, Mississippi, who said he believes he is healthy enough to fight the illness. (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.) Chief Minister on Friday announced a 100-day action plan to help the state tide over the triggered by the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan will focus on increasing agricultural production, generating quality employment and augmenting health infrastructure, among other things, and would be implemented between June 11 and September 19. The aim is to enable the building of a knowledge-based economy with a focus on science and technology and skill development, Vijayan told reporters here. "The emphasis will be on policies and schemes to advance the achievements of health, education and social security, accelerate economic growth and create quality employment. "Utmost importance will be given to poverty alleviation, elimination of economic and social inequalities, implementation of eco-friendly development perspective and adoption of modern solid waste management practices conducive to a healthy urban life," he said. In addition to increasing agricultural production, the chief minister said, the production of non-toxic food is also a priority. Vijayan said loans worth Rs 5,898 crore have been sanctioned by international financial institutions such as World Bank, German bank KFW and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) for the Rebuild Initiative (RKI). "After the state's share is added, Rs 8,425 crore will be available for RKI projects. In the next 100 days, nine road projects worth Rs 945.35 crore will be started using the RKI funds," he said. In addition, the Public Works Department (PWD) will complete projects worth Rs 1,519.57 crore in these 100 days, he said. A government release said the 100-day action plan includes projects worth Rs 2,464.92 crore through the PWD, the RKI and the Infrastructure Investment Fund Board. "K-DISC (Kerala Development And Innovation Strategic Council) is completing an ambitious project of providing employment to 20 lakh educated people in the state. All local self-governments will prepare a draft plan to create employment for five persons out of 1,000 people," it said. Approximately 77,350 direct and indirect job opportunities will be created in 100 days under various departments, including 10,000 jobs each in the industries and commerce department, 2,000 in Kudumbashree, and 7,500 in the transport department, among others, it said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Andhra Pradesh Minister Adimulapu Suresh on Friday said that the state government is trying to conduct examinations for Class 10 and intermediate keeping students' future in mind and added that cancellation of exams is the last resort only. Addressing a press conference here, the minister said that it would have been easy to take a decision to cancel the exams but the future of the students is the government's priority. Suresh accused the opposition TDP of creating fear in the minds of the students and their parents and unnecessarily politicising the issue of examinations. The Minister said, "The State government is trying to conduct board examinations for Classes 10 and 12. The cancellation of exams is the last resort only. It is in the interest of the students only that the state government is trying to conduct the exams. Cancellation of exams is a matter of one minute but students' future is our priority. TDP is unnecessarily politicising the matter of exams and creating fear in the minds of students and parents. But many students and parents are ready for exams." The minister said that it requires almost 40 days to conduct exams. Suresh stated that conducting competitive exams like JEE and NEET will also be taken into consideration, adding that once the severity of the COVID infection comes down and conducive atmosphere prevails, then only the exam schedule will be announced. Most probably, the exams may be conducted in July, he added. The Minister said that the State government is providing job opportunities to 2.,193 candidates who wrote the District Selection Committee (DSC) exam in 2008 but their selection is pending due to legal hurdles. He further informed that criteria conditions for appointment of candidates of DSC exams in 2008 were changed. With that, almost 4,000 candidates have lost the chance to get jobs. Some of them have filed cases in the courts. He, however, added, "Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had assured justice to those candidates during his pada yatra before elections and now after becoming CM, Jagan is now fulfilling the promise. Now 2,193 candidates are being given job opportunities as Secondary Grade Teachers (SGTs) with minimum time scale, by resolving legal hurdles. Soon almost 900 other candidates will also be given jobs by clearing the court cases." The CBSE for Class 12 were cancelled on June 1 after a high-level meeting between PM Narendra Modi and ministers and education secretaries of the different states of India. The decision was taken to protect the safety of students amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Following PM Modi's decision regarding CBSE, several states cancelled the state for 2021. These include Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana, Jharkhand, and West Bengal. (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.) US Secretary of State spoke with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Politburo Member and Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission Yang Jiechi on phone and discussed various issues including those related to Hong Kong and Taiwan. A US State Department release said that Secretary Blinken and Director Yang discussed shared global challenges, including Iran, Myanmar and climate crisis. They also discussed the issues concerning the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, the US State Secretary stressed the importance of cooperation and transparency regarding the origin of the virus, including the need for WHO Phase 2 expert-led studies in China. According to the State Department, Blinken underscored US concern over the deterioration of democratic norms in Hong Kong and the ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity against predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang. He also called on Beijing to cease its pressure campaign against Taiwan and peacefully resolve cross-Strait issues. Furthermore, the US State Secretary raised several cases of US and Canadian citizens subject to arbitrary detention and exit bans in China and called for the immediate release of those wrongfully detained. Meanwhile, Jiechi urged the United States to adhere to the one-China principle, and take concrete actions to maintain the overall situation of China-US ties as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. According to Xinhua news agency, Yang also called on the United States to keep to its promise and cherish its credibility, and handle issues related to Taiwan in a prudent and proper manner. Back in March this year, a heated exchange was witnessed between US and Chinese diplomats at Anchorage, Alaska. China's top diplomat, Jiechi, had delivered a 16-minute rant during the meeting with Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, accusing them of condescension and hypocrisy. (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.) By Stephen Nellis (Reuters) - Inc on Friday said it has tightened some of its rules for responding to legal requests after the U.S. Justice Department during Donald Trump's presidency subpoenaed it for information on Democratic lawmakers. said it recently instituted a limit of 25 identifiers such as email addresses or phone numbers per legal request. The Cupertino, California-based company said it received a subpoena from the Justice Department in February 2018 for information on 109 identifiers made up of 73 phone numbers and 36 email addresses, but that it did not release content such as emails and pictures to prosecutors. The New York Times on Thursday reported that federal prosecutors subpoenaed and other as part of an investigation searching for the sources behind news media reports about contacts between Trump's associates and Russia. The investigation targeted at least two Democrats on the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, aides and family members, including one minor, the Times reported. Apple said that it had no way to tell what the nature of the investigation was and released only basic "account subscriber information" such as names, addresses, email addresses and telephone numbers, as well as connection logs and IP addresses. Apple said that it did not provide data showing to whom or when messages of any kind were sent. Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz said on Friday he will investigate the department's efforts under Trump to seize the communications data of lawmakers and members of the news media. (Reporting by Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Editing by Leslie Adler and Will Dunham) (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 Prime Minister has held meetings with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of a G-7 summit, as post- turbulence strains relations between Britain and the EU. Johnson also met the bloc's leaders, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel, on Saturday at the Carbis Bay resort where G-7 leaders are gathering. The two sides are locked in an escalating diplomatic feud over Northern Ireland, the only part of the UK that has a land border with the bloc. The EU is angry at British delay in implementing new checks on some goods coming into Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK, while Britain says the checks are imposing a big burden on businesses and destabilizing Northern Ireland's hard-won peace. The spat has drawn in US President Joe Biden, concerned about the potential threat to Northern Ireland's peace accord. The EU is threatening legal action if the UK does not fully bring in the checks, which include a ban on chilled meats such as sausages from England, Scotland and Wales going to Northern Ireland from next month. Britain accuses the bloc of taking a purist approach to the rules and urged it to be more flexible in order to avoid what has been dubbed a sausage war. (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.) Hackers from China used unique malicious software to hack websites of Russian government agencies for the purpose of stealing confidential government data, according to a report. The report was released by US company SentinelOne. It is based on a report released last month by the Federal Security Service (FSB), one of Russia's main spy agencies, and the cyber unit of telecom firm Rostelecom. The report noted how a hacker group called ThunderCats (associated with China) hacked the websites of Russian government agencies. Experts from the US company SentinelOne said that malicious code used in breaches into the Russian federal executives is similar to tools associated with a broad set of suspected Chinese spies that have also targeted Asian governments in recent years, reported Cyberscoop, a leading media brand in cybersecurity. Experts have come to the conclusion that hackers from China have developed a unique malicious software (malware) called Mail-O - in fact, a downloader program that outwardly resembles a legitimate utility from Mail.ru Group Disk-O. According to experts, the cyber villains acted in the interests of a foreign state (which one is not specified, but a hint of the Celestial Empire). These attacks on are called "unprecedented" in the report. "After penetrating the local network, attackers traditionally carried out measures aimed at completely compromising the infrastructure and stealing confidential government data," the report said, In the FSB report, experts noted that earlier Russian government agencies had been targeted by "cyber mercenaries pursuing the interests of the foreign state". The current cyberattack is unique and is assessed by experts as a threat on a federal scale. Those who did it used the latest software. The level of secrecy of the criminals was on the verge of fantasy: as experts explain, it was achieved thanks to undetectable malware, legitimate utilities, and an understanding of the internal logic of the information security tools used by the authorities. In addition, criminals used several types of attacks simultaneously: phishing, exploitation of web vulnerabilities, and attacks through contractors. And, finally, the infrastructure of Russian resources (Yandex and Mail.ru Group clouds) was used against Obviously, to do this, hackers were involved at the highest level - the fifth. This suggests the conclusion that we are talking about a lot of money, which is not a private person or a group of individuals, but the state. Citing a report by cybersecurity firm "Recorded Future", news service The CyberWire said that this purchase came under scanner because Beijing has already banned the use of foreign antivirus products, citing security risks. SentinelOne's findings point to a reality that is often overlooked in US-centric cybersecurity discussions: that the Russian and Chinese governments conduct plenty of cyber espionage against each other. Last year, for example, US officials publicly exposed a suspected Chinese campaign that targeted entities in and other former Soviet republics. "The idea of Chinese targeting of Russian government [and vice versa] should not shock us," researcher Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade said in an email. Sino-Russian relations are complex and involve hot button issues like a shared border, diplomatic and economic interests. "Andrei Soldatov, a Russian journalist who wrote a book on the rise of the FSB after the fall of the Soviet Union, said the FSB report appeared to be an effort to portray Russian organisations as facing the same threats as other organisations. "It is like, we all face the same enemy, let's fight it together,'' Soldatov adding that "and for that, come to us, the FSB, and maQke us respectful. (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.) Rich nations must do more than just donate surplus vaccines if they hope to end the COVID-19 pandemic, according to public health experts and humanitarian groups that are calling for money, increased production and logistical support to help developing countries where the virus is still raging. The appeal came after U.K. Prime Minister said he hoped leaders of the Group of Seven major industrialized nations will agree to provide at least 1 billion vaccine doses for poorer countries. The G-7 leaders, who are holding their annual meeting this weekend in Cornwall, southwest England, continue to debate other forms of aid to get lifesaving vaccine shots into arms. While almost half of the combined population of the G-7 nations has received at least one dose of vaccine the worldwide figure is less than 13 per cent. In Africa, it's just 2.2 per cent. Wealthy nations must act quickly not just out of altruism, but to protect their own citizens, because the virus will continue to mutate as long as it is allowed to spread unchecked, resulting in potentially more dangerous variants, said Lily Caprani, head of COVID-19 vaccines advocacy for UNICEF. (This) requires political will and urgent action now, Caprani told The Associated Press. So I think all of us should be urging our leaders to do it, not just because it's the right thing to do, but it's the smart thing to do, and it's the only way out. Johnson, who is hosting the G-7 summit, and U.S. President Joe Biden opened the meeting by announcing that their countries would donate a total of 600 million vaccine doses over the next year. But Monetary Fund economists recently estimated it would cost $50 billion to vaccinate 60% of the world's population by the middle of next year and that achieving that goal would generate $9 trillion in additional economic output by 2025. Those appealing for wealthier nations to do more to make vaccines available worldwide argue it would be a worthwhile investment in human capital. If we do this, and everyone's saying it's the deal of the century, about 60% of those resources need to come from wealthy countries in the G-7,'' said Robert Yates, director of the global health program at Chatham House, a London-based public policy think tank. Countries like the United States and Britain secured supplies of multiple COVID-19 vaccines while they were still in development, hoping to guarantee shipments of any successful candidates. That left them with enough doses to inoculate their entire populations two or three times over after regulators approved a number of shots. They are now under pressure to provide shots for low-income countries immediately and not wait until they have vaccinated younger age groups in their own countries. COVID-19 poses the greatest risk to older people and those with underlying health conditions, who account for the vast majority of those who have died from the disease. Ahead of the G-7 meeting, the IMF, the World Health Organization, the World Bank and the World Trade Organization said the group's top priority should be ending the pandemic and securing the global economic recovery. The current approach to COVID-19 vaccination using limited vaccine supplies to protect low-risk populations in a handful of countries while low- and middle-income economies wait indefinitely for doses - doesn't make sense for anyone, World Bank President David Malpass wrote last month. A successful global vaccination effort must be equitable. But vaccines alone aren't enough to complete the task. Fragile health care systems in low-income countries need equipment, training and logistical support so they can mount the kind of turbocharged mass vaccination programs that have been successful in Europe and North America. The U.K., for example, turned to its National Health Service for staff and commandeered cathedrals, stadiums and museums as mass vaccination centers. More than 60 per cent of the U.K. population, and almost 80% of adults, have received at least one dose of vaccine. While infections, hospitalisations and deaths have all plunged with the success of the vaccination program in Britain, public health officials are still concerned about new variants that may prove more resistant to existing vaccines. The government recently banned most travel from India to slow the spread of the delta variant discovered there. Epidemiologists say the best way to head off potentially dangerous variants is to vaccinate the most vulnerable people around the world as quickly as possible. Talk is cheap, and talk isn't going to get it done, Jeevun Sandher, a former U.K. government economist who is studying inequality at King's College London, said. A finely worded communique with our ambitions and a commitment to global cooperation is just not going to get it done. We absolutely need to see the checks. Get out those pens and start signing.'' Developing nations are also calling on the U.S., Britain and the European Union where the most widely used vaccines were developed to relax patent protections and provide technical assistance so they can produce the shots for themselves. The Biden administration has backed a temporary waiver of patent protections, saying extraordinary times and circumstances call for extraordinary measures. But the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, has opposed such a move, arguing that government assistance to vaccine makers and voluntary licensing agreements are the best way to increase supply. A decision on the matter will come from the World Trade Organization. Activists argue that the technology should be transferred to developing countries so they can produce vaccines and COVID-19 treatments for themselves, reducing their dependence on manufacturing elsewhere. Daphne Jayasinghe of the Rescue Committee, noted that the debate is taking place against the backdrop of the U.K. government's decision to cut spending on aid, which is deeply affecting health services in countries where they are needed the most. The promises to deliver surplus vaccines are certainly welcome.., but they must be accompanied by more action, Jayasinghe said. We'd like to see other G-7 member states making similar commitments to share vaccines, but what needs to go with that is the infrastructure and the health services to deliver those vaccines. (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.) G7 leaders are expected to unveil a global anti-pandemic action plan on Saturday to ensure that a devastation like the one caused by the ongoing Covid-19 crisis is never repeated in the future. The leaders are at the Cornish seaside resort of Carbis Bay for the three-day which kicked-off on Friday, marking the first in person meeting since the onset of the pandemic early last year. Following a special session on Saturday, the leaders will issue the Carbis Bay Declaration, "which will set out a plan to try to prevent any repeat of the human and economic devastation wreaked by Covid-19", the BBC reported. Some of the measures under the Declaration are reducing the time taken to develop and licence vaccines, treatments and diagnostics for any future disease to under 100 days; reinforcing global surveillance networks and genomic sequencing capacity; and support for reforming and strengthening the World Health Organization (WHO). Saturday's session will also see the participation of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus. According to the BBC report, the Declaration is "expected to incorporate recommendations from a report by a group of experts drawn from across industry, government and scientific institutions". After the three-day gathering was inaugurated by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday, the leaders attended a dinner with Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the Royal Family. As they posed for a group photo, the Queen jokingly said: "Are you supposed to be looking as if you're enjoying yourself?" To which Johnson, the host of the Summit, said: "We have been enjoying ourselves - in spite of appearances." The G7 comprises the world's seven largest so-called advanced economies: Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, the UK and the US. Also in attendance are Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and Charles Michel, President of the European Council. On Saturday, the leaders of Australia, India, South Korea and South Africa are invited as guests as well. --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.) has filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) over China's anti-dumping duties on their stainless steel products, saying that the tariffs of up to 29 per cent violate trade rules. On Friday, requested consultations with under the Agreement regarding China's measure imposing anti-dumping duties on stainless steel products, which has been in place since July 2019. In July 2019, started imposing anti-dumping (AD) duties on stainless steel products imported from Japan, the Republic of Korea, Indonesia, and the EU, claiming that its domestic industry was being injured by the dumped imports of such products. According to the country's and Trade Ministry, considers the AD measure to be inconsistent with the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the Agreement on Implementation of Article VI of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 due to flaws in the Chinese authorities' determination and its investigation procedures. Japan has repeatedly asked to abolish the AD measure at the and in bilateral meetings, but has failed to resolve the issue. Therefore, it has requested consultations under the Agreement. The total value of exports of stainless steel from Japan to China is approximately 70 billion yen per year, of which exports of the products subject to the AD measure account for approximately 9.2 billion yen (both figures as of 2019). (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 States plans to push democratic allies on Saturday to publicly call out for forced labour practices as the Group of Seven leaders gather at a summit where they will also unveil an infrastructure plan meant to compete with Beijing's efforts in the developing world. The provocative proposal is part of President Joe Biden's escalating campaign to get fellow democratic leaders to present a more unified front to compete economically with in the century ahead, according to two senior administration officials who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the plans for the seaside summit publicly. The officials said Biden wanted G-7 leaders to speak out in a single voice against forced labour practices targeting Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities. Biden hopes the denunciation will be part of the joint communique released at the summit's end, but some European allies have been reluctant to so forcefully split with Beijing. It may not be clear until the three-day summit ends on Sunday whether the leaders will take that step. The wealthy nations' leaders were all smiles and unity as they were welcomed to the summit on Friday by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the freshly raked sand of Carbis Bay for their first gathering since 2019. Last year's gathering was canceled because of COVID-19, and recovery from the pandemic is dominating this year's discussions, with members of the wealthy democracies' club expected to commit to sharing at least 1 billion vaccine shots with struggling countries. also loomed large over the meeting on the craggy coast of Cornwall. Biden's proposed critique of China's labour practices was to be raised as the allies unveil an infrastructure proposal dubbed Build Back Better for the World, a name that echoes the slogan of the American president's election campaign. The plan calls for spending hundreds of millions of dollars in collaboration with the private sector. It's designed to compete with China's trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative, which has launched a network of projects and maritime lanes that already snake around large portions of the world, primarily Asia and Africa. Critics say the projects often create massive debt and expose nations to undue influence by Beijing. Not every European power has viewed China in as harsh a light as Biden, who has painted the rivalry with the techno-security state as the defining competition for the 21st century. But there are signs that Europe is willing to put greater scrutiny on Beijing. Weeks before Biden took office last year, the European Commission announced it had come to terms with Beijing on the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment, a deal meant to provide Europe and China greater access to each other's markets. The Biden administration had hoped to have consultations on the pact. But the deal has been put on hold, and the European Union in March announced sanctions targeting four Chinese officials involved with human rights abuses in Xinjiang. Beijing, in turn, responded by imposing sanctions on several members of the European Parliament and other Europeans critical of the Chinese Communist Party. Biden administration officials see the moment as an opportunity to take concrete action to speak out against China's reliance on forced labor as an affront to human dignity." While calling out China in the communique wouldn't create any immediate penalties for Beijing, one senior administration official said the action was meant to send a message that the G-7 was serious about defending human rights and working together to eradicate the use of forced labor. An estimated 1 million people or more most of them Uyghurs have been confined in reeducation camps in China's western Xinjiang region in recent years, according to researchers. Chinese authorities have been accused of imposing forced labor, systematic forced birth control, torture and separating children from incarcerated parents. Beijing rejects allegations that it is committing crimes. Opening three days of talks in southwest England, Johnson on Friday warned that world leaders must not repeat errors made over the past 18 months or those made during the recovery from the 2008 global financial crisis. It is vital that we don't repeat the mistake of the last great crisis, the last great economic recession in 2008, when the recovery was not uniform across all parts of society, he said after leaders posed for a family photo by the sea. And I think what's gone wrong with this pandemic, and what risks being a lasting scar, is that I think the inequalities may be entrenched, Johnson added. The leaders of the G-7 which also includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan hope the meeting at the seaside resort will energize the global As Johnson led the politicians off the beach, French President Emmanuel Macron threw his arm around the shoulders of Biden, whom he was meeting for the first time. The two men will have more formal talks on Saturday, a meeting between allies who recalibrated their relationship during the four years of President Donald Trump's America first foreign policy. Macron's preference for multilateralism was out of step with Trump's isolationist tendencies. But the Trump era was often framed by Macron as a clarifying moment one in which Europe had to step forward as America drifted away from alliances and toward Trumpism. (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.) French President offered on Saturday to reset relations with Britain as long as Prime Minister stands by the divorce deal he signed with the European Union. Since Britain completed its exit from the EU late last year, relations with the bloc and particularly France have soured, with Macron becoming the most vocal critic of London's refusal to honour the terms of part of its deal. At a meeting at the Group of Seven rich nations in southwestern England, Macron told Johnson the two countries had common interests, but that ties could improve only if Johnson kept his word on Brexit, a source said. "The president told there needed to be a reset of the Franco-British relationship," the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said. "This can happen provided that he keeps his word with the Europeans," the source said, adding that Macron spoke in English to Johnson. The Elysee Palace said that France and Britain shared a common vision and common interests on many global issues and "a shared approach to transatlantic policy". Johnson will meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel later on Saturday, where she could also raise the dispute over a part of the EU divorce deal that is called the Northern Ireland Protocol. The British leader, who is hosting the G7 meeting, wants the summit to focus on global issues, but has stood his ground on trade with Northern Ireland, calling on the EU to be more flexible in its approach to easing trade to the province from Britain. The protocol aims to keep the province, which borders EU member Ireland, in both the United Kingdom's customs territory and the EU's single market. But London says the protocol is unsustainable in its current form because of the disruption it has caused to supplies of everyday goods to Northern Ireland. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Pentagon has announced $150 million of security assistance package for to enhance its defense capability. The US will provide with counter-artillery radars, counter-unmanned aerial systems, secure communications gear, electronic warfare and military medical evacuation equipment, and training and equipment to improve the operational safety and capacity of Ukrainian Air Force bases, according to a Pentagon statement, Xinhua reported. The statement said that the package represents the remaining funds appropriated by Congress for the Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) in Fiscal Year 2021, which ends on September 30. The US had provided $125 million of security assistance to Ukraine this March. The package "is made possible by the Defense Department, in coordination with the Department of State, certifying that Ukraine has made sufficient progress on defense reforms this year," it added. The Pentagon said the US had provided over $2.5 billion in security aid to Ukraine since 2014. Crimea was incorporated into Russia in March 2014, following a popular referendum, which Ukraine and the West never recognized. US President Joe Biden on Monday reaffirmed his support to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity in a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, an effort to reassure Kiev ahead of the US-Russia summit scheduled on June 16 in Geneva. The ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine, which began in April 2014, has claimed some 14,000 lives and left as many as 40,000 wounded. Kiev has repeatedly blamed Moscow for inciting the conflict. Russia, however, has denied the charges, saying the accusations are groundless. --IANS int/pgh (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.) Russian President said that he is not worried about being called "killer" by his US counterpart "Over my tenure, I've gotten used to attacks from all kinds of angles and from all kinds of areas under all kinds of pretext and reasons and of different caliber and fierceness and none of it surprises me," US broadcaster NBC quoted Putin as saying in an interview ahead of his meeting with Biden next week. According to the channel, Putin called the "killer" label "Hollywood macho." On the and US bilateral ties, he said that the relationship between the two sides is at its lowest in recent years. "We have a bilateral relationship that has deteriorated to its lowest point in recent years," Putin said in an interview to US broadcaster NBC ahead of his meeting with the American counterpart Biden next week. Answering a question on former US leader Donald Trump, Putin said that he was a colorful individual radically different from his successor Joe Biden, whom he labeled as "a career man." "Well even now, I believe that former US president Trump is an extraordinary individual, talented individual, otherwise he would not have become US President. He is a colorful individual. You may like him or not. And, but he didn't come from the US establishment, he had not been part of big time before, and some like it some don't like it but that is a fact," US broadcaster NBC quoted Putin as saying. Putin described the incumbent as "a career man." "He has spent virtually his entire adulthood in That's a different kind of person, and it is my great hope that yes, there are some advantages, some disadvantages, but there will not be any impulse-based movements, on behalf of the sitting US president," he said. Furthermore, Putin dismissed US media reports that is preparing to offer Iran an advanced satellite system. (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 Joe Biden administration said on Friday it has dismantled a Trump-era government office to help victims of crimes committed by immigrants, a move that symbolizes President Joe Biden's rejection of former President Donald Trump's repeated efforts to link immigrants to crime. Trump created the Victim Of Immigration Crime Engagement Office, known by its acronym VOICE, by executive order during his first week in office in January 2017. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement said it was replacing VOICE with a "more comprehensive and inclusive victim support system." VOICE will be replaced by The Victims Engagement and Services Line, which will combine longstanding existing services, such as methods for people to report abuse and mistreatment in immigration detention centers and a notification system for lawyers and with a vested interest in immigration cases. The new office will add a service for potential recipients of visas designated for victims of human trafficking or violent crimes in the "Providing assistance to society's most vulnerable is a core American value. All people, regardless of their immigration status, should be able to access victim services without fear," said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Stephen Miller, a key architect of Trump's immigration policies, called the decision to close VOICE a "moral stain on the conscience of our nation." He likened the new office to the Drug Enforcement Administration opening "a call centre to help drug dealers get lawyers and amnesty for their crimes."The Department of Homeland Security "is a law enforcement agency, not a legal help centre for criminals and lawbreakers," Miller said. The change of tone regarding immigration has been striking between the two administrations. While there is scant evidence that immigrants perpetuate crime and studies suggesting they are less likely to commit crime Trump relentlessly sought to establish a link. He launched his 2016 presidential campaign by portraying Mexicans in the country illegally as violent criminals and frequently highlighted the MS-13 gang, which was started by Salvadoran immigrants. To advance his immigration agenda, Trump invited "angel families" people whose loved ones had been victims of crimes by immigrants to campaign rallies and high-profile speeches. Trump's office for victims of violent crimes appears to have had little impact. Its most recent quarterly report posted online for the last three months of 2018 said it fielded 781 calls during the three-month period and that just 256 of the calls pertained to services it offered. About half were requests on the status of immigration cases, and many of the rest were referrals for assistance, such as social services to help cope with impacts of domestic violence or assault. The office was used as a platform by the Trump administration to promote a link between immigrants and crime. "I've had to hold the hand of too many mothers who lost a child to a DUI or somebody else who's been raped by an illegal alien or someone with a nexus to immigration," Barbara Gonzalez, the then-director of VOICE, told reporters in October 2019. "It is a problem we cannot ignore as a country." In April, the Biden administration ordered US officials to avoid using terms like "illegal alien" and instead use the phrase "undocumented noncitizen." Vice President Kamala Harris drew strong criticism from some of the administration's pro-immigration allies for telling would-be migrants during a visit to Guatemala on Monday, "Do not come ... Do not come," and that they would be denied entry at the U.S. border with Mexico. (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.) Senior TRS leader and former Health Minister Etela Rajedner has tendered his resignation as MLA. A few days ago he relinquished the party membership also. Rajender, who represents Huzurabad constituency, was one of the senior leaders of the ruling TRS. "I wanted to submit the resignation letter directly to the Speaker. But I could not meet him. So under the circumstances, I had to handover my resignation to the Assembly Secretary," Rajender said. Before submitting his resignation letter, Rajender told reporters though many of his well-wishers advised him against quitting, he was doing so for the sake of the self-esteem of the people of his constituency and According to sources close to Rajender, he is set to join the BJP on June 14 in the presence of party's president JP Nadda in the national capital. "He had already met the senior leadership of BJP. The high command invited him into the party," they told PTI. Apart from Rajender, a few TRS leaders are also set to join the saffron party. Rajender was shunted out of the cabinet last month following complaints that firms owned by his family members grabbed assigned lands in the state. (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.) Health services in are in a very bad shape due to the neglect of the BJP government which has given private hospitals an opportunity to loot people during the Covid crisis, Samajwadi Party president alleged on Saturday. In an apparent reference to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's New Delhi visit on Friday, Yadav said BJP leaders are only concerned about staying in power. "There is no control of the government on private hospitals. The black marketing of medicines and injections continues unabated. Corona curfew and lack of oxygen has added to the woes of the people, the SP chief was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the party. Yadav said the condition of the health system is such that a serious patient was carried on a cot for eight kilometres to the hospital in Tilovgaon village in Mirzapur. Under the BJP rule, serious patients are not even getting ambulances, he claimed. The SP government had started the 108 ambulance service but it was ruined by the BJP. There have also been shameful incidents like the one involving a patient being taken to a hospital in Kanpur on a handcart and a garbage truck used to carry a dead body, the former chief minister said. "Private hospitals have left no stone unturned to forcibly rob patients during the Corona crisis. Patients were allowed to die by shutting off oxygen at Paras Hospital in Agra," he claimed, stressing the rates fixed by the government for treatment and sale of essential medicines were not followed anywhere. Attacking the chief minister, Yadav said: "The chief minister was busy in talks with his top leadership in Delhi and people were suffering in the state. Instead of connecting with the pain and suffering of the people, BJP is busy only in staying in power. This is the democracy of BJP. Adityanath had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence on Friday. Later, he also met Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president J P Nadda. On Thursday, the chief minister had a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. (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.) Chief Minister on Saturday cautioned that the chances of the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic were quite real, while he asserted that his government was preparing on a "war-footing" to combat it. Indications are coming from the UK on the fear of the third wave. Cases are rising there, despite 45 per cent of vaccination. So, we cannot afford to sit idle, he said. Kejriwal was speaking at an online event during which he jointly inaugurated 22 new PSA oxygen plants at nine hospitals across "These new oxygen plants at nine hospitals across being added today to strengthen our preparations to fight Covid," he said. The chief minster in his address cautioned that the chances of the "third wave of the pandemic were quite real" "We cannot afford to sit idle and our government is preparing on a war-footing to combat it," he said. The Delhi government also procuring oxygen tankers to equip system to fight Covid in case of third wave, Kejriwal added "People of Delhi have come shoulder-to-shoulder in combating the second wave of Covid, and our gratitude to industry sector too for joining the fight," he said. Kejriwal congratulated people of Delhi, saying they have together faced the Covid second wave with struggle and discipline and "succeeded in controlling it". "We pray that the third wave of Covid doesn't hit us, but if it happens, Delhi has to again fight together," 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.) The (SAD) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) formed an alliance on Saturday for the 2022 election. Announcing the tie-up at a press conference, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal described it as a new day in politics of Punjab. "Today, is a historic day...a big turn in Punjab's politics, he said in the presence of General Secretary Satish Chandra Mishra. He said the SAD and the will jointly fight the 2022 polls and other together. The Mayawati-led will fight 20 of the 117 Assembly seats in Punjab, while the rest will be contested by the SAD, he said. Among the seats which the BSP will contest are Kartarpur Sahib in Jalandhar, Jalandhar-West, Jalandhar-North, Phagwara, Hoshiarpur Urban, Dasuya, Chamkaur Sahib in Rupnagar district, Bassi Pathana, Sujanpur in Pathankot, Mohali, Amritsar North and Amritsar Central. The SAD earlier had a tie-up with the BJP and the Badal-led party walked out of the NDA over the farm laws issue last year. The BJP used to contest 23 seats under its alliance with the SAD. (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 Joe Biden administration seeks to work with the Indian government and Internet businesses to ensure that freedom of expression is respected while combating the spread of misinformation, a senior US official has told lawmakers. The US believes that the best response to misinformation is truthful information, said Scott Busby, the acting principal deputy assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour while testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia, and Non-Proliferation on Wednesday. "Misinformation has cost lives in India and so has lack of access to independent information. Prior to the pandemic, misinformation led to several instances of 'cow-lynchings' in which hooligans, inflamed by social media, assaulted people suspected of harming cattle," he said. At the onset of the pandemic in India, some leveraged to blame Muslims for the spread of COVID-19, Busby told the lawmakers. "The government levied content restrictions and demanded content takedowns of companies negatively impacting access to information and freedom of expression," Busby claimed. Throughout South Asia, there have been constraints on liberties such as freedom of expression and association, he said. "In India, authorities tell US businesses to block content, including posts relating to public health, and charge or arrest journalists for the same, at the height of the country's COVID-19 surge when up-to-date information is needed most." India's enforcement of its Foreign Contribution Regulation Act resulted in the deregistration of over 1,500 civil society organizations and the closure of such prominent organizations as Amnesty International India, he claimed. "As large democracies, the and India have a special responsibility towards combating misinformation with a rights-respecting approach. We seek to work with the Government of India and Internet businesses to respect freedom of expression while combatting dis- and misinformation," Busby said. Observing that information manipulation, whether it is through media capture, censorship or disinformation campaigns is a global problem, he alleged China actively seeks political, economic and strategic advantage, including through the spread of propaganda and disinformation and silencing critical voices. "In the Indo-Pacific region, disinformation has profoundly changed how people vote, obtain healthcare and treat vulnerable members of minority groups. Responsible governments must not suppress factual information nor permit their officials to contribute to the spread of misinformation," Busby said. In Bangladesh, the restrictive Digital Security Act infringes upon the exercise of freedom of expression both online and offline and targets civil society, media, political opposition, and religious minorities. Government measures in Bangladesh restrict freedom of expression and authorize the criminalization of defamation and slander, offences most other democracies consider civil infractions while in Nepal, regulations governing the media and online environment carry criminal penalties that trigger self-censorship, the official said. Bhutanese Internet has flourished with news on blogs and social media, though posters risk defamation lawsuits and national security charges filed against them and actively self-censor, Busby 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 US space agency is seeking proposals for two new private astronaut missions to the International Space Station (ISS). The first mission will occur between fall of 2022 and mid-2023 and the second will occur between mid-2023 and the end of 2023. "A private astronaut mission involves US commercial spacecraft transporting private to the space station, where they conduct activities aboard the orbiting laboratory or a commercial structure attached to it. is enabling up to two short-duration private astronaut missions per year," the space agency said in a statement on Friday. With these opportunities, US commercial companies will continue to play an essential role in establishing a sustained presence in low-Earth orbit (LEO) through the agency's Commercial LEO Development Programme, it added. "This year is truly a renaissance for human spaceflight both as we fly and international partner on US commercial crew spacecraft to the International Space Station and also as we see the expansion of private astronaut missions," said Phil McAlister, director of commercial spaceflight development at Headquarters. "As more people fly to space and do more things during their spaceflights, it attracts even more people to do more activities in low-Earth orbit, and reflects the growing market we envisioned when we began the Commercial Crew Program 10 years ago," he added. The new targeted flight opportunities will be the second and third private astronaut missions to the ISS. NASA has signed an agreement with Axiom Space for the first private astronaut mission, to take place no earlier than January 2022. Each of the new missions may be up to 14 days. Specific dates are dependent on spacecraft traffic to the space station and in-orbit activity planning and constraints. "This strategy will provide services the government needs at a lower cost, enabling the agency to focus on its Artemis missions to the Moon and on to Mars while continuing to use low-Earth orbit as a training and proving ground for those deep space missions," said NASA. --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.) Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar has been appointed as the new brand ambassador of biotechnology company Mylab Discovery Solutions. This announcement comes days after the Pune-based firm launched the country's first COVID-19 self-test kit -- CoviSelf. The partnership with Akshay is aimed at creating awareness for Mylab's products and kits such as CoviSelf and also to share educational content, according to the firm. "Akshay will play a vital role in educating people about the use, safety and efficacy of products, thus making our citizens well equipped to fight against Covid," the company said in a statement. Akshay is the true advocate for healthy living and has set an example for outstanding lifestyle choices. Akshay will be the perfect motivator to encourage people to get the testing done and spread awareness on the importance of early diagnosis, the firm added. On May 20, 201, MyLab Discovery Solutions had launched CoviSelf after receiving approval from the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR). The price for CoviSelf kit has been set at Rs 250. According to the firm, the self-test kit offers a "comfortable, easy-to-use and accurate alternative to the current test method". The kit can be purchased without a prescription from online channels as well as local pharmacies. According to the company, CoviSelf has been designed as a mid-nasal swab test which can detect positive results in just 15 minutes. Each unit contains a testing kit, instructions to use (IFU) leaflet and a bag to safely dispose of after testing. Testing will be monitored using Mylab's mobile phone application. Users are advised to click a photo of the test strip before disposing it. Also Read: MyLab launches COVID-19 self-test kit 'CoviSelf'; to be available on Flipkart, shops in 2-3 days Ed-tech major Byju's has raised about $350 million in latest funding round, becoming India's most-valued startup with a valuation of $16.5 billion. The company raised funds from UBS Group, Blackstone, Abu Dhabi's ADQ, Zoom founder Eric Yuan's family office and Phoenix Rising - Beacon Holdings, the Economic Times reported, citing the company's filings with Registrar of Companies. Byju's was valued at $16.5 billion in the funding round, making it India's most-valuable startup by going past Paytm, which has a valuation of $16 billion. The fund raising is part of $1.5 billion the company started raising in April, the publication quoted sources as saying. As per the filings, the company raised $1 billion in April from investors like Baron Funds, B Capital Group and XN Exponent Holding, along with existing investors. The company has been on an acquisition spree recently. It acquired Aakash Educational Services Ltd (AESL) for around $1 billion in April. Launched in 2015, Byju's has over 80 million students cumulatively learning from the app, 5.5 million annual paid subscriptions, and an annual renewal rate of 86 per cent. During April-September 2020, Byju's added 45 million new students to its platform. Also read: GST Council meet: No tax on Black Fungus drugs, 5% rate on COVID-19 vaccines unchanged Also read: Adani Group enters cement business, incorporates Adani Cement Industries External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday assured the worried diaspora in Kuwait that the second wave of COVID-19 was receding in India and the government "really moved mountains" to contain the pandemic. Jaishankar, who arrived on his first bilateral visit to the oil-rich Gulf nation early on Thursday, addressed the Indian community at the conclusion of his meetings in the country. "The second wave of the COVID-19 has started to recede. The daily number of new infections is less than what it was in early May. The positivity rate has also come down dramatically," he said. "A large part of it has been made possible by very very vigorous government response to the second wave. The kind of effort and energy that I saw, the long hours that people put in. People really moved mountains to respond to what was an unprecedented situation," he said. The minister said the government ran hundreds of oxygen trains to ferry oxygen from the production centres to the major cities. "All our planes were mobilised, including the Air Force planes for the oxygen cylinder tanks to be moved, both within the country and from abroad to India," Jaishankar said. "We procured medicines which were essential for COVID treatment. Many of them came from abroad. We also ensured the domestic production of the medicines was enhanced," he said. On the vaccination programme, the minister acknowledged that it was a "big issue" and 3 million people were being vaccinated daily and its pace will pick up in the coming days. "As the production of the vaccines scales up, as the year progresses, we will be able to vaccinate all our people," he said. Jaishankar said the economy has started to make a strong recovery, asserting that there is a sense that the economic impact of the second wave would be less than what happened in the last year. "The belief we have is that India will pick up. India will recover rapidly, a lot of what we have seen in the past - the steady rise of India and its economy and influence in the world - and that will continue," he said. Jaishankar lauded the contributions of the Indian community, saying it in many ways defines India abroad. "The contribution you make, the respect you earn, the support that you provide and the bridge you constitute is what makes India''s interaction with the world unique... Keep the Indian flag flying high here in Kuwait," he said. Earlier, Jaishankar held a meeting with India's envoys to the Gulf nations to discuss a host of issues, including encouraging speedy resumption of flights to this region and facilitating reuniting families separated by Covid disruption. He said the Indian missions in the crucial Gulf region have been told to do whatever they could to help the Indian community during the pandemic. He said the government attached high importance to the region not only because it was one of the main sources of oil and gas for the country but also due to the presence of a large number of Indian nationals living in countries in the region. Jaishankar said he held "productive discussions" with his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Ahmed Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah on Thursday during which the two sides discussed a range of issues including health, food, education, energy, digital and business cooperation. During the visit, India and Kuwait also signed an MoU that brings Indian domestic workers in the Gulf nation within the ambit of a legal framework that streamlines their recruitment and provides them with the protection of the law. The MoU brings the Indian domestic workers in Kuwait within the ambit of a legal framework that streamlines their recruitment and provides them with the protection of the law. Around one million (ten lakh) Indians reside in Kuwait. Also read: PM Modi to virtually attend outreach sessions of G7 summit on June 12-13, says MEA The IMD on Saturday issued an orange alert warning of very heavy rains with thunderstorms and lightning in six districts, including Jabalpur and Narsinghpur, in east Madhya Pradesh and a yellow alert predicting heavy rains with thunderstorms and lightning at isolated places in eight districts including Vidisha and Hoshangabad as the southwest monsoon is expected to advance in the state in the next 24 hours. Another yellow alert forecasting a "thunderstorm with lightning and lightning falls" has been sounded for isolated places in five divisions including Indore, Gwalior and Chambal. The Met department also predicted that such weather conditions will prevail in 10 districts including Bhopal. All three alerts remain valid till Sunday morning. Through an 'orange' alert (be prepared), the IMD indicates a risk to people and property. When a 'yellow' (be updated) alert is issued, authorities are advised to "be updated" as it indicates that hazardous conditions are possible and people need to be aware of the potential impacts of the changing weather. Senior meteorologist at the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Bhopal PK Saha said though southwest monsoon did not spread (advance) on Saturday in Madhya Pradesh, it is going to advance in the state in the next 24 hours. Southwest monsoon had covered entire Jabalpur and Hoshangabad divisions, large parts of Indore and Shahdol divisions and some parts of Bhopal and Sagar divisions on Friday, a day after its onset in some parts of MP, the senior officer said. Large parts of Madhya Pradesh received rains in the last 24 hours, Saha said, adding Devri in Sagar district in eastern MP and Nasrullahganj at Sehore district in western MP recorded 113 mm and 106 mm rainfall, respectively in the last 24 hours ending 8.30 am on Saturday. Also Read: Monsoon likely to arrive in Odisha, J'khand, parts of Bengal, Bihar by Jun 15, says IMD A new study has shown that the genetic variants responsible for causing COVID-19 severity among Europeans may not play a role in virus susceptibility among South Asians. An international team of researchers conducted the study to ascertain why severe symptoms and adverse outcomes are experienced by some people who are infected with COVID-19 and not others. The study has attempted to analyse the role of the DNA segment in establishing COVID-19 outcomes among South Asians. The report titled "The major genetic risk factor for severe COVID-19 does not show any association among South Asian populations", was published in the journal Scientific Reports. "Our result reiterates the unique genetic origin of South Asian populations. A dedicated Genome-wide Association Study on South Asian Covid-19 patients is the need of time for us in the Asian sub-continent," said Prajival Pratap Singh, the first author of the study. "In this study, we have compared infection and case fatality rates with South Asian genomic data over three different timelines during the pandemic. We have especially looked into a large number of populations from India and Bangladesh," stated Dr Thangaraj, Director, Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics and chief scientist, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), added, The study also showed that genetic variants when correlated with COVID-19 outcomes in patients, differed significantly among tribal and caste populations of Bangladesh. "Scientists working in the area of population studies should be more cautious to interpret their findings by differentiating caste and tribal populations, more explicitly so in the Bangladeshi population," said Prof George van Driem, a co-author of the study. "With growing data, it is becoming quite clear that there are several factors including genetics, immunity and lifestyle are the contributing factors for COVID-19 susceptibility. CCMB's expertise in population studies are proving useful in understanding these details of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic," explained Dr Vinay Nandicoori, Director, CCMB. An earlier study conducted on Europeans suggested that genetic variants in a specific DNA segment were strongly linked to the severity of COVID-19 infection. The research had concluded that this DNA segment was there in 50 per cent of the South Asian population as compared to 16 per cent of Europeans. Also Read: COVID-19 update: India logs 84,332 new cases in 24 hours, its lowest in 70 days Realme is all set to host a special event on June 15. The company plans to launch its highly-anticipated device, the GT 5G flagship globally but that does not pique the interest as much as the other lined-up products do. Realme will not only launch the flagship device but also launch its first-ever tablet and laptop at the June 15 launch event. Clearly, Realme does not want to be categorised as a smartphone brand only. As per GSMArena, Realme did not confirm launching the laptop and tablet on its social media accounts but has dropped major hints about it in a press message. Realme says in the message that its smartphone business has grown "by leaps and bounds" but now it is time for the company to bring more "leap-forward products". Earlier, Realme India CEO Madhav Sheth had shared a glimpse of the purported Realme laptop on his Twitter handle. He had captioned the picture as, "#realme new product category has a message for you! Can you decode it & guess the product name that will add up to your #TechLife?." Days after his post, the Internet was swarmed with the leaked images of the Realme laptop, which the company is likely to call Realme Book. The leaks reveal that the Realme Book has taken major cues from the MacBook Air. It flaunts the same silver colour and aluminium body that the MacBook comes in. Now what material exactly has been used in the Realme Book is not clear, the interpretation is based purely on the renders of the product. While the design of the Realme Book has been leaked left right and centre, not much has been known about the specifications of the laptop. It is being reported that the Realme laptop will be deeply integrated with the Realme smartphones. While we know what the Realme Book will look like, the Realme tablet seems like a well-guarded secret. As per Android Authority, the tablet will be called Realme Pad. In terms of design, the Realme Pad could also take major inspiration from the Apple iPad and come with the high-end feature but all that would only be revealed when the company unveils the product. After a prolonged battle with the Indian government over new IT rules, Twitter has finally taken steps to comply with the government's order. Twitter has posted job openings on Linkedin for the position of chief compliance officer, nodal officer and grievance officer. As per the government new order, the tech companies including WhatsApp, Facebook, Google and others were required to appoint chief compliance officer, nodal officer and grievance officer from India. The job posting on Linkedin reveals that Twitter is actively looking for the chief compliance officer, nodal officer and grievance officer. Anybody with the right skillset and experience can apply for the above-mentioned positions. Twitter has posted a job opening for a Resident Grievance officer. The position is based in Delhi. In the job description, Twitter says that the person will be responsible for overseeing the grievance redressal mechanism of complaints from the people who Twitter in India. "This role is part of the legal team within Twitter Inc. and will report to the company's headquarters located in San Francisco, CA. You will collaborate closely with colleagues from allied teams (including Legal and Trust & Safety), providing your own subject-matter expertise, and seeking the expertise of others when needed. You must therefore be comfortable collaborating with colleagues from a wide variety of teams and backgrounds, and managing internal and external stakeholders effectively, all while advocating vigorously for Twitter and our users in India. This position is ideal for a seasoned professional with prior experience interfacing with the public or government officials on issues of national importance," the description. The appliance should have relevant qualifications and work experience of a minimum of six years. Similarly, the nodal officer will be responsible for coordination with the law enforcement and government agencies in India to oversee the process of responding to reports, orders, and complaints. The applicant should be a resident of India and have a minimum work experience of six years. Twitter is also looking for a Chief Compliance Officer with a minimum work experience of 15 years. The person concerned will be a part of the Legal team within Twitter Inc and will report to the company's headquarters in San Francisco. For a detailed understanding of all the positions offered, you need to visit the official LinkedIn page of Twitter. The micro-blogging site had recently reached out to the Indian government requesting more time to comply with the new IT Rules that went into effect last month. This was after the government gave one last chance to Twitter to comply with the new rules. In a statement to India Today Tech, a Twitter spokesperson said, "Twitter has been and remains deeply committed to India, and serving the vital public conversation taking place on the service. We have assured the Government of India that Twitter is making every effort to comply with the new Guidelines, and an overview of our progress has been duly shared. We will continue our constructive dialogue with the Indian Government." New deal could make it easier for foreign creditors to claim assets on the mainland; Shenzhen moves ahead with legislation that could soon get self-driving cars on the roads; and the stock price of battery-maker CATL hits an all-time high Jun 30, 2021 07:15 PM St. Johnsbury, VT (05819) Today Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 64F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. 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 The Storehouse Director Delicia Linteau, left, and Pastor Patrick McAnaw of Life Church in Newport stand in front of the new refrigerated food truck recently donated to the food pantry by the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina. (Contributed photo) An Alamance County sheriff's deputy arrests the Rev. Greg Drumwright on Oct. 31, 2020, during a protest Drumwright helped organize in downtown Graham. Photo courtesy of Anthony Crider via Flickr Photo: The Canadian Press Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs. As stories of the horrors of residential schools circulate after the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc First Nation announced it had located what are believed to be the remains of 215 children, Grand Chief Stewart Phillip of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs said he feels a connection with the former students. Phillip was placed in a foster care system in the 1950s that, to this day, consists of a disproportionate number of Indigenous children, he said. He was raised by white people and he was one of only two Indigenous students at his high school. There are obvious differences with the residential school system, which was largely run by churches, but Phillip said the child welfare system also shares some similarities in the way that children have been taken from their families, communities and nations. "You're isolated from your history, your language, your culture, your customs. As a consequence, I don't sing, I don't drum, I don't dance," he said in an interview. "That may sound like not much to you but to me it's like part of my heart and soul has been ripped out. It really bothers me when I'm in an environment where there's drumming and singing and celebrating because I feel so left out, so isolated, so not belonging." Children in care are more likely to suffer mental illness, and drug and alcohol addiction, as well as deal with issues associated with trauma, he noted. "My vision of this is that it's two sides of the same genocidal coin," Phillip said referring to residential schools and the child welfare system. "They both inflicted enormous trauma on the victims of both systems." Phillip is among several former foster children, advocates and politicians drawing the link between the two systems and calling for change. In the House of Commons last week, Inuk MP Mumilaaq Qaqqaq, who represents Nunavut, equated the foster care system with residential schools. "Children are still being separated from their communities. Foster care is the new residential school system. The suicide epidemic is the new form of Indigenous genocide," Qaqqaq said in an emotional address. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the removal of Indigenous kids from their home communities must end. In 2019, the Commons passed a bill to counter the overrepresentation of Indigenous children in foster care. Since then, Ottawa has been working to allow Indigenous communities to keep at-risk children and youth in their home communities with their own language and culture, Trudeau said. Beyond cultural harm, former children in care also have higher death rates than the general public. A report published three years ago by the BC Coroner Service's Child Death Review Panel found young people leaving government care died at five times the rate of the general population of young people in the province, and a disproportionate number of those fatalities were Indigenous youth. A death review panel report of First Nations youth and young adults published a year earlier highlighted that culture and the interconnectedness of individuals, families, communities and First Nations play an integral role in their health and wellness. Factors like colonialism, historical trauma and poverty were named as detriments to health and wellness. Phillip said the only hope for Canada is to teach the "absolute truth" in schools about its racist history, including the legislation and policies that created the residential school and child welfare systems. Politicians also need to stop referring to a "dark chapter" in the country's history when the effects of racism are ongoing, and there should be harsher penalties for racist attacks and acts of hate, he said. Phillip said he gets strength and comfort from his wife Joan and through the advocacy work he does fighting for Indigenous and other rights. "It's not an occupation or job for me, it's my life." Phillip's perspective was mirrored by another former foster child, jaye simpson, who uses the pronouns they and them and does not capitalize their name. "My experiences in care were very restrictive and traumatizing where I didn't have a lot of access to my culture," said simpson, 26, who is Oji-Cree and spent 16 years in foster care in British Columbia and Manitoba. Although simpson's care was overseen by a delegated Aboriginal agency, simpson said at times there was no opportunity to participate in cultural events or language classes. The B.C. Ministry of Children and Family Development says online that its practice emphasizes family preservation, when appropriately safe, keeping children and youth from coming into care. In British Columbia, First Nations make up six per cent of the total population, yet about 45 per cent of youth in care are Indigenous. In Manitoba, nearly nine in 10 youth in care are Indigenous. After being placed with a "really good" foster family in Kamloops, simpson found kinship and mentorship within the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc community. After aging out of care, simpson remained in Kamloops and worked on the powwow grounds and with community groups. "To me, Kamloops is a very important place, I had access to a lot of healing and kinship," said simpson, who acts as an advocate for foster kids. Photo: The Canadian Press Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and United States President Joe Biden listen to United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson deliver opening remarks at a plenary session at the G7 Summit in Carbis Bay, United Kingdom Friday. Foreign policy is on the agenda for a meeting between international leaders gathered on a beachside village in England to strategize on how best to tackle some of their most pressing challenges, including China. Leaders at the G7 summit, hosted by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, are set to discuss international affairs when they meet Saturday for a closed-door session. How to deal with China and its more aggressive stance is one of the challenges faced by these countries, including Canada, which has strong economic ties to the state. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faced a call from the Opposition Conservatives ahead of the summit for him to press his democratic peers to take a collective stand against China and push for the relocation of the 2022 Beijing Olympics. United State President Joe Biden is set to make such a move by asking the G7 leaders to call out China for its use of forced labour practices against ethnic minorities, including Uighur Muslims. Two senior administration officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, discussed the plan with reporters, saying the president wants to see the denunciation inked into a communique signed between all the countries when the summit concludes on Sunday. It's unclear what exactly Trudeau will have to say to his allies about China. Members of own his Liberal party and opposition MPs voted back in February in favour of a Conservative motion that labelled China's treatment of Muslim Uighurs in its Xinjiang province as a genocide. Trudeau and most of his cabinet abstained from the vote. Stopping short of calling it a genocide, the prime minister has characterized China's treatment of Uighurs and other ethic minorities as amounting to "systematic human rights abuses." Canada also joined the United Kingdom, U.S., and European Union in imposing sanctions on Chinese officials over these actions, which it said was supported by "mounting evidence." Canada's relationship with China has been under a microscope since it detained Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, two Canadian citizens, following the 2018 arrest of a Huawei Technologies executive for extradition to the United States on fraud charges Trudeau has said officials are working hard to get both men home and views their detention as a retaliatory pressure tactic from the state over Meng Wanzhou's arrest. Canada's prime minister began the second day of his summit bumping elbows and smiling for the cameras with French President Emanuel Macron ahead of the pair's bilateral meeting. A readout from Trudeau's office said they agreed to collaborate on a list of initiatives, from developing cultural exchanges and making new commitments to promoting gender equality, particularly in the economic recovery from COVID-19. He was also set to meet Saturday with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Next to Merkel, who doesn't plan to seek re-election after her current term in office expires, Trudeau is the second-longest serving leader out of his G7 colleagues. FILE - In this July 7, 2020, file photo a San Francisco Police Department patch is shown on an officer's uniform in San Francisco. Law enforcement agencies across the country experienced a wave of retirements and departures and are struggling to recruit the next generation of police officers in the year since George Floyd was killed by a cop. And amid the national reckoning on policing, communities are questioning who should become a police officer today. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File) Chino, CA (91710) Today Mostly clear. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 63F. W winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph.. Tonight Mostly clear. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 63F. W winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph. Here is the upcoming City Council agenda for Tuesday: I. Call to Order by Chairman Henderson. II. Pledge of Allegiance/Invocation (Councilwoman Hill). III. Special Presentations. TLEA Award for Chattanooga Police Department IV. Minute Approval. By TN Association of Chiefs of Police PUBLIC HEARING - Budget Ordinance V. Ordinances Final Reading: PLANNING a. 2021-0073 Russell Moorehead (M-1 Manufacturing Zone to M-2 Light Industrial Zone). An ordinance to amend Chattanooga City Code, Part II, Chapter 38, Zoning Ordinance, so as to rezone part of a property located at 900 Birmingham Highway, from M-1 Manufacturing Zone to M-2 Light Industrial Zone. (District 1) (Recommended for approval by Planning and Staff)b. 2021-0064 J & S Construction Company, Inc. c/o Ryan Morris (RT-1 Residential Townhouse Zone to R-3 Residential Zone). An ordinance to amend Chattanooga City Code, Part II, Chapter 38, Zoning Ordinance, so as to rezone part of a property located at 4905 Highway 58, from RT-1 Residential Townhouse Zone to R-3 Residential Zone, subject to certain conditions. (District 3) (Recommended for approval by Planning and Staff)c. 2021-0072 Allen Jones c/o ASA Engineering (Lift Condition). An ordinance to amend Chattanooga City Code, Part II, Chapter 38, Zoning Ordinance, so as to lift Condition No. 5, all existing easements be retained, from Ordinance No. 11522 of previous Case No. 2004-0016, from property located at 8001 Volkswagen Drive, more particularly described herein. (District 6) (Recommended for approval by Planning and Staff)d. 2021-0059 Shazman Ali (R-2 Residential Zone to R-T/Z Residential Townhouse/Zero Lot Line Zone). An ordinance to amend Chattanooga City Code, Part II, Chapter 38, Zoning Ordinance, so as to rezone properties located at 2500 and 2502 Bailey Avenue, from R-2 Residential Zone to R-T/Z Residential Townhouse/Zero Lot Line Zone, subject to certain conditions. (District 9) (Recommended for approval by Planning and Staff)e. 2021-0077 Bryant Black (C-2 Convenience Commercial Zone, M-1 Manufacturing Zone, M-3 Warehouse and Wholesale Zone, and R-2 Residential Zone to C-3 Central BusinessZone). AnordinancetoamendChattanoogaCityCode,PartII,Chapter38, Zoning Ordinance, so as to rezone properties located at 2314, 2316, 2505, 2509, 2510, and 2513 E. 17th Street, 2500 and 2513 E. 18th Street, 2420 and 2502 E. 21st Street, 2005 S. Lyerly Street, and 1607 and 1611 S. Watkins Street, from C-2 Convenience Commercial Zone, M-1 Manufacturing Zone, M-3 Warehouse and Wholesale Zone, and R-2 Residential Zone to C-3 Central Business Zone, subject to certain conditions. (District 9) (Recommended for approval by Planning and denial by Staff)f. An ordinance amending Chattanooga City Code, Part II, Chapter 38, Article XVI, Downtown Chattanooga Form Based Code, Division 11, Signs, Section 38-753, Sign Types, (2) Projecting Signs and (A) Max Square Footage.VI. Ordinances First Reading: (None)VII. Resolutions:HUMAN RESOURCESa. A resolution authorizing the Chief Human Resources Officer to enter into an agreement with Symetra to provide long-term disability insurance, group life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, FMLA leave management system, voluntary supplemental life, and voluntary short-term disability insurance, for a three (3) year term effective July 1, 2021, with an option to renew for a final two (2) year term, with the Citys portion in the amount of $230,000.00, for an estimated annual cost of $1,169,000.00. (Deferred from 05-18-2021)b. A resolution authorizing the Chief Human Resources Officer to renew an agreement with CIGNA to provide active city employees with two (2) PPO dental plan options and one (1) HMO dental plan wherein dental options for retirees will consist of both a PPO and HMO plan option, for a contract term of one (1) year beginning July 1, 2021, with one (1) optional one (1) year renewal term remaining, for an approximate annual employee paid cost of $1,350,000.00.c. A resolution authorizing the appointment of Isabel Kirby, as a Special Police Officer (unarmed) for the Department of Public Works, to do special duty as prescribed herein, subject to certain conditions.d. A resolution authorizing the Chief Human Resources Officer to extend the existing contract with The Hartford to administer the Citys Leave Management Program through September 30, 2021, at a cost not to exceed $13,500.00. (Revised)PUBLIC WORKSe. A resolution authorizing the Administrator for the Department of Public Works to approve Change Order No. 2 (Final) for P&C Construction, Inc. of Chattanooga, TN, relative to Contract No. R-18-004-201, The Scramble Interactive Streetscape on 1st Street, for an increased amount of $41,212.35, to release the remaining contingency amount of $57,827.65, for a revised contract amount of $1,031,610.90. (District 7)f. A resolution authorizing the Administrator for the Department of Public Works to approve Change Order No. 1 to Thomas Brothers Construction Company, Inc. of Hixson, TN, relative to Contract No. R-19-007-201, Walnut Street Plaza, for an increased amount of $191,990.60, for a revised contract amount of $2,392,643.10. (District 7)g. A resolution authorizing the Administrator for the Department of Public Works to enter into an agreement with The Bethlehem Center and The Net Resource Foundation for award of the Citys Green Grants Program for the design and installation of a water quality retrofit project, for an amount not to exceed $125,000.00. (District 7)h. A resolution authorizing the Administrator for the Department of Public Works to enter into an agreement with Chattanooga Charter School of Excellence for award of the Citys Green Grants Program for the design and installation of a water quality retrofit project, for an amount not to exceed $75,000.00. (District 8)i. A resolution authorizing the Administrator for the Department of Public Works to renew Contract No. W-19-002-201 with Talley Construction Company, Inc. for twelve (12) months with no renewal remaining for the purposes of sanitary sewer installation and repair at ISS and related facilities, in the amount of $1,750,000.00.VIII. Purchases.IX. Committee Reports.X. Other Business. (Item Listed Below:)? RFP Protest HearingXI. Recognition of Persons Wishing to Address the Council.XII. Adjournment.TUESDAY, JUNE 22, 2021 CITY COUNCIL AGENDA 6:00 PM1. Call to Order by Chairman Henderson.2. Pledge of Allegiance/Invocation (Vice-Chairman Smith).3. Special Presentation.4. Minute Approval.Order of Business for City Council5. Ordinances - Final Reading: (None)6. Ordinances - First Reading:FINANCEa. An ordinance to amend the Operations Budget Ordinance No. 13558, known as the Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Operations Budget, amending Section 6 so as to appropriate additional funds for the fiscal year activities for the Economic Development Fund revenues and the Narcotics Fund reserves.7. Resolutions: FINANCEa. A resolution authorizing the Interim Treasurer to amend by extending an agreement with SunTrust now doing business as Truist Bank for commercial and general bank services, including purchasing card, safekeeping and custodial accounts, for an extended period of three (3) months ending September 30, 2021.HUMAN RESOURCESb. A resolution authorizing the appointment of Matthew Glenn, as a special police officer (unarmed) for the Land Development Office of the Department of Economic and Community Development, to do special duty as prescribed herein, subject to certain conditions.8. Purchases.9. Committee Reports.10. Recognition of Persons Wishing to Address the Council.11. Adjournment. The general manager of Cheddar's on Gunbarrel Road called police to pick up suspected stolen property found outside of the restaurant. The general manager said he found merchandise in duffel bags left outside. The merchandise appears to have come from Walmart or another store. Multiple knives, silverware, cutlery, and beard/hair trimmers were found in the bags left by the business. These items were turned into CPD Property until an owner is discovered. * * * A man on Ashford Villa Circle said sometime during the night someone broke into his 2015 Mustang and stole his wallet and the contents of it. He said that the car was locked, but found no damage. He does not know how entry was made. * * * A woman on Hixson Pike said she last saw her car around 8 p.m. the night before and it was parked in the lot at her apartment. The vehicle stayed there overnight and the next morning about 7:10 a.m., she discovered that both the glove box and console had been emptied out and about $4 in change had been taken from her change holder. She said the car must not have been locked when she parked it because there was no damage. * * * A man on Talley Road said that during the early morning someone entered his 2015 Chevy Cruise and stole his firearm and his wallet. He said the firearm is a Smith & Wesson 40 cal semi automatic pistol. * * * A woman on Mark Lane said FedEx delivered a package to her front porch that contained a $100 gift card for Golden Corral and a $50 gift card for O'Charley's. She said that she arrived home that afternoon and there was no package on her porch. She believes it was stolen. * * * Police spoke with the principal of at a local school over the phone and she said a note had been intercepted between a girl and her boyfriend. The note said "I'm Pregnant." The principal asked the girl if she was really pregnant and she said she was not. The principal wanted the incident documented and she contacted CPS and filed a report. * * * The manager of Red Lobster on Bams Drive said a man was walking around the restaurant pulling on door handles trying to get into the business at 11 a.m. The officer spoke with the man who said he was homeless and has a gift card to the restaurant. He said he was trying to go eat but did not know the restaurant did not open until 11:30 a.m. * * * Police responded to a broken down car at the intersection of Market and Houston Street that was unoccupied. It was a traffic hazard impeding the flow of cars so police called for a wrecker and A-1 Towing responded. * * * Police were called to 13th Avenue on a report of shots fired. They found no evidence to prove any firearm-related crime happened and didn't find any spent casings. However, officers recovered a stolen vehicle for East Ridge in that same area. * * * A woman said she was driving north on Hixson Pike when a heavy gust of wind blew an umbrella from Ankar Hoagies, causing it to collide with the side of her car. There was a minimal scratch on the driver door. * * * A man on Greenway View Drive said he was in a verbal altercation with a Subway employee inside the Walmart. He said the employee was cursing at him and yelling. The officer spoke with the store manager at Walmart who said the Subway employee was causing a disorder and disrupting the peace inside the store. The store manager wanted the Subway employee to leave, but the officer was unable to make him because the Subway was leased property. The officer spoke with the Subway employee who said he was in a verbal disorder with the customer. The officer told the Subway employee if he needed someone removed from the Subway property that he needed to call the police in the future and not try to handle it himself. The store manager at Walmart said this has been an ongoing issue with the Subway employee. The officer told the Subway employee this will be his final warning for being disorderly within the Subway and Walmart business. * * * A police investigator and other narcotic investigators conducted a search warrant for room 213 at the Moxy Hotel at 1220 King St. The search warrant was established with evidence found on Jones Street. * * * A man on Brainerd Road said someone broke out the glass door at the front of the abandoned service station store. He said a renovation of the location was scheduled in the near future. No suspect information or evidence was located. * * * Police received an anonymous complaint about illegal dumping on Florida Street. A man there said he was clearing the property for a woman and she instructed him to dump the organic material at the end of the cul-de-sac on city property. The officer spoke with the woman who verified his statements. The officer told her this wasn't legal. She said she would have the material returned to her property and would notify 311 to pick up the debris. Tyner High School Class of 1976 is celebrating its 45th reunion this year. The event will be held at The Car Barn, 6721 Heritage Business Ct. (across from TN Baptist Childrens Home on Lee Highway), on Saturday, Sept. 25, from 6-11 p.m. (dinner at 7 p.m.). Cost is $60 per person; cash bar available; casual dress. Reservation and payment must be received by Monday, Aug. 16. For payment details and other information, visit the Tyner High School Class of 1976 Facebook page or contact the planning committee at tynerhighclassof1976@gmail.com to receive information via email. James Daniel Ledford of Chattanooga and Hayesville, North Carolina entered into eternity on Thursday, June 10, 2021 with his son, James (Jimmy) Ledford and other family members present. Jim had suffered a lingering vascular and heart illness and in recent months was afflicted with Alzheimers Disease. He had spent the last three years at the Bridge in Ooltewah and finally at the Lantern in Collegedale for his specialized care. Prior to that he and Brenda had spent their life in Rocky Face, Ga., and on Cobble Lane in Harrison, Tn., on Lake Chickamauga where they both loved to boat and ski. Jim was born in Hayesville, N.C. and worked there briefly and attended Young-Harris College in Young-Harris, Ga. for two years. He later brought his family to Chattanooga where he began his work in sales with the Avery Corporation. Jim was always interested in politics and current events in his community. He was the state director of the Chattanooga Jaycees and was host of their J. C. Question of the Week television program. He also attended several meetings and events of the Harrison Ruritan Club after moving to Cobble Lane. Jim was involved in precinct work with his local political party in Hamilton County. Jim was born to Beecher and Donnie Davenport Ledford, who were Baptist and Church of God. Jims mother had hoped he would become a minister and thus named him James Daniel. The names were passed onto his son, James David Ledford, and to his sons, David and Daniel Ledford. Jim accepted the grace of the Lords salvation as a youth with this Christian upbringing in his home. He remained a strong man of faith throughout his life. He and Brenda attended the Harrison United Methodist Church, Harrison, until his failing health would no longer allow. As a small boy, Jim already loved boats, and it was told that he constructed a boat that actually floated in Lake Chatague, Ga. That love carried him to boating the rest of his life. Jim spent most summers either in his houseboat, his motor boat or on his, Tuff Ship or the LaBre Motor Yachts. Jim captained boats for friends including Falls One for the owners of Ruby Falls, Mr. and Mrs. Jack Stiner. Brenda and her family also purchased a motor yacht in Cincinnati, Ohio and Jim and Don brought it back by water down the Mississippi and Tennessee Rivers back into the waters of Soddy Creek, Chattanooga, to Pine Harbor Marina. James Ledford served four years in the United States Army and due to his business training he served most of his tour in Alexandria, Virginia where he also became a skilled marksman. He received an honorable discharge from the U.S. Armys Virginia Command. After this Jim had obtained his boat captains and pilots license and he flew privately for many years. Jim was preceded in death by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Beecher Ledford. His survivors are Brenda K., the love of his life for the past 32 years, Brela Kay, James David (Jimmy and Shawn Rigsby) Ledford, David Ledford, Daniel Ledford, Bob and Kathie Ledford Hill, Rob and Samantha Hill, Zaylee Brown and Eli Hill, Enoch and Alva Jean Ledford, Marilyn Ledford Freeman and Eugene Freeman, and Don and Linda Hampton Higdon. A Celebration of Jims Life will be held on Thursday, at 11 a.m. at Heritage Chapel with burial following in the National Cemetery at 1 p.m. in Chattanooga. The Reverend Dane Deatherage will officiate. Memorials may be sent to Harrison United Methodist Church or McKamey Animal Center 4500 North Access Road, Chattanooga, Tn. 37415. The family is appreciative to all those special care givers and medical providers at Memorial, Memorial East and Erlanger Hospitals for his loving care. To God be the Glory for ever and ever. Visitation will be held from 4-7 p.m. on Wednesday, at Heritage Funeral Home, East Brainerd Chapel, 7454 East Brainerd Road, Chattanooga, Tn. 37421. The Below Deck Mediterranean Season 4 cast made big life changes after leaving the show, with many moving into new careers outside of yachting. Joao Franco and Captain Sandy Yawn are still in the industry and Franco recently earned a new license. He became a yacht captain shortly after season 4 ended and his goal is to become a superyacht captain. Yawn returns to Below Deck Mediterranean for season 6 and will be at the helm of superyacht Lady Michelle. A few other crew members still work in yachting but the rest have embarked upon new careers with one crew member taking on the new title of mom. Below Deck Mediterraneans Aesha Scott on a yacht during season 4 |Greg Endries/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank Anastasia Surmava and Aesha Scott are still yachties at least part time Aesha Scott made a surprise appearance on Below Deck Mediterranean Season 5 when she replaced Hannah Ferrier after she was fired. Scott seemed ready to take a break from the industry during season 5, but shes shared photos on Instagram where shes dipped back in. She also took a massive US road trip with boyfriend Scotty Dobbo after season 5 aired. Scott recently joked about being a yacht owner in a recent Instagram share. Missing the yachts today and pretending its mine when no guests are on, she wrote. I remember I used to make the deckhands quickly put their uniforms on and stand at the passarelle on our days off so when Id walk off the boat everyone thought I was a guest. SUCH a thrill. RELATED: Below Deck Mediterranean Season 6 Breakout Cast Member May Be the Next Colin, Below Deck Alum Predicts (Exclusive) Surmava also works in yachting, but not always as a stew. She has embraced her culinary talents and is the chef on boats. Chef Nas reporting for duty, she shared from a job in October. She is also co-owner of a yacht training academy, Ocean Training Academy. She and Ferrier run the yacht training school together. June Foster, who only appeared on the show for a few episodes is a published author and still works in yachting. She shared a photo wearing a smart stew uniform with the caption, When youre desperately seeking that perfect CV headshot, she wrote. Let the job search begin! Other Below Deck Mediterranean Season 4 crew members became landlubbers Chef Ben Robinson, who kicked off the Below Deck franchise seems to be happier on land than at sea. He hosted a slew of Instagram cooking classes during the pandemic. And he also cheffed at private events throughout the country. Robinson recently lent his celebrity status to fundraising efforts like the Cause for Paws virtual event in Florida. Ferrier gave birth to a daughter in October and is busy with her podcast, the yacht training academy and shes hinted on her podcast about other projects she has in the works. She is also engaged to Josh Roberts. Another crew member who left yachting is Colin Macy-OToole. Macy-OToole moved into production and became a casting producer for Below Deck. I did the casting for some of the other Below Decks, he told Showbiz Cheat Sheet. They asked me to help out, so yeah, Ive been a casting producer for Below Deck Down Under and I started [Below Deck] Sailing [Yacht] for next season. Macy-OToole hopes to move into production at some point too. RELATED: Below Deck Mediterranean: Max Hagley Shades Hannah Ferrier, Says Working With Daisy Kelliher From Below Deck Sailing Is More Fun The only two unknowns are deckhands Jack Stirrup and Travis Michalzik. Stirrup and his girlfriend had a baby shortly after season 4 wrapped but he deleted his Instagram account. Michalzik seemed to be traveling the world after Below Deck Mediterranean but has also since deleted his Instagram. Another unknown (who was even unknown during her season) is chef Mila Kolomeitseva. Kolomeitseva did not do press and has no social media presence. Below Deck Mediterranean Season 6 begins on Monday, June 28 at 9/8c on Bravo. Josh Duggars recent arrest made major Duggar news, and Counting On fans anxiously await to hear whats next for the oldest Duggar family child. So, when will Josh go to trial after the police took him in in April 2021? Heres what we know about his upcoming case, and what might happen as a result. Wheres Josh Duggar now? The eldest Duggar family son was recently arrested Josh Duggars mug shot in 2021 | Washington County Sheriffs Office via Getty Images RELATED: Duggar News: Counting On Likely to Continue Given TLCs Statement About Josh Duggar Josh has stirred up controversy for the Duggar family often over the years. Back in 2015, the media brought to light allegations against Josh that stated he molested a few of his younger sisters and a family babysitter. Jill and Jessa Duggar ultimately came forward to talk about how they were directly affected by the abuse, and Jinger Duggar recently wrote about her experience as well. While the 2015 Duggar news scandal caused TLC to remove 19 Kids and Counting from its roster, the Duggars came back strong without Josh thanks to their show, Counting On. But now, Josh is in trouble once again. He was arrested in April 2021 for allegedly obtaining child sexual abuse images. Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Gerald Faulkner noted Josh allegedly downloaded the images back in 2019. The police flagged the images and launched their investigation which ultimately led back to Joshs computer. Duggar news: When is Josh Duggars trial? The agent said images allegedly found on Josh Duggar's computer were "in the top five of the worst of the worst that I've ever had to examine" https://t.co/RU0v8DXs6X Karen Swallow Prior (Notorious KSP) (@KSPrior) May 6, 2021 So, when will Josh head to trial? The Duggar family members pre-trial hearing will occur on July 1, 2021, according to People. The actual trial is set to start on July 6, 2021. The potential outcomes of the trial could land Josh in jail. But his attorneys intend to fight the charges. Josh Duggar has been charged in a two-count indictment, attorneys Justin Gelfand, Travis W. Story, and Greg Payne told People. He has pled not guilty to both charges and we intend to defend this case aggressively and thoroughly. In this country, no one can stop prosecutors from charging a crime. If convicted, Josh could be sentenced 20 years in prison for each of his two counts, totaling 40 years. He could also receive fines up to $500,000 total. Currently, Josh can have contact with his kids as long as Anna Duggar, his wife, is present. However, he cannot go near his younger nieces, nephews, or siblings. Anna Duggar and Josh Duggar pose during the 42nd annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) | Kris Connor/Getty Images Where is Josh staying while fans, critics, and the rest of the Duggar family await the next bit of Duggar news associated with Josh? Hes not home with Anna and his six children. Instead, hes staying with close friends while monitored via GPS tracking. Lacount and Maria Reber, close family friends, took Josh in during this difficult time. The Rebers reportedly live in a mansion in Elkins, Arkansas. Additionally, Jim Bob Duggar reportedly offered to pay for a fence to surround the property to ensure Joshs protection. Jim Bob has offered to pay for a new fence to be built at the Rebers to also keep them safe, along with Joshs wife, Anna, and the kids when they go and visit, a source told The Sun. Well be interested to see what happens with Joshs trial moving forward. How to get help: If you or someone you know has been sexually abused, text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 for free and confidential support. Check out Showbiz Cheat Sheet on Facebook! Since its premiere in 2018, NBCs Manifest has taken fans on a wild ride filled with twists and conspiracies. The show follows the mysterious case of Montego Air Flight 828. During a trip from Montego Bay, Jamaica to New York, the plane disappeared and the world believed all passengers died. However, to the passengers, the disappearance only felt like a bit of turbulence that lasted a few minutes. The plane landed and the passengers learned that five years had passed since its departure from Montego Bay. The rest of the world moved on and aged, but the passengers remained the same. Manifest follows the passengers on their journey to discovering what happened to Flight 828. Manifests plot goes down a supernatural science fiction path, but is some of the story rooted in truth? The disappearance of Flight 828 may remind fans of the case of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. Melissa Roxburgh as Michaela Stone in Manifest | Peter Kramer/NBC Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared in 2014 On March 8, 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 went missing on a journey from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Beijing Capital International Airport. The planes last communication with Air Traffic Control came just over 30 minutes into the flight, and military radar lost sight of the plane about an hour later. An extensive search began for the Boeing 777 plane, but it was never found. All 227 passengers and 12 crew members were presumed dead. There were many theories about what happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, including that the plane was damaged before takeoff, that a fire occurred in the cockpit, and that the plane was shot down mid-flight. However, according to Britannica, an analysis of an Inmarsat satellite found that the plane veered off-course and traveled over the Indian Ocean. The U.K. Air Accidents Investigation Branch determined that the plane crashed in the Indian Ocean. Analysts on 60 Minutes Australia later concluded that the pilot, Zaharie Ahmad Sha, crashed the plane on purpose. Is Manifest based on Malaysia Airlines Flight 370? When Manifest aired in 2018, many fans couldnt help but think of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370s disappearance. The plot of the drama did seem similar, but according to show creator Jeff Rake, the series was not directly inspired by the real-life mystery. In an interview with SyFy Wire, Rake revealed that he came up with the idea for Manifest during a trip with his family nearly a decade prior to the shows premiere. [I was] driving in a minivan with my family to the Grand Canyon, thinking about family, togetherness, separation. The big idea hit me. I pitched it around. Nobody wanted it, he said. According to Rake, it wasnt until Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared when the networks began to show interest in the idea. Seven years later, Malaysia Airlines happened and suddenly my crazy idea felt a little more real, a little more relatable, he added. In the context of Malaysian Air, suddenly people were interested. Although Rake came up with the idea prior to the planes disappearance, he did admit that Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 did play a pivotal role in Manifests story. What happened to Montego Air Flight 828? It's time for the #Manifest Season 3 finale to begin. pic.twitter.com/Yc3NddTyHH Manifest (@NBCManifest) June 11, 2021 Manifests story has traveled a lot further in-depth than the story of Flight 370. The series has not yet explained exactly what happened to Flight 828. As Epic Stream noted, Manifest has dropped hints in several episodes that the planes disappearance has ties to the divine. The shows theory states that the passengers have been given a second chance at life, and they all must do good in order to stay alive. If one person does wrong, everyone from Flight 828 could die. Fans also have their own theories; some point to the apocalypse, while others involve an alternate dimension in which the plane did crash. At this time, theres no word on Manifests renewal for season 4. Fans can only hope that the show lives on to reveal the truth of Flight 828. There are plenty of infamous celebrity chefs, but Martha Stewarts recipes are some of the most well-known around. Stewart paved her way to success through the years, and despite her various setbacks, she continues to make a killing with her incredible work in the home and kitchen. And shes gotten quite candid when it comes to foods and ingredients she hates. Heres one oil she absolutely cant stand to cook with. Martha Stewart has a few recipes for various oils RELATED: Martha Stewarts Favorite Egg Salad Has 1 Surprising Ingredient Whether fans prefer to cook with butter or oil, Martha Stewarts recipes have them covered. She has various ways of cooking with olive oil, and she even has her own recipe for chile oil. On Stewarts website, she notes chile oil is having a particularly popular moment in 2021, as its absolutely delicious and goes well with a variety of dishes. The chile (or chili) oil trend is inspired by Sichuan chile oil, a staple from the southwestern Chinese region of Sichuan, and its one you can try at home, she writes. After following her directions for the oil, she recommends using it on noodle dishes, soups, stir-fries, fried rice, tacos, and so much more. Stewart is also a fan of herb-infused olive oil. Her recipe from 2012 recommends heating olive oil and adding in fresh rosemary and thyme for just a few minutes to complete the infusion. She said shed never cook with this hideous oil Seth Meyers with Martha Stewart during a cooking segment on Oct. 3, 2016 | Lloyd Bishop/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank While Martha Stewarts recipes call for olive oil, canola oil, and other oils, theres one she wont touch. Today reports she and Snoop Dogg cooked together at Mohegan Suns Wine and Food Festival for a live demonstration in 2018. And Today asked her how she feels about truffle oil. Oh, I would never use truffle oil, oh never, she said. Its bad. Theyve done many studies on truffle oil. Its synthetic, its fake, its horrible. Its clings to your tastebuds, its a hideous thing. Forget truffle oil. It seems Stewart may have a point. Most of the truffle oils on the market dont contain actual truffles. They instead typically have synthetic aromas. Both Gordon Ramsay and Anthony Bourdain agree with Stewart on this point as well. Theyve made it known they dont cook with the ingredient. It all tastes synthetic, and the flavor is too artificial, Chef Ken Oringer also noted, according to Serious Eats. Martha Stewart has a tip for how to stomach food she hates Martha Stewart participates in a cooking demonstration | Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images While none of Martha Stewarts recipes will ever contain truffle oil, she might still try a dish that contains it, as she has a tried-and-true method for stomaching foods she cant stand. Food52 notes Stewart spoke with chef Geoffrey Zakarian in an interview, and she noted how she stomaches bad food. If you dont see the whole thing, and if you put a clothespin on your nose, you can eat it, she explained. It seems this is how she was able to eat durian, a tropical fruit known for its distinct (and often hated) smell and taste. As for other foods Stewart wont eat, it seems shes not a fan of pumpkin spice, either. Her October Starbucks order likely looks a lot different than many others, thats for sure. Check out Showbiz Cheat Sheet on Facebook! Real Housewives of Beverly Hills welcomed newbie Crystal Kung Minkoff in season 11. At the same time, Sutton Stracke officially got her diamond when she was promoted from friend to full-time cast member. However, the two ladies havent gotten off to a great start. There is already a nasty feud between them, and neither Crystal nor RHOBH fans are buying Suttons apology. Crystal Kung Minkoff | Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images Crystal Kung Minkoff is coming in hot on RHOBH During a May episode of RHOBH, Sutton compared Asian stereotyping to being called a redneck. The comment led to an explosive argument between her and Crystal. Filmed last year during a cast trip to Lake Tahoe, the conversation began when Kyle Richards reflected on a fight over stereotyping that she shared with Garcelle Beauvais. In response, Crystal the first Asian-American cast member on RHOBH told Kyle that as someone whos not white, when it hits you from stereotypes it can be so painful that you cant see anything else. Ive had friends who have said things to me Asian comments and stuff like that, Crystal shared, before Sutton chimed into the conversation. Sutton Stracke doesnt like redneck stereotypes Sutton shared that its been incredibly difficult for her to ditch the redneck stereotype, since she was raised in Georgia. Do you wanna talk about when I see dumbass rednecks on the TV and thats supposed to be me? Sutton shouted. And thats supposed to be me? I also have a stereotype but I dont want to bring it up! Crystal told Sutton that her comments were insane before the episode ended. Fans had to wait another week to see the fights conclusion. But in the meantime, Sutton issued an apology to Crystal. The Georgia native promised to do better Sutton took to Instagram to apologize to Crystal for her comments. She told her fans that despite her strained relationship with her co-star at the time, it was disrespectful to interrupt her and not listen to her express her truth. My life is blessed by the diversity of my relationships and I am committed to become a better listener to understand the painful realities experienced by people of color, Sutton wrote. I am sorry. I will do better and be better. RELATED: RHOBH: Sutton Stracke Issues Apology to Crystal Kung Minkoff for Being Disrespectful In the comments section of the post, Crystal thanked Sutton for her apology and told her it meant a lot. Thank you, Sutton. Your apology means a lot to me, and Im sure it means a lot to many others with similar lived experiences. Asian Americans are often expected not to share their opinions, but despite this stereotype, I believe that everyone deserves to be heard, Crystal wrote. Crystal Kung Minkoff and Sutton Stracke discussed their ongoing feud on camera Crystal and Sutton have worked things out now via social media. They also discussed their feud in front of RHOBH cameras, which featured an apology from Sutton for her comments. She told her co-star that it takes a while for people to warm up to her because shes shy. It takes a while for me to warm up to people so then I trust them. Sutton explained. I would like to get to know you better and have that opportunity. Sutton also told Crystal that shes been struggling since having to move out of her forever home. I dont think I understood the emotional ties that I had selling my house, Sutton said through tears. At first I thought I was okay and I guess Im just not still. And I think leaving the house was harder than I was pretending it to be. So I do apologize if I projected that. Crystal Kung Minkoff didnt buy her co-stars excuse After witnessing Suttons apology, some fans made it clear on social media that they thought she was just making excuses. Krystal aint buying your bs, Sutton, one fan wrote. Another added, Suttons ability to make everything about herself is astounding. Crystal thought the same thing, and she said so in her confessional. She told Bravo cameras that moving out of your home is not an excuse to attack and act like a crazy person. It seems, though, that things are much better between the two co-stars these days. When Crystal commented on Suttons Instagram apology, she shared that she consciously rewired herself to be outspoken and share her feelings whenever possible. Listening to one another and validating our different experiences and perspectives are how we will all grow as individuals, and as a society. Thank you for that commitment, Sutton. , Crystal wrote. Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs Wednesday nights on Bravo. While fans of The Office know Mindy Kaling as the actor who hilariously played customer service rep Kelly Kapoor, she did much more than that. Kaling was also one of the original writers of the hit show. She penned fan-favorite episodes including The Injury, Classy Christmas, and Niagara. In later seasons, Kaling also served as one of the shows executive producers. Considering that Kaling wore so many hats during her tenure on The Office, its no surprise that she worked exceptionally long hours. Mindy Kaling and John Krasinski | Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images Mindy Kaling explains why she put in long hours on The Office Many TV and film actors work long days, averaging 10 to 14 hours. However, because Kaling was also a writer, she often worked 18-hour days on The Office. If she wasnt filming a scene, she didnt have to be on set until around 10 a.m. But on the days she was filming, she was expected to be on set at around 6 a.m. And no matter when her day started, she usually wouldnt leave set until close to midnight. Of course, Kalings long hours werent always required. The actor often volunteered to stay late because she didnt want to miss out on any potential opportunities to contribute to the show. Back in 2011, she discussed this choice with The New York Times Magazine. Id rather be in the [The Office] writers room complaining about how overworked I am than in the Bahamas, where Im like, What am I doing here? By Monday night of a long weekend, Im getting stir-crazy. Kaling admitted. Oftentimes, the show runner will be like: Hey, we dont need everybody to stay. Who wants to leave? I have never volunteered. What if this is the time when they make some great discovery or theres this great line of jokes and I would have not been a part of that? RELATED: The Office: John Krasinskis Height Made 1 Prank Much Funnier Why Kaling would always show up early and leave late There were even times when Kaling would extend her hours despite having absolutely no work to do. In fact, the writer would often show up an hour before her call time and stay an hour late during the first year she spent working on the hit comedy series. According to Kaling, this was a habit that she picked up from her mother. The first year I was working on The Office and this is literally only because I saw my mom do this in the early 80s I would come in an hour early and I would always be the last person to leave, she revealed in a conversation for Interview Magazine. Sometimes I didnt even have work to do! Because those kinds of appearances are almost more important than the work itself. Clearly, Kalings unwavering work ethic and commitment paid off for her. Her success has only skyrocketed since leaving The Office with more acting, writing, and producing credits. A graph on the Community Cares Partners website illustrates how applicants go from applying to receiving help for rent and utility bills. CCP has distributed more than $12 million since March in an effort to help renters stay in their homes. Major victory: Wisconsin cant force private, religious schools to shut down Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled that local health departments cant ban private and religious schools from holding in-person classes during health emergencies like the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In a 4-3 decision, the court also ruled Friday that Public Health Madison & Dane County infringed on constitutional religious rights, Fox6 reported. Writing for the majority, Justice Rebecca Bradley said the law that authorizes local health departments to take preventive measuresduring a health emergency cannot be reasonably read as an open-ended grant of authority. The lawsuit was filed in response to Dane Countys amended health order issued last September that sought to ban in-person, in-classroom education by private and religious schools. The restrictions do not exist any longer and the school year ended this week, but the ruling is significant as it limits the powers of health departments in the future. The conservative legal group Thomas More Society called it a major victory to the private schools and parents of Dane County, in which the state capital of Madison is located. This has been an overreach of major proportions by a local health official who ignored the fundamental constitutional right to the free exercise of religion for parents, students, and school personnel by ordering these institutions to shut down and prohibiting in-person education, the groups Special Counsel Erick Kaardal said in a statement. It was a slap in the face to educational choice, an affront to families who believe that children should be in school, and a direct violation of parental rights. Last September, the Supreme Court had temporarily put the health order on hold. Schools that educate students in grades three through 12 had been ordered by the county to educate students virtually. But after the court ruled in favor of a coalition of private religious schools that challenged the order, many private schools prepared to restart in-person learning for their students, Wisconsin Public Radio reported at the time. The courts opinion declared that the petitioners have substantial interests in advancing childhood education and providing students a stable and effective learning environment. It also noted that they went to great lengths and expended non-negligible sums to provide students, teachers, and staff the ability to resume in-person instruction with safety precautions in place. On Friday, the court noted in its ruling that the framers of the (Wisconsin) constitution, backed by Wisconsin residents, chose to describe the religious freedoms that they should be entitled to in greater detail than were given in the federal constitution, stressing that the framers used the strongest possible language to protect those freedoms. The right of every person to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of conscience shall never be infringednor shall any control of, or interference with, the rights of conscience be permitted. The legal groups Executive Vice President and General Counsel Andrew Bath said the petition was against an illegal order by a local public health officer, and the court saw that right away, first issuing a preliminary injunction in September 2020 that prohibited the county from enforcing it, and now settling the matter decisively. Bath added, They have declared it both statutorily and constitutionally unlawful and have additionally affirmed that local health officers do not have the statutory authority to close schools. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Americas attention is back on the Holy Land. Unfortunately, many Americans seem to want to take sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Some politicians and media outlets condemn Israel and ignore its security concerns. Other politicians and media outlets condemn the Palestinians and largely ignore the suffering of innocent civilians in Gaza and the issue of land confiscations in the West Bank. Ive been in the Middle East for nearly 50 years. Ive known fear. Ive watched rockets and grenades explode around me in Beirut, Lebanon, where I used to live. All the windows in my apartment block were blown out by a car bomb. I understand why families of the innocent victimson both sides of the Holy Land conflictcry out for retribution. But Jesus showed us anotherfar more radicalway: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matt. 5:44, NIV). Can you imagine preaching and living out that message in the Middle East right now, where innocent children are dying, and their parents are torn apart by grief? Incredibly, though, this is what Middle East Christians, including Arab and Palestinian Christians, actually are doing amid the current crisis. Theyre imitating Christ, showing their neighbors his radical way of love and forgiveness, even as hate and fury surrounds them on every side. Ive documented the courageous faith of Middle East Christians in my new book, Dare to Believe! Stories of Faith from the Middle East. Christ living in the chaos Through the satellite and online media ministry of SAT-7 (www.sat7usa.org), a ministry God allowed me to launch exactly 25 years ago this week, this real-life drama of forgiveness versus fury is unfolding right now in living rooms across the Middle East. More than 25 million regular viewers are seeing that Jesus Christ is living in the chaos and doing the impossible: helping people whove grown up with an inbuilt hatred and distrust of others to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them. Across the region, people are seeing a living miracle in front of their own eyesregular, everyday Middle Easterners, people like themselves, imitating a radical who roamed the Holy Land 2,000 years ago, showing his way is more powerful than any force on earth. Only Middle Easterners can show other Middle Easterners the impossible can happen; that sworn enemies can come to a place of understanding one another, praying for each other, forgiving one another, showing compassion toward each other, andyeseven loving one another. But it wont happen because of any worldly logic or principles. It will happen as Christs own followers in the Middle East put on their heavenly armor and live out his radical love. Putting on the armor of God Right now, millions of SAT-7 viewers across the Middle Eastvia satellite and video-on-demand in three regional languagesare seeing that when Christians put on the spiritual armor of God, found in Ephesians 6:10-18, they can do the impossible. With the Sword of the Spiritthe Word of Godin hand, SAT-7s local presenters put on: The Belt of Truth, speaking the truth in love, and helping people understand others who are different from them. The Shield of Faith, encouraging viewers to pray for their enemies, even though they dont understand them. The Breastplate of Righteousness, showing people that its right and just to show compassion and care for others, regardless of where theyre from. The Helmet of Salvation, demonstrating unconditional forgivenessas Christ forgavetoward those who persecute them. Its a radical, heavenly approach to conflict and painand the response is out of this world! Every month, were hearing from tens of thousands of viewers messaging us on social media or calling our team on the phone, sharing how Middle East Christians are showing them a living hope and peace on-air theyve never felt before. As someone who has lived and breathed the Middle East throughout my lifetime, I sincerely believe that as Christians in the Middle East put on the armor of God and have their shoes fitted with the Gospel of peace (Ephesians 6:15) that real, life-changing, enemy-embracing peace will come to the hearts of millions in the Holy Land and throughout the Middle East. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment More than 150 years ago, missionary to Burma, Adoniram Judson, proclaimed, The future is as bright as the promises of God. This was no insignificant statement for Judson, considering he had just experienced the loss of many loved ones on the mission field due to war. He was also imprisoned for his faith, and yet, he remained resolute in his faith. Judsons passionate pursuit of his mission mimicked another church planter nearly 2,000 years earlier. The apostle Paul, too, passionately and deliberately pursued the call of church planting and evangelism despite many obstacles: Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea,I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers (2 Corinthians 11:25-26). No one ever said the life of a church planteror any church leaderwould be easy. Increasingly, however, many of us are feeling an extra burden when we consider the church in the U.S. Though American pastors and church leaders are not experiencing persecution like the early apostles or 17th century missionaries, the work is indeed challenging. News about the decline of Christianity in America is everywhere. Last year, Barna found that Christianity has declined steadily over the last 19 years, and the share of practicing Christians has nearly dropped in half since 2000. According to a Pew Research poll a few years ago, the religiously unaffiliated share of the population stood at 26%, up from 17% in 2009. Gallup recently reported that U.S. church membership fell below 50% for the first time. Where God works The reports of Christian decline are concerning. Many of us are also tired after a year of social unrest, sickness and uncertainty. We are tired of the church scandals. We are tired of how the Christian faith has gotten so inextricably tied to politics. Many of us are weary from the weight of mental stress and depression. Some of us are concerned about church finances. But this is not the end of the news. This, in fact, is where God sometimes works best: in our brokenness and weariness, in our need and dependence, in our prayers and pleas. Think Acts 2 that powerful passage that many of us preach or discuss in small groups. The passage is an example of the formula God has set out before us: We make ourselves available, and He works. The early believers believed God would work in and through them, and they acted upon it. From these small bands of believers have come2.5 billion professing Christians today. Let me share, however, a few reasons why Im optimistic about church planting as we navigate out of a global pandemic. First, because God is in it. All throughout Scripture we read how God continually draws people from every generation to Himself. He, after all, wants all people to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). Church planting is near to Gods heart its His primary mission strategy. Its also an act of community and outreach rolled into one call. I have an unshakeable confidence that Christ will continue building His church. Jesus says, ...upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). If we trust in our own talents to build the church, believe me we will be disappointed. Second, because interest in church planting is on the rise. Here at Acts 29, interest in church planting has never been higher. Acts 29 now has 7 networks across the globe: the U.S., Canada, New Zealand/Australia/Japan, Europe, Latin America, Emerging Regions, and South Africa. Despite the pandemic, we planted 25 churches in 2020, including 18 in the United States. Already this year, we have over 125 planting pastor candidates who have been through our assessment process and more than 300 applicants, all with plans to plant across the world. Other church-planting ministries are also experiencing growth; for example, the North American Mission Board planted more churches in 2020 during a pandemic than the year before. Thats incredible. Third, because we know that we are broken. Many of us in leadership are seeing the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to reset to make things that were wrong right again. To make what was broken whole again. Many of us are rediscovering spiritual practices of repentance, reconciliation, service, and working in community. We are looking around and seeing clearly the ugliness that has become a barrier to people coming to know and trust in Jesus, and we want to fix it. As COVID-19 numbers subside, recent stats reveal that the pandemic pushed people to turn to faith. A January Pew Research study found that more Americans say that COVID-19 strengthened their faith. The 2021 American Bible Society State of the Bible survey found that Bible engagement and interest have increased sharply. While the news about Christianity in this country may seem grim on the surface, I have an optimism that is grounded in an unshakable foundation on Jesus Christ and His love for the world. The future is as bright as the promises of God, and that future seems to be pointing to God working in powerful ways through those called to plant churches. Charles Stanley says websites claiming hes now selling CBD oil are scams Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Iconic Southern Baptist Pastor Charles F. Stanley, who led the 13,000-member First Baptist Church Atlanta in Georgia for more than 40 years before retiring last September, wants the world to know that he has not started a CBD oil business, and any claims that he has can be dismissed as a scam. In Touch Ministries has received reports that scammers have been posting Dr. Charles Stanleys image, falsely reporting that Dr. Stanley is beginning a new business venture in CBD oil. Some of the articles even utilize fake Fox News headers to appear more convincing. However, none of it is true. IT IS A SCAM. Dr. Stanley has not begun any new venture, the ministry founded by Stanley announced in a statement over the weekend. CBD is short for cannabidiol, the "second most prevalent of the active ingredients of cannabis," also known as marijuana. While it's an "essential component of medical marijuana, it's derived directly from the hemp plant, which is a cousin of the marijuana plant," according to Harvard Health. Even though CBD is one of hundreds of components found in marijuana, taken alone, it does not cause a high. Stanleys team urged followers to avoid sharing any personal information with websites connected with the deceptive posts that have been exploiting his likeness. PLEASE DO NOT CLICK ON THESE DECEPTIVE POSTS, EMAILS, TEXTS, OR WEBSITES. Scammers are attempting to trick you into giving your personal information or infect your electronic devices by using Dr. Stanleys image, the ministry warned. On Dec. 10, 2017, Stanley announced a succession plan for his ministry, naming Anthony George as the churchs future pastor. Approximately three years later, as COVID-19 marched across the nation killing hundreds, Stanley announced in September 2020 that he would retire and become pastor emeritus. I have no doubt there are many great days ahead for the First Baptist Church of Atlanta. My hope is that the greatest days are still ahead, he said. Stanley became senior pastor of First Baptist Church Atlanta in 1971 after a hard fought battle for the position, according to CNN. His son, Andy Stanley, was once his father's heir apparent, but later founded his own church and is senior pastor of the multi-campus North Point Community Church in Georgia, one of the largest churches in the country. The elder Stanley met another hurdle when the veteran preacher's wife, Anna, officially divorced him after 40 years of marriage in 2000, saying she experienced "many years of discouraging disappointments and marital conflict. ... Charles, in effect, abandoned our marriage. He chose his priorities, and I have not been one of them." While many in the Southern Baptist Convention called on him to step down over his divorce, Stanley refused to give up his role as senior pastor. "God said you keep doing what I called you to until I tell you to do something else," he told CNN. "I got that straight from the Lord. ... I was simply obeying God." Should Christian jurors find people innocent, even when proven guilty? John Piper answers Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Theologian and author John Piper addressed the question of whether Christians have a duty to find people innocent of a crime even if they've been proven guilty when serving on a jury. In an episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast on Desiring God Friday, a listener asked a question about a professor he'd heard claim that even if a Christian juror knew without a doubt based on evidence that a defendant was guilty of a crime, the Christians duty is to pass along a verdict of not guilty. For evidence, the unnamed professor cited John 8:1-11, in which Jesus saved the life of a woman who had been found guilty of adultery and was going to be stoned. Since Jesus didnt convict the guilty woman, neither should we convict guilty criminals today. Thats a basic summation of the professors argument, inquired the listener. How would you respond? I would appreciate your thoughts on what God expects from Christian jurors. Piper responded that he believed the event was the way in which Jesus was showing how the Church would be distinct from ethnic, political, geographic Israel and would not be governed as a national, political, geographic body politic with civil laws regulating, for example, capital punishment, the way Israel was. Rather, the church, the new people of God, will not be a political or ethnic or geographic reality, but it will be governed by the law of Christ, which introduces significant changes from the law of Moses, said Piper. Piper then stressed that he didn't believe the passage called for Christians selected to be on juries to acquit the guilty, noting that the New Testament was full of commands for governing officials to mete out justice on evildoers and the Church was commanded to enact discipline on members who sin. I, we, desperately need the Holy Spirit to guide us: When should our witness to Christ involve turning the other cheek? he asked. And when should it involve spanking a child or not, letting an employee go or not, giving the student a C instead of an A or not, excommunicating an adulterous Christian or finding some other way to move them forward for now, and finding a murderer guilty while serving as a Christian juror? Last month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruled that a court erred in dismissing a juror who had said that the Holy Spirit led him to conclude that the defendant was not guilty. Chief Judge William Pryor wrote the majority opinion of the circuit decision, writing that the district judge abused his discretion by dismissing the juror. Jurors may pray for and believe they have received divine guidance as they determine another persons innocence or guilt, a profound civic duty but a daunting task to say the least, wrote Pryor. Juror No. 13s vivid and direct religious language read in the light of his other statements suggests he was doing nothing more than praying for and receiving divine guidance as he evaluated the evidence or, in secular terms, provided an explanation of his internal mental processes all consistent with proper jury service. Texas Supreme Court rejects deacons lawsuit demanding diocese remove name from alleged sex abusers list Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The Texas Supreme Court has ruled against a Catholic deacon suing his diocese for putting him on a list of clergy who had accusations of sexual abuse leveled against them. Jesus Guerrero, who was ordained as a deacon in 1997, sued the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lubbock after they refused to remove his name from a list released in 2018 of clergy who they deemed as having credible accusations of sexual abuse lodged against them. In an 8-1 decision released Friday, the states highest court concluded that the Diocese of Lubbock could lawfully include Guerrero's name on the list of accused clergy. Justice John Devine delivered the majority opinion, writing that having a secular court interfere with the Dioceses list would be a challenge to the Dioceses underlying investigation into its own clergy and application of Canon Law. The First Amendment prohibits governmentand courtsfrom interfering with a believers ability to observe his faith and from interfering with a churchs management of its internal affairs, wrote Devine. Churches have a fundamental right under the First Amendment to decide for themselves, free from state interference, matters of church governance as well as those of faith and doctrine. Justice Jeff Boyd authored a dissent to the opinion, arguing that the First Amendment does not prohibit courts from hearing a defamation claim against a religious organization when the claim involves statements made to the general public and courts can resolve the claim on strictly secular grounds. By choosing to broadcast the statements beyond the church and involve the general public in the churchs disciplinary procedures, the Diocese altered the nature of the constitutional concerns, wrote Boyd. Because Guerreros defamation claim is based on statements the Lubbock Diocese published beyond the church to the general public, and because courts can resolve that claim based on neutral principles without becoming entangled in ecclesiastical issues, I agree with all the federal and state courts around the country, which have consistently held that the First Amendment does not bar the courts from hearing such a claim. William Haun, any attorney for Becket, a religious liberty law firm that helped represent the Diocese, released a statement on Friday celebrating the decision. We are happy that the court recognized that fundamental truth today, and that the First Amendment does not allow government bodiesincluding courtsto interfere with internal religious decisions, stated Haun. Religious organizations do not surrender their freedom to govern themselves just because they speak in public on matters affecting their faith, clergy, and moral witness. Nevada to pay church $175K for legal battle over COVID-19 worship restrictions Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Nevada has agreed to pay a church $175,000 for legal fees incurred during its legal battle against the state's worship restrictions enacted during the coronavirus pandemic. The Nevada Board of Examiners unanimously approved a request on Tuesday morning from the Office of the Attorney General to pay a tort claim to Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley. Susan Brown, chief of the Board, explained at the meeting that the $175,000 payment was to comply with the consent decree in this case that requires the state of Nevada to pay a reasonable attorney fees, adding that this cost will come out of the tort claim fund. From there, no questions on the item were asked by those attending the board meeting in-person or virtually, with a motion to approve the tort claim coming without a nay vote. Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley filed a lawsuit against Nevada in May 2020, accusing Gov. Steve Sisolak of treating churches worse than secular institutions in the state's COVID-19 rules. For example, while churches could only have 50 people in attendance regardless of the size of the building, secular businesses like casinos and gyms could operate at 50% capacity. In June 2020, District Court Judge Richard Boulware II ruled against the Dayton church, claiming that the church had failed to prove that it was facing discrimination. It is difficult to establish a pattern of selective enforcement directed toward places of worship when new, more restrictive measures have been imposed against secular activities and no similar restrictions were imposed on religious activities, wrote Boulware last year. Plaintiffs requested relief would require the court to engage in potentially daily or weekly decisions about public health measures that have traditionally been left to state officials and state agencies with expertise in this area. Last July, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to reject a request by the church to block the restrictions, allowing the district court's ruling against them to stand for the time being. However, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit sided with the church last December. Judge Milan D. Smith Jr. wrote in the panel opinion that the church has demonstrated a likelihood of success on the merits of its Free Exercise claim. It has also established that the occupancy limitations contained in the Directive if enforced will cause irreparable harm, and that the issuance of an injunction is in the public interest, concluded Smith. Accordingly, we reverse the district court, instruct the district court to employ strict scrutiny review to its analysis of the Directive, and preliminarily enjoin the State from imposing attendance limitations on in-person services in houses of worship that are less favorable than 25% of the fire-code capacity. Jerry Falwell Jr. unhappy with Liberty Universitys public shaming, wants lawsuit dismissed Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Disgraced former president and chancellor of Liberty University, Jerry Falwell Jr., wants leaders of the evangelical institution founded by his father to stop trying to ruin his reputation and publicly shaming him after resigning in the wake of an explosive sex scandal last summer. In a response filed last week in Lynchburg Circuit Court to a $40 million breach of contract lawsuit filed against him by the university, Falwell said much of the details included in the lawsuit were part of an attempt to shame him publicly. The rehashing of these events and protected defamation of Falwell through litigation serves one mission ruining Falwells reputation through mischaracterization of events and public shaming through out-of-context pictures filed in a public complaint, Falwell's filing states, according to The Lynchburg News & Advance. Falwell argued that the lawsuit focuses on his wifes personal life while not addressing his actions as the leader of Liberty. Liberty University, one of the largest evangelical Christian universities in the world, announced in August 2020 that it had accepted Falwells resignation effective immediately after he and his wife, Becki, were implicated in a sex scandal. Falwell initially admitted that his wife had an affair with former pool boy Giancarlo Granda, 29, that lasted several years. Granda allegedly attempted to blackmail the couple. Falwell said he was shocked to learn about his wifes affair. But Granda contradicted that claim by alleging that he engaged in the affair with Falwells knowledge and provided audio he said is evidence to support his claim. Becki and I developed an intimate relationship and Jerry enjoyed watching from the corner of the room, Granda told Reuters. Granda claimed his liaisons with Becki Falwell were frequent happening multiple times per year noting that they would meet at hotels in Miami, New York and the Falwells home in Virginia. In a statement on Twitter, Granda further slammed Falwell and his wife as liars. He argued that Falwell abused his position of authority at the Christian university and even sent him a photo of a female Liberty University student exposing herself. The Falwells would have you believe that I seduced Becki into an affair without Jerrys knowledge, and then spent the intervening 7 years trying to extort them. Of course, the truth is, they approached me. She invited me to their hotel room," Granda wrote. "They offered me an equity partnership in a property venture. They brought me on multiple trips and vacations including to their family farm in Virginia. And as recently as last year, participated in video calls where Mrs. Falwell was naked and Jerry was watching." While the scandal rocked Liberty University and the broader evangelical community, Falwell said in his court filing that he had no duty to tell the university about private matters and that Liberty failed to prove legal elements of the business conspiracy alleged against him. In the lawsuit against Falwell, Liberty University accused him of breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and statutory conspiracy. Despite his clear duties as an executive and officer at Liberty, Falwell Jr. chose personal protection, the universitys lawsuit, cited by The Associated Press, said. [Falwell had a] fiduciary duty to disclose Grandas extortive actions, and to disclose the potential for serious harm to Liberty. [Falwell] furthered the conspiracy of silence and negotiated a 2019 Employment Agreement that contained a higher salary from Liberty. Falwell said he will walk away with a severance package from Liberty University totaling $10.5 million after his resignation last August. He told The Washington Post that he would get $2.5 million over 24 months after his resignation in addition to $8 million in retirement benefits per a contract he signed with the university in July 2019. Falwell also filed a court motion to require Liberty to produce his entire severance package as part of their case, the News & Advance reports. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment I recently had a friendly online debate with a former Muslim known as Apostate Prophet (called AP for short). The subject was, Does God Exist? In my opening comments, I stated that I did not specialize in debating this issue and that I realized that arguments that seemed compelling to me would be mocked by many atheists. Conversely, I stated that I have listened to the best arguments of atheists and said to myself, Are you kidding me? Is this the best you have to offer? (For similar reflections from a Christian apologist on the weakness of atheistic arguments, see Tom Gilsons recent article here.) So, I made clear from the start that my goal was not to convince the viewers that my view was right. Rather, it was to explain to them why I was 100% sure that God is real, especially since so much of my faith is based on my own life experiences rather than on abstract philosophical arguments. To make my case, I gave a fourfold argument. First, I focused on my own, radical conversion experience in 1971, coupled with the reality of God in my life for the last 50 years (including countless divine leadings and happenings), coupled with the testimony of documented miracles. Second, I looked at the evidence of the Bible, in particular the major themes of prophecy (especially the history of the Jewish people told in advance and the scope Messianic prophecies). Third, while making clear that I am not a scientist and that I have little scientific background, I pointed to the questions of the origin of the universe, the origin of life, the complexity of human DNA, the make-up of the cell, and the mathematical finetuning of the universe. Thus, it is not a matter of creating a God of the gaps but rather a matter of following the evidence. Fourth, I discussed human nature, with our hatred of injustice, our rejection of survival of the fittest, our wrestling with the problem of evil (and the definition of evil), the existence of human consciousness, and our sense of destiny and purpose, none of which would exist without a moral Creator. The debate was friendly, cordial, and mutually respectful, and AP and I continued to chat privately for a few minutes after the debate, as it was my first time meeting him or hearing any of his story. Hopefully, the debate will prove interesting for the viewers. Not surprisingly in the comments section to the debate, non-believers are mocking my own experiences, claiming Im a psychological mess (would that everyone were a mess like this!), engaging in ad hominem attacks, throwing out red herring arguments, and rejecting any possibility of intelligent design. Thats exactly what I expected, and thats why I pray for these mockers and skeptics to have the same encounter with God that I did (and continue to have). As an old, departed colleague used to say, A person with an experience is never at the mercy of a person with an argument. What is interesting, though, is that very few have commented on the question of why we have such an outrage over injustice and from whence we have such a deep sense of moral rightness and wrongness. To illustrate this point during the debate, I quoted from Adolf Hitler, who said: Today war is nothing but a struggle for the riches of nature. By virtue of an inherent law, these riches belong to him who conquers them... Thats in accordance with the laws of nature. By means of the struggle, the elites are continually renewed. The law of selection justifies this incessant struggle, by allowing the survival of the fittest. Why do we all cringe at this? If Darwinian evolution is true and there is no moral Creator, then Richard Dawkins is right. He wrote, This is one of the hardest lessons for humans to learn. We cannot admit that things might be neither good nor evil, neither cruel nor kind, but simply callous indifferent to all suffering, lacking all purpose. Why does something cry out inside of us, saying, No! There must be more! We are not just glorified machines. We are not just advanced animals. Objective morality does exist, and we are here with a purpose and destiny. I also quoted Charles Darwin, who said, According to the laws of natural selection, the European race will emerge as the distinct species homo sapiens, and all the transitional forms the gorilla, the chimpanzee, the Negro, and the Australian Aborigine will be extinguished in the struggle. But if Darwin was right, why do many Darwinists find these words repulsive? (Remember that the full title of Darwins influential book was, The Origin of Species by means of Natural Selection or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. Enough said.) I did make clear in the debate that there are many kindhearted atheists and that many people attempt to do good without any reference to God. AP himself would be an example of this, as he spoke of the strong desire he has to help alleviate the suffering of others. At the same time, he stated that there was no such thing as objective morality, which would be a logical conclusion of atheism. In fact, a totally consistent, strictly logical atheism would posit that there is no such thing as free will or self-determination. As stated by atheist philosopher Stephen Cave, Our ability to choose our fate is not free but depends on our biological inheritance. And, In recent decades, research on the inner workings of the brain has helped to resolve the nature-nurture debateand has dealt a further blow to the idea of free will. Alas, according to naturalistic determinism, even free will is an illusion, since you are only doing what you have been biologically programmed to do. Ironically, it is often those who rail the most against religion and against God who also protest the loudest against injustice and who point to the problem of evil. Yet, without God, there is no such thing as injustice since human beings have no inalienable rights. And, without God, there is no problem of evil (or, even a definition of evil), since this is just what happens in this ruthless world of nature. Trees rot and die. Earthquakes kill thousands. Spiders eat flies. Lions eat zebras. Humans kill humans. Children die of cancer. Its as simple as that. But is it really that simple? Doesnt something inside of you protest this God-less worldview, one which is devoid of meaning, of purpose, of destiny, of design? If so, that is a reminder that you are created in His image and that you are here on divine purpose. I urge you to seek after this God with all your heart and mind until you find out who He is and why you are here. It will all be worth it in the end. (For those struggling with lots of questions and doubts, perhaps my latest book, Has God Failed You?,will prove helpful to you.) Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment When our first president under the Constitution was sworn in on April 30, 1789, it was in New York City. Back then it was our capital city. Today it is often called the cultural capital of the country. George Washington took the oath of office in the common way it was done in his Anglican Church, by saying, So help me God. He took the oath with his hand on an open Bible. Also, in keeping with an Anglican tradition, Washington leaned over and kissed the Bible. Last time I checked, that Bible is still on display (near Wall Street). But my, how things have changed. George Washington was an active church-goer and a regular reader of the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. Mayor Bill de Blasio, according to the National Catholic Reporter ,is now perhaps the nation's most visible none, an icon of one of the nation's fastest-growing religious groupsthose without any formal religious identification. De Blasio, an opponent of property rights and advocate for socialism, has been presiding over a disaster by virtually every criterion. Curtis Sliwa, a Republican candidate for the office of mayor, calls him Comrade de Blasio. In 1979, Sliwa founded the New York City-based group of Good Samaritans called the Guardian Angels, to help supplement the work of the police on a voluntary basis. These volunteers are still active and sorely needed. These days, New York City is hemorrhaging residents left and right following the lockdown a year ago, the mistreatment of the police, and skyrocketing crime. A symptom of NYCs woes seems to be rather trivial, at first glance. Just the other day, a TV station in NYC reported that there is now a resurging problem of graffiti there. Fox5 reported: Vandals have been targeting storefronts and buildings with more and more graffiti in SoHo [in Manhattan], leaving local shop owners frustrated. One building manager complained, "Four businesses on this block had their windows broken down...We were lucky that we had metal that comes down. I think that's the only thing that saved us." Someone might say, Who cares about graffiti in the big picture of things? Well, yes, things much worse are taking place there. According to the NYC Daily News (12/19/20), gun violence doubled in NYC in 2020. But graffiti, like rude manners, is an indicator of bad things. Part of the reason curbing graffiti is important is because the little things are important. When Mayor Rudy Giuliani cleaned up New York City in the 1990s, he managed to curb crime significantly by clamping down on such little things. Riding the subway was very cheap then. So when unsavory characters would hop over the subway turnstiles to steal a ride, they were only stealing a few dollars. Yet the city hampered turnstile-hopping, and in the process greatly reduced crime on the subways. Spraying graffiti was a relatively minor crime, yet they clamped down on graffiti and in the process, they greatly reduced crime. Thats because the graffiti could signal a welcome for bad guys to engage in more serious crimes. In his book, The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell writes of the Broken Windows theory, postulated by James Q. Wilson and George Kelling: If a window is broken and left unrepaired, people walking by will conclude that no one cares and no one is in charge. Soon, more windows will be broken, and the sense of anarchy will spread from the building to the street on which it faces, sending a signal that anything goes. I went to New York City on some work-related trips before Giuliani and after Giuliani. The difference was palpable. Part of his success was by paying attention to the little things. As Jesus put it, we need to be faithful in the little things. If you cant be trusted with a few things, why should you be trusted with more? Manners may seem to be trivial. But ultimately there is a link between manners and morals. William Wilberforce, the great 18th-19th century Christian statesman, who spent his lifetime championing the cause of abolishing slavery in the British Empire as a longtime Member of Parliament, was also engaged in a lesser-known crusade. He and other Christian reformers in pre-Victorian England pushed for what they called the reformation of manners. The modern translation of that would be the reformation of morals. Often good manners and good morals go together. When George Washington retired from public life, he issued his Farewell Address. In that document he said that religion and morality, (which meant in his day, Christianity and Judeo-Christian teaching like the Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule) are indispensable supports for our happiness and political prosperity. His words are just as relevant for New York City today, as well as the rest of the country, as when he wrote them in 1796. If youre dealing with any online endeavor, chances are you're SEO-obsessed. Without SEO, theres no way to get ahead of the competition in todays flooded market. This is precisely why the SEO software market has started to grow exponentially in recent years, with some predictions claiming growth of about $740 million by 2024. SEO presents a process of ranking a website in the search results of search engines in regards to the searched term (i.e. keywords.) The higher the sites ranking in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs), the higher the traffic. A higher flow of organic visitors makes the website more popular, the business in question more successful and the brand more reputable and visible. Keeping up with the latest SEO trends provides the brands with an opportunity to reach a wider audience, differentiate themselves from the competition, and aim for a higher ROI when it comes to marketing. This has triggered the rise of special SEO software that delivers an easy solution for all SEO essentials such as keyword search and identification, better search ranking strategies, traffic boost guidelines and more to all these brands fighting for a higher position. Related: Why Exceptional SEO is Crucial For a Successful Business The competition of SEO software market vendors Its obvious that the competition within the SEO software market is going to be fierce. The increase in the competition among SEO software vendors is a natural process of trying to one-up each other. For starters, theres a clear need to accommodate different aspects of SEO within a product, which will show expansions such as fusing marketing analytics with SEO features as a way to make their software even user-friendlier and more efficient than before. With the continuously growing importance of SEO, we can expect a steady growth of new market vendors together with fresh opportunities for the existing ones. This whole spiel, however, doesnt come without challenges. The ambiguity of SEO itself and the lack of confidence when it comes to the final SEO outcomes might prevent some vendors from taking these opportunities to grow. Key SEO software markets The biggest SEO software market continues to be North America, followed by the Asia Pacific (APAC): North America . When we talk about SEO software market analysis, its hardly surprising that North America is the current largest SEO software market and is expected to hold that position during the forecast period between 2020 and 2024. Actually, a whopping 42% of the entire market growth is expected to come from the US and Canada. APAC. On the other hand, the APAC (Asia Pacific) SEO software market is expected to show a higher value growth during the mentioned forecast period. The economic development and the increasing necessity to automate and optimize different business processes in countries like China and India are predicted to be the strongest supporters of the APAC SEO software market growth. Following behind with moderate growth rates are: Europe Middle East Africa Latin America Major SEO software market type segments One of the biggest SEO software market-type segments involves the way users access the Internet. Even now, the prevalent target of the major market vendors still focuses on desktop. Not only is the desktop computer still the largest search engine accessing point, but the majority of the most popular SEO software vendors target tech-savvy and IT-support users who manage the SEO factor professionally, and they often use a desktop platform to do their job. As such, the desktop platform is sure to remain the major segment, but when it comes to market growth, the mobile user segment will be on the rise. Another important market-type segment revolves around the notion of keywords. Keyword analysis and implementation is crucial for proper optimization. This drives a consistent and growing need to improve the use of keywords, which consequently drives the rising demand for an enhanced keyword tool as a part of comprehensive SEO software. Related: How to Identify the Best Long-Tail Keywords Whats trending for the SEO software market? Internet penetration in almost every single lifestyle aspect worldwide is the main drive behind the growing SEO software market. As the number of online businesses and users grows steadily, so does the opportunity pool for the SEO software market. This has created actual trends meant to enhance both SEO and user experience. We already see AI-powered chatbots designed to drive more sales and improve conversational marketing. Investing in IoT, machine learning and virtual reality when it comes to SEO software is expected to boost the efficiency of these products and, in turn, allow for even bigger software optimization and evolution. The creation of superior algorithms powered by the contextualized and comprehensive user info is expected to bring the so-called new age of SEO software. It seems that data is the new oil. Utilizing data resources to the fullest is crucial for creating and improving SEO software. That said, one of the biggest trends in the industry deals with the introduction of the one-stop data source of structured search engine data. By using SERP API as a powering force, companies can create their own software and rank-tracking tool that brings the best value possible. Related: 5 Reasons to Make Machine Learning Work for Your Business Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved ALBANY Members of the state Public Service Commission may not be household names but they have an impact on peoples daily lives. Commissioners approve rate requests for utilities such as gas and electric service as well as water and telecommunications. And now, with New Yorks ambitious carbon-reduction goals, they will be playing another important role, since their decisions also guide future developments such as construction of gas pipelines or utility lines. The PSC hasnt been operating at full strength lately but on Thursday, the state Senate approved new members, bringing the commission to a full seven-member board. Not everyone was happy though. The appointment process, in which the state Senate must vote to approve nominees from Gov. Andrew Cuomo, was marred by last-minute bickering and complaints from environmentalists. The PSC, like any number of appointive boards or commissions, has long had a heavy patronage element. Several Cuomo loyalists have been placed in these jobs, which pay $120,000 annually and have six-year terms. Not all have been political patronage longtime Cuomo aide John Howard is currently the PSC chairman and he has previously worked in the legislature, worked for the state Power Authority, and has a track record on energy issues. This year, though, environmentalists say the commission needs people with deep knowledge and experience of utility and climate change issues. Instead, they say they got a former state senator, David Valesky, and John Maggiore, a longtime Cuomo hand who has been involved in economic development issues. We want appointees that have experience and a demonstrated record of understanding and working to advance environmental justice, said Patrick Robbins, a coordinator with the New York Energy Democracy Alliance. More than 100 environmental groups last week sent a letter to the Senate leaders opposing the appointments of Valesky and Maggiore. If the appearance is that people are getting political favors we have to wonder if people are indebted to the governor. And, as we all know, the governor is extremely smart and extremely strategic, said Lisa Marshall, a member of the climate activist group Mothers Out Front. Valesky, for instance, was a member of the Independent Democratic Conference, a breakaway group created in 2011 whose members worked with Republicans and, critics said, kept the GOP in de facto control of the Senate until 2019, even though they were the minority. Cuomo had long been criticized for tacitly backing the IDC since they supported many of his moderate policies, rather than taking a more progressive tack sought by the Senate Democrats left wing. The IDC was dissolved in 2018, after which Valesky was defeated in a Democratic primary. One of the more progressive Democrats who took office during the 2018 anti-Trump backlash election, Robert Jackson, referred to the IDC history Thursday in voting to oppose Valesky. "I do not see strong adherence to a moral code that should be a baseline for public service," Jackson said, arguing that by aligning with Republicans, Valesky had helped block legislation that could have helped New Yorkers. There are other examples of how support for the governor has been associated with board appointments. Also on the PSC is former Rochester-area GOP Sen. James Alesi, who was appointed in 2017. Back in 2011 Alesi was one of four GOP senators who voted for Cuomos bill to allow same sex marriage in New York. Without those votes, the measure wouldnt have passed. Facing opposition, Alesi retired in 2012. All three other senators eventually lost their seats. One of them, Buffalo lawyer Mark Grisanti, was voted out of office in 2014 and was appointed by Cuomo to the Court of Claims. While not in elective politics, John Maggiore also drew criticism for his connections to Cuomo, but not all of that related to utility policy. At one point in the Senate Finance Committee hearing, in which lawmakers interview nominees before a full Senate vote, GOP Sen. Thomas OMara asked Maggiore about a statement in which he, along with other Cuomo staff members, rebutted a sexual harassment allegation against Cuomo. Former Cuomo staffer Lindsey Boylan earlier this year claimed that Cuomo on a helicopter trip suggested they play strip poker. The Cuomo camp responded with a rebuttal by others including Maggiore who were also on the helicopter that day. That conversation did not happen, Maggiore and others said in a prepared response issued by Cuomos office. Maggiore on Thursday said he wouldnt comment on those issues since they were under investigation. Cuomo currently faces several investigations into allegations that he sexually harassed women in his administration. If nothing else, OMaras line of questioning illustrated how the scandals currently surrounding Cuomo are dogging a wide range of his initiatives including appointments and putting questions of loyalty and patronage under an intense spotlight. Critics also gave the new PSC appointees some credit, however. Both Valesky and Maggiore pointed to their exposure to utility issues during the hearing. Valesky served on the Senate energy and telecommunications committee and has worked on energy issues at his previous job at the state Department of Agriculture and Markets. And Maggiore said he planned to prioritize renewable energy. It was clear that all three new members came to that hearing yesterday hearing our concerns, Marshall said, referring to Maggiores statements about renewables. The third PSC nominee, Rory Christian, was added at the last minute, according to Marshall and others, to help address the protests over Valesky and Maggiore. Christian comes to the PSC from Concentric Consultants, an energy efficiency consultancy. He previously worked on energy matters for the Environmental Defense Fund. He is also Black, which supporters say is a plus given the emphasis on environmental justice in utility and energy matters. Still, there were other criticisms of Thursdays nomination process. In addition to PSC members, senators approved members of the board for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority or NYSERDA. OMara questioned the incoming NYSDERDA board chairman Richard Kauffman, who previously served as Cuomos top energy policy advisor. Under questioning by OMara, Kauffman said he stands to gain approximately $1 million from the dissolution of what was a component of the Yahoo website. He also said hes chairman of the board at Generate Capital, a company that helps finance sustainable power generation and other infrastructure. For that, he said he receives $100,000 worth of stock each year. Kauffman stressed that NYSERDA board members dont tell agency staffers what to invest in. The authority is a major player in decarbonization efforts since it administers a number of programs including grants for developing renewable energy projects. OMara also raised a longstanding criticism that critical nominations are often brought to the Senate for confirmation at the end of the session, leaving lawmakers little time for in-depth scrutiny. Theyre being rammed through at the 11th hour, said OMara. Chris Bragg contributed to this story. 303030 Update: In true San Antonio fashion, people started lining up at 9 a.m. to get their Turkey Leg Hut orders in, the company says. That's two hours before start time. The Houston restaurant, which is hosting a weekend pop-up event, shared video showing a line stretching through the Freeman Coliseum parking lot. Original story is below: Houston's famed Turkey Leg Hut is officially in San Antonio for the weekend. The popular Houston restaurant, known for over-the-top turkey legs loved by celebrities like James Harden, Kevin Hart and 50 Cent, is ready to fill in and fill up San Antonio on the buzzworthy bites. RELATED: Houston's famed Turkey Leg Hut is coming to San Antonio The Houston crowd usually flocks to the brick and mortar located in the city's Third Ward. Though the San Antonio pop-up is serving out of TLH Express, the food truck, the attention is expected to rival that of our I-10 neighbors. READ MORE FROM MADALYN: Houston's famed Turkey Leg Hut is coming to San Antonio Courtesy, Turkey Leg Hut We rounded up a few key details to give you a leg up on the occasion. See below for what to know before you go. When can I get it? Turkey Leg Hut Matt Young Turkey Leg Hut will serve San Antonio 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Where exactly at Freeman Coliseum? Turkey Leg Hut, the popular Houston restaurant, known for over-the-top turkey legs, will host a pop-up weekend event at the Freeman Coliseum Parking Lot from June 11-13. Courtesy, Turkey Leg Hut The Turkey Leg Express is parked in Lot 9 of the Freeman Coliseum (3201 E Houston Street) for the weekend. For easier access, guests should enter through Gate A on East Houston Street. COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) The city of Columbia should receive nearly $54 million after a long legal battle with a telecommunications company over unpaid taxes, a judge has ruled. A ruling from St. Louis County Circuit Judge Ellen Ribaudo last week also awarded the city of Joplin $1.1 million. Under the ruling, Columbia would also keep $2.3 million in business license taxes that CenturyLink paid under protest. THIBODAUX, La. (AP) A more than four-decade-old murder case in Louisiana has been closed with the arrest of the victim's now elderly husband, authorities said Saturday. Chester Vegas Sr., 78, of Cut Off, was arrested Friday on a charge of second-degree murder in the Oct. 10, 1977 death of his wife, Diane Vegas, 32, the Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Office said. Diane Vegas' body was found with a bullet in the back at The Chicken House, a restaurant in Golden Meadow. APOLLO BEACH, Fla. (AP) Florida deputies are searching for the body of a good Samaritan who tried to rescue a father and son who drowned off a beach south of Tampa. The Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office says the rescuer was also caught by the current in Apollo Beach. CORDELE, Ga. (AP) A south Georgia elected official has been charged with felony obstruction of law enforcement after police say he interfered in the investigation of a fatal accident. WALB-TV reports Cordele City Commissioner Royce Reeves Sr. was arrested on Thursday night after trying three separate times to reach the scene of a crash involving a motorcycle and a car. Police say he was trying to use his position to get through roadblocks. Reeves was charged with a felony after a state trooper said Reeves pushed him. It escalated into some very strong language, allegedly, of course," said Cordele City Attorney Tommy Coleman. There was some pushing between the commissioner and the police, according to the state patrol and the incident report. Coleman said a commissioner has no authority to interfere with law enforcement. He felt like he knew this person and he wanted to get to the scene. According to the state patrol, he used his position to say, You have to listen to me, Im a city commissioner. And of course, they dont, Coleman said. The Georgia State Patrol is investigating. Royce remained jailed in Crisp County Friday with bail set at $2,500, WFXL-TV reported. It's unclear if Reeves has a lawyer to speak for him. If convicted of a felony, Reeves would be removed from office. Reeves could also be suspended from office if he's indicted. Reeves, who is African American, drew notice in 2018 when multiple troopers and Cordele officers responded to a traffic stop. A trooper sought to ticket Reeves for illegally parking a limousine he had borrowed to ferry Stacey Abrams supporters to the polls. MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) Money from a legal settlement will be used to provide funding to add charging stations for electric vehicles at 18 sites in seven Alabama counties. The governor's office says grants totaling $4.1 million will help fund installing of chargers at fueling stations near interstates and other major highways. LAS VEGAS (AP) Investigators say the fatal crash of a jet into a home near Nellis Air Force Base nearly three weeks ago was the result of a flap issue. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that the National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary findings Friday on the crash that killed 43-year-old pilot Nicholas Hunter Hamilton of Las Vegas. If President Joe Biden has any private words with Russias Vladimir Putin at their meeting next week, U.S. interpreters and diplomats will be standing by to document their high-stakes encounter. Its a decades-old system meant to ensure that senior officials, and ultimately historians, have a record of what American presidents say to international leaders. And it's one that held up mostly even under former President Donald Trump, including when he confiscated the notes taken by his American interpreter at a meeting with Putin in 2017. Trump's determination to keep his talks with the Russian president confidential sparked concerns about what might have occurred in those private meetings, particularly given Trumps cozy relationship with Putin. Former U.S. officials acknowledge the unusual and concerning nature of Trump's desire for secrecy, which a former official familiar with the matter says also included Trump routinely waving away the usual immediate debriefings by aides after his one-on-ones with world leaders. But in the run-up to Biden's own first session with Putin as president in Geneva, the U.S. official described to The Associated Press the swift steps taken to preserve records of Trump's private talks with Putin. That included the veteran State Department interpreter for Trump at his hours-long private talk with Putin in Helsinki, Finland, in 2018 alerting senior U.S. officials instantaneously after the meeting to concerning details, including that the two men had broached invoking an existing treaty that could have allowed Russians to take part in interrogations of U.S. officials, the former official said. And at the summit a year earlier in Hamburg, Germany, where Trump seized the interpreter's notes, Americans were able to debrief Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who also jotted down notes, the former official said. Some diplomats and journalists have questioned how thorough the Trump Cabinet secretarys version would have been, however. When Trump unexpectedly sat down next to Putin and first lady Melania Trump that night at dinner for a long chat, press reports at the time said it appeared no other Americans were within earshot. However, the former official said they were able to build a record of what was said from the first lady's aides, who were sitting next to her. Trump in one way made it easier for listeners to follow and document his private words with Putin. Appearing dazzled by the pomp and import of the summits, Trump would have to ask interpreters to repeat Putins comments half the time, the former official said. The results were detailed accounts that were shared among top officials and preserved, according to the former official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. They ultimately will likely be declassified, like the records of past presidencies. The former officials account, and accounts from other officials and interpreters, shed light on a critical part of the upcoming Biden-Putin meeting and other presidential summits that normally receives little attention: the crucial work of diplomats, interpreters, aides and others in providing policymakers with a detailed account of what was said even when a president wishes they didnt. Presidential historians say its critical for the functioning of a democratic government. I believe very strongly that our protections under the Constitution depend on the transparency of our government. Because its in the dark spaces, its in the unlit spaces of government activity that abuses occur, or can occur, said Timothy Naftali, an associate professor at New York University. Michael McFaul, a former White House official and ambassador to Russia in Barack Obama's administration who served as the official record-taker for Obamas occasional one-on-one pull-asides with Russian leaders, described how the routine of capturing and documenting such talks played out for him. At the close of those presidential conversations, McFaul said he would immediately rush to debrief both Obama and the State Department interpreter, while memories were fresh. Sometimes I really had to crowd people out of the way, but it was super important, McFaul said. For the U.S. government, that was how they knew what was decided. Up until the Reagan administration, the same State Department interpreters who translated during the one-on-ones between U.S. presidents and international leaders were charged with preparing the official memoranda of conversations, or memcons, said Dimitry Zarechnak, a retired State Department employee. Zarechnak translated for Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev and others. At the time, the practice was always that interpreters would be taking notes to do the interpreting, and then use those notes to prepare the memos, Zarechnak said. It was a practically verbatim record of what was said. Those memos as a rule had to be completed the same day, McFaul and Zarechnak said. After one Reagan summit, when Zarechnak found himself working into the next morning to prepare the memos from a day of interpreting, the U.S. routine expanded, so that a separate note-taker began sitting in on the talks and prepared the official records, he said. Many decades later, the U.S. government typically declassifies the memcons, as with Reagans historic talks and folksy stories with the last leader of the Soviet Union. The former official said Trump was able, however, to evade the record-takers for one kind of conversation: those with leaders who could speak directly to him in English and needed no interpreter. Trump would leave entirely private his conversations with President Emmanuel Macron, pointing inquiring American officials to the bilingual French leader, the former official recounted. Ask Macron, Trump would tell his aides, the former official said. - Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani contributed to this report. LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. (AP) Missouri's Republican Gov. Mike Parson on Saturday signed a bill banning local police from enforcing federal gun rules, a change Democrats have predicted will be shot down in the courts. Parson signed the measure, which will penalize local police departments if their officers enforce federal gun laws, during a ceremony at a Kansas City-area shooting range and firearms store. The governor, a former sheriff, said in a statement Saturday that the law "draws a line in the sand and demonstrates our commitment to reject any attempt by the federal government to circumvent the fundamental right Missourians have to keep and bear arms to protect themselves and their property. Under the bill, Missouri agencies with police who knowingly enforce any federal laws could be sued and fined $50,000 per violating officer. Most state and federal gun laws are the same anyway, and federal law enforcement could still enforce gun rules that are only in federal law. Republican lawmakers who worked to pass the bill have said theyre motivated by the possibility of new federal gun restrictions under Democratic President Joe Biden and the Democratic-led U.S. House. But Democrats warned that the measure unconstitutionally seeks to supersede federal laws and predicted it would be shot down by the courts. House Minority Leader Crystal Quade in a statement described the law as radical, dangerous and obviously unconstitutional. The new law even allows criminals who violate federal gun law to sue our local law enforcement officers for a minimum $50,000 fine if they in any way assist with federal investigations, Quade said. It quite literally defunds the police and gives that taxpayer money to convicted criminals. The Republican-led Legislature passed a similar bill in 2013 declaring that any federal policies that infringe on the peoples right to keep and bear arms shall be invalid in Missouri. It would have allowed state misdemeanor charges to be brought against federal authorities who attempted to enforce those laws or anyone who published the identity of a gun owner. That bill was vetoed by then-Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat. The Legislature fell just shy of overriding Nixon's veto. RACINE, Wis. (AP) Tedd Swartz doesnt own a TV and hasnt for 10 years. He considers watching television a time waster. I threw it out the front door, he said. I had enough of it. He would much rather read the classics, or about philosophy and other obscure topics he said, such as math, physics or psychology, geopolitics or cymatics, the study of visible sound and vibration. He has a large collection of dictionaries, of which he said he couldnt estimate how many volumes are included. I have thousands of books. I have shelves everywhere, he said. The two pieces of technology he wont refuse to own, however, are a computer and a smartphone. He once tried getting rid of his smartphone, but that lasted about three weeks before he was told he needed it for his job. Gotta have those two because you cant function in todays world without them, he said. His job is full-time construction leader for Racine Habitat for Humanity, where hes worked for the past 10 years, helping it reach the milestone of completing its 100th home earlier this year, the Racine Journal Times reported. He works six days a week, Monday through Saturday. But he took a unique path to get there, from being a professional server to a Zen monk to a carpenter. Swartz, 50, moved to West Racine in 2008 when the economic recession hit. Before that, Swartz was born and raised in Detroit. He went to St. Lawrence Seminary High School, in Mount Calvary in Fond du Lac County, for two years in hopes of becoming a Catholic priest. There, he met a monk. After that meeting, he never looked back at the priesthood. He was an acolyte monk for three and a half years and lived in a temple. He became a Zen monk, focusing on the practice of meditation. Zen is a division of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty. I dont know much about Buddhism; I know a lot about Zen, even though I was a quote-unquote Buddhist monk, he said. It was a different way of living, to say the least. It was definitely not American. He spent a lot of time doing outreach work in the community. He taught yoga and meditation in the temple where he lived. He never graduated St. Lawrence dropping out either in 1986 or 1987, he said and got a GED. He started attending Oakland Community College in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, then jumped to Wayne State University in Detroit and started studying medicine. I really liked science, Swartz said. I still do. Next, he bounced back to Oakland Community College and started studying photography. He was a sculptor and self-described maker in Detroit, involved in the larger arts community. But photography wasnt a field he ever worked in. He took his first photography class just to take a class. He dropped out of Oakland Community College and continued working in restaurants a field he had worked in since he was 12. He worked for restaurants in total for 16 years. He then went to school for four years to become a carpenter and took part in an apprenticeship for five years. For three of those five, he built homes. He worked as a production framer, building large structures such as apartment complexes. The latter two years he was in the display field, working at shows and installing permanent museum fixtures. It was fun, Swartz said. Im just really good with my hands. Now, he continues to sculpt, make and fix things. Theres nothing I cant fix, he said. He writes short stories and poetry, and invents things, such as what he calls a water distillation unit. Water distillers already exist, but his machine, which he said he built in about a day two years ago, could potentially convert raw sewage to distilled water but thats something he hasnt tested. Im pretty eclectic, he said. Habitat Executive Director Grant Buenger used the word eclectic to describe Swartz as well. He has a very diverse set of skills, training and experience, Buenger said in an email. Swartz said one awesome part of his job is meeting so many different people. Weve got a lot of engineers and scientists that are retired that are just brilliant, Swartz said. A lot of times, a guy like me, a carpenter, doesnt get the opportunity to interact in an intimate setting with the people of that caliber, that intelligence. Buenger said Swartz can talk about almost anything with anyone. He is just as comfortable speaking with pastors or scientists as he is with fellow tradesmen. Swartz doesnt typically swing any hammers, but he gets the materials together, facilitates and supports the volunteers, making sure theyre safe and on schedule, Swartz said. You get to see a family change the course of their life, he said of why he likes his job. Homeownership is a foundational element in getting out of poverty. Thats really awesome to be involved with, because it matters. He appreciates being a part of Habitat, one reason being its Christian faith; the staff prays often together. One of the best things humans can do together is eat; and the other thing is worship, or come together under a common goal, he said. Ive learned more in 10 years about human relation than I have anywhere else. Its been an incredible learning experience. Buenger said one of Swartzs greatest strengths is his ability to connect with and teach those who volunteer with us. He makes everyone feel comfortable with the task at hand and gives them the confidence to complete it. I am thankful to have Tedd on our staff team, Buenger said. I especially appreciate his intentionality with and care for our partner families and volunteers. They enjoy working alongside him. LAS VEGAS (AP) Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak signed into law Friday a measure requiring mail-in ballots to be automatically sent to active voters in future elections. The new law indefinitely extends policies that the Democratic governor approved last year amid the pandemic. BEIRUT (AP) Missiles hit a hospital in a northern Syrian town controlled by Turkey-backed fighters on Saturday, killing at least 13 people, including two medical staff, and putting the facility out of service, activists and an aid group said. It was not immediately clear who was behind the shelling, which came from areas where government troops and Kurdish-led fighters are deployed. The governor of Turkeys Hatays province, across the border from Afrin, also said the attack killed 13 civilians and injured 27, adding that it involved rocket and artillery shelling of the hospital. The governors office blamed the attack on Syrian Kurdish groups. A war monitor, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, put the death toll at 18. The discrepancy could not be immediately reconciled. The Syrian American Medical Society, or SAMS, an aid group that assists health centers in opposition areas, said al-Shifaa Hospital in the town of Afrin was targeted by two missiles. The attack destroyed the polyclinic department, the emergency and the delivery rooms, the group said. Two of the 13 people killed were hospital staff and two were ambulance drivers, said SAMS, which supports the hospital. Eleven of its staff were injured. The hospital has been put out of service and patients were evacuated, the group said. SAMS called for an investigation into the attack on the hospital, one of the largest facilities in northern Syria that offered thousands of medical services each month, including surgeries and maternity wards. The coordinates for the hospital, which is financed by USAID as well as UN funds, were shared as part of the U.N.-led deconfliction mechanism, the group said. Turkey and allied Syrian fighters took control of Afrin in 2018 in a military operation that expelled local Kurdish fighters and displaced thousands of Kurdish residents. Ankara considers the Kurdish fighters who were in control of Afrin terrorists. Since then, there has been a series of attacks on Turkish targets in the area. The governor's office of Turkey's Hatay province blamed the attack on the Kurdish group. The head of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Abadi, denied his forces were behind the attack. In a tweet, he said, the U.S-backed SDF condemned the attack that targeted innocent lives, calling it a violation of international law. COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) Sri Lanka is seeking an interim claim of $40 million from the operator of a fire-ravaged cargo ship to cover part of the cost of fighting the blaze, officials said Saturday. Sri Lanka's attorney general has sent the claim to lawyers representing X-Press Feeders, the ships operating company, said Darshani Lahandapura, head of the state-run Marine Pollution Protection Authority. She said authorities were still assessing the total damages, and the interim claim seeks compensation for expenses from May 20, when the ship caught fire, through June 1. The fire broke out while the Singapore-flagged MV X-Press Pearl was anchored about 9.5 nautical miles (18 kilometers) northwest of the capital, Colombo, and waiting to enter the country's main port. The Sri Lankan navy believes the blaze was caused by the vessels chemical cargo, which included 25 tons of nitric acid and other chemicals, most of which was destroyed in the fire. But debris including burned fiberglass and tons of plastic pellets have already polluted nearby beaches. There are concerns that a spill of remaining chemicals and oil on the ship could devastate marine life. However, Sri Lankan authorities and the ships operator say theres still no large oil spill. The fire burned for 12 days before being extinguished last week. The ship then began sinking, and attempts to tow it into deeper waters failed when the vessel's stern sank to the seabed. The ship remains partly submerged in waters about 21 meters (70 feet) deep. On Friday, the government said it was testing water samples to determine whether the ship is leaking oil. The tests were prompted by satellite images from Planet Labs Inc. that showed a substance that could be oil in the water near the ship. A Colombo court has banned the ships captain, chief engineer and assistant engineer from leaving the country. CHICAGO (AP) Public defenders across Illinois are struggling with excessive caseloads and a lack of independence that is negatively affecting their clients, according to a new study commissioned by the Illinois Supreme Court. The study, which was released Tuesday, examined public defense in nine counties across the state. In all nine counties, which varied in population and demographics, public defenders lacked the necessary resources to provide the quality of representation required by the U.S. Constitution, the study found. In Cook County, public defenders handling misdemeanor cases told the studys authors that they had more than 2,000 cases per year. A public defender in Champaign County said they had 50 pretrial conferences in one day and 100 scheduled for the next day. And a DuPage County public defender said he was only able to get through 70% of the evidence provided by the prosecution in any given case. ___ The nonprofit news outlet Injustice Watch provided this article to The Associated Press through a collaboration with Institute for Nonprofit News. ___ You might have a lawyer in name but with a caseload that high its effectively a warm body with a bar card, said Jon Mosher, deputy director of the Sixth Amendment Center, a nonprofit that studies indigent defense across the country and wrote the report. Public defenders play an important role in the criminal justice system by representing clients who are unable to afford an attorney. In Cook County, thats about four out of every five defendants and the vast majority of those clients are Black and Latinx. The problems facing public defenders stem in part from a lack of statewide oversight, Mosher said. Illinois is one of just seven states in the country without a state commission, agency, or officer that sets standards for indigent representation, according to the report. That means the state government has no way of determining if each county has enough lawyers, enough time to handle cases, or enough resources, Mosher said The Sixth Amendment Center recommended that the state Legislature create and appropriately fund a commission to set and enforce standards for effective public defense. Spokespeople for Illinois Senate President Don Harmon and House Speaker Chris Welch, said their offices look forward to reviewing the report and seeing what steps can be taken to improve public defense. During the legislative session that ended last week, both houses passed a bill to create a public defender taskforce that will examine the caseloads and quality of public defender services across the state. If Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs the bill, the task force will prepare a report summarizing its findings and make recommendations for the governor and General Assembly by the end of next year. Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Anne Burke said in a statement that the court recognize the challenges found in the study and offered its support to the legislative branch as they consider next steps towards establishing effective statewide indigent counsel in Illinois. We need bodies here In all of Illinois 102 counties aside from Cook County, public defenders are appointed by circuit court judges. That framework institutionalizes political and judicial interference in public defense and creates systemic conflicts of interest, the report said. Public defenders may feel like they cant speak up for their clients or ask for more resources without risking their jobs, the report said. Public defenders are beholden to the circuit court judges, Mosher said. In every county, the study found public defenders grappling with excessive caseloads, leading to fears of burnout and depression. In Cook County, assistant public defenders described being overwhelmed, suffering from crushing depression, and being alone on an island without adequate support, the study said. We need bodies here. We dont have time to go to the washroom and drink water. We need people, one assistant Cook County public defender told the studys authors. Sharone Mitchell Jr., who took over as Cook County public defender earlier this year, agreed that his office and public defenders across the state are in need of more resources and staff. While working as a public defender is incredibly rewarding its also incredibly taxing, he said in an emailed statement. In his few months in office, he said he has been focusing on improving employee wellness. A statewide commission could recommend that the legislature set aside state funding for public defenders offices, or cap the amount that counties have to pay for indigent defense, with additional funds for improvements subsidized by the state, the report said. But any change in the way public defenders are appointed or funded would have to be approved by the General Assembly. CHARLOTTE, Tenn. (AP) A jury on Saturday convicted a Tennessee man of first-degree murder in the perpetration of a felony in the death of his 5-year-old son, whose body remains missing years later. Joe Clyde Daniels was reported missing April 4, 2018. His father, Joseph Daniels, was charged in the case. BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) A look at pandemic-related news around New England on Saturday: VERMONT The annual Independence Day celebration is returning to Vermonts largest city. Burlington expects thousands of people to gather along the Lake Champlain waterfront for the fireworks display on July 3, which was cancelled last year amid the coronavirus pandemic. The events start with a ceremony at waterfront park at 5 p.m. honoring local COVID-19 victims and celebrating the community's resilience, WCAX-TV reports. The fireworks start at 9:30 p.m. More details are expected next week. ___ NEW HAMPSHIRE The Dartmouth College Class of 2021 will be honored Sunday, with two guests allowed per graduate at the outdoor ceremony. The college originally planned to prohibit guests because of the coronavirus pandemic but later decided to allow two tickets for each student receiving an undergraduate degree. Those receiving graduate and professional degrees will be allowed two guests at events hosted by their individual schools, but not at the larger ceremony. Masks will be required for all attendees. The ceremony will be held in Memorial Stadium instead of the college green to allow for social distancing. ___ MASSACHUSETTS Massachusetts schools had 103 coronavirus cases in students and staff in the last week, according to the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. That's a decrease from 130 the week before and 1,279 cases two months ago, WBZ-TV reported. Between June 3 and June 9, districts, collaboratives and special education schools reported 85 cases in students and 18 in staff. About 735,000 students are now in classrooms in Massachusetts public schools and 140,000 staff are working in-person, according to state estimates. The weekly report released Thursday shows cases for students who are in hybrid or in-person models and not for those in remote-only programs. ___ MAINE A Maine-based chain of music and video stores is reopening a store in New Hampshire after abruptly closing it three weeks ago and laying off employees. Bull Moose has not said exactly why it closed the Salem, New Hampshire store, but some laid-off employees said it was related to the company's decision to allow unmasked customers in the store, the Portland Press Herald reported. Employees said most of Salem staff opposed the decision. Some workers also said there were other employee issues. Communication between upper management and Salem workers broke down this spring over a number of issues and the controversy over the mask rule was a symptom, said Bull Moose founder Brett Wickard. Company officials should have been more sensitive to how issues such as mask-wearing should be dealt with locally rather than issuing one rule across the chains 11 stores in Maine and New Hampshire, he said. The company realized it made the wrong move and started aggressively listening to everyone, including reaching out to terminated workers, Wickard said. The 23 employees have accepted offers to be rehired, he said. Wickard also apologized on Twitter on Friday. The company prides itself on building community and acting with empathy, yet we failed on both those counts," he said. COVID-19 has forced America to confront major health and income disparities. Recent data shows that Hispanic, Native American and Black Connecticut residents experienced significantly higher rates of COVID-19 infections than White and Asian residents. Higher infection rates for Hispanics, Blacks and Native Americans reflect important differences in what are known as the social determinants of health, or SDoH. In work my firm recently conducted for Access Health Connecticut, we looked at two of those social determinants and their impact on health status and life expectancy. We found that Connecticut is one of the healthiest states in the country as measured by life expectancy; the average life expectancy in Connecticut is almost 81, compared to the national average of 78. There are, however, significant differences based on where you live in Connecticut. Living in a food desert or a medically underserved census tract can determine not only whether you are more likely to get sick from COVID-19, but how long you can expect to live. In our research we found that there were significant differences in life expectancy across Connecticuts census tracts. Five census tracts in Westport, Greenwich, Stamford, Avon, and Norwalk had the longest life expectancies in the state, between 87.9 years and 89.1 years. In contrast, five census tracts with the shortest life expectancies were in Bridgeport (2), New London, Waterbury and Hartford, ranging from 68.9 years to 71 years. A 15-year difference in life expectancy means 15 fewer years with your grandchildren. It also means 15 fewer years collecting Social Security and accumulating wealth. In the five census tracts with the longest life expectancies in the state, the poverty rate averaged 4.9 percent; in the five with shortest life expectancies, the average was 38.9 percent. Not surprisingly, supermarkets and health care providers want to locate in markets that can support their operations and strategic financial goals. Unfortunately for poor Connecticut residents, locating in their neighborhoods is not happening. Based on the 2020 Census, the number of Census tracts in Connecticut increased from 833 in 2010 to 883 today. A census tract is a geographical space that has between 2,500 and 8,000 people. In 2018, before the revision, we know that 76 of Connecticuts census tracts are both food and medical deserts. A food desert is defined by the United States Department of Agriculture as low-income tracts where at least 33 percent of the population is living more than half a mile (in urban areas) or 10 miles (in rural areas) from the nearest supermarket or large grocery store. Medically underserved areas are census tracts defined by the Health Resources and Services Administration to have too few primary care providers, high infant mortality, high poverty and/or a large elderly population. This past Wednesday, I volunteered with the Council of Churches, the Connecticut Food Bank, Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School (in Bridgeport) and the Rescue Mission to give out fresh fruits and vegetables to residents in the schools parking lot. Most of the recipients were young mothers with small children in tow. There is not one supermarket within two miles of this school. These mothers were so thankful for the free fresh fruits and vegetables provided that afternoon. Fortunately, there are other things we can do if we muster the will and the resources required to improve the health status of Connecticuts poorest residents and address these social determinants. First, we can bring healthy foods directly from farms to the people. In our research, I visited several farms that produce excellent fresh vegetables and fruits all within 20 miles of urban census tracts. Good, fresh, inexpensive food close to low-income consumers is not the problem. One entrepreneurial idea we proposed to a local housing authority leader was to set up a housing authority resident-owned enterprise where the business would simply buy the food from local farms (in season) and from distributors (off-season) and bring the food directly to where the people live. This is a low-tech solution to bringing good fresh healthy food to low-income residents. The state would have to provide support for the business by allowing these food entrepreneurs to use Electronic Benefit Transfer payments. To address the medically underserved issue, we propose providing primary care physicians with free or reduced cost housing in census tracts that suffer from being both food deserts and MUAs. We need to view solutions as community solutions. If we can provide free housing and help physicians start practices in these communities, we might be able to address the health care crisis faced by vulnerable residents and change the dynamics that make locational poverty a thing of the past. Urban homesteading for physicians could be combined with urban homesteading incentives for teachers, firefighters, police officers and city employees. These are just a few ideas on how to address the problem of shorter life expectancy and lower health status for Connecticuts poorest residents, but one thing is clear: We need to be innovative and willing to take risks supported with both private and public resources. We know from the data. Poverty, inequality and where you live have significant consequences for life expectancy and health. I believe we can do better. Fred McKinney is the co-founder of BJM Solutions, an economic consulting firm that conducts public and private research since 1999, and is the emeritus director of the Peoples Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Quinnipiac University. Hows this as a set-up: Rob Reiner, Neil deGrasse Tyson and Rachel Bitecofer walk into a baronly its not a bar, its a television studio. Sometimes the lineups of Real Time With Bill Maher can seem hyper-focused, as with last weeks triumvirate of politically-minded guests; sometimes, they can be as wide-ranging as one might imagine. The June 11 episode was firmly in the latter camp. Mahers opening monologue covered Joe Bidens ongoing trip to Europe, and included a few (metaphorical) swings at Joe Manchin. For a Democrat, hes the most powerful Republican in the Senate, Maher said. Maher moved on from Manchin to especially wealthy people not paying taxes, notably Jeff Bezos. Amazons move to space, Maher quipped, threatened to put all the mom and pop astronauts out of business. Tyson, co-author of (most recently) the book Cosmic Queries: Startalks Guide to Who We Are, How We Got Here, and Where Were Going, was up first. And the conversation quickly moved to the grandest of subjects: the Big Bang Theory, the nature of the universe and what it meant for something to be settled science. The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you, Tyson said. He also admitted that he couldnt say for sure what existed before the Big Bang. As a scientist, you learn to love the questions themselves, he said. That question of, well, questions took on a greater scope when Maher brought up the subject of UFOs. Tyson took a somewhat skeptical position, asking why if aliens do exist their vehicles have only interacted with military planes in the skies. I dont know, and Im happy saying that I dont know, Tyson said when Maher pressed him further on the subject. Filmmaker Rob Reiner and elections analyst Rachel Bitecofer made up this episodes panel which immediately turned contentious, with questions of voter suppression and Joe Manchins reluctance to vote for key Democratic legislation sparking heated cross-talk. Maher made his usual arguments against wokeness, while Bitecofer opted for a different strategy that Democrats should emphasize the unpleasant end results of Republican politics. The conversation shifted from there to the pandemic and its possible end, with the panelists covering everything from the partisan implications of certain regulations being reduced to the question of why there hadnt been a pandemic baby boom. For New Rules, Maher took on an odd assortment of topics, such as the lethal potential of country roads and the way that watching humans have sex can confuse dogs. The bulk of this segment found Maher arguing that, yes, societal progress had taken place over the last few decades. It was another instance of him pushing back against the far left, though the sole person he quoted was comedian and actor Kevin Hart. Maher dubbed the phenomenon a progressive allergy to acknowledging societal advances. Its certainly a running theme for Maher this year; well see where next weeks episode takes it. Thanks for reading InsideHook. Sign up for our daily newsletter and be in the know. The post Bill Maher and Neil deGrasse Tyson Debate UFOs on a New Real Time appeared first on InsideHook. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Florida, FL (34429) Today A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Claremore, OK (74018) Today Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Only a generously funded, celebrity-endorsed NGO utterly convinced of its own rectitude would have the chutzpah to proffer advice on combating antisemitism, just weeks after it labeled the worlds sole Jewish state as the faithful reincarnation of apartheid South Africas white minority regi Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 11) Responding to calls for changes in the rules on search warrants, the Supreme Court has disclosed steps to make revisions not only on the issuance of search warrants but also that of arrest orders. Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo said on Friday SC Associate Justice Marvic Leonen has already submitted a working draft on the "revisions intended to specifically address the issue on issuance of arrest warrant and search warrant." "We're working on it. In relation to that, we will be amending the rules on criminal procedures with respect to those provisions," he said during his first Meet the Press event. In March, more than 100 lawyers wrote to the SC proposing changes to rules on the issuance and service of search warrants. This was in response to the bloody raids in Calabarzon that left nine people dead when police tried to implement search orders issued by lower courts. The lawyers said they feared that the rules of court were being "weaponized" to go after activists. Gesmundo pointed out that judges know the responsibility that they have to comply with what the Constitution and the rules of court should provide. The chief magistrate said that one of the things that they are working on is the adoption of the rule of body-worn cameras. "So we hope that with the issuance of these rules on body-worn cameras, these issues will be addressed specifically. It's in the works. By July perhaps, we will have the final version and we'll approve it for implementation immediately." Revising the writs Gesmundo said he also directed the office of court attorneys to research for the revision of writs of kalikasan and amparo. "We are doing our continuous effort to revise these rules. It's just that we have to gather more materials to guide us in the revisions but it is one of the priorities of the court for revision." A writ of kalikasan is a legal remedy available to a person whose constitutional right to a balanced and healthful ecology is violated or threatened. The writ of amparo, on the other hand, is available to any person whose right to life, liberty and security is violated or threatened. Exercising rule-making power Asked as to what extent the SC will exercise its rule-making function to protect the rights of the public, Gesmundo said that it will promulgate rules when it finds it necessary "only that it must be within the parameters of the Constitution." "Things change over time. The Court must be able to adapt to these changing times so when the circumstances should warrant for the Court to adopt this, I'm sure my colleagues will not hesitate to adopt those rules," he said. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 12) United States President Joe Biden on Saturday sought to maintain the good relations between the Philippines and the US, and together overcome global challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic. "As we honor this joyful occasion of independence and friendship, let's also look at the future, at the challenges our two countries must continue to work to take on together - from defeating this pandemic and strengthening the global preparedness for the next one, to advancing free and open Indo-Pacific region for all peoples," Biden said in his 123rd Philippine Independence Day message. "I hope the friendship between the Philippines and the United States will continue to be a source of strength for both our nations through all the decades ahead," he added. The US President also honored the "invaluable contributions" of over four million Filipinos and Filipino Americans to the US, as the two countries also celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations, and the 70th anniversary of the US-PH alliance. "Our people are forever connected through our deep bonds and shared sacrifices of valor, of family, and of friendship," Biden said. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 12) -- Six people were hurt while two were unaccounted for after a fire hit a vessel near Del Pan Bridge in Tondo, Manila on Saturday morning, the Philippine Coast Guard said. The blaze in MV Titan 8 began quarter past 8 a.m. and reached fifth alarm at noon, the Bureau of Fire reported. Fifth alarm level means around 20 fire trucks are needed to extinguish the blaze. The fire was put out at around 3 p.m., the BFP said. The coast guard said people living near the area were evacuated. This is a developing story. Please refresh this page for updates. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 2) - The Department of Energy (DOE) is looking into possible criminal liability on the part of power companies that contributed to the supply problem in Luzon, an energy official said Wednesday. Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella said they are coordinating with the Department of Justice in studying if some firms' non-compliance with government policies can be considered tantamount to economic sabotage. "Our lawyers in DOE are exploring that. We are in the process of gathering pieces of evidence," he said in a media briefing. According to Fuentebella, some power plants have implemented preventive maintenance despite the policy prohibiting such, except for hydropower plants, during the months of April to June. The official added the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), which acts as the system operator, failed to secure enough power reserves, thus breaching a DOE circular issued in 2019 to ensure reliability of the electrical grid. The Energy Regulatory Commission has given erring generation companies seven days to explain their unplanned outages that exceeded the maximum allowable days per year. Fuentebella said the power supply for Luzon has already reached a deficit of 200 megawatts. This means the capacity of generators is not enough to meet the demand for electricity, prompting rotational power interruptions, which the NGCP said may last until June 7. Saratoga Springs, NY (12866) Today Thunderstorms this evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Low 67F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Thunderstorms this evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Low 67F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Offer a personal message of sympathy... By sharing a fond memory or writing a kind tribute, you will be providing a comforting keepsake to those in mourning. If you have an existing account with this site, you may log in with that below. Otherwise, you can create an account by clicking on the Log in button below, and then register to create your account. Columbia, MO (65201) Today Cloudy skies this evening followed by thunderstorms late. Low around 70F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Cloudy skies this evening followed by thunderstorms late. Low around 70F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Columbia, MO (65201) Today Cloudy skies early, then thunderstorms developing late. Low near 70F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Cloudy skies early, then thunderstorms developing late. Low near 70F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Danville, IL (61832) Today Thunderstorms this evening will give way to steady rain overnight. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Thunderstorms this evening will give way to steady rain overnight. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Congratulations, cooperativesocieties.com got a very good Social Media Impact Score! Show it by adding this HTML code on your site: Cooperativesocieties.com scored 62 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 3/5.0 Stars by Social Team This CoolSocial report was updated on 26 Dec 2017, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. cooperativesocieties.com is very popular in Facebook. It is liked by 101 people on Facebook. The total number of people who shared the cooperativesocieties homepage on Delicious. The total number of people who shared the cooperativesocieties homepage on StumbleUpon. 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The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site. The title found in the head section of the homepage. Domain and Server DOCTYPE XHTML 1.0 Strict CHARSET AND LANGUAGE UTF-8 DETECTED LANGUAGE English English SERVER OPERATIVE SYSTEM Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) Operative System running on the server. Type of server and offered services. The language of tiffanylampsgalore.com as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Character set and language of the site. Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world. Referring domains for tiffanylampsgalore.com by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines. Facebook link FACEBOOK PAGE LINK NOT FOUND The URL of the found Facebook page. The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. The type of Facebook page. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND History contains a lot of stuff. Contains everything that humans ever did, in fact, and yet we mainly know only the highlights. And even looking at these highlights, we don't know all that much, as proven by the following facts that aren't common knowledge even though we really like telling them to people. 1. The French Revolution Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette fled the palace and tried to go incognito when revolution broke out. But a postman thought he recognized them, and he confirmed his suspicions by comparing the king's face to the one on banknotes. 2. The Iran Hostage Crisis Iran kept 52 Americans hostage, which was a big deal. Such a big deal that the media largely ignored The Siege of Mecca, in which terrorists took 100,000 people hostage. Continue Reading Below Advertisement 3. George V's death King George V was euthanized. His staff wanted his death to make the morning papers rather than the evening ones, so they put him to death early with drugs, without his consent. 4. The Tet Offensive People remember the Tet Offensive as a successful campaign by the North Vietnamese, which got the Americans to admit defeat. But the campaign cost the communists more than it gained them -- and yet the Americans used it as an excuse to leave because the war had lost too much support back home. 5. The Titanic Harriet Quimby thought she'd make history by being the first female pilot to cross the English Channel. She should have picked a better day: With the Titanic having just sunk, no one cared about her flight at all. Continue Reading Below Advertisement 6. The Titanic Aftermath 7. The Challenger Explosion Following the explosion, teams spent nine weeks searching a wide area for bits of wreckage. In the process, they stumbled on a duffle bag with 25 kilos of cocaine. 8. Lewis And Clark's Expedition Lewis and Clark ate their pet dogs. This wasn't even out of desperation -- they'd just grown tired of eating salmon. Walker got a job in the communications office commanding the submarine force. In hindsight, the military realized it was a bad idea, leaving valuable intelligence in the hands of a youngster who'd previously stolen stuff and never got punished for it. Because in 1967, Walker figured out the solution to his money problems: He headed right to the Soviet Embassy and handed them some top secret documents. He worked out a deal to keep leaving goodies at prearranged locations, and he would go on working as a spy for the USSR for the next 18 years. Continue Reading Below Advertisement He'd make just a couple drop-offs a year, but it was enough to keep the bar running, buy a sports car, buy a boat, buy a damn airplane, and spend money in all all sorts of other ways that the KGB cautioned against in the name of discretion. The Navy never realized what he was doing, and we'd explain why that was, but that's classified. John's wife Barbara, on the other hand, did figure out something was up. She thought he might be having an affair (he was), so she searched through his things for phone numbers or secret photos. Instead, she found military documents, and when she confronted him about them, John said, "I'm a spy." via Espionage Research Institute "Are you sure that's your only secret, John?" "Well, I am also sleeping with Janet, and I recruit for the KKK, but other than that, yeah, that's it." Continue Reading Below Advertisement At first, Barbara must have been into the idea, because she actually accompanied him on one of his drop-offs. But as so many male leads in prestige TV dramas know, these husband-wife alliances never last. He and Barbara eventually divorced. Still, she kept his secret, right up until she feared he might recruit their son as a spy next. So she phoned the FBI. Repeatedly. They didn't believe her, because she was generally drunk when she called. Finally though, they did follow up on her tip, and they ended up nabbing John. They nabbed the couple's son Michael too -- she had waited too long, and John had recruited him -- but he went on to testify against his father. Once behind bars, John shared regrets over how he'd handled matters with his wife. "I should have assassinated her in the beginning," he said. "I should have put a f--king hole in her head." Crossville, TN (38555) Today Mostly cloudy with scattered thunderstorms mainly during the evening. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Mostly cloudy with scattered thunderstorms mainly during the evening. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Susan Walsh/AP WASHINGTON (AP) Fully vaccinated members of Congress and staffers will no longer have to wear masks on the House floor and in committee rooms, the Office of the Attending Physician said Friday, delighting some GOP lawmakers who have been chafing at the mask-wearing requirements. The new protocol came nearly a month after vaccinated Americans were told they could ditch their masks, and just days before House lawmakers were set to return to Washington following three weeks in their home districts. Before they left, some Republicans invited fines by not wearing a mask on the House floor. Contributed / Getty HAMDEN Police Friday night were investigating a report of gunfire near the Highwood neighborhood earlier in the afternoon, but said it was not immediately clear whether anyone had been struck. Police responded to the area of Morse Street and Shelton Avenue at around 12:30 p.m. after a report of shots fired, said police spokesman Capt. Ronald Smith. DENVER (AP) One of the suspects in a fatal attack at a suburban Denver high school in 2019 had become such a chronic drug user in the months before the shooting that he likely couldnt think, concentrate or understand events around him that day, a toxicologist called by the defense testified Friday. Toxicologist Wanda Guidry said Devon Erickson was severely malnourished because he ingested cocaine, marijuana and cough syrup nearly daily, and he suffered from long-term sleep deprivation and insomnia, The Denver Post reported. I believe it created psychiatric symptoms disruption in mood, behavior and thinking, Guidry said of the drugs found in Ericksons system hours after the shooting. He had a very difficult time figuring out or thinking of what he needed to do, what was right or what he wanted to do. Defense attorneys rested their case Friday without testimony from Erickson. Closing arguments are scheduled to begin Monday, followed by jury deliberations. Erickson, 20, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and other charges in the May 7, 2019, shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch that killed 18-year-old Kendrick Castillo and injured eight others. The other student charged in the shooting, 18-year-old Alec McKinney, pleaded guilty in February 2020 and is eligible for parole because he was a juvenile at the time of the attack. Erickson was 18 at the time and could face life in prison without parole if he is convicted. Chief Deputy District Attorney George Brauchler argued that Erickson agreed to participate in the attack as long as it looked like he was pressured into it and or could emerge as a hero by killing McKinney. Brauchler said the students' concocted victim-hero strategy unraveled after Castillo rushed Erickson when he pulled out a gun inside a darkened classroom as students watched a movie. Ericksons gun went off, Castillo was killed and others tackled him, he said. Their other possible scenario, in which McKinney killed himself, was stymied after an armed security guard apprehended him, Brauchler said. Ericksons lawyer, Julia Stancil, said her client was manipulated into joining the attack by McKinney, a new friend who preyed on him during a family crisis. EASTON A former volunteer firefighter accused of driving drunk and killing a woman while she walked her dog in Fairfield last summer pleaded not guilty to the charges this week, court records show. Police said Marileidy Morel-Araujo, 32, a Pennsylvania resident who was visiting her husbands family on Redding Road, was hit from behind by a vehicle as she walked her dog along that road on July 4, 2020. The driver, later identified as Declan Kot, 22 an Easton volunteer firefighter at the time of the collision, did not stop after the accident, police said. He was first arrested a few days after the deadly crash, on July 9, 2020. He was initially charged with misconduct with a motor vehicle, evading responsibility in operating a motor vehicle resulting in death and tampering with evidence. In March, the misconduct offense was increased to a second-degree manslaughter charge. Judicial branch records show Kot entered not guilty pleas to the charges during a court appearance on Wednesday. Kots attorney, John R. Gulash, confirmed in an email Friday his client had entered a pro forma plea of not guilty, but did not comment further. The case is now headed for trial. With the increased manslaughter felony charge, Kot faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison if convicted. Court records indicate Kot is next scheduled to appear in court on June 28. Court records show Kot is free on a $150,000 bond. Three days after the deadly collision, a Fairfield police officer spotted the vehicle allegedly involved in the hit-and-run a white pickup with an American flag on the back. The driver, Kot, agreed to go to police headquarters, where he admitted to driving his truck on July 4 after having six alcoholic drinks, his arrest affidavit said. During an interview with investigators, the affidavit said, Kot said he drove off the road near some bushes or trees and heard a loud bang. He told police he thought he hit a tree branch, the affidavit said. Police said the area where the crash happened does not have any shrubbery or trees near it. Later in the interview, Kot told police he saw the victim on the side of the road, the affidavit said. LAS VEGAS (AP) Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak on Friday signed a law that would make Nevada the first state to vote in the 2024 presidential primary contests, bumping Iowa and New Hampshire from their leadoff spots. Signing the law is a gamble. It's likely to set off maneuvering by other states, especially Iowa and New Hampshire, to move up their contests. The national political parties would need to agree to changes in the calendar, or state parties could risk losing their delegates at presidential nominating conventions. The Democratic National Committee has not yet signaled whether it would support the calendar shakeup and isn't expected to start writing rules for its nominating process until next year. Republicans in four early presidential nominating states this week all jointly opposed the move, saying they're committed to preserving the historic schedule. Democrats in Nevada, including former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, launched the push this year to boost their state after the 2020 primary contest left members of the party questioning the process. They noted Iowa's problem-plagued caucuses and the fact that the two traditional early states are overwhelmingly white, unlike Nevada. Before he went on to win his party's nomination, President Joe Biden performed poorly in Iowa's caucuses and New Hampshire's primary. In Nevada, with a much more racially diverse population that mirrors the U.S. as a whole, he finished second. That gave Biden momentum heading into South Carolina's primary, which then catapulted him to a string of Super Tuesday victories. The new law changes Nevadas contest from a party-run, in-person caucus meeting to a government-run primary election. Democrats nationally started shifting away from caucuses to primaries before 2020, citing the difficulty of attending an in-person meeting and the fiddly math involved to determine who wins the most delegates. The law will require the presidential primary to be held on the first Tuesday in February in a presidential election year. Nevada represents a diverse constituency that presidential candidates need to talk to. It is not just for us. It is for candidates to vet their issues and communicate with the kind of communities that theyre going to be asking to vote for them in the national presidential election, Jason Frierson, the Nevada speaker of the House who pushed the change, said Friday at a bill signing ceremony in Las Vegas. Frierson said he's confident Nevada can make its case and persuade both national parties to let it go first. He said those conversations have already started and will continue, but he did not offer more details. Iowa and New Hampshire have signaled they're willing to fight to protect their status. New Hampshire has a state law requiring its presidential primary to be held at least seven days ahead of any other similar contest. The law also gives the New Hampshire secretary of state the exclusive power to set the primary date. Harry Reids been doing this for over half a century now, and were just waiting for him to run out of steam, said New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner, a Democrat who's served as the state's top election official since 1976. Given that two of the last four New Hampshire primaries have been in January, Nevada shouldnt count on being first with a February date, he said. It could be the seventh, Gardner said Friday. Racially diverse South Carolina could make a bid to move up as well. The Southern state is seen as a bellwether for candidates abilities to appeal to Black voters, who play a key role in the Democratic electorate. The state has the benefit of one of its own, Jaime Harrison, as the new chair of the Democratic National Committee. We are going to continue to let the process play out, as it does every four years, and look forward to hearing the insight and recommendations from all interested parties on the 2020 reforms, and on the 2024 calendar at the appropriate time in the process," Harrison said in a statement Friday. Biden has a huge influence on the process as head of the party, but its not clear where he stands on shaking up the calendar. White House press secretary Jen Psaki declined this week to comment on the order of presidential primary contests. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, a mentor of Harrison's who is also a close ally of Biden's, told The Associated Press in an interview this month that there is clear and convincing evidence that having Iowa and New Hampshire create candidate momentum is not a good thing. Those candidates on both sides Democrats and Republicans have not fared well when they get into the general elections," Clyburn said. New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu said Nevada's maneuvers to be first in the nation were futile. The New Hampshire presidential primary will remain first in the nation," the Republican governor declared. "What happens in Nevada stays in Nevada. ___ Associated Press writers Darlene Superville in Washington, Holly Ramer in Concord, N.H., and Meg Kinnard in Columbia, S.C., contributed to this report. Chief Leonard Crow Dog, a renowned spiritual leader and Native American rights activist who fought for sovereignty, language preservation and religious freedom, has died at age 78. Crow Dog, Sicangu Lakota Oyate, passed away June 6 at Crow Dogs Paradise on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota after a battle with cancer, Indian Country Today reported. As a youth, Crow Dog learned about cultural traditions and ceremonies from his father and Lakota elders. He later became a spiritual leader for the American Indian Movement. He did not go to school. Instead his parents enlisted four medicine men to guide his education, Rosebud Sioux Tribe President Rodney Bordeaux said in a statement. Throughout his life, Crow Dog learned from the University of the Universe, as he would say, and he shared his understanding of WoLakota with our Sicangu Oyate, the Oceti Sakowin, and Peoples of all Nations. Crow Dog attended and spoke at countless rallies, marches and protests over the years. He also co-authored a book, Crow Dog: Four Generations of Sioux Medicine Men, which tells the story of his ancestors and his life. In 1972, Crow Dog took part in the Trail of Broken Treaties, which included the occupation of the Bureau of Indian Affairs' headquarters in Washington, D.C. He also participated in and was arrested after the 71-day occupation at Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Reservation. He was incarcerated for two years, then returned home to hold sweat lodge and peyote ceremonies, Sundances and other spiritual activities. He revived Lakota traditions, including the Ghost Dance, and counseled many people during times of loss or hardship. Crow Dog also lobbied for the American Indian Religious Freedom Act and Indian Self Determination Act, two laws that altered the relationship between Native Americans and the United States. In 2016, he joined and held ceremonies with Native Americans from across the country who gathered near the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in the Dakotas to protest the Dakota Access pipeline. Crow Dog gave his life for the people through ceremony, songs, Sundance, political action and bold leadership," said Nick Tilsen, Oglala Lakota and president and CEO of NDN Collective, an Indigenous-led advocacy organization. This is a loss that hurts us all deeply," Tilsen said. "His legacy will be carried forward with what we all do with the things he taught us through his love for the people. The Rosebud Sioux Tribe flew flags at half staff this week in Crow Dog's honor. File photo / New Haven Register GUILFORD A Maryland man has been arrested and charged with reckless endangerment, attempted assault, trespassing and interfering with police after an incident Friday evening in the area around the Guilford Train Station, according to police. The Guilford Police Department, the Guilford Fire Department and Amtrak Police Department responded to the area after receiving a report of an adult male and child on the tracks, according to a press release. BRIDGEPORT Law enforcement officers seized drugs, a gun, ammunition and nearly $2,000 during a raid at the Stylz barbershop on Wednesday, police officials announced Friday. Anthony Sanchez, 42, of Bridgeport, was charged with possession of a controlled substance, criminal possession of a firearm, possession of narcotics with intent to sell, possession of a controlled substance within 1,500-feet of a school, operation of a drug factory and failure to keep narcotics in original container. Capt. Kevin Gilleran said the Narcotics and Vice Division served search-and-seizure warrants at Stylz, 1156 State St., around 8 p.m. Wednesday. FBI Safe Streets Task Force and the Connecticut State Police Gang Unit were also on scene. Investigators seized crack cocaine, powdered cocaine, heroin with fentanyl, ecstasy, Xanax, marijuana, digital scales, a .38 caliber handgun, several rounds of ammunition and $1,914, Gilleran said. Sanchez was taken into custody and brought to police headquarters to be processed on the charges. Gilleran said he was held on a $500,000 bond. Court records show bond was lowered to $300,000 and he was released from custody. There was no attorney listed for him on online judicial branch documents. The 42-year-old is next expected in court for the case on Aug. 4, when hes expected to enter pleas on the offenses. The State Street barbershop was previously the epicenter of police attention on Dec. 24, 2015, when 14-year-old Luis Colon was shot and killed outside the shop in a crossfire of bullets between other individuals who were shooting at each other. Garth Minto was eventually charged and sentenced to 20 years in prison on a first-degree manslaughter charge. Michael Smitty Majors was sentenced to 30 years on the same offense and a possession of a pistol without a permit charge. WASHINGTON (AP) Former President Donald Trump has made no secret of his long list of political enemies. It just wasn't clear until now how far he would go to try to punish them. Two House Democrats disclosed this week that their smartphone data was secretly obtained by the Trump Justice Department as part of an effort to uncover the source of leaks related to the investigation of Russian-related election interference. It was a stunning revelation that one branch of government was using its power to gather private information on another, a move that carried echoes of President Richard Nixon during Watergate. On Friday, the Justice Department's internal watchdog announced that it was investigating the records seizure. And Democratic leaders in Congress are demanding that former top Justice officials testify before a Senate committee to explain why the iPhone records of Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell, both Democrats, and their family members were secretly subpoenaed in 2018. The records of at least 12 people were eventually shared by Apple. The dispute showed that the rancorous partisan fights that coursed through the Trump presidency continue to play out in new and potentially damaging ways even as the Biden administration has worked to put those turbulent four years in the past. White House spokesman Andrew Bates said the conduct of Trumps Justice Department was a shocking misuse of authority. Attorneys generals only loyalty should be to the rule of law never to politics, he said. The disclosure that the records had been seized raised a number of troubling questions. Who else may have been targeted? What was the legal justification to target members of Congress? Why did Apple, a company that prides itself on user privacy, hand over the records? And what end was the Trump Justice Department pursuing? The revelations also are forcing the Biden Justice Department and Attorney General Merrick Garland to wade back into a fight with their predecessors. The question here is just how did Trump use his political power to go after his enemies how did he use the government for his political benefit, said Kathleen Clark, legal ethics scholar at Washington University in St. Louis. The effort to obtain the data came as Trump was publicly and privately fuming over investigations by Congress and then-special counsel Robert Mueller into his 2016 campaigns ties to Russia. Trump inveighed against leaks throughout his time in office, accusing a deep state" of working to undermine him by sharing unflattering information. He repeatedly called on his Justice Department and attorneys general to go after the leakers, including singling out former FBI Director James Comey and Schiff, now chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. In May of 2018, he tweeted that reports of leaks in his White House were exaggerated, but said that nonetheless, leakers are traitors and cowards, and we will find out who they are! Schiff and Swalwell were two of the most visible Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee, then led by Republicans, during the Russia inquiry. Both California lawmakers made frequent appearances on cable news shows. Trump watched those channels closely and seethed over the coverage. Theres no indication that the Justice Department used the records to prosecute anyone. After some of the leaked information was declassified and made public during the later years of the Trump administration, there was concern among some of the prosecutors that even if they could bring a leak case, trying it would be difficult and a conviction would be unlikely, one person told The Associated Press. That person, a committee official and a third person with knowledge of the data seizures were granted anonymity to discuss them. Federal agents questioned at least one former committee staff member in 2020, the person said, and ultimately, prosecutors werent able to substantiate a case. For decades, the Justice Department had worked to maintain strict barriers with the White House to avoid being used as a political tool to address a president's personal grievance. For some, the Trump administrations effort is more disturbing than Nixons actions during Watergate that forced his resignation. Nixons were done in secret out of the White House, while the Trump administration moves to take the congressmens records were approved by top Justice Department officials and worked on by prosecutors, who obtained secret subpoenas from a federal judge and then gag orders to keep them quiet. The fate of Richard Nixon had a restraining effect on political corruption in America, said Timothy Naftali, a Nixon scholar and former director of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum. It didn't last forever, but the Republican Party wanted to cleanse itself of Nixon's bad apples and bad actors. The Republican Party is far too aligned with Trump to do that now, but it doesn't mean Biden should let it go, Naftali said. The reason to do this is not revenge, Naftali said. It's to send a signal to future American lawyers they will be held accountable. While the Justice Department routinely conducts investigations of leaked information, including classified intelligence, opening such an investigation into members of Congress is extraordinarily rare. A less rare but still uncommon tool is to secretly seize reporters phone records, something the Trump Justice Department also did. Following an outcry from press freedom organizations, Garland announced last week that it would cease the practice of going after journalists sourcing information. The subpoenas were issued in 2018, when Jeff Sessions was attorney general, though he had recused himself in the Russia investigation, putting his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, in charge of Russia-related matters. The investigation later picked up momentum again under Attorney General William Barr. Apple informed the committee last month that the records had been shared and that the investigation had been closed, but did not give extensive detail. Also seized were the records of aides, former aides and family members, one of them a minor, according to the committee official. The Justice Department obtained metadata probably records of calls, texts and locations but not other content from the devices, like photos, messages or emails, according to one of the people. Another said that Apple complied with the subpoena, providing the information to the Justice Department, and did not immediately notify the members of Congress or the committee about the disclosure. And the people whose records were seized were unable to challenge the Justice Department because the subpoenas went to Apple directly. The gag order was renewed three times before it lapsed and the company informed its customers May 5 what had happened. Apple said in a statement that it couldn't even challenge the warrants because it had so little information available and it would have been virtually impossible for Apple to understand the intent of the desired information without digging through users accounts. Patrick Toomey, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, said the seizure of congressional records was part of a series of Trump-era investigations that raise profound civil liberties concerns and involve spying powers that have no place in our democracy. ____ Associated Press writers Jill Colvin, Mary Clare Jalonick, Nomaan Merchant and Michael Balsamo contributed to this report. Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media The states two largest electric distribution companies, Eversource Energy and The United Illuminating Co., have both filed legal appeals seeking to overturn a decision by the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority regarding their handling of power restoration in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Isaias last August. Lawyers for Eversource filed their appeal in New Britain Superior Court on Thursday, while UIs filing came on Friday. The appeals filings came a little more than a month after PURA issued a landmark ruling that included millions of dollars in civil penalties issued against the utilities. DANBURY The recently unsealed warrant for the arrest of a city woman charged in the death of her 1-year-old grandson earlier this year revealed that the boy died from a fentanyl overdose. Cora M. Brandon, 60, was arrested on manslaughter, drug possession and risk of injury to a minor charges May 26, following an investigation into the March 17 death of her grandson, who had been in her care that day. She was arraigned at state Superior Court in Danbury on May 27, and has a remote pre-trial hearing scheduled for July 23. She is being held on a $500,000 bond at the York Correctional Institution in Niantic, according to the state Department of Correction. An attorney for Brandon could not be reached Friday. Police launched the investigation after responding to Danbury Hospital for the childs untimely death. Although there were no apparent signs of trauma, Detective Lt. Mark Williams said police found the circumstances surrounding the boys death suspicious. Doctors at the hospital told police the childs mother drove the boy to the emergency room around 4:30 p.m. after finding him unresponsive at Brandons home, the warrant stated. The childs mother had left the 1-year-old in Brandons care around 9:30 a.m. because she had to go to work. The boys mother told police her son went to the doctor earlier that morning for vaccines and had been asleep when she dropped him off at his grandmothers house. About six hours later, she said Brandon called her to report that the baby was still aslee, the warrant continued. The mother said she found that unusual, so she called her sons pediatricians office and was advised to take him to the hospital. When she went to pick up the child from Brandons house, the mother said her son was limp and unresponsive, the warrant stated. She said Brandon told her she believed the childs lethargy may have been from the vaccines he had received that morning, but encouraged her to take him to the hospital to be certain. Nothing suspicious was found during the boys autopsy, according to the warrant for Brandons arrest, but toxicology results later revealed he had fentanyl, a strong synthetic opioid, and xylazine in his blood and had died as a result of a fentanyl overdose. Xylazine is marketed as a vertinary drug, according to the National Library of Medicine, and can be used as a sedative, among other uses. Five milligrams of undigested fentanyl had also been found in the babys stomach, according to the warrant. Police said video surveillance from the Crown Court building on March 17 showed Brandon exhibiting behavior similar to that of someone who is intoxicated or under the influence of drugs at about 1:47 p.m. before she enters the apartment with a man about a minute later. Authorities later learned that the man was Brandons brother-in-law. At 2:19 p.m., surveillance video showed Brandon walking back to her apartment with a woman and young boy. Police said Brandon appeared to be upset at the time. The woman in the video later told police that Brandon called her multiple times, asking her to come to her home and when she did, Brandon was in a panic because the baby had gotten into her bag of illegal drugs, according to the warrant for Brandons arrest. The woman told police she was still at Brandons home when the babys mother came to pick the child up and take him to the hospital. Less than 30 minutes later, the woman said Brandon received a call from her daughter who said the baby had died. After being called to the hospital, police went to Brandons apartment at the Crown Court complex on Padanaram Road and found the residence had been recently cleaned. Items recovered from Brandons residence a glassine bag found in a vacuum dust collection canister, as well as a cut straw found under a cushion on the sofa where the baby had been sleeping tested positive for fentanyl, according to the warrant for Brandons arrest. A witness, who said she went to Brandons home after the baby was taken to the hospital, told police that Brandon had checked into a drug rehabilitation program a day after her grandsons memorial service in April. The mother of Brandons deceased grandson told police she had not spoken to Brandon since her sons service, but had heard she checked into rehab. The investigation findings implicated Cora Brandon, the childs grandmother, to be complicit in his death, Williams said. Based on the facts and circumstances revealed in the investigation, the Superior Court found probable cause to issue an arrest warrant for Cora Brandons arrest. The warrant was issued May 25, and Brandon was arrested the next day for her alleged involvement in her grandsons death. Brandons attorney, Jeffrey Hutcoe, could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon. SUMMER SPECIAL!: Get 20% Off a 1 year Online-Only subscription today! *** All Subscribers receive full access to all of our online content and E-Editions, and will receive the Triplicate's E-Edition Email Newsletter each week, the night before the paper hits the street! (The charge will appear as "Country Media Inc." on your credit card statement) Vaccine stats: Kankakee County Health Department administrator John Bevis is cautiously optimistic about the outlook of the virus, vaccinations and reopening measures moving forward: "It kind of relies on the individual to be truthful and honorable about their current status. If youre sick and youre going to be going out, you should wear a mask so that youre protecting others around you." "Now that we are reaching kind of that saturation point where a lot of people that wanted to definitely get vaccinated appear to have been vaccinated, many health departments and locations throughout the state, including Kankakee, are looking to try to get out into the community to some of these weekend events." "So Im very happy with that 32 percent at this point, we definitely need to continue pushing vaccinations for those that become eligible." Currently, 11.9 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to Illinois residents. State demographics with at least one dose: Seniors: 82.51% Residents 18+: 63.1% Residents 12+: 60.47% Percent of populations fully vaccinated: Illinois: 44.78% Kankakee County: 32.20% Highest county percentage: DuPage County with 52.35% Lowest county percentage: Alexander County with 13.76% Ford County: 36.89% Grundy County: 37.88% Iroquois County: 32.08% Livingston County: 35.47% Will County: 43.43% Source: Illinois Department of Public Health as of 6/11. Weather Alert ...The Flood Advisory is extended for the following river in Illinois... Kankakee River near Wilmington affecting Will, Kankakee and Grundy Counties. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... These forecasts are based on observed precipitation as well as forecast precipitation 24 hours into the future. Changes to the rainfall forecast, or any additional rainfall after 24 hours, may cause changes to these river forecasts. A Flood Advisory means water levels near flood stage are imminent or may already be occurring. Water may overtop low stream banks in some areas. Persons in the advisory area should use caution and avoid flood waters. Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Additional information is available at www.weather.gov/Chicago and water.weather.gov The next statement is expected to be issued this evening. && ...The Flood Advisory is now in effect until early Saturday afternoon... The Flood Advisory continues for the Kankakee River near Wilmington. * Until Saturday afternoon. * At 10:45 AM CDT Wednesday the stage was 5.6 feet. * Action stage is 5.0 feet. * Flood stage is 6.5 feet. * Forecast...The river is expected to fall to 3.6 feet Wednesday morning. * Impact...At 5.0 feet, Minor lowland flooding begins in areas immediately adjacent to the river. && Weather Alert ...The Flood Advisory is extended for the following rivers in Illinois... Kankakee River near Wilmington affecting Will, Kankakee and Grundy Counties. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... These forecasts are based on observed precipitation as well as forecast precipitation 24 hours into the future. Changes to the rainfall forecast, or any additional rainfall after 24 hours, may cause changes to these river forecasts. A Flood Advisory means water levels near flood stage are imminent or may already be occurring. Water may overtop low stream banks in some areas. Persons in the advisory area should use caution and avoid flood waters. Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Additional information is available at www.weather.gov/Chicago and water.weather.gov The next statement is expected around 1100 AM CDT Thursday morning. && ...The Flood Advisory is now in effect until early Saturday afternoon... The Flood Advisory continues for the Kankakee River near Wilmington. * Until Saturday afternoon. * At 6:45 PM CDT Wednesday the stage was 5.5 feet and gradually falling. * Action stage is 5.0 feet. * Flood stage is 6.5 feet. * Forecast...The river is expected to continue to gradually fall. * Impact...At 5.0 feet, Minor lowland flooding begins in areas immediately adjacent to the river. && Elizabeth City, NC (27909) Today Mainly clear skies. Low near 75F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Mainly clear skies. Low near 75F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Mike Francis is a longtime Oregon journalist who has extensively covered military and veterans issues. He resides on Astorias South Slope. Dalton, GA (30720) Today A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable. State Sen. Michelle Hinchey's office said this week that 43 bills sponsored by the Saugerties Democrat were passed by the Senate during the se In a 2019 photo, Sherret "Sherry" Chase stands in the living room of his Ashokan, N.Y., home that had been in his family since the turn of the 20th century. Kingston Police respond to a "man in crisis" on the Rondout Creek Bridge in Kingston, N.Y., at about 7 a.m. Saturday, June 12. The unidentified man, not shown, was evacuated safely. The following items are based on information provided by officials in law enforcement and the criminal justice system. Paul Kirby is a reporter for the Freeman, covering Kingston politics. He has been at the Freeman since August 1996. Sunbury, PA (17801) Today Variable clouds with showers at times, and perhaps a rumble or two of thunder, especially this evening. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Variable clouds with showers at times, and perhaps a rumble or two of thunder, especially this evening. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. featured Guest Column Bunny Welsh should accept responsibility for her crime The new paperback edition of my book Clothes And Other Things That Matter has just arrived. The cover is a black and white picture of me seated on a suitcase in the Vogue fashion room. The portrait was taken by the late photographer Jane Bown and theres a copy of it in the National Portrait Gallery archive. It is also about 30 years old. Of course I look nice in it after all, youd have to be a bit of a mug to allow a picture where you think you look hideous to be the cover of your book. Jane Bown was a great photographer who specialised in naturalistic style, wasnt into much retouching and took all her pictures using daylight. Even at the time, it was jolly flattering. I had suggested that we didnt use a picture of me at all for the cover, but my publishers felt that since the books a quasi-memoir, it made sense. Funnily enough, though, none of us wanted to use a contemporary image that shows how I actually look now. In recent weeks, Kate Winslet has received a fair amount of acclaim not only for her brilliant performance in the gripping TV drama Mare Of Easttown but also for being prepared to appear on screen looking deliberately dowdy, complete with a middle-aged shelf of bosom and some facial furrows. She apparently also instructed the producers to ensure that her belly fat wasnt removed in her sex scene, although I cant say I noticed it. The point, she said, was to show what a real woman of 45 looks like. In recent weeks, Kate Winslet has received a fair amount of acclaim not only for her brilliant performance in the gripping TV drama Mare Of Easttown Having criticised the manufactured appearance of so many celebrities in this Notebook only a couple of weeks back, Im naturally impressed by this attitude and not surprised it has won Winslet so many plaudits. However, even in this let-it- all-hang-out guise, shes still a great-looking woman and, as anyone who has watched Mare will know, the second she puts on a dab of make-up she certainly wouldnt go unnoticed in any small town or big one, come to that. She was also playing a tough, middle-America detective who has been through the wringer in her personal life, so the warts-and-all approach added to the authenticity of her performance. In other words, her schlumpy appearance was costume and surely not how she always chooses to look. Given the opportunity to choose my book cover, I have clearly not grabbed the chance to show how a woman of 64 looks. The fact is that most of us are fairly vain and I certainly prefer pictures of myself looking my best. Even as the keeper of volumes of family snaps, I dont choose to print out the ones where my tummy is bulging or my face jowly. But then I think about the many bestselling autobiographical book covers like Michelle Obamas, or more recently Arsene Wengers, all heavily scrubbed up and I realise I am undoubtedly vain but in excellent company Funnily enough, though, none of us wanted to use a contemporary image that shows how I actually look now Since Im also a woman who is always banging on about how much healthier it is to accept the natural effects of ageing rather than rail against it, I feel a bit queasy about endorsing the idea that a book might sell better with a more youthful image on the cover, or at least a pretty one. But then I think about the many bestselling autobiographical book covers like Michelle Obamas, or more recently Arsene Wengers, all heavily scrubbed up and I realise I am undoubtedly vain but in excellent company. Cornish staff? Its a job to find them MY CORNISH sources say that you cant find the staff round those parts for love, money or anything else. The hospitality industry is suffering not because of lockdown closure but because now were reopening, no one wants the work. The local population dont want to wait on tables, clean kitchens and pull pints, and the combination of Covid and Brexit has driven out the relatively few non-Brits who used to live there. Heaven knows how theyve managed to crew up this weekends G7. Presumably it wont have been a do-it-yourself affair, with Angela Merkel making her own bed and Emmanuel Macron serving up his own Cornish pasties. Although it would no doubt give them both a certain satisfaction to discover our staff shortage, post-Brexit. Boris is still the blue-skied boy ITS a brave man who banks on good weather in this country but then Boris Johnson seems to carry around good luck like an extra body part. Barbecue-on-the-beach weather can never be guaranteed, so it was taking quite a chance to shoot for fire pits and toasted marshmallows for last nights dinner. But after the more usual mizzle cleared, the weather fairy has clearly proved to be a Brexiteer. We got the golden ticket when we travelled to and returned from Portugal with no quarantine. But I still had to have a Day 2 PCR test and pay 70 for the privilege 70 Covid sham tests our patience We got the golden ticket when we travelled to and returned from Portugal with no quarantine. But I still had to have a Day 2 PCR test and pay 70 for the privilege. It took an astonishing NINE days to get the result, and that was only after hugely time-consuming detective work to try to chase it. Could the testing unit have provided something simple like a phone number? Of course not. If we are going to be stuck with these tests, they need to be made not only cheaper, but a great deal more efficient. I was wandering here, there and everywhere perfectly legitimately under the rules while awaiting my results. Yes, I tested negative, but what if I hadnt? I've replaced my usual running soundtrack with the audiobook of Bill Clinton and James Pattersons novel The Presidents Daughter, which is great stuff. But what a missed opportunity not to have persuaded Clinton to narrate the central role of the President himself Seductive Bills my ideal running mate I've replaced my usual running soundtrack with the audiobook of Bill Clinton and James Pattersons novel The Presidents Daughter, which is great stuff. But what a missed opportunity not to have persuaded Clinton to narrate the central role of the President himself. His Arkansas accent equal parts knowing, seductive and sleazy would have made this thriller even more thrilling. How petty dons get away with murder The appalling behaviour of the 150 Oxford academics boycotting students at Oriel College over the Cecil Rhodes sculpture epitomises the petty, mean-spirited side of academia that has frequently made such colleges locations for murder-mysteries. Surely right now some current-day Dorothy L. Sayers is penning a tale of bloodshed in the quads with a sprinkling of anti-colonial politics to spice it up. It was immediately obvious that the two figures in black who leapt from a car outside the seaside chippy werent stopping for lunch. Moments later, the men from the counter-drone unit were questioning a man with a backpack who was protesting his innocence. Have they shot him yet? joked a watching lifeboatman. Here in St Ives, Cornwall, a mile from the Carbis Bay site of the G7 summit, Boris has kept his word. The beaches are indeed open. But getting off them is a different matter. We can take you to Seal Island, explains Mel at the Sea Safaris pleasure cruise booth, but we cant go west. Theyve closed the Channel. And Im afraid we cant go in the other direction, because theres an aircraft carrier out there. If we get close, theyll bomb us. The imposing security with armed police roadblocks along the narrow lanes, the HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier sitting out in the bay, and a radar-tracking station poking out from behind the Godrevy Lighthouse would deter the more timorous traveller. But for your average Brit, finally released from lockdown and bamboozled by the complexity of the international traffic-light system, these are trifling impediments. Sadly, Boris and his fellow leaders are unable, or unwilling, to leave the ring of steel in Carbis Bay. Which is a disappointment to Paul Raithbhy and his fellow Extinction Rebellion protesters. Im here to hold them to account for their promises on the environment, he tells me from beneath his jellyfish-shaped umbrella. Here in St Ives, Cornwall, a mile from the Carbis Bay site of the G7 summit, Boris has kept his word. The beaches are indeed open. But getting off them is a different matter On one level, the G7 is a shining example of all that is wrong with our global governance. The worlds elite descended in their armoured limousines. According to local reports, police spent the days leading up to the summit asking about hidden mine shafts and smugglers tunnels. The dignitaries remain cocooned in their five-star hotel, pose for a beachside barbecue, and announce they have put the world to rights. Then they breeze out again, never to return. But this G7 is how 21st Century global diplomacy is conducted. And for the summits ringmaster, Boris Johnson, the past week has been a personal and political triumph. This was the summit that was never supposed to happen. In the wake of Brexit, Britain was meant to slip into inglorious international isolation. Then we were told we had become not just an isolated nation, but a plague island. Our Covid record had, it was claimed, turned us into Europes untouchables. But once again Boris has defied his and the nations critics. It may take a couple of weeks longer than hed hoped for us to take our final stride back to normality, but Britain is open again. Not just for the holidaymakers thronging the bars and cafes of St Ives, but to the globe. The success of the vaccine rollout meant it was Cornwall that was able to provide the stage for the first major international meeting since the start of the crisis. History will record that the process of building back a better world began not in the corridors of the UN or the White House, but at the reception desk of the Carbis Bay Hotel, just off the B3306. And that wasnt part of the script. Once we left the EU, our European partners were meant to turn their backs on us. Yet there they were Merkel, Macron and von der Leyen munching on Portscatho mackerel and Newlyn lobster. Of course, what we have witnessed over the past few days was basically a giant global photo opportunity. The Northern Irish border issue has not been solved. Our post-Brexit economic realignment has only just begun. But as weve seen before, the Cornish summit has pulled the rug out from under the dire predictions of the Remain ultras. Britain is not a superpower. But weve no desire to be one. Yes, our EU exit may have reduced our influence with Brussels, but we are G7 members, leaders within the Commonwealth and permanent members of the UN Security Council. Boriss critics may crave it, but the past week has shown we are not destined to become Liechtenstein with nukes. In fact, if anything, last week saw Britain begin to expand its influence. While the eyes of the world were on the G7, Boris and his aides were talking up the D11, a new global alliance of the major democratic nations involving Australia, India, South Africa and South Korea. In particular, they believe Britain needs to take a lead in countering the advance of a new Bamboo Curtain. Boris thinks its very important that theres a network of democratic support and investment that is a clear alternative to China, said one official. That said, for No 10 the most significant moment of the past few days hasnt been the publication of a grandiose blueprint for a new post-Covid world order, but a simple elbow bump. This was the summit that was never supposed to happen. In the wake of Brexit, Britain was meant to slip into inglorious international isolation. Then we were told we had become not just an isolated nation, but a plague island There is something ridiculous about the inelegant diplomatic scramble that follows the election of a new US President. Who will receive the first phone call? Who will get the first invitation to the Oval Office? But the race to be first to host the leader of the free world is a significant one. And Boris won it. Before the summit began there were dire predictions about what we could expect. Joe Biden would give Boris a flash of Irish anger, lambasting him for putting the peace process at risk. It never happened, partly because the two men struck up a genuine rapport. Bidens a great storyteller, one insider told me. Hes got a lot of experience, and he likes to tell old stories to illustrate a point. And Boris likes that. Its also because Biden was clear what he needed to accomplish on his maiden international trip. He sees it as his mission to rebuild alliances stretched to breaking point over the past four years. And causing a public rupture with the United States strongest ally wasnt on his agenda. Which leads to the other crucial reason for the success of the transatlantic bromance. Last year, Biden was reported to have described Boris as a clone of Donald Trump. He isnt. And this was the week the President finally recognised it. Rather than be greeted by Trumpian nationalistic bombast, Biden was met by a Prime Minister who wanted to maturely recast and reground the cliched special relationship. I dont mind the phrase, Boris explained. But it encompasses a reality which is that the UK and the US have a real congruence of views on some stuff that really matters to the world. So we believe very strongly in democracy, in human rights, in the rules-based international order its a relationship thats endured. An indestructible relationship. As the G7 leaders jostled for position at a photo-call, Emmanuel Macron attempted to take over the show. Angela Merkel ushered Boris ahead, telling him: You are the leader. Joe Biden sees that now. And so does the world. A student nurse battling blood cancer after she was misdiagnosed with a sinus infection has issued a warning about the little-known symptoms everyone should know about. Steph Ogden, 19, woke with what felt like a nasty flu one morning in early February and continued to suffer from a runny nose and a 'non-stop cough' for more than a week. Her GP told her she had a sinus infection, but days later the teenager from Mount Gravatt, 10km south of Brisbane CBD, coughed up blood just before heading to her part-time job at McDonald's. Scans and tests revealed she had a lung infection, pneumonia and stage two Hodgkin's lymphoma, a form of blood cancer known as a 'silent killer' because of its often non-existent symptoms. Student nurse Steph Ogden (pictured) woke with what felt like a nasty flu one morning in early February Weeks later, the student nurse (pictured) was diagnosed with blood cancer Ms Ogden told Daily Mail Australia she had none of the lumps or rashes typically associated with the early stages of the disease and believed she was experiencing night sweats - another telltale sign - because of the flu. 'It's everyone's worst nightmare,' she said. 'I know I am so young and still have so many more years to live but I definitely am now living every day to the fullest because in reality nobody knows when their time is up.' After she was formally diagnosed on February 26, doctors immediately started Ms Ogden on a four-month course of ABVD chemotherapy, the first line of treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma. Her body responded well and she has already been declared to be in remission. Ms Ogden still faces three weeks of radiation therapy which will begin on June 28 to ensure her cancer does not return, but there is no denying that she is one of the lucky ones. Others face a far graver fate. Ms Ogden (pictured with her mother) coughed up blood just before heading to her part-time job at McDonald's Steph Ogden is one of roughly 600 Australians diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma every year. It is a rare disease that accounts for just 0.5 percent of all cancers diagnosed in Australia, and one most likely to occur in people aged between 15 and 25 - like Ms Ogden - or those over the age of 65. Hodgkin's is notoriously difficult to diagnose because symptoms are vague and easily confused with those of less sinister illnesses like bacterial or viral infections like pneumonia and glandular fever. Unlike cervical, breast and colon cancer, there are no screening programmes for Hodgkin's and it cannot be diagnosed with a generic blood test, leading health organisations to label it a 'silent killer'. Ms Ogden (pictured during treatment) had none of the lumps or rashes typically associated with the early stages of the disease The teenager (pictured) is one of roughly 600 Australians diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma every year Common warning signs of Hodgkin's include night sweats, itchiness and fatigue, as well as inflamed rashes, unexplained weight loss and painless lumps in the armpits, groin or neck. But as Ms Ogden's story proves, the illness can advanced silently and insidiously with almost none of these symptoms. In its initial stages, most forms of Hodgkin's are highly treatable and associated with long-term survival, which means early intervention can be the difference between life and death. It is even curable at stage four when tumours have spread to organs outside the lymphatic system. Symptoms of Hodgkin lymphoma * Painless swelling in the neck, armpit or groin * Excessive sweating, especially at night * Unexplained fatigue * Itching * Shortness of breath * Unexplained cough *Fever * Unexplained weight loss Advanced stages can cause lower back pain, which is believed to be caused by expanding lymph nodes pressing on nerves. As lymphoma progresses and cancerous lymphocytes spread beyond the lymphatic system, the body loses its ability to fight infection. Source: Cancer Council Australia Advertisement Ms Ogden (pictured) is urging young women to trust gut instincts about their health Ms Ogden said she has met countless lymphoma patients who had their concerns repeatedly dismissed by GPs, only to be diagnosed with advanced blood cancer down the track. 'Even if you think nothing much of it, like I did, follow your gut,' she said. 'Getting checked if you feel something isn't right could save you.' She said she plans to use her social media accounts to spread awareness around lymphoma in young women. For more information on Hodgkin's lymphoma and other types of blood cancer, please visit Lymphoma Australia or the Australian Cancer Council. Which dark episode in Britains past is marked by a black splodge on the clock tower at Horse Guards Parade? Why was Marble Arch moved two miles across London to its present site? And what makes steam billow from New Yorks pavements? The answers are to be found in a fascinating new series called Searching For Secrets, which asked experts from across the globe to dig up literally, in some cases intriguing historical nuggets as a means of telling more expansive stories about some of the worlds great cities. The series begins on Monday on the Smithsonian Channel with a delve into New Yorks hidden history. London, Berlin, Paris, Singapore and San Francisco feature in future episodes, but before that, heres a taster of some of the historical treats in store... QUEEN VICTORIAS MOVING MONUMENT Experts from across the globe examine the hidden history of the world's major cities in fascinating new series Searching For Secrets. Pictured: Marble Arch Having given birth to five children in the first six years of her marriage to Prince Albert, Queen Victoria found herself short of space at Buckingham Palace and in urgent need of either a new home, or a major extension to her existing one. She chose to expand when she found she didnt have enough space, but there was a problem, explains London history expert Katie Wignall in the show. There was something in the way That something was Marble Arch, the grand entrance to Buckingham Palace at the time. Depicting scenes from the battles of Waterloo and Trafalgar, two key British victories during the Napoleonic Wars, the magnificent structure made of Carrara marble and completed in 1833 was too valuable and historically important to simply be demolished. So in 1850, teams of labourers and artisans, under the guidance of architect Thomas Cubitt, moved it lock, stock and barrel almost two miles across London and rebuilt it as the grand entrance to Hyde Park, where it still stands today. A newer front wing to Buckingham Palace was built where Marble Arch once stood and now, more than a century and a half on, it needs an experts eye to spot the royal join. Look closely at the iconic front of the building, complete with the balcony where the Royal Family greet the public and then gaze away to the right, says Katie Wignall. The older building on the right is slightly behind the other one and made of a different stone. This is the clue to understanding that these are two different buildings. A STEAMY NEW YORK STORY Steam heating company founder Steve Mosto, revealed the steam that comes from manhole covers in The Big Apple (pictured) stems from the Great White Hurricane of March 1888 The opening episode on New York explains the steam that billows from manhole covers in The Big Apple. It all stems from the Great White Hurricane of March 1888, a blizzard that covered the city in 3ft of ice and snow and destroyed power lines, says steam heating company founder Steve Mosto. The authorities dug miles of trenches so the power lines could be placed underground, away from the threat of storms. Inventor Thomas Edison used the trenches to install pipes that pumped steam for heating city buildings. They continue to do so to this day, says Steve. Edisons 100 miles of pipes heat 1,800 buildings in Manhattan, including the Chrysler Building. Every so often it leaks out. WHO BLEW UP THE STATUE OF LIBERTY? The viewing platform was seriously damaged after German agents blew up a depot on nearby Black Tom Island in July 1916. Pictured: Black Tom Island after the explosion that damaged Lady Liberty Sitting beneath the flame in Lady Libertys raised right hand is the upper viewing platform at the Statue of Liberty. But its been out of action for more than 100 years because its simply too dangerous to use, explains Dr Timothy White of New Jersey City University. German agents, opposed to Americas support of the British during World War One, infiltrated a munitions depot on nearby Black Tom Island and blew it up in July 1916. 'It caused explosions that registered on the Richter Scale and the shrapnel struck Lady Libertys right arm, damaging it in such a serious way that it rendered the viewing platform it supported totally unsafe. Sadly it remains that way to this day. ESCAPE FROM THE GALLOWS A small circular stone, trodden on by thousands of shoppers and office workers every day as they make their way past Marble Arch and onto Oxford Street, marks the site of the Tyburn Tree, the gallows around which up to 100,000 people would gather to witness hangings and occasionally miraculous reprieves. Burglar John Smith remained alive for 15 minutes, dangling in the air with a noose around his neck, on Christmas Eve 1705, before word arrived of a judicial reprieve. He was known as Half-hanged Smith for the rest of his life. The London episode also explains why the citys taxis owe part of their unique design to Victorian gentlemen and their top hats, and reveals the pungent and potentially dangerous power source beneath the streets that has kept a gas-powered streetlight flickering for more than a century outside the Savoy Hotel. A BLACK STAIN ON OUR HISTORY London history expert Katie Wignall, said the black smudge on the clock (pictured) on the Horse Guards building in Whitehall, marks when King Charles I was executed Easily missable, unless you know what youre looking for, is a black smudge on the clock on the Horse Guards building in Whitehall. Legend says it marks the time 2pm on a freezing January day in 1649 when King Charles I was executed outside nearby Banqueting House. Most of the onlookers were supporters of the monarchy so there were no cheers, only silence and then a terrible groan, says Katie Wignall. Legend has it that the mark represents the black stain on the countrys history that the beheading caused. Searching For Secrets, Monday, 8pm, Smithsonian Channel, available on Freeview. Kate Middleton is set to 'step up' her early years campaign with the launch of an 'ambitious and hugely significant' new initiative that will equal Prince William's 50million Earthshot Prize. The Duchess of Cambridge, 39, has championed the cause since she joined the Royal Family and was a driving force behind a landmark study on perceptions of early childhood and its societal impact last year. This week the mother-of-three will launch a new project through her and Prince William's Royal Foundation that will further explore the science surrounding early childhood and raise awareness of the issue, with new collaborations with relevant groups, reports the Daily Telegraph. Lord Hague, chairman of the Royal Foundation, told the publication that Kate believes this is one of the 'greatest issues of our time' and is a 'central plank of her work in the way conservation issues are for the Duke'. Kate Middleton is set to 'step up' her early years campaign with the launch of an 'ambitious and hugely significant' new initiative that will equal Prince William's 50million Earthshot Prize (pictured yesterday talking with children during a visit to Connor Downs Academy in Hayle, West Cornwall, during the G7 summit) He called it 'ambitious' and a 'hugely significant moment', adding that the Duchess' interest in the early years doesn't just stem from being a mother, but 'actually comes from all the adults she's met', and well as her own happy childhood. Kate previously spoke about her personal interest in the early years during a landmark speech after her Five Big Questions on the Under Fives survey garnered over 500,000 responses. 'People often ask why I care so passionately about the early years,' she said. 'Many mistakenly believe that my interest stems from having children of my own. 'While of course I care hugely about their start in life, this ultimately sells the issue short. If we only expect people to take an interest in the early years when they have children, we are not only too late for them, we are underestimating the huge role others can play in shaping our most formative years, too.' Kate previously spoke about her personal interest in the early years during a landmark speech in November after her Five Big Questions on the Under Fives survey garnered over 500,000 responses She added that the early years are not simply just about how we raise our children, but about how we raise 'the next generation of adults' and the society we will become. According to royal expert Camilla Tominey, the Daily Telegraph's royal correspondent, the Duchess knew from the moment that she married Prince William that she wanted to find a philanthropic cause she could champion as impactfully as Princess Diana's landmine campaign. Focusing on early years development was born out of her first royal engagements in her role as patron of the charity Action on Addiction, which works with people battling drug and alcohol problems. In October 2011 the Duchess made a series of under the radar visits to Hope House, a women-only rehabilitation centre in Clapham, south west London. According to royal expert Camilla Tominey, the Daily Telegraph's royal correspondent, the Duchess (pictured yesterday) knew from the moment that she married Prince William that she wanted to find a philanthropic cause she could champion as impactfully as Princess Diana's landmine campaign Rebecca Priestley, who accompanied Kate and worked as her private secretary for five years, said these trips played a pivotal role in her choosing early years of childhood as one of the main pillars of her public role. She told The Telegraph that meeting the women at Hope House and finding out that their 'derailing' which drove them to turn to drugs and alcohol abuse had happened early on in their lives stuck with the Duchess. Further visits to Clouds House, a treatment centre in East Knoyle in Wiltshire, and the detox unit of Send Prison in Woking, where she met female inmates, brought about a 'profoundly powerful' realisation, according to Priestley. 'You go in there with this preconceived idea that these women have done things wrong, that it was their fault. Then one woman started speaking to the Duchess about her earliest memories of seeing needles on the floor of her home,' she recalled. '[Kate] had always thought addiction was a misunderstood issue, but after this, she became concerned that there was a pre-destiny about those affected an inevitability about it. These women were born into it and there was very little chance of escape.' Emphasising the long-term nature of her work during her keynote speech last year, Kate underlined the importance of early childhood in shaping the rest of our lives and broader societal outcomes, saying: 'It is a brave thing to believe in an outcome - in a world even - that might not be fully felt for a generation or more. 'But what you do isn't for the quick win - it is for the big win. It is for a happier, healthier society as well as happier, healthier children.' More than half-a-million people took part in the Royal Foundation's 'five big questions on the under-fives' poll which was carried out by Ipsos MORI and produced the largest-ever response from the public to a survey of its kind. More than half-a-million people took part in the Royal Foundation's 'five big questions on the under-fives' poll which was carried out by Ipsos MORI and produced the largest-ever response from the public to a survey of its kind (pictured: Kate during a video briefing with Kelly Beaver, managing director of Public Affairs, Ipsos MORI) It found that although 90 per cent see parental mental health and wellbeing as critical to a child's development, only 10 per cent of parents took time to look after themselves when they prepared for the arrival of their baby. The study - which produced five key insights - also showed that the Covid-19 pandemic has dramatically increased parental loneliness, with 38 per cent experiencing this before the crisis, and 63 per cent - almost two-thirds - after the first lockdown, a jump of 25 per cent. While 98 per cent believe that nurture is essential to lifelong outcomes, some 24 per cent think pregnancy to age five is the most pivotal period for health and happiness in adulthood. The research was hailed a 'milestone moment' for Kate, and will be used to shape her future focus on early years development which, sources say, will continue for the rest of her life. In 2018 Kate created a steering group to investigate the link between childhood experiences and adult behaviour and hopes that the results of their survey and other research will encourage a 'nationwide conversation' on the subject, raising awareness of how the first five years of a child's life will impact the next 50 years. Eamon McCrory, Professor of Developmental Neuroscience and Psychopathology at University College London, told The Telegraph there is no question that this is a lifetime of work for Kate, but it is now entering a more 'proactive' phase. A royal insider added that the Duchess 'genuinely cares' and wants to do her very best to get it right, both for the Firm and Prince William, but also out of respect for the importance of the work she's undertaking. The Queen recycled a dove grey ensemble with yellow accents today for her official birthday celebrations at Windsor Castle in the traditional Trooping of the Colour ceremony. Her Majesty, 95, looked radiant in the smart ensemble - a departure from her usual bright colour palette - which she teamed with her usual black Launer handbag and black patent leather shoes with silver buckles. The monarch previously showcased the coat and its matching pleated hat with spike flowers, along with her signature pearls and white gloves, at Royal Ascot Ladies Day in 2019. It appears the coat has been modified with the addition of a set of buttons down the front of the coat, giving it a fresh look for today's occasion. The Queen recycled a dove grey ensemble with yellow accents today for her official birthday celebrations at Windsor Castle in the traditional Trooping of the Colour ceremony The monarch previously showcased the coat and its matching pleated hat with spike flowers, along with her signature pearls and white gloves, at Royal Ascot Ladies Day in 2019 - though it appears the coat has been modified with the addition of a set of buttons down the front of the coat The Queen also replaced the striking floral brooch with complimenting yellow diamonds - a present from the Sultan of Oman - she wore to the horse racing with a large aquamarine brooch. The Duke of Kent, the Queen's cousin, joined her on a dais in the castle's quadrangle in his role as Colonel of the Scots Guards today. The pandemic has meant for the second year in succession the military commemoration of the Queen's official birthday is being staged at her Berkshire home rather than in central London, but its scope has increased from last year. Soldiers and musicians from the Massed Band of the Household Division marched onto the parade area at Windsor Castle ahead of the ceremony which allow the Guardsmen to show their precision marching skills while maintaining a social distance of just over two metres. Her Majesty, 95, looked radiant in the smart ensemble - a departure from her usual bright colour palette Her Majesty teamed her outfit with her usual black Launer handbag and black patent leather shoes with silver buckles The Queen also replaced the striking floral brooch with complimenting yellow diamonds - a present from the Sultan of Oman - she wore to the horse racing event with a large aquamarine brooch The pandemic has meant for the second year in succession the military commemoration of the Queen's official birthday is being staged at her Berkshire home rather than in central London, but its scope has increased from last year The senior military officer who planned the celebrations has said his aim is to create a 'memorable and uplifting day' for the monarch. Lieutenant Colonel Guy Stone and his team have been working for months to stage the event at Windsor Castle which has been dubbed a mini Trooping the Colour. The Guardsmen taking part have been supporting local communities and the NHS across the UK during the pandemic or been serving overseas on military operations. The Duke of Kent, Colonel, Scots Guards, will join the head of state for the ceremony and F Company Scots Guards will Troop the Colour of the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards through the ranks of guardsmen on parade. Lt Col Stone was asked about planning the Queen's official birthday celebrations: 'It's been extremely demanding; we've had to tackle Covid like everybody else, with some people needing to isolate and therefore not being able to be on parade.' He explained there was the added issue of a lack of daily practice of ceremonial duties, as the changing of the guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace has been stopped since March 2020 to avoid crowds gathering. Carrie Johnson swapped her floral frocks for business chic today, sporting a stylish cobalt blue suit for day two of the G7 summit in Cornwall. The new wife of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, 33, showed off her style prowess in the sculpted slim fitting 595 jacket and 395 flared trousers, both by Amanda Wakeley. Both are currently listed on My Wardrobe HQ, the clothing rental site which Carrie used to hire her stunning Christos Costarellos wedding dress, priced at 80 apiece. Known for her vibrant outfits, mother-of-one Carrie teamed the ensemble with a crisp white shirt and black pointed toe Jimmy Choo heels - also rented from My Wardrobe HQ. Carrie Johnson swapped her floral frocks for business chic today, sporting a stylish cobalt blue suit for day two of the G7 summit in Cornwall The new wife of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, 33, showed off her style prowess in the sculpted slim fitting 595 jacket and 395 flared trousers, both by Amanda Wakeley She accessorised with a statement chunky silver and gold L'Aura choker necklace by Alighieri, a unique collection of jewellery inspired by Dante's Divine Comedy handcrafted in Hatton Garden, yet again rented - this time from HURR - and silver hoop earrings. The necklace retails at 700 but can be rented for between 79 and 225. Opting for a business-like look, Carrie swept her long blonde locks into a loose updo. Carrie, who married Boris on May 29, joined Dr Jill Biden and Brigette Macron for a performance of Ocean World at the Minack Theatre this morning. Sat socially distanced in the unique open air theatre carved into the granite cliff at Porthcurno, close to Land's End, the trio appeared in high spirits as they took in the sun-drenched show at the picturesque seaside venue and chatted to performers. Both Carrie's jacket and trousers are currently listed on My Wardrobe HQ, the clothing rental site which she used to hire her stunning Christos Costarellos wedding dress, priced at 80 apiece This afternoon she joined her husband to greet UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as well as South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his wife Kim Jung-soo in Carbis Bay. Carrie has shown a love for rental fashion apps and websites so far during her trip, showcasing a dress last night from celebrity-loved brand The Vampire's Wife, rented from British website HURR. She also donned a vibrant pink Roksanda gown, initially costing 1,395, which she hired from rental website Hurr. Boris and Carrie wed in a 'small ceremony' at Westminster Cathedral in May after an extraordinary cloak-and-dagger operation to keep the event secret - with a bigger celebration planned for next summer. This afternoon Carrie joined her husband to greet UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Carrie has shown a love for rental fashion apps and websites so far during her trip. Pictured greeting South Korean President Moon Jae-in, second right, and his wife Kim Jung-soo The summit is Carrie's biggest outing on the world stage; it's seen her meet Angela Merkel, Mario Draghi, Emanuel Macron and Japans Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. The Prime Minister's new wife is playing a pivotal role in the summit by hosting the spouses of world leaders while their counterparts thrash out solutions to global issues. She even went paddling with First Lady Jill Biden and her one-year-old son Wilfred. Carrie was seen laughing with the 70-year-old as they dipped their toes in the Cornish sea. Jill said it was 'wonderful' to spend time with Carrie, insisting the 'special relationship' between the US and the UK 'continues'. Carrie Johnson (pictured with her husband) showcased her style prowess in a floral gown by The Vampire's Wife The First Ladies of the world's richest nations enjoyed a morning at the Minack Theatre in Cornwall today on the second day of the G7 summit. Newlywed Carrie Johnson, Dr Jill Biden and Brigette Macron were treated to a performance of Ocean World and chatted to performers at the picturesque seaside venue. Sat socially distanced in the unique open air theatre carved into the granite cliff at Porthcurno, close to Land's End, the trio appeared in high spirits as they took in the sun-drenched show. The prime minister's wife and FLOTUS appeared to get on like a house on fire as they were pictured chatting while touring the stunning theatre and its surroundings. Mother-of-one Carrie, 33, who married Boris Johnson in a secret ceremony last month, looked sharp in a sculpted slim fitting 595 cobalt blue jacket and matching 395 flared trousers, both by Amanda Wakeley. The First Ladies of the world's richest nations enjoyed a morning at the Minack Theatre in Cornwall today on the second day of the G7 summit. Pictured: Carrie Johnson and US First Lady Dr Jill Biden with children after watching their performance of Ocean World Newlywed Carrie Johnson, Dr Jill Biden and Brigette Macron were treated to a performance of Ocean World and chatted to performers at the picturesque seaside venue Sat socially distanced in the unique open air theatre carved into the granite cliff at Porthcurno, close to Land's End, the trio appeared in high spirits as they took in the sun-drenched show Dr Jill Biden appeared to enthusiastically praise the young performers of the environmentally conscious show at the stunning open air Minack Theatre Mrs Johnson and Dr Jill Biden waved to people on a beach as they walked to watch the performance Mrs Johnson sat with Mrs Macron, and Mrs Biden as they watched the performance Mrs Johnson and Mrs Biden were seen walking to their seats ahead of the show Mrs Johnson cut an elegant figure as she walked up the steps in Cornwall Mrs Johnson and Mrs Biden smiled and waved at people on a beach below ahead of the performance Mrs Johnson beamed as she lead the way a few paces ahead of Mrs Biden in Cornwall Both are rented from My Wardrobe HQ, the clothing rental site which Carrie used to hire her stunning Christos Costarellos wedding dress, both priced at 80. She teamed the ensemble with a crisp white shirt and black Jimmy Choo stilettos - also rented - and accessorised with a chunky silver chain and hoop earrings. Opting for a business-like look, Carrie swept her long blonde locks into a loose updo. US First Lady Jill recycled an asymmetric midnight blue floral dress by Oscar de la Renta which she wore in November last year when she joined President Joe on stage in Wilmington, Delaware. The Minack Theatre - attending by the British, American and French First Ladies today - is a unique open air theatre perched on the cliffs high above the Atlantic ocean Mother-of-one Carrie, 33, who married Prime Minister Boris Johnson last month, looked sharp in a sculpted slim fitting 595 cobalt blue jacket and matching 395 flared trousers, both by Amanda Wakeley and rented from My Wardrobe HQ, while Mrs Biden recycled an Oscar De La Renta gown The 4,033 gown featured an A-line silhouette with a draped collar and was designed by Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim, both immigrants to America who trained under the designer. The practical FLOTUS teamed it with flat shoes for the steep ampitheatre, opting for dainty pointed toe black pumps with a lace cut-out. Meanwhile French First Lady Mrs Macron, who often opts for classic, neutral tones, opted for a smart beige two-piece with a white organza lace top and chic pearl wedges. She wore her glossy blonde bob loose, as did Mrs Biden, with both women sporting sunglasses to block out the sun's rays. Mrs Macron, who often opts for classic, neutral tones, opted for a smart beige two-piece with a white organza lace top and chic pearl wedges While Carrie wore Jimmy Choos, the practical FLOTUS teamed her outfit with flat shoes, opting for dainty pointed toe black pumps with a lace cut-out Both Carrie and Brigitte may have wished they'd opted for something a little lighter as they both donned power suits despite the warm weather Carrie Johnson and the US First Lady Dr Jill Biden appeared to get on like a house on fire today The show is bound to have been a hit with conservationist Carrie; Ocean World is a Minack education project which saw pupils from West Cornwall schools come together to perform a heart-wrenching musical about a hump-backed whale and her young calf as they make the perilous journey from the southern seas to their feeding grounds in the North Atlantic The show is bound to have been a hit with conservationist Carrie; Ocean World is a Minack education project which saw pupils from West Cornwall schools come together to perform a heart-wrenching musical about a hump-backed whale and her young calf as they make the perilous journey from the southern seas to their feeding grounds in the North Atlantic. Penned in 1990 by Peter Rose and Anne Conlon and commissioned by WWF, their story is told through music, dance and song, as they face each challenge that threatens their survival and that of their whole world. The show premiered at the Royal Festival Hall and was also shown as part of Channel 4s Fragile Earth series in 1991, when the narration was spoken by Sir David Attenborough. This production is led by The Minack Theatre in partnership with Cornwall Music Service Trust. Earlier today - wearing the same suit - Mrs Johnson and her husband prepared to welcome leaders on the beach Mr Johnson appeared to be struggling in the warm sunshine today Mrs Johnson smiled at her new husband as they walked along the boardwalk Mr and Mrs Johnson smiled as they greeted South Korea's President Moon Jae-in and First Lady Kim Jung-Sook Mrs Johnson's suit fitted perfectly with the bright blue sky and sea as they walked along the sand Mr Johnson introduced his wife to Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison on the beach today Jill Biden recycled a $5,690 floral Oscar de la Renta gown to attend a performance at the Minack Theatre in Cornwall today, on day two of the G7 summit. The US First Lady, 70, previously donned the asymmetric midnight blue floral dress in November last year when she joined husband Joe on stage in Wilmington, Delaware at his election rally, after it was announced he'd beat President Trump to win the US presidential election. The elegant gown features an A-line silhouette with a draped collar and was designed by Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim, both immigrants to America who trained under the designer. The practical FLOTUS teamed it with flat shoes for the steep ampitheatre, opting for dainty pointed toe black pumps with a lace cut-out. Jill Biden recycled a $5,690 floral Oscar de la Renta gown to attend a performance at the Minack Theatre in Cornwall today, on day two of the G7 summit The US First Lady, 70, previously donned the asymmetric midnight blue floral dress in November last year when she joined President Joe on stage in Wilmington, Delaware The draped embroidered wool-blend crepe midi dress was on sale at The Outnet for $1,707, but is no longer in stock. Having previously teamed it with coral kitten heels, the practical FLOTUS opted for flat shoes for the rocky outdoor theatre. Her dainty pointed toe black pumps featured a polka dot lace cut-out. Dr Jill, who often keeps her accessories to a minimum, sported some eye-catching jewellery, as well as the dainty pearl bracelet she wore yesterday. This included a dazzling pair of floral earrings by the Ruchi New York label, launched by Ruchi Kotahwala in 2018. The FLOTUS' elegant gown features an A-line silhouette with a draped collar and was designed by Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim, both immigrants to America who trained under the designer The Desert Blooms Mariposa earrings feature 9.08-carats of sapphires and 1.56 carats of diamonds, set in white gold. Adding a further touch of glitz, Jill sported a $20,700 Panthere de Cartier gold watch, which she wore on her left wrist. She also wore a pair of gold aviator polarised RayBan sunglasses to shield her eyes from the Cornish sunshine. After the theatre trip, Dr Jill met veterans, first responders and family members of Bude Surf Veterans on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Newlyn. Dr Jill wore a dazzling pair of floral earrings by the Ruchi New York label, launched by Ruchi Kotahwala in 2018. Adding a further touch of glitz, Jill sported a $20,700 Panthere de Cartier gold watch, which she wore on her left wrist After the theatre trip, Dr Jill met veterans, first responders and family members of Bude Surf Veterans on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Newlyn Yesterday Dr Jill was a was a vision in red as she joined her husband President Joe Biden for a meet-and-greet with G7 leaders on a Cornish beach for the official start of the summit. She appeared elegant in a bespoke, recycled scarlet dress from Texan designer Brandon Maxwell, teamed with matching high heels. FLOTUS first donned the stunning red outfit when attending a Memorial Day service in Virginia in May. Earlier in the day she sported a bright pink blazer and white dress for a visit to a Cornish school with the Duchess of Cambridge. It was the second day in a row that Jill championed the American designer, having also worn one of his creations on Thursday when she and Joe met Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie. Advertisement While an evening at the beach usually spells flip flops and casual gear, the First Ladies of the G7 didn't disappoint in the glamour stakes as they stepped out in Carbis Bay for a barbecue last night Newlywed Carrie Johnson, 33, continued to show her style prowess, swapping the blue power suit she wore earlier in the day for a 295 rented floral dress from Damselfly London, which she teamed with 149 loafers from Air and Grace London. Also opting for a blue colour scheme was First Lady Jill Biden, who donned a custom-made white dress with a statement butterfly print from Brandon Maxwell, wrapping a blue shawl around her shoulders to keep the chill at bay. While both women opted for breezy style, Emmanuel Macron's wife Brigitte's opted for a more glamorous look in a black dress, believed to be custom-made Louis Vuitton. Carrie Johnson, 33, swapped the blue power suit she wore earlier today for a blue patterned floral dress, which she teamed with metallic flats as she joined partners of the leaders of the G7 during the G7 Leaders Summit in Carbis Bay Emmanuel Macron's wife Brigitte's opted for a more glamorous look in a black dress, believed to be from Louis Vuitton (pictured at the event) Carrie, who married Boris Johnson in a secret ceremony last month, wore her wavy blonde locks in loose waves and opted for subtle makeup for the event. The mother-of-one added a pop of colour with a red lipstick. Throughout the event, Carrie has opted to wear rented garments and last night was no exception, with the Prime Minister's new wife wearing a dress which can be rented for just 8 from My Wardrobe HQ. The gown is from London-based 'slow fashion' brand Damselfly London. Online, it is described as 'female-founded' and 'eco-friendly.' Carrie Johnson held her son Wilfred as she walks with partners of the leaders of the G7 during the G7 Leaders Summit in Carbis Bay Carrie's dress, the 'Paondora', is described as '100% sustainably-sourced cotton which can be machine washed on a cool setting.' Earlier yesterday, the first ladies visited Minack Theatre in Cornwall where they were treated to a performance of Ocean World and chatted to performers at the picturesque seaside venue. Sat socially distanced in the unique open air theatre carved into the granite cliff at Porthcurno, close to Land's End, the trio appeared in high spirits as they took in the sun-drenched show. The prime minister's wife and FLOTUS appeared to get on like a house on fire as they were pictured chatting while touring the stunning theatre and its surroundings. The First Ladies of the world's richest nations enjoyed a morning at the Minack Theatre in Cornwall today on the second day of the G7 summit. Pictured: Carrie Johnson and US First Lady Dr Jill Biden with children after watching their performance of Ocean World Newlywed Carrie Johnson, Dr Jill Biden and Brigette Macron were treated to a performance of Ocean World and chatted to performers at the picturesque seaside venue Sat socially distanced in the unique open air theatre carved into the granite cliff at Porthcurno, close to Land's End, the trio appeared in high spirits as they took in the sun-drenched show Dr Jill Biden appeared to enthusiastically praise the young performers of the environmentally conscious show at the stunning open air Minack Theatre Mrs Johnson and Dr Jill Biden waved to people on a beach as they walked to watch the performance Mrs Johnson sat with Mrs Macron, and Mrs Biden as they watched the performance Mrs Johnson and Mrs Biden were seen walking to their seats ahead of the show Mrs Johnson cut an elegant figure as she walked up the steps in Cornwall Mrs Johnson and Mrs Biden smiled and waved at people on a beach below ahead of the performance Mrs Johnson beamed as she lead the way a few paces ahead of Mrs Biden in Cornwall Carrie looked sharp in a sculpted slim fitting 595 cobalt blue jacket and matching 395 flared trousers, both by Amanda Wakeley. Both are rented from My Wardrobe HQ, the clothing rental site which Carrie used to hire her stunning Christos Costarellos wedding dress, both priced at 80. She teamed the ensemble with a crisp white shirt and black Jimmy Choo stilettos - also rented - and accessorised with a chunky silver chain and hoop earrings. Opting for a business-like look, Carrie swept her long blonde locks into a loose updo. US First Lady Jill recycled an asymmetric midnight blue floral dress by Oscar de la Renta which she wore in November last year when she joined President Joe on stage in Wilmington, Delaware. The Minack Theatre - attending by the British, American and French First Ladies today - is a unique open air theatre perched on the cliffs high above the Atlantic ocean Mother-of-one Carrie, 33, who married Prime Minister Boris Johnson last month, looked sharp in a sculpted slim fitting 595 cobalt blue jacket and matching 395 flared trousers, both by Amanda Wakeley and rented from My Wardrobe HQ, while Mrs Biden recycled an Oscar De La Renta gown The 4,033 gown featured an A-line silhouette with a draped collar and was designed by Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim, both immigrants to America who trained under the designer. The practical FLOTUS teamed it with flat shoes for the steep ampitheatre, opting for dainty pointed toe black pumps with a lace cut-out. Meanwhile French First Lady Mrs Macron, who often opts for classic, neutral tones, opted for a smart beige two-piece with a white organza lace top and chic pearl wedges. She wore her glossy blonde bob loose, as did Mrs Biden, with both women sporting sunglasses to block out the sun's rays. Mrs Macron, who often opts for classic, neutral tones, opted for a smart beige two-piece with a white organza lace top and chic pearl wedges While Carrie wore Jimmy Choos, the practical FLOTUS teamed her outfit with flat shoes, opting for dainty pointed toe black pumps with a lace cut-out Both Carrie and Brigitte may have wished they'd opted for something a little lighter as they both donned power suits despite the warm weather Carrie Johnson and the US First Lady Dr Jill Biden appeared to get on like a house on fire today The show is bound to have been a hit with conservationist Carrie; Ocean World is a Minack education project which saw pupils from West Cornwall schools come together to perform a heart-wrenching musical about a hump-backed whale and her young calf as they make the perilous journey from the southern seas to their feeding grounds in the North Atlantic The show is bound to have been a hit with conservationist Carrie; Ocean World is a Minack education project which saw pupils from West Cornwall schools come together to perform a heart-wrenching musical about a hump-backed whale and her young calf as they make the perilous journey from the southern seas to their feeding grounds in the North Atlantic. Penned in 1990 by Peter Rose and Anne Conlon and commissioned by WWF, their story is told through music, dance and song, as they face each challenge that threatens their survival and that of their whole world. The show premiered at the Royal Festival Hall and was also shown as part of Channel 4s Fragile Earth series in 1991, when the narration was spoken by Sir David Attenborough. This production is led by The Minack Theatre in partnership with Cornwall Music Service Trust. Earlier today - wearing the same suit - Mrs Johnson and her husband prepared to welcome leaders on the beach Mr Johnson appeared to be struggling in the warm sunshine today Mrs Johnson smiled at her new husband as they walked along the boardwalk Mr and Mrs Johnson smiled as they greeted South Korea's President Moon Jae-in and First Lady Kim Jung-Sook Mrs Johnson's suit fitted perfectly with the bright blue sky and sea as they walked along the sand Mr Johnson introduced his wife to Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison on the beach today Falstaff Grange Park Opera, Surrey Until July 18 Rating: The great thing about this hugely enjoyable production of Verdis Falstaff is not that Bryn Terfel is so good, but that Wasfi Kani, Grange Parks guru-in-chief, has assembled a cast that, for the most part, he doesnt embarrassingly outclass. Bryns Falstaff is surely now his signature role. It suits both his voice and his temperament. His Fat Knight will be fondly remembered long after he has retired to some mountain fastness in Snowdonia. It was a stroke of genius to persuade another Welsh personage of increasing renown, Swanseas Natalya Romaniw, to abandon all the dramatic stuff to take on the pivotal comic role of Alice Ford. She obviously enjoys it, and we certainly enjoyed her. It was a stroke of genius to persuade another Welsh personage of increasing renown, Swanseas Natalya Romaniw (above), to take on the pivotal comic role of Alice Ford David Stout as her husband Ford sings out of his skin throughout, especially at the beginning of Act 2. Chloe Morgan and Luis Gomes are two ardent young lovers. Yes, with the odd deficiency, this casting really works. The BBC Concert Orchestra may not be as sophisticated as the Philharmonia were at Garsington last week, but they play their hearts out for Grange Park regular Gianluca Marciano. Stephen Medcalfs stagings can be eccentric, but this revival from Parma shows both him and his designer Jamie Vartan in fine fettle, with a minimalist, Tudor-inspired staging and some classy period costumes. Throughout an impressive evening, the first-class acoustics of Wasfis Surrey La Scala allow some glorious sound to be appreciated throughout the multi-tiered auditorium. What a shame then that Government regulations mean they cant sell every ticket. I thought vaccinations were supposed to end this nonsense. What a joy it would be if Ministers stood up to Covid, rather than finding ever increasingly feeble reasons for running away from it. The Father Cert: 12A, 1hr 37mins Rating: Nobody Cert: 15, 1hr 32mins Rating: Ellie And Abby (And Ellie's Dead Aunt) Cert: 15, 1hr 22mins Rating: Judging by the feedback, this years crop of Oscar- winners Nomadland, Sound Of Metal, Minari etc have underwhelmed as many as they have entertained in our fabulously reopened cinemas. Too slow, too niche, too boring begin the complaints. Well, The Father, deserved winner of two Oscars, is the film that changes all that. With a career-defining performance from a dazzlingly good Anthony Hopkins and a theatricality that transfers beautifully to the big screen, this is the Oscar-winner you really do want to see. With a performance from a dazzlingly good Anthony Hopkins (above) and a theatricality that transfers beautifully to the big screen, this is the Oscar-winner you really do want to see No, it wont send you out into the street with a skip in your step or a smile on your face, but youll have seen one of the best performances of Hopkinss long career, been royally intrigued by the sheer cleverness of writer and director Florian Zeller and have an awful lot to talk about on your way home. Its also one of those films best enjoyed when you know very little about it. So let me just say that the 83-year-old Hopkins is playing a still-well-turned-out Londoner of the same Christian name and similar vintage who shares a large mansion flat with his middle-aged daughter Anne, played (very nicely) by Olivia Colman. Anthony can be eloquent, charming, even flirtatious with a pretty new carer (Imogen Poots). But hes also suspicious, irascible, easily confused and obsessed with the whereabouts of his frequently missing watch. Dementia? Or more complicated than that? Hopkinss multi-layered performance conveys an extraordinary range of emotions and is fully deserving of the Oscar for Best Actor, the second of his amazing 60-year career. But Zeller co-adapting from his own stage play, alongside Christopher Hampton fully earns his Oscar too. This is a brilliantly constructed, challenging and deeply revealing film but it holds your attention from beginning to heart-wrenching end. Youll want to have seen it. John Wick, you may recall, was the professional assassin who came out of retirement when some foolish Russian gangsters killed his dog. In Nobody, Hutch Mansell, purportedly a dull suburban accountant, does something very similar, not when armed thieves break into his house but when he realises they have stolen his small daughters favourite bracelet. Big mistake. For inevitably it turns out that Mansell played enjoyably if improbably by Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk is the guy various agencies used to call when they needed something clearing up. And now hes back in business, with the bad guys getting badder, and more Russian, with every bloody encounter. Moscow-born film-maker Ilya Naishuller directs with slightly derivative style but at enjoyable pace, while Odenkirk improves as the comic undertones kick in. Its still very violent but surprisingly good fun if you like this sort of thing and features a startling cameo from Back To The Future star Christopher Lloyd. Probably just what commercial cinema needs right now. Buoyed, possibly, by the critical success of Babyteeth last year, another Australian coming-of-age drama arrives on our shores, although sadly Ellie And Abbie (And Ellies Dead Aunt) has neither the performances nor the screenplay to make it essential watching. Ellie turns out to be a 17-year-old schoolgirl who thinks she might be in love with her classmate Abbie (Zoe Terakes, above, with Sophie Hawkshaw as Ellie) But at least the extravagant title gives you a big clue as to what its about, with Ellie turning out to be a 17-year-old schoolgirl who thinks she might be in love with her classmate Abbie (Zoe Terakes). Ellies mother receives the news badly, which is when the ghost of Ellies long dead aunt a veteran gay rights activist from the 1980s arrives to offer advice. Randall And Hopkirk (Deceased) it most definitely aint. Day Of The Assassins Michael Burleigh Picador 25 Rating: 'Assassination has never changed the history of the world. This was the verdict of Benjamin Disraeli, speaking in the House of Commons after the murder of Abraham Lincoln. But was he right? Possibly not in this instance, thinks Michael Burleigh, for the policies of Lincolns successor, Andrew Johnson, left a legacy of racial division that still haunts the United States today. The course of history was also affected by the most famous assassination of the ancient world. Brutus and Cassius murdered Julius Caesar to save the Roman Republic, but instead they ushered in the age of imperial dictatorship. The face-to-face shooting of Osama Bin Laden (above) was exceptional, because these days the usual method of despatch is by remote-controlled drone In a broad sense, however, Disraeli was right. Take the Byzantine Empire, which, over a period of more than a thousand years was ruled by 107 emperors. Of these no fewer than 65 were assassinated, but did any of those murders leave more than a faint tear in the fabric of history? Burleigh suggests that even the killing of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, usually described as the trigger for the First World War, was not in itself decisive because Austria had already decided to fight Serbia. One of the great pleasures of reading Burleigh, a man never afraid to speak his mind, is the matter-of-fact way in which he dissects and disposes of sacred cows. Take, for example, his analysis of the War on Terror. A cornerstone of American strategy is decapitation, the belief that killing the head of a terrorist organisation will fatally weaken it. Burleigh thinks that the opposite is probably true, not least because older and more established leaders are more likely to negotiate than the younger hotheads who usually replace them. A case in point was the 2006 killing of the Jordanian-Palestinian jihadist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, hailed at the time as a triumph. You may not have heard of al-Zarqawi, but you will know the name of the entity fashioned by his successors ISIS. Another problem that is never addressed is the methodology of these so-called targeted killings. The face-to-face shooting of Osama Bin Laden was exceptional, because these days the usual method of despatch is by remote-controlled drone. Drone attacks are always painted as surgical strikes, but there have been too many civilian deaths for this to be plausible. Killing old women and children only stirs resentment and makes the recruiting of fresh militants easier, but drones are regarded as such high-tech wonder weapons that the strategy is never questioned. When you have a hammer, every problem becomes a nail, as Burleigh acidly observes. Burleighs criticism of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu is particularly withering. Killing can become contagious, and he is concerned that assassinations carried out by the West and its allies rob us of the moral high ground, a point that has been gleefully seized upon by Vladimir Putin. Burleighs analysis of Putins Russia, incidentally, is a brilliant and timely reminder of the danger of taking things at face value. Our world today is as dangerous and mixed-up as it has ever been. Luckily we have Michael Burleigh to help us make sense of it. Advertisement Hidden away in the corner of a remote hillside cemetery, this is the final resting place for London Bridge terrorist Usman Khan. After the inquest into his horrific 2019 Fishmongers' Hall attack concluded on Thursday that he was lawfully killed, the 28-year-old's grave nearly 4,000 miles away is pictured here for the first time. The hardened British-born jihadist murdered two people and wounded three others before being shot dead by police. MailOnline tracked down the grave to his family's ancestral village in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir where wary locals try and keep outsiders away from the grave, which is guarded by Pakistani intelligence officials as well as villagers. Khan's family condemned his bloody rampage, but the headstone carries a message from his grieving father Taaj Muhammad Khan, saying: 'Forever these eyes will desirously long to see you.' This is the tomb of London Bridge terrorist Usman Khan who was laid to rest in the village of Kajlani, in Azad Kashmir, in 2019 MailOnline tracked down the grave his family's ancestral village where wary locals try and keep outsiders away from the site Khan's headstone includes a message from his father and the words: 'Bismillah Irrahman Irrahim (In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful)'. It goes on: 'Usman Ahmed Khan son of Taaj Muhammad Khan. Date of death: 29 November 2019.' Khan (pictured), 28, murdered two people and wounded three other in his horrific attack at London Bridge in 2019 Referring to his son's savagery before he was gunned down by City of London Police, he adds: 'This heart had no idea that you would depart like that.' Khan displayed no such humanity to his victims, Cambridge University graduates Saskia Jones, 23, and 25-year-old Jack Merritt, who were trying to help him re-build his life and move on from his jihadist views. The Midlands-based fanatic well-known to the security services was released from jail on licence in 2018, halfway through a 16-year sentence for terrorism offences and was attending a prisoner rehabilitation programme. He launched his terror attack near London Bridge on November 29, 2019, nearly a year after his release. On Thursday an inquest jury ruled that police believed Khan was 'pulling for the trigger' on his fake suicide vest when they unleashed a second volley of shots at him after he sat up and opened his jacket on London Bridge. One officer shot Usman Khan twice at close range but did not kill him and another five officers then discharged 18 more rounds when he sat up, eight minutes later. Only 12 of the rounds hit him and two caused fatal injuries. His grave is in the village of Kajlani, in Azad Kashmir in a valley some 950m above sea level where villagers and Pakistan intelligence officers monitor it to prevent people accessing what has become a symbol of embarrassment for the country. One villager told MailOnline: 'We know Usman Khan did something bad in the UK. But we don't know too much about what he did. Cambridge University graduates Jack Merritt (left), 25, and Saskia Jones (right), 23, were stabbed to death by Khan at an offender rehabilitation conference held at Fishmongers' Hall, London Bridge, during the horrific terror attack Khan was chased onto London Bridge by three bystanders who were armed with a fire extinguisher and a narwhal tusk in an attempt to disarm him before he was held down on the ground and armed police officers arrived A new image released on Thursday showing armed police aiming their weapons at Khan on the ground as a bystander (with the pink colouring around their neck) runs away London Bridge terrorist's graphic final moments The final moments of Usman Khan's life were as graphic in content as they were extraordinary in nature. Bloodied from two point-blank gunshot wounds to his body that left him writhing in agony on the west-side pavement of London Bridge eight minutes earlier, the 28-year-old terrorist summoned a final adrenaline-fuelled thrust of energy to sit bolt upright, legs outstretched in front of him, and stare purposefully at an effective firing squad of police. Nine shots were fired at him during that 13-second period, including at least one to the face which caused Khan, as a final act, to touch his forehead with his hand as if to assess the damage before falling onto his back to die. A couple of limb twitches caused police to fire at him again, having been granted clearance to perform a 'critical shot' - a near-instantly fatal wound - due to the presence of a suspected suicide belt around his waist. He was officially pronounced dead an hour later after police experts had declared the scene safe. Khan had travelled to London by train from his home in Stafford that morning wearing a hoax suicide device secreted under his coat, and attended a prisoner education event where he stabbed Cambridge graduates Jack Merritt, 25, and Saskia Jones, 23, before being chased from the venue. The scene was played out to an audience of horrified members of the public, and was captured by a variety of cameras recording events unfolding. Live footage from a police helicopter also filled a gigantic screen in the Met's control room nearby south of the River Thames. Recalling Khan's death throes, shortly after 2pm on November 29 2019, a tactical firearms commander known only as WA30 told the jury during the two-week inquest into Khan's death: 'I thought he was going to detonate that device. 'I was just in a cold sweat, I could hear my own heartbeat, I was sweating profusely, my mouth went so dry.' He added: 'It was like watching a slow motion car crash. 'I was squinting at the monitor thinking he would detonate that at any moment, thinking he would kill my officers, the public as well.' At the scene, armed response officers from the Met and City of London Police standing well within the 100m blast zone said they feared they would be killed as Khan sat up, having spent several minutes breathing deeply lying prone on his back following the first two gun shots, and appearing to reach for something nearby. An officer known as AZ99 said: 'At that point there, I thought: We're dead.' It was at this moment that officers opened on Khan again, firing nine of the 20 shots aimed at Khan that afternoon. All the while, handfuls of pedestrians could be seen milling around on the walkway directly underneath Khan, oblivious to the dramatic events on London Bridge above them. 'I was flabbergasted that the man (Khan) had been shot numerous times and it took a while for him to cease moving,' WA30 said. 'Eventually - very slowly, nothing like you see in the movies - he ceased moving.' The footage, recorded against the low hanging sun of a November afternoon, is so graphic it was not released to the media and is unlikely ever to be shown in public again. Advertisement 'Moreover, we do not want people to photograph his grave because we feel that it will be used as a means to attack Pakistan by the West. 'Some people and journalists have tried and been beaten back. The ISI (Pakistan Intelligence) people came here and asked villagers like me to stop the media from seeing the grave because it would look bad for Pakistan.' Another local said: 'His family who live here have said he did terrible things in England. That is all most of us know of Usman Khan. But he is a son of Pakistan and we must still respect him in death.' Khan had visited Kajlani several times and would stay there in-between attending terrorist training camps. He was first arrested in 2008 after police surveillance showed him to be a Jihadist sympathiser, but released. Khan was arrested again in December 2010 after returning from Pakistan. He was one of nine men held after an anti-terror operation by MI5 called Operation Guava . In 2012, he and his eight collaborators pleaded guilty to Al-Qaeda-inspired terrorism offences. They planned to bomb the London Stock Exchange, the Houses of Parliament, the US embassy, two rabbis at two synagogues, the Dean of St Paul's Cathedral and the home of then London Mayor Boris Johnson. After being freed in 2018 he was ordered to wear a GPS tag to enable police to monitor his movements. But police believed Khan 'may have been behaving in a deceptively compliant manner in order to facilitate his release', the inquest has heard. There was also an intelligence report two months before he was freed from HMP Whitemoor in December 2018 suggesting he 'would return to his old ways', interpreted as meaning terrorism, the inquest jury has been told. But crucially the report was not shared with the Probation Service or with Prevent deradicalisation officers dealing with Khan. It was reported that Khan was inspired by the ideology of Yemeni-American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki and that he was a 'student and close friend' of al-Muhajiroun leader Anjem Choudary. Following his attack during a rehabilitation session, he was chased on to London Bridge by members of the public armed with a fire extinguisher and narwhal tusk and then shot dead by police. His family, who decided to fly his body back to Pakistan, held his funeral on December 6th 2019, attended only by close relatives and an Imam. The white headstone was inscribed in both Urdu and Arabic and carried the date of his death according to the Gregorian calendar, used by much of the world, as well as the Islamic version. The inscription begins: 'Bismillah Irrahman Irrahim (In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful)'. It then adds the Islamic declaration of Muhammad being the Prophet's messenger and that there is no 'deity but Allah.' It goes on: 'Usman Ahmed Khan son of Taaj Muhammad Khan. Date of death: 29 November 2019, Friday. Islamic date: 29 Rabaul Awal 1414H.' In a statement, released through police after the atrocity, the Khan family said: 'We are saddened and shocked by what Usman has done. 'We totally condemn his actions and we wish to express our condolences to the families of the victims that have died and wish a speedy recovery to all of the injured.' Raja Mushtaq Ahmed, the only relative to speak publicly of the terrorist and who lives in Kajlani, said Khan was angry over 'western injustices' in the Muslim world. He told the BBC shortly after his cousin's death: 'He used to say this is injustice conspiracies are being hatched against Islam. Muslims are being oppressed. Why did they do injustice to us?' Mr Ahmed added: 'I used to tell him that it should be stopped but we should make it stop by responding peacefully.' Khan's grave is located in the village of village of Kajlani (above), in Azad Kashmir in a valley, 950m above sea level - 4,000 miles from where he carried out the atrocity in London where he murdered two young people and wounded three more Tracey Litfin had only been married for eight months when doctors told her husband that she 'may never wake up from her coma' after she fell of her horse while out riding alone. And if his wife did miraculously pull through, doctors said the young Queensland farmer may be in a vegetative state for the rest of her life. With more than 18 years of riding experience, workers on Ms Litfin's family's Boonara farm, in the Gympie region, became concerned when her bleeding horse returned to the feedlot without her on September 4, 2002. The then-21-year-old, who was eight weeks pregnant, had ridden to a paddock earlier that morning to check on the cows. After a while her husband Michael radioed to check in, but when he was met with silence he was not alarmed as her radio had been playing up for weeks. Tracey Litfin had only been married to her husband Michael (pictured on their wedding day) for eight months when she suffered an acute brain injury on her family's Boonara farm, in Queensland's Gympie region But about an hour later, when the horse arrived back with gashes across its legs, a desperate search was launched across the property for the pregnant newlywed. She was found lying unconscious in grass beneath a fence. 'The crazy thing was I looked like I had absolutely nothing wrong with me. I didn't have any broken bones, there was just a slight graze on my head,' Ms Litfin told Daily Mail Australia. 'The chopper came and picked me up in the paddock and I was taken to Royal Brisbane Hospital in a coma. The doctors didn't think I'd ever wake up.' Specialists discovered Ms Litfin had suffered an acute brain injury to the left side of her head when she fell off her horse. Believing she would not recover, the hospital was granted permission in the Federal Court to have Ms Litfin's baby terminated after she had spent six weeks in a coma. Two weeks later, she defied doctor's expectations and miraculously woke up. Michael breathed a sigh of relief. 'I had been scared and lost. I didn't want to listen to the doctors,' Mr Litfin, now 47, recalled. 'But once she came out of the coma, I started to feel better about her recovery. But at that point, they still didn't know if she would be able to walk or talk.' Ms Litfin has ridden horses since she was three years old. She is pictured with her childhood horse Mykey Ms Litfin spent eight weeks in a coma before waking up. Doctors said they believed she would be in a vegetative state for the rest of her life. Pictured: Ms Litfin as a child on her family farm Waking up from what felt like a 'deep sleep', Ms Litfin quickly became aware she was in hospital. She had no memory of what had happened or any idea why she was there. But as she started wriggling in her bed, she was faced with the terrifying realisation - half of her body was incapacitated. 'I remember waking up and Michael was standing over me looking down,' she said. 'As much as I wanted to, I couldnt move the right side of my body. 'My speech was slurred and I couldn't move my right hand, arm, or leg.' Despite her dismal recovery prospects, the fiercely independent agriculture graduate was determined to bounce back. Ms Litfin, who was transferred to Nambour Hospital during her coma, was sent to Caloundra Rehabilitation Centre to undergo gruelling therapy to assist with her recovery. Ms Litfin, an agricultural college graduate, poses with farming awards she has received For months, she spent hours every single week day with an occupational therapist, speech therapist, and physiotherapist. 'It was very frustrating for me. I had been fiercely independent then here I was not able to do anything myself,' Ms Litfin, now 39, said. 'But that is what spurred me on. I wanted to do everything myself - and that drove me to keep going.' It was during her rehabilitation that some of her memories started flooding back. Every time Ms Litfin would see heavily pregnant women at centre, she felt uncomfortable but did not understand why. One day after telling Michael about the strange sensation, she remembered she was pregnant at the time of the accident. Her husband broke the news she underwent an abortion while unconscious. Ms Litfin pictured with husband Michael, 47, son Jacob, 16, and daughter Rachael, 14 'It was very surreal. I had been pregnant and now I suddenly wasnt,' Ms Litfin said. 'I had memories of going to the doctor, driving up to see my mum and tell her we were expecting in person, and being sick on a holiday just before the accident. 'I was sad, but I knew [the termination] was done in my best interest.' In May 2003, eight months after the accident, Ms Litfin was discharged from hospital. Although mobility had returned to her limbs, she still required a wheelchair for several more months. Returning home, she struggled adjusting to being inside while Michael was working, but soon settled into a new role working in the office on the family's farm. Months later, the couple discovered they were expecting again, welcoming their first child, Jacob, in September 2004 - two years after the accident. Three years later, Ms Litfin gave birth to a daughter, Rachael, completing the family of four. Ms Litfin still loves riding horses and continues to work on the family farm as in an office role Although grappling with motherhood and adapting to the massive life change was difficult, Ms Litfin is grateful her children, now 16 and 14, have always known her with her brain injury and said it has made them more accepting of others. Despite her traumatic ordeal, Ms Litfin is still her 'happiest' when on a horse and could not wait to return to riding, getting back on the saddle six months after the accident. Learning to ride as a child, she was always advised to 'get back on the horse straight away if you fall' - an adage she has found applies to all areas of life and pushed her throughout her recovery. Ms Litfin's speech, balance, and movement are still affected, and the accident also left her with a third nerve palsy - restriction of the movement in her right eye. Ms Litfin has written about her life-changing experience in a book, titled If You Fall Although Ms Litfin has her bad days, she often thinks about how worse her condition may have been. 'I remember after one day of therapy, saying to Michael, "why me?". 'He replied, you werent good enough for heaven, and youre too good for hell so you should bloody hell stay here. That got stuck in my brain and I draw strength on that to this day. 'I can get past my problems and still lead a life. It could have been a lot worse. I could have been in a vegetative state. 'I am so grateful I am still alive.' Ms Litfin has recounted her extraordinary journey in a new book, If You Fall, which can be purchased on her website TraceyLitfin.com. The Biden administration said Friday it has dismantled a Trump-era government office to help victims of crimes committed by immigrants, a move that symbolizes President Joe Biden's rejection of former President Donald Trump's repeated efforts to link immigrants to crime. Trump created the Victim Of Immigration Crime Engagement Office, known by its acronym VOICE, by executive order during his first week in office in January 2017. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said it was replacing VOICE with a 'more comprehensive and inclusive victim support system.' VOICE will be replaced by The Victims Engagement and Services Line, which will combine longstanding existing services, such as methods for people to report abuse and mistreatment in immigration detention centers and a notification system for lawyers and others with a vested interest in immigration cases. The Victim Of Immigration Crime Engagement Office, known by its acronym VOICE, was established by executive order during Donald Trump's first week in office in January 2017 VOICE will be replaced by The Victims Engagement and Services Line (Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas pictured) The new office will add a service for potential recipients of visas designated for victims of human trafficking or violent crimes in the United States. 'Providing assistance to society's most vulnerable is a core American value. All people, regardless of their immigration status, should be able to access victim services without fear,' said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. As of Saturday morning, an attempt to reach the VOICE website redirects to the website for the Victims Engagement and Services Line (VESL). Stephen Miller, a key architect of Trump's immigration policies, called the decision to close VOICE a 'moral stain on the conscience of our nation.' He likened the new office to the Drug Enforcement Administration opening 'a call center to help drug dealers get lawyers and amnesty for their crimes.' The Department of Homeland Security 'is a law enforcement agency, not a legal help center for criminals and lawbreakers,' Miller said. Jon Feere, an ICE official during the Trump administration, said he referred a man to VOICE whose sister was killed by an intoxicated driver and that the office helped families understand the status of immigration cases. Joe Biden has worked to roll back many of Trump's immigration policies A U.S. Border Patrol agent walks past the body of a person covered in a white sheet near the border wall in El Paso, Texas, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico on June 11 The change of tone regarding immigration has been striking between the two administrations. While studies suggest immigrants are less likely to commit crime than native-born, Trump relentlessly sought to establish a link. He launched his 2016 presidential campaign by portraying Mexicans in the country illegally as violent criminals and frequently highlighted the MS-13 gang, which was started by Salvadoran immigrants. To advance his immigration agenda, Trump invited 'angel families' - people whose loved ones had been victims of crimes by immigrants - to campaign rallies and high-profile speeches. Trump's office for victims of violent crimes appears to have had little impact. Its most recent quarterly report posted online for the last three months of 2018 said it fielded 781 calls during the three-month period - and that just 256 of the calls pertained to services it offered. About half were requests on the status of immigration cases, and many of the rest were referrals for assistance, such as social services to help cope with impacts of domestic violence or assault. Donald Trump linked immigration to crime throughout his run for the presidency Stephen Miller, a key architect of Trump's immigration policies, called the decision to close VOICE a 'moral stain on the conscience of our nation' The office was used as a platform by the Trump administration to promote a link between immigrants and crime. 'I've had to hold the hand of too many mothers who lost a child to a DUI or somebody else who's been raped by an illegal alien or someone with a nexus to immigration,' Barbara Gonzalez, the then-director of VOICE, told reporters in October 2019. 'It is a problem we cannot ignore as a country. In April, the Biden administration ordered U.S. officials to avoid using terms like 'illegal alien' and instead use the phrase 'undocumented noncitizen.' Vice President Kamala Harris drew strong criticism from some of the administration's pro-immigration allies for telling would-be migrants during a visit to Guatemala on Monday, 'Do not come ... Do not come,' and that they would be denied entry at the U.S. border with Mexico. The decision to end VOICE comes as the Biden administration continues to deal with a surge at the border. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said its agents stopped 180,034 people at the border in May. This chart shows how 2021 border crossings - pictured in blue - rocketed on crossings made in 2020, represented by the brown line (2018 is pictured in gray, with 2019 in orange) That was the fourth consecutive monthly rise and represented a 674 percent increase over the 23,237 stopped in May of last year (when COVID-19 depressed numbers). Conservatives smell blood as the Biden administration struggles to deal with the crisis. Harris, who was tasked with leading diplomatic efforts to slow the surge, is under intense pressure to visit the border and see for herself what conditions look. The Biden administration is also returning $2 billion set aside for former Trump's signature border wall and calling on Congress to cancel other funding, despite the surge in people trying to cross illegally. Biden suspended construction when he took power but his new plan falls short of canceling it altogether. Instead, it ends fast track provisions. 'Building a massive wall that spans the entire southern border and costs American taxpayers billions of dollars is not a serious policy solution or responsible use of Federal funds,' said the White House Office of Management and Budget (O.M.B). In power, Trump's administration built 52 miles of new slatted structures and replaced hundreds of miles of fencing. But the O.M.B said it cost as much as $46 million per mile. Migrant smugglers stand in the water of the Rio Grande river as they mock the officers on duty on the U.S. side of the river in Roma, Texas, on June 10 Asylum-seeking migrant families disembark an inflatable raft after crossing the Rio Grande river into the United States from Mexico in Roma, Texas on June 10 Biden plans to return more than $2 billion that the Trump administration diverted from the Pentagon to help pay for the wall and use other money appropriated by Congress to address 'urgent life, safety, and environmental issues' created by the construction. That includes $79 million for an elementary school for the children of American service members in Germany; $25 million for a fire and rescue station at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida; and $10 million to expand defenses against North Korean ballistic missiles at Fort Greely in Alaska. It plans to use the approximately $1.9 million remaining appropriated by Congress for the wall for drainage and erosion control or other environmental problems caused by wall construction in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and elsewhere. Biden's decision to suspend construction prompted Republican senators to ask the Government Accountability Office to investigate whether the administration was violating federal law in not using appropriated money for its intended purpose. The administration said Friday that it will use funds already set aside by Congress for 'their appropriated purpose, as required by law' but is requesting no new money for wall construction in the Department of Homeland Security's 2022 budget. Biden is instead seeking money for increased technology at the ports of entry and elsewhere, saying there are more efficient ways to stop illegal immigration and drug smuggling at the border. The administration said it would return $2 billion taken from the Pentagon and use it for the construction projects for which the money was originally intended. The administration doesn't explicitly say it won't build any new wall. But it says that any new construction will be subjected to environmental review and that it will review ongoing efforts to seize land from property owners by eminent domain and will return parcels to the owners if the Department of Homeland Security determines it's not needed. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, said Thursday that the state would build its own new barriers along the border with Mexico but offered no details, including precisely where or what they would look like. He has promised more details next week. The children of a black man killed by police in Louisiana's capital city five years ago have accepted a $4.5 million settlement from the local government, the man's family and the city's mayor said Friday. Alton Sterling's 2016 shooting by a Baton Rouge police officer was captured on video and sparked anger and protests in the city's black community. Sterling's family issued a statement Friday confirming acceptance of the settlement after news outlets reported that court documents showed they had moved to have the suit dismissed last month. The settlement had been approved earlier in the year by the Metro Council for Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish. Alton Sterling's kids have accepted a $4.5 million settlement from the local Baton Rouge government (Sterling pictured with three of his children) The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Sterling's five children in 2017 by their mothers (Sterling pictured with three of his children) 'This settlement, which was reached through hard work and collaboration between attorneys for Mr. Sterlings family and the Baton Rouge City Council, will allow the city to heal and provide a pathway for Mr. Sterling's children to be provided for financially,' said the statement issued through the family's attorneys. It also expressed hope that reforms implemented by the department will prevent future deaths. 'As a community, we must work together to implement changes in policy and in our community to ensure that no other families in Baton Rouge will endure this loss, trauma, or heartbreak,' Mayor Sharon Broome said in her statement. Sandra Sterling 51 (pictured), raised Alton Sterling after her sister died in 1969 Louisiana cops shot and killed Sterling selling music outside a Baton Rouge convenience store following an altercation spurred by a caller claiming the shooting victim was armed The officer who shot Sterling during a struggle outside a convenience store lost his job and another officer was suspended. Neither was charged criminally after state and federal investigations. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Sterling's five children in 2017 by their mothers. It sought damages for violation of Sterling's civil rights and claimed the local government was negligent in its hiring, training and supervision of Blane Salamoni, the officer who fired the six shots that killed Sterling. Salamoni was later fired from his post in 2018. The agreement will pay $1 million upfront to Sterling's children from East Baton Rouge Parish's insurance reserve funds, WBRZ-TV reported, with the remaining money being paid in equal installments over the next four years. The initial funds will be allocated from the city-parish's Insurance Reserve Fund, with the remaining payments pulled from the annual operating budget. Sterling was fatally shot by Baton Rouge police responding to a complaint of a man with a gun outside a convenience store on North Foster Drive in 2016. Widespread protests followed after cellphone video of the encounter was spread online. Two officers were responding to reports that Sterling had threatened a man with a gun when they approached him as he was selling CDs on July 5, 2016 Two officers were responding to reports that Sterling had threatened a man with a gun when they approached him as he was selling CDs on July 5, 2016. In the 911 call which prompted the call-out out, a man's voice can be heard saying: 'He's got a pistol in his pocket. He turned it on me and told me to turn my head around.' Footage of the ensuing encounter, filmed on Salamoni's bodycam and a surveillance camera in the convenience store, was viewed by state and federal prosecutors. Neither brought charges so decided not to release the video. It was made public by Murphy Paul, the Baton Rouge police chief, after he found Salamoni had breached use-of-force rules and failed to control his temper, reported The Advocate. Sterling's family issued a statement Friday confirming acceptance of the settlement after news outlets reported that court documents showed they had moved to have the suit dismissed last month (Sterling pictured) Salamoni's bodycam shows him moving towards Sterling and screaming: 'Don't f****** move or I'll shoot your f****** ass, b****.' He then orders him to show he is unarmed, shouting: 'Put your f****** hands on the car. Put your hands on the car or I'll shoot you in your f****** head, you understand me? Don't you f****** move, you hear me? Sterling pleads, 'What happened, what did I do?' as he is held against the car, before Salamoni says, 'Tase his a**'. As the Taser is deployed the officers scream at Sterling to 'get on the ground', then struggle with him for 20 seconds before someone says 'he's got a gun' and six shots are heard. The camera then shows Sterling lying dead, as Salamoni says, 'stupid a** motherf****'. The cop then rifles through Sterling's pockets with his bloodied hands while searching for a weapon. Cameron Sterling speaks as his mother looks on in front of a Louisiana convenience store Family members of Alton Sterling are seen speaking publicly after his shooting death L. Chris Stewart, a lawyer representing two of Sterling's five children, said in 2018 that videos show officer Salamoni attacked the father without provocation 'like a wild dog.' 'The most obvious thing that stands out is Alton wasn't fighting back at all,' Stewart said. 'He's trying to defuse it the whole time.' The chief insisted he had decided to dismiss Salamoni solely because he had broken the rules. Sandra Sterling, center, an aunt of Alton Sterling, is greeting outside the Livingston Building by Helen Sterling, a great aunt, before going inside for a family meeting The police department's use of force policy says: 'Every member of the department shall use only the force necessary to effect an arrest or maintain the custody of a suspect.' Paul added: 'Just to be clear, my decision was not based on politics. 'It was not based on emotions. It was based on the facts of the case. The testimony provided by our officers and witnesses and the recommendation from our board members during the disciplinary hearings. 'But I take full responsibility for the decision that I made. And it's a responsibility that I take very seriously. And I understand that this decision will not only affect the officers, but it will also affect their families and the community as well,' he said. Salamoni's partner Howie Lake II, was suspended for three days over the July 2016 incident Sterling's death inflamed racial tensions in the state's capital city and led to protests where nearly 200 people were arrested. Donald Trump's Justice Department secretly subpoenaed Microsoft to access a congressional staffer's email account in a bid to expose the leakers of classified information to the press. Microsoft's disclosure comes a day after it was revealed that Apple had received a grand jury subpoena to seize communication records for at least two members of Congress as well as members of the press. Microsoft said in a statement to The New York Times that the company received a subpoena in 2017 related to a personal email account, and later learned the person was a congressional staffer. That staffer has not been identified. Like Apple, Microsoft was under a gag order to keep the subpoena a secret and recently notified the customer that their data had been handed over after the gag order expired, the outlet reported. A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed the news in a statement to DailyMail.com. 'In 2017 Microsoft received a subpoena related to a personal email account. As we've said before, we believe customers have a constitutional right to know when the government requests their email or documents, and we have a right to tell them,' the statement to DailyMail.com reads. 'In this case, we were prevented from notifying the customer for more than two years because of a gag order. As soon as the gag order expired, we notified the customer who told us they were a congressional staffer.' The Microsoft spokesperson said the company then provided a briefing to the representative's staff following that notice. 'We will continue to aggressively seek reform that imposes reasonable limits on government secrecy in cases like this,' the statement reads. Donald Trump's Justice Department secretly subpoenaed Microsoft to access a congressional staffer's email account in a bid to expose the leakers of classified information to the press. Pictured: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Like Apple, Microsoft was under a gag order to keep the subpoena a secret and recently notified the customer that their data had been handed over Justice Department prosecutors seized metadata records from Apple for accounts belonging to Rep. Adam Schiff, pictured, and other members of the House Intelligence Committee Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, pictured, revealed he also had data from their Apple devices secretly seized by the Trump administration Trump and his administration were infuriated after detailed conversations between his aides and the Russian ambassador to the US were leaked shortly after he took office in January 2017. The new revelations show the extent of former President Donald Trump's obsession over such leaks and the extraordinary lengths his administration would go through to investigate them. His administration's probe was started under former Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Sessions' successor Bill Barr ordered the probe continue well into 2020, after accusing his own investigators of deliberately dragging their feet over the investigation. Apple revealed in a statement to DailyMail.com that the subpoena it received had 'provided no information on the nature of the investigation' after the company unknowingly handed over data relating to Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell - two of Trump's political nemeses. 'We regularly challenge warrants, subpoenas and nondisclosure orders and have made it our policy to inform affected customers of governmental requests about them just as soon as possible,' a spokesperson for Apple told DailyMail.com. The company said that the subpoena was issued by a federal grand jury and included a nondisclosure order signed by a federal magistrate judge. '[The subpoena] provided no information on the nature of the investigation and it would have been virtually impossible for Apple to understand the intent of the desired information without digging through users' accounts,' the spokesperson said. 'Consistent with the request, Apple limited the information it provided to account subscriber information and did not provide any content such as emails or pictures.' Apple received the federal grand jury subpoena seeking 'customer or subscriber account information' that came with the nondisclosure order on February 6, 2018. Prosecutors sought metadata relating to a total of 73 phone numbers and 36 email addresses, in a large and seemingly random request similar to others that tech giants, including Apple, frequently receive. Democrats want former Attorney General Bill Barr to testify about federal prosecutors subpoenaing Apple for information on Reps. Eric Swalwell and Adam Schiff Democrats also want former Attorney General Jeff Sessions to testify The revelations show the extent of Trump's obsession over leaks and the extraordinary lengths his administration would go through to investigate them The gag order was extended three times under the Trump administration but was not renewed by the Biden administration's Justice Department. The company ultimately notified the customers who were affected on May 5. The House Intelligence Committee then contacted Apple and the company confirmed that it had received the subpoena and directed the lawmakers to contact the Justice Department. The tech giant has recently addressed how it responds to such broad-scope subpoenas and has started to limit its legal requests to just 25 identifiers. When no gag order is in place, Apple typically immediately informs customers of subpoenas. The New York Times noted that Apple, at the time, received an average of 250 data requests each week from U.S. law enforcement agencies. Now, Apple receives thousands of such requests each week. Apple will often challenge subpoenas, but the company declined to comment to DailyMail.com on how many subpoenas it challenged during the year the subpoena for Swalwell and Schiff's data was granted. The New York Times noted that, in the first six months of 2020, Apple challenged 238 governmental request for customer data - amounting to about 4 percent of such requests. Google declined to comment if it received a subpoena related to the investigation on the House Intelligence committee to The New York Times. DailyMail.com has reached out to Google for an explanation on why the company refused to comment. However, Google fought a gag order on a subpoena to give the government data on the emails of four reporters for The New York Times, the outlet noted. That subpoena was a part of the same investigation into leaks by the Trump administration. The tech companies have turned over a variety of data including phone records, device information, and addresses. Law enforcement agencies often request such information because it can be used to prove if one person had contact with another. The Justice Department's internal watchdog has ordered a probe of the Department's use of subpoenas. DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz announced the 'review' Friday afternoon. 'The DOJ Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is initiating a review of DOJ's use of subpoenas and other legal authorities to obtain communication records of Members of Congress and affiliated persons, and the news media in connection with recent investigations of alleged unauthorized disclosures of information to the media by government officials,' Horowitz's office said in a statement. 'The review will examine the Department's compliance with applicable DOJ policies and procedures, and whether any such uses, or the investigations, were based upon improper considerations. If circumstances warrant, the OIG will consider other issues that may arise during the review.' That announcement came after Senate Democratic leaders demanded that former Trump attorneys general Bill Barr and Jeff Sessions testify about what they called a 'gross abuse of power' following the bombshell revelations. And the deputy attorney general of the Justice Department, Lisa Monaco, has asked the agency's nonpartisan Inspector General to probe the seizure of lawmakers' personal information during the Trump administration, the Associated Press reported. The lawmakers demanded both men appear to testify under oath and threatened to subpoena them if they would not cooperate. A teenager with a respected family and private school education is facing life in prison after allegedly becoming connected to Australia's largest ever crime sting. More than 100 organised crime members have been arrested in Australia in the past week as part of Operation Ironside, initiated after the United States' FBI decrypted 'An0m', an online communications platform used by gang figures. The communications found on the platform included 21 murder plots, gun distribution and mass drug trafficking, federal police say. The operation is three years in the making. Australian Federal Police said on Tuesday it had seized 3.7 tonnes of drugs, 104 weapons and almost $45million in cash as part of the operation. Apostle Broikos, 18, one of the youngest alleged associates of the crime syndicate, has been charged with serious drug offences as part of the sting. Despite his lawyer drawing attention to his young age, Broikos was remanded in custody after appearing in Adelaide Magistrates Court on Thursday. Apostle Broikos, 18, one of the youngest alleged associates of the crime syndicate, has been charged with serious drug offences as part of the sting On May 19, Broikoswas charged with trafficking a large commercial quantity of a controlled drug in Yamba, northern NSW On May 19, Broikos, who went to St Ignatius' College where he competed in several of the school's sport teams, was charged with trafficking a large commercial quantity of a controlled drug in Yamba, northern NSW. The teen was also charged with manufacturing and trafficking a controlled drug between January 1 and August 19, 2020. Broikos faces a fine of up to $1 million, life imprisonment or both for the charges. His uncle Theodore Tasman Broikos, Mark James Press and Comanchero bikie boss Cain Robert Dalwood remain in custody to await trial. Press and Dalwood are also accused of conspiracy to murder. Broikos and several of his co-accused will appear again in court on July 1. The recent charges come after senior investigators alleged that '100 per cent' of telephone conversations intercepted on the AN0M devices were all business and in relation to criminal activity. Broikos went to St Ignatius' College where he competed in several of the school's sport teams Broikos and several of his co-accused will appear again in court on July 1 The alleged offenders are linked to the Australian-based Italian mafia - known as the Ndrangheta - as well as outlaw motorcycle gangs, Asian crime syndicates and Albanian organised crime figures. Police have charged 224 alleged offenders with 525 charges, shut down six clandestine laboratories and acted on 21 threats to kill, including saving a family of five. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the AFP operation, known as Operation Ironside, had struck a 'heavy blow' against organised crime. 'The operation puts Australia at the forefront of the fight against criminals who peddle in human misery and ultimately, it will keep our communities and Australians safe,' he said on Tuesday. 'Illicit drug use ruins lives and fuels organised crime.' AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw said federal agents had been in the 'back pockets' of criminals through the encryption app. 'The FBI had the lead on this. We provided the technical capability to decrypt those messages,' he said. 'Some of the best ideas come over a couple of beers.' Ninja Warrior 2017 contestant Sopiea Kong was among those arrested. The 33-year-old was charged last week following a raid at a Kangaroo Point home, where police allegedly seized 154g of meth. Kong, who was also allegedly in possession of $2,030 cash and a revolver, was granted bail and will appear in court on June 28. Former Bachelorette star Samuel Minkin, who appeared on Becky and Elly Miles' season of the dating show, was charged with possessing a large commercial quantity of cannabis after police stopped a van in Byron Bay last month. Police have charged 224 alleged offenders with 525 charges, shut down six clandestine laboratories and acted on 21 threats to kill, including saving a family of five. Pictured: weapons seized by detectives Australia's world-first Assistance and Access Act passed in 2018 allows intelligence agencies to require tech companies to hand over encrypted messages. Pictured: ammunition seized by police Former Bandito bikie Benjamin Joseph Thornton, 31, was arrested after police seized two mobile phones and a small quantity of cocaine. He was denied bail and will reappear in court next week. The bust exposed new details about how one of Australia's most wanted fugitives gave police extensive access to the world's criminal underworld. Drug kingpin and Comancheros bikie associate Hakan Ayik has spent the last decade on the run from Australian authorities after fleeing the country in 2010. Now living in Turkey, he was tricked into distributing messages to his criminal associates around the world via encrypted communications app AN0M, unaware it was being run by FBI special agents. Three years ago, Australia Federal Police identified Ayik as a key influencer to successfully distribute the encrypted AN0M devices due to his high status in the criminal underworld. They sat back and secretly intercepted millions of messages sent as unsuspecting associates openly stated their plans including plots to kill, importing drugs and identifying those who could help them with their criminal enterprises. Senior investigators describe Ayik as the 'principal distributor of the AN0M handset.' who didn't just distribute the devices among associates but also profited from the sales. 'It's like having The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) sponsoring your gym. This is a high-value criminal sponsoring a criminal communications system,' Australian Federal Police Superintendent Jared Taggart told News Corp papers. A Scottish rapist who fled to California and faked his own death on a beach has been jailed for 15 years after US Marshals tracked him down in Colorado. Kim Avis was found guilty of raping three of his victims and sexually assaulting a fourth following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow last month, the Crown Office said. The 57-year-old was convicted of 14 charges in total, with the offences taking place mostly in Inverness between 2006 and 2017, including a charge of failing to attend a previous trial date after he fled to America. Avis, who was extradited from the US to face the charges, was jailed when he appeared at the High Court in Edinburgh on Friday. Kim Avis was found guilty of raping three of his victims and sexually assaulting a fourth following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow last month, the Crown Office said Avis had been reported missing in February of that year after going for a swim at Monastery Beach - dubbed 'Mortuary Beach' due to the number of swimmers and divers who have perished there - in Carmel, California The rapist, from Inverness, was detained by the US Marshals Service in Colorado Springs in July 2019. He had been reported missing in February of that year after going for a swim at Monastery Beach - dubbed 'Mortuary Beach' due to the number of swimmers and divers who have perished there - in Carmel, California. Investigators later discovered he was on bail for offences in Scotland. Fraser Gibson, procurator fiscal for High Court sexual offences, said: 'This has been a difficult and complex investigation for all those involved. I would like to commend the victims for their bravery in coming forward. 'Kim Avis went to great lengths to evade justice for his crimes. Thanks to the efforts of police and prosecutors, working together with US law enforcement, he has been brought to justice and sentenced today. 'As this case shows, we prosecute sexual crime effectively and fairly. I would urge anyone who has been the victim of such offending to report it to police and seek support.' Avis was jailed for 12 years for the sexual offences - including some against children and a rape - and three years for the failure to appear charge. The trial date had been fixed for March 11 2019, but the court was told after a near-death experience in California that Avis believed he would not receive a fair hearing and decided not to return to Scotland. The 57-year-old was convicted of 14 charges in total, with the offences taking place mostly in Inverness between 2006 and 2017, including a charge of failing to attend a previous trial date after he fled to America It was heard he then went on the run for several months before US marshals, who did not believe he was dead, tracked him down in Colorado and he was extradited to the UK. Avis, who continues to deny all the sexually related charges against him, was a street trader for many years in Inverness and had received a good citizen award. He was found guilty of 13 charges of sexual offences between 2006 and 2016. Avis pled guilty to the other offence and received a reduced jail term of three years for that part of the sentence. Detective Inspector Caine McIntyre, of Police Scotland's domestic abuse task force, said: 'I welcome the conviction of Kim Avis, otherwise known as Kim Gordon. 'I would like to take this opportunity to commend the victims/survivors in this case for the courage, strength and dignity they have shown throughout this investigation and subsequent court case. 'I would also like to take this opportunity to reach out to anyone who is experiencing or has experienced domestic or sexual abuse - it is never too late to report to the police or seek support and advice from one of our partner agencies such as Women's Aid or Rape Crisis Scotland.' Brawls broke out in Wales last night after police were dispatched to control crowds at a memorial for a local man stabbed to death. Five teenagers, including two boys of 17, were arrested over the murder of Ryan O'Connor, who was attacked on an evening trip to the shops in Newport. His heartbroken family and friends left green balloon tributes to the 26-year-old, known to all as 'Apple'. But as the community in Alway gathered to pay their respects on Friday night, fights broke out among some sections of the crowd. Ryan O'Connor, known as Apple (pictured), was stabbed to death on Thursday evening Brawls broke out in Wales last night after police were dispatched to control crowds at a memorial As the community in Alway gathered to pay their respects on Friday night, fights broke out among some sections of the crowd More than 30 bunches of flowers have been left at the scene of the attack, as well as dozens of green balloons One man appears to be on the ground in images from the scene, while another is wrestled to the floor by officers. Witnesses reported hearing shouting and screaming throughout the crowd, which is said to have included up to 50 people. A Gwent Police spokesman said last night: 'We've received a report of disorder in the Alway area of Newport at around 5pm on Friday 11 June. 'Officers remain at the scene after a large group of people were reportedly seen in the Balfe Road area.' The five suspects - aged between 17 and 19 - were arrested on suspicion of murder after he was found dead in Alway on Thursday night. Mr O'Connor's brother Johnny said: 'He'd just gone to the shop last night, then this happened. 'I'm still in shock, this doesn't seem real. None of this. 'My brother was chopsy (talkative) but had a heart of gold. He was an Alway lad through and through, everyone on the estate knew him.' Witnesses reported hearing shouting and screaming throughout the crowd, which is said to have included up to 50 people The five suspects - aged between 17 and 19 - were arrested on suspicion of murder after he was found dead in Alway on Thursday night Floral tributes have been left at the scene of the attack, which shocked the local community Gwent Police said it received a report of disorder in the area at around 5pm on Friday night More than 30 bunches of flowers have been left at the scene of the attack, as well as dozens of green balloons. Two friends who asked not to be named said: 'We're in shock. We grew up with him. 'We've known him since we were babies. He was a quiet lad and extremely popular. Very well known in the area. You can see by the tributes already this morning what people thought of him.' Police said three men, aged 18 and 19, and two 17-year-old boys have been arrested on suspicion of murder and are currently in police custody. A spokesman said: 'Emergency services were called after the 26-year-old was found unconscious and unresponsive.' The Indian variant appears to be predominantly affecting people who are not yet fully vaccinated, figures show. Of those who have attended A&E with the strain, more than two in three were completely unvaccinated. And just 7 per cent were more than two weeks on from receiving their second dose - the point at which people are considered fully protected. Meanwhile, only 42 people with the variant, also known as the Delta strain, have required an overnight stay in hospital two weeks or more after receiving their second jab. Of those who have attended A&E with the Delta strain, more than two in three were completely unvaccinated Public Health England said yesterday that more than 90 per cent of new Covid-19 cases are now the Indian variant, with research suggesting it is associated with an approximately 60 per cent increased risk of household transmission compared with the Kent strain And of those who have died in England with the Indian variant, more than half were completely unvaccinated. Public Health England said yesterday that more than 90 per cent of new Covid-19 cases are now the Indian variant, with research suggesting it is associated with an approximately 60 per cent increased risk of household transmission compared with the Kent strain. Cases are estimated to be doubling every four and a half days in parts of England, with 42,323 cases confirmed in the UK, up by 29,892 from last week. Growth rates for the variant are high across all parts of the country, PHE added. It said that as of June 7, there have been 42 deaths in England of people who were confirmed as having the Indian variant. Boris Johnson is being pushed to delay 'Freedom Day' due to surge in new cases. Pictured: A man enjoys a pint of beer in the Black Lion, Hammersmith Of these, 23 were unvaccinated, seven were more than 21 days after their first dose of vaccine but just 12 were more than 14 days after their second dose. And two thirds of the 1,234 people who attended A&E in England between February 1 and June 7 with the Indian variant were unvaccinated. Figures yesterday showed that 8,125 people had tested positive for coronavirus, with the weekly average being 58 per cent higher than last week. A total of 173 patients were admitted to hospital and there were also 17 new deaths recorded. Both numbers are up compared with the average for the previous week. Dr Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency, said: If you are eligible, we urge you to come forward and be vaccinated. 'Remember that two doses provide significantly more protection than a single dose. The Department of Health said 41million adults had received at least one jab. A black Florida mother blasted critical race theory as racist, dangerous and claimed it will destroy America at a state Board of Education meeting. Speaking at the meeting Thursday, Keisha King said: 'Just coming off of May 31, marking the 100 years [since] the Tulsa riots, it is sad that we are even contemplating something like critical race theory, where children will be separated by their skin color and deemed permanently 'oppressors' or 'oppressed' in 2021.' 'That is not teaching the truth,' said King, who has a child in the Duvall County school district, 'unless you believe that whites are better than blacks." King told of her outrage at seeing teachers in the Duvall County school district, in northeastern Florida, teach critical race theory and even separate students by their race. Duvall County confirmed it was invoking Florida Governor Ron DeSantis's ban on CRT later the same evening. King also disputed claims that critical race theory is 'racial sensitivity or simply teaching unfavorable American history or teaching Jim Crow history.' 'CRT is deeper and more dangerous than that,' King said. 'CRT and its outworking today is a teaching that there's a hierarchy in society where white male, heterosexual, able-bodied people are deemed the oppressors and anyone else outside of that status is oppressed.' 'That's why we see corporations like Coca-Cola asking their employees to be less white, which is ridiculous,' King said, representing Moms for Liberty, a national group that promotes 'parental rights at all levels of government,' according to its website. 'I don't know about you, but telling my child, or any child, that they are in a permanent oppressed status in America because they are black is racist,' King said, 'and saying that white people are automatically above me, my children, or any child is racist as well. 'This is not something we can stand for in our country.' Keisha King, a Florida mother, blasted the critical race theory as racist and claimed it would destroy the country at a state Board of Education meeting on Thursday King's comments were widely shared to Twitter, with Tom Elliot posting a video of her speech 'And don't take it from me,' she said, 'look at the writers of these types of publications.' 'Our ancestors white, black and others hung, bled and died right alongside each other to push America towards that more perfect union. 'If this continues, we will look back and be responsible for the dismantling of the greatest nation in the world by reverting to teaching hate and that race is a determining factor on where your destiny lies,' King concluded. Her comments were then shared widely to Twitter, with Tom Elliot posting a video of her speech, and @RogueShoeButler writing: 'Hallelujah! This lady gets it. And she explained the essence of the danger from CRT more lucidly than I think I've heard anyone tell it before.' 'I hope we hear more from Keisha King,' he wrote. Others at the meeting, though, expressed their support for the theory, chanting: 'Allow teachers to tell the truth.' Florida has become the sixth state to ban teaching critical race theory in schools Florida teachers also expressed their dismay with the resolution before it was passed, with Florida Education Association President Andrew Spar saying, 'Students deserve the best education we can provide, and that means giving them a true picture of their world nd our shared history as Americans, according to the New York Daily News. Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, however, had been pushing for a ban on the theory for months. He opened the meeting Thursday night by urging the board to adopt the measure, calling critical race theory 'really toxic,' and claiming that it would cause a lot more divisions in society. 'I think it will cause people to think of themselves more as a member of a particular race based on their skin color, rather than based on the content of their character and based on their hard work and what they're trying to accomplish in life,' he told the board, which ultimately approved a resolution banning the theory unanimously. The resolution states: 'Instruction on the required topics must be factual and may not suppress or distort significant historical events, such as the Holocaust, and may not define American history as something other than the creation of a new nation based largely on universal principles stated in the Declaration of Independence.' The specifics of how the resolution will be enforced will likely be up to each individual school board, but with the passage of the resolution, Florida has become the sixth state to ban teaching critical race theory in just the past few months. Critical race theory is an educational concept that claims racism is a social construct that has been embedded in American legal systems and policies. It 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, with supporters saying it is vital to eliminate racism in America and opponents claiming it actually promotes racism by categorizing people into different groups. Here is a breakdown of the states that have banned critical race theory in public schools or are considering a ban: Governor Ron DeSantis has publicly vowed not to let it be taught in the state's schools Florida - BANNED The Florida State Board of Education voted unanimously on Tuesday to pass a resolution that would ban the teaching of the critical race theory in schools. The resolution does not specifically name critical race theory, but states: 'Instruction on the required topics must be factual and may not suppress or distort significant historical events, such as the Holocaust, and may not define American history as something other than the creation of a new nation based largely on universal principles stated in the Declaration of Independence.' It comes months after Governor Ron DeSantis vowed not to let the critical race theory be taught in the state's schools. He 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.' Georgia - BANNED The Georgia State Board of Education voted 11 - 2 on June 3 to pass a resolution banning the teaching of critical race theory in schools, after Republican Governor Brian Kemp wrote the board a letter urging them to adopt such a policy. In the letter, Kemp writes: 'It is ridiculous that the Biden Administration is considering using taxpayer funds to push a blatantly partisan agenda in Georgia classrooms. 'Parents, educators and local communities here in the Peach State know how best to educate their students not the federal government,' he wrote, adding: 'Education in Georgia should reflect our fundamental values as a state and nation freedom, equality and the God-given potential of each individual.' The state's new policy 'no state education agency, school district or school shall teach or instruct' any concepts about race in the classroom that make 'an individual feel discomfort, guilt, anguish or any form of psychological distress on account of his or her race or sex.' Board members Leonte Benton and Kenneth Mason were the only two dissenting votes, with Mason, a black man telling CBS Atlanta, 'The statement, when I read it, made me feel like I don't belong, because it excused the existence of racism.' Helen Rice, a white board member, however defended the move, saying: 'We are respecting equality. That means treating people like you'd like to be treated.' Montana - BANNED Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen issued a binding opinion on May 27 that labeled critical race theory and some antiracism programs taught in schools as 'discriminatory' and said they violate federal and state law, the Associated Press reported. Knudsen's decision came after Republican Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen requested the AG to weigh in on the issue. 'Committing racial discrimination in the name of ending racial discrimination is both illogical and illegal,' Knudsen said in a statement. 'Montana law does not tolerate schools, other government entities, or employers implementing CRT and antiracist programming in a way that treats individuals differently on the basis of race that creates a racially hostile environment.' The order states that certain activities that fall under the umbrella of critical race theory teaching violate the U.S. and state constitutions. The activities include grading students differently based on race, forcing people to admit privilege or reflect on their racial identities, assigning fault, blame or bias to a race, and offering training or assignments that force students or employees to support concepts such as racial privilege, AP reported. Schools and government and public workplaces in Montana that offer critical race theory training or activities could lose state funding and could be liable for damages from lawsuits, AP reported. Knudsen's office also encouraged students and parents who believe they experience illegal discrimination under critical race theory programming to sue their schools directly or file complains with the U.S. Department of Education. Tennessee - BANNED A Tennessee law that bans teachers from teaching the critical race theory was signed by the Governor Bill Lee on May 24, 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 - BANNED 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 - BANNED 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.' Texas - IN PROGRESS Both houses of the Texas Legislature passed a bill on May 22 that would ban schools from requiring staff to discuss or teach critical race theory. '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- IN PROGRESS 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 - IN PROGRESS 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 - IN PROGRESS 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 - IN PROGRESS 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. New Hampshire - IN PROGRESS 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 - IN PROGRESS 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 - IN PROGRESS 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 - IN PROGRESS North Carolina House Republicans approved a plan on May 19 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 - IN PROGRESS 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.' Vaccines have reversed the fortunes of Covid hotspot Bolton and shown it is safe to end lockdown on June 21, according to its council leader. David Greenhalgh said the jabs helped Bolton cope with a case surge by severing the link between infections and hospitalisations, ensuring the NHS was not overwhelmed as rates rocketed to the highest in the country. Infections have now dropped and even at their recent high point last month there were only 49 Covid patients in hospital a third of their previous peak of 162 in November. Daily infections there hit a high of 296 in November, which coincided with a peak in daily Covid hospital admissions of 37. Army medics give Covid vaccinations to patients at a pop-up vaccination centre in Bolton In contrast, as daily infections hit a similar level of 284 last month, Covid hospitalisations never exceeded 14. There are currently 11 Covid patients on ventilators in Bolton half the pandemic peak of 22 in April 2020. Only two people have died within 28 days of a positive Covid test in Bolton within the past week. But there were 55 deaths in the week to April 17 last year, with 14 on a single day. Bolton has had fewer than ten Covid deaths a week since March 13 this year. Mr Greenhalgh said it is because vaccines are stopping people from catching the virus or limiting the extent of any illness. Vaccines have reversed the fortunes of Covid hotspot Bolton and shown it is safe to end lockdown on June 21, according to its council leader. Pictured: Army medics at a vaccination centre in Bolton Patients now being admitted to hospital with Covid are typically younger, and the vast majority have not been vaccinated, he added. His optimism is shared by Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, who said the situation in Bolton should give other areas hope. Mr Hopson said: 'If Bolton has gone through its complete cycle and if other areas follow Bolton, the view from the hospital there was that they were able to cope with the level of infections.' Infection rates in Bolton peaked at 452.8 per 100,000 people in May, compared with a national average at the time of 23.1. Testing helped identify areas where infections were rising fastest. It meant officials, with some help from the Army, could encourage uptake of vaccines at pop-up clinics. Mr Greenhalgh, a Conservative, said: 'There hasn't been the hospitalisations and people presenting with serious illness.' He said only 'one or two' patients admitted to hospital with Covid had received both doses of vaccine and they had been of 'considerable age' with underlying health conditions. Mr Greenhalgh urged Boris Johnson to continue with the next stage of his roadmap out of lockdown on June 21. He said: 'All the evidence points to the vaccine holding up and Bolton has shown what can be done. 'Businesses must now be given the opportunity to reopen and to be able to recoup some of their lost income.' The jabs rollout could be even faster with a more ready supply of the Pfizer vaccine, NHS sources say. While progress was quick with jabs for adults in their thirties, it has slowed in the last few weeks amongst those in their 20s. The 25-29 age group are currently being invited to book vaccine slots and the Government has a target of jabbing all over 18s by the end of next month. But NHS officials say they have the capacity to carry out many more jabs each day but are limited by the availability of Pfizer doses. NHS officials have said they have the capacity to carry out more jabs each day but are limited by the availability of Pfizer doses. Pictured: A man stands next to a Covid-19 vaccination centre in London This is largely because adults in their twenties and thirties are not being given the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine following a decision by Government advisors in light of the risk of blood clots. The issue is critical because protecting the population with at least one dose is seen as critical to the Government's Covid 'roadmap' to reopen the economy. Yesterday, vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi admitted supplies of the Pfizer vaccine were 'tight' but 'stable', and said he hoped all adults would be given their first dose by the end of July. He also said he was 'conscious' that the recommendation from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation that the AstraZeneca vaccine should not be used for those under 40 had placed 'increased pressure' on supplies. Asked if supplies would be 'tight' in the coming weeks, he replied: 'It will be, there is no doubt. I've said that the determining factor in terms of vaccine-in-arms is supply. 'And supply remains finite, but it is stable... Pfizer have done remarkable things to increase their production, not just for us but for the whole world... But it is tight.' Although adults in their twenties and thirties can, in theory, be offered the Moderna jab as an alternative to Oxford/AstraZeneca, supplies are limited. This places even more pressure on the availability of Pfizer doses. Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi admitted supplies of the Pfizer vaccine were 'tight' but 'stable' Meanwhile Scotland's health secretary Humza Yousaf has warned that supply issues could restrict the vaccination rollout. He wrote a letter to Health Secretary Matt Hancock obtained by the i newspaper saying stocks in Scotland would likely dip this month before recovering again in July. Mr Zahawi said he was 'absolutely confident' Scotland would get the Pfizer doses it needs to meet its targets. Pfizer said it remains on course to 'continue to deliver a steady supply of vaccines to the UK'. Jeremy Corbyn has faced fresh calls for his expulsion from Labour after he denied that Jewish MP Luciana Berger was 'hounded out' from the party amid an anti-semitism row. Ms Berger, 40, former Labour representative for the Liverpool Wavertree constituency, resigned her position in February 2019 - citing bullying and the party's failure to tackle anti-semitism. Speaking at the time, she accused Corbyn of turning Labour into an 'institutionally anti-Semitic' party filled with abuse as she and seven other MPs sensationally quit the party. Meanwhile, a landmark 130-page report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission found 'significant failings in the way the Labour Party has handled anti-Semitism complaints over the last four years' with 'specific examples of harassment, discrimination and political interference'. But the former Labour leader told Cambridge University's debating society that Ms Berger was 'not hounded out' and instead chose to 'unfortunately resign'. Jeremy Corbyn has faced fresh calls for his expulsion from Labour after he denied that Jewish MP Luciana Berger was 'hounded out' from the party amid an anti-semitism row in 2019 Mr Corbyn had been singled out for criticism by some of his party's most prominent female figures over the treatment of Jewish MP Luciana Berger two years ago. Harriet Harman, the former leader, Margaret Hodge, and Dame Louise Ellman all called for Berger to be spared from being ousted for criticising Corbyn's handling of the anti-Semitism crisis. But speaking this week to Cambridge University's Joel Rosen, Mr Corbyn claimed his party 'gave her all the support she needed and deserved'. He also explained that although Ms Berger was on the receiving end of 'appalling abuse', but that 'Diane Abbott received appalling abuse - and so did Dawn Butler.' Joe Glasman, the head of political investigations at the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism, told the Telegraph: 'Despite the findings of the EHRC, and despite the complaints made by us against him, and despite his brief suspension from the party and ongoing suspension from the Parliamentary Labour Party, he continues to refuse to accept the scale of the problem or his responsibility for it. Ms Berger, 40, the former Labour representative for Liverpool Wavertree, resigned her position in February 2019 - citing bullying and the party's failure to tackle anti-semitism 'Mr Corbyn has not learned a thing. 'Given that Sir Keir Starmer has insisted that anyone who holds views such as these 'should be nowhere near the Labour Party', it is time for Mr Corbyn to go. 'We have previously called for Mr Corbyn to be expelled by the Labour Party. We reiterate that call today.' Mr Corbyn was suspended from the Labour Party last October after he downplayed a damning report into anti-Semitism that ruled that it illegally harassed and discriminated against Jews under his leadership. Among the charges levelled at Labour were the fact that out of 70 anti-Semitism complains analysed, 23 showed signs of 'political interference' by Mr Corbyn's office and others. Although he wasn't directly cited in the report, the 'lack of leadership within the Labour Party' was drawn to - which it said was 'hard to reconcile with its stated commitment to a zero-tolerance approach to anti-Semitism'. Speaking at the time Ms Berger described the findings as 'damning' and added: 'I don't think they could have been any worse than what we've heard and seen today'. World leaders will commit today to work together to crush future pandemics within 100 days. The G7 nations will sign what will be known as the Carbis Bay Declaration, after the Cornish resort where the summit is being held. As part of the strategy, Britain will build a 25million animal vaccine centre to halt the spread of new diseases and therefore prevent them from jumping to humans. The G7 nations the UK, US, Canada, Japan, France, Germany and Italy will commit to measures aimed at slashing the time taken to develop and license vaccines, treatments and diagnostics for any future disease to under 100 days About three-quarters of new human diseases are thought to have started in animals. The Animal Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre at Pirbright in Surrey will be backed by 10million from the Government and 14.5million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The centre will draw on the existing Pirbright Institutes world-leading expertise in preventing and controlling the spread of viruses in order to accelerate the delivery of vaccines for livestock diseases. Melinda French Gates, as she is now known after separating from the Microsoft founder, and the UKs chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance will present findings from their work on the pandemic preparedness partnership to the G7 leaders today. The Carbis Bay Declaration will incorporate the recommendations of their findings, which highlight how the first 100 days after the identification of an epidemic threat are crucial to changing its course and preventing it from becoming a pandemic. The G7 nations the UK, US, Canada, Japan, France, Germany and Italy will commit to measures aimed at slashing the time taken to develop and license vaccines, treatments and diagnostics for any future disease to under 100 days. The Animal Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre at Pirbright in Surrey will be backed by 10million from the Government and 14.5million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation The G7 nations will sign what will be known as the Carbis Bay Declaration, after the Cornish resort where the summit is being held They will also promise to reinforce global surveillance networks and support reforming and strengthening the World Health Organisation. Boris Johnson said last night: To truly defeat coronavirus and recover we need to prevent a pandemic like this from ever happening again. 'That means learning lessons from the last 18 months and doing it differently next time around. I am proud that for the first time today the worlds leading democracies have come together to make sure that never again will we be caught unawares. Covid is thought to have spread to humans from bats, although some now believe it might have escaped from a laboratory in China. Advertisement Boris Johnson today demanded the EU 'gets it into their heads' that Northern Ireland is part of the UK as he ramped up the 'sausage war' after a showdown with Emmanuel Macron. The PM branded the bloc's approach to the Brexit rules 'theological' in a round of broadcast interviews after holding talks with Mr Macron, Angela Merkel and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen at the G7 summit in Cornwall. And he insisted he 'will not hesitate' to suspend the Northern Ireland protocol unilaterally if Brussels does not compromise over hampering trade between mainland Britain and the province. 'I think if the protocol continues to be applied in this way, then we will obviously not hesitate to invoke Article 16, as i have said before,' he said. 'Don't forget, the EU themselves invoked Article 16 in January, to disapply the protocol, so they can stop removal of vaccines from the EU to the UK. 'I've talked to some of our friends here today, who do seem to misunderstand that the UK is a single country, a single territory. I just need to get that into their heads.' Ministers have made clear they will not allow British traders to be hit with a complete ban on sausage exports to Northern Ireland when a 'grace period' on the Brexit deal expires at the end of this month. But French diplomats say Mr Macron used the pair's meeting this morning to insist that relations can only improve if the premier 'keeps his word' on the terms he agreed. He has already vowed to veto any fundamental renegotiation of the protocol, saying the idea is 'not serious'. After months of impasse, Mr Johnson is now ready to extend the grace period within days, probably until at least the end of the year unless there is a breakthrough. Whitehall sources said he believes he has 'no alternative' but to intervene to block Brussels rules that would ban firms in Great Britain sending chilled meat products to Ulster. Downing Street pointedly stressed that the PM is 'currently' committed to working through the protocol, but added: 'We keep all options on the table.' He prepared for the showdown with EU counterparts by going for a swim near the luxurious hotel where the summit is happening. Earlier, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: 'They can be more pragmatic about the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol in a way that is win-win or they can be bloody-minded and purist about it in which case I am afraid we will not allow the integrity of the UK to be threatened.' Boris Johnson held talks with Emmanuel Macron at the G7 summit this morning, as well as meeting Angela Merkel and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen On the eve of the Carbis Bay gathering Mr Macron vowed to veto any overhaul of the terms, saying the idea is 'not serious' Mr Johnson and Mr Macron traded blows over the Northern Ireland protocol during their meeting today Mr Johnson and German Chancellor Mrs Merkel also met for a bilateral at the summit in Cornwall this morning Mr Johnson (centre) kicks off discussions with EU council president Charles Michel (left) and Ursula von der Leyen (right) Ms von der Leyen said after the talks that the EU had 'complete unity' over the need to implement the Northern Ireland rules The PM got in the mood for the potentially explosive encounter with Mr Macron by swimming in Carbis Bay this morning The premier also went for a jog as he tries to keep his health kick going during the gathering of world leaders this weekend How sausages sparked a cold meat war between the UK and EU The 'sausage war' row is the latest front in the ongoing stand-off between Britain and the European Union over Northern Ireland. When Boris Johnson agreed a Brexit deal with Brussels to make Brexit happen it included the Northern Ireland Protocol. This is a complex trade agreement that tries to deal with the fact that Ulster is the only part of the UK with an EU land border, with Ireland. The new arrangements have caused some disruption to trade since the start of the year as firms have struggled with new processes and administration. Under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, which ended decades of sectarian violence in Ulster, the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland must remain 'soft', ie no 'hard' border posts with checks on traffic. The NIP, which was signed off by both sides, effectively keeps Northern Ireland in the European single market for goods in order to avoid a hard border with Ireland. Despite Mr Johnson's claims to the contrary, it has meant erecting a trade barrier in the Irish Sea for goods crossing from Great Britain, which have to face customs checks before entering Northern Ireland - even if they are not being taken into the Republic. A six-month 'grace period' for these checks was agreed to allow the infrastructure to be put in place, which runs out at the end of June. But the checks have infuriated the loyalist community in Northern Ireland, who are outraged at the internal UK free market is being interrupted. Earlier this year, armed loyalist groups said they were temporarily withdrawing support for the 1998 peace agreement due to concerns over the Brexit deal. The groups said they believed Britain, Ireland and the EU had breached their commitments to the peace deal. The UK Government has not ruled out unilaterally extending the check-free period after June 30, but that has angered the EU, which says that the UK must honour the deal it signed up to less than six months ago. Brussels has threatened to launch a trade war against Britain if it fails to implement checks on goods entering Northern Ireland under the terms of the Brexit 'divorce' settlement which Mr Johnson signed. European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic last said patience with the UK was wearing 'very, very thin' after talks in London ended in deadlock. Advertisement The PM's spokesman said he set out 'clearly' the UK's position and the need for 'urgent' solutions. Brexit minister Lord Frost attended all three bilaterals with the EU leaders. No10 insisted the EU chiefs had not raised the threat of trade reprisals if the UK extends the grace period for Northern Ireland. Mr Johnson's hope is for 'pragmatic compromise to be agreed at speed'. 'They discussed the need to come up with a solution,' the spokesman said. 'The PM's desire currently is to work within the existing protocol to find radical changes and pragmatic solutions.' But the spokesman added: 'We keep all options on the table.' A French source said Mr Macron told the PM the two countries had common interests, but that ties could improve only if Johnson kept his word on Brexit. 'The president told Boris Johnson there needed to be a reset of the Franco-British relationship,' the source said. 'This can happen provided that he keeps his word with the Europeans.' No 10 has rejected an EU 'compromise' proposal for Britain to accept ongoing alignment with Brussels rules on the grounds it would make it impossible to strike ambitious trade deals. European leaders have warned this week that unilateral action would lead to retaliatory measures, including tariffs and quotas. EU leaders appeared to be co-ordinating their response yesterday when they held an impromptu get-together with Italian PM Mario Draghi and European Council chief Charles Michel at the Carbis Bay resort where the summit is being held. Mr Macron tweeted in a pointed remark: 'As always, the same union, the same determination to act, the same enthusiasm.' He has already been accused of 'posturing' after warning the UK that 'nothing is renegotiable'. But last night there were signs the EU was backing down over its threats to escalate the crisis. Irish broadcaster RTE quoted an EU source suggesting the bloc could now take a softly-softly approach for fear of falling into the 'trap' of inflaming tensions in the Province as the Unionist 'marching season' reaches its climax. The source said: 'The EU doesn't want to get sucked into the stupid sausage war type narrative, where we would be seen to be coming on heavy because of things like chilled meat, sausages etc.' EU leaders had been hoping that US President Joe Biden would pressure the PM to back down in order to avoid increasing tensions in Northern Ireland. In an extraordinary move, it emerged before the summit that American diplomats had issued a 'demarche' against the UK - a rarely-used formal rebuke to an ally over policy. However, the White House then humiliatingly backed off a public confrontation amid anger from the government and Brexiteers. No 10 said the US President was in 'complete harmony' with the PM after talks on Thursday. Mr Johnson yesterday revealed he had given Mr Biden details of the disproportionate checks being imposed by the EU on goods traded from Britain to Northern Ireland. He told the BBC: 'Twenty per cent of the checks conducted across the whole of the perimeter of the EU are now done in Northern Ireland, three times as many as happen in Rotterdam.' He added: 'There are ways of enforcing the protocol, ways of making it work that may be excessively burdensome.' The PM insisted it would be possible to 'sort out' the issues. But officials are pessimistic about an immediate breakthrough. The dispute arises out of provisions in the Brexit deal that leave Northern Ireland within the EU's single market for goods. Mr Johnson accuses Brussels of taking a 'purist' approach to the deal and applying it to all goods crossing the Irish Sea, regardless of whether or not they are set to enter the EU. The main summit agenda will see the leaders commit to a new plan aimed at preventing a repeat of the Covid-19 pandemic. The leaders of the UK, US, Canada, Japan, France, Germany and Italy will close the day with a barbecue on the beach, with entertainment provided by a Cornish sea shanty group and a Red Arrows flypast. The main business of the summit will see the leaders discuss building resilience to future crises, consider foreign policy and then decide on their response to Covid-19. Leaders from the G7 will commit to a new plan the Carbis Bay Declaration to quash future pandemics within the first 100 days. The UK will also create a new animal vaccine centre aimed at preventing future diseases crossing from creatures to humans. More than 1,000 demonstrators gathered in the shallow waters off Gyllyngvase Beach in Falmouth to protest at the destruction of the oceans by polluting nations. Pictured, an inflatable shark with the words 'eat people not plastic' Organisers said they were thrilled by the turnout of the wet suit clad protestors as hundreds of people took to the water In nearby Falmouth, protesters gathered around a banner that read 'this is an ocean and climate emergency before thrashing the water with their paddles and calling out for change As part of Mr Johnson's 'Global Britain' agenda the leaders of South Korea, India, Australia and South Africa will also take part in the summit events, expanding the G7 to take in other prominent democracies. At the end of the day, the leaders attending the event India's Narendra Modi will only participate remotely because of the coronavirus crisis in his country will relax with a barbecue on the beach cooked by Simon Stallard, chef at the Hidden Hut in Portscatho. They will be served sirloin and lobster and can then enjoy hot buttered rum and toasted marshmallows around fire pits on the beach. Sea shanty group Du Hag Owr will provide the musical accompaniment to the event. Meanwhile, the Duchess of Cambridge and US first lady Jill Biden have written a joint article on the importance of early childhood, following their visit to a primary school in Cornwall, where the G7 is taking place. The two women met for the first time on Friday at Connor Downs Academy in Hayle, where they took part in a round-table discussion with experts on the importance of the early years of childhood for future outcomes. In the article, published by CNN, they say there must be a fundamental shift in how the UK and US approach the earliest years of life. 'If we care about how children perform at school, how they succeed in their careers when they are older, and about their lifelong mental and physical health, then we have to care about how we are nurturing their brains, their experiences and relationships in the early years before school,' they write. Mr Macron cosied up to UK president Joe Biden despite social distancing rules as the summit kicked off yesterday Ursula von der Leyen (left with Mr Macron and EU council chief Charles Michel in Cornwall yesterday) are also holding talks with Mr Johnson The move puts him on collision course with Emmanuel Macron (second from right), Angela Merkel and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen (right), whom he will meet for separate talks at the G7 summit in Cornwall today (pictured: Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, left, and Joe Biden, second from left) World leaders will join forces in bid to stop any new pandemic within 100 days: G7 nations vow to slash time taken to develop and license vaccines World leaders will commit today to work together to crush future pandemics within 100 days. The G7 nations will sign what will be known as the Carbis Bay Declaration, after the Cornish resort where the summit is being held. As part of the strategy, Britain will build a 25million animal vaccine centre to halt the spread of new diseases and therefore prevent them from jumping to humans. About three-quarters of new human diseases are thought to have started in animals. The Animal Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre at Pirbright in Surrey will be backed by 10million from the Government and 14.5million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The centre will draw on the existing Pirbright Institute's world-leading expertise in preventing and controlling the spread of viruses in order to accelerate the delivery of vaccines for livestock diseases. Melinda French Gates, as she is now known after separating from the Microsoft founder, and the UK's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance will present findings from their work on the pandemic preparedness partnership to the G7 leaders today. The Carbis Bay Declaration will incorporate the recommendations of their findings, which highlight how the first 100 days after the identification of an epidemic threat are crucial to changing its course and preventing it from becoming a pandemic. The G7 nations the UK, US, Canada, Japan, France, Germany and Italy will commit to measures aimed at slashing the time taken to develop and license vaccines, treatments and diagnostics for any future disease to under 100 days. The Animal Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre at Pirbright in Surrey will be backed by 10million from the Government and 14.5million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation The G7 nations will sign what will be known as the Carbis Bay Declaration, after the Cornish resort where the summit is being held They will also promise to reinforce global surveillance networks and support reforming and strengthening the World Health Organisation. Boris Johnson said last night: 'To truly defeat coronavirus and recover we need to prevent a pandemic like this from ever happening again. 'That means learning lessons from the last 18 months and doing it differently next time around. I am proud that for the first time today the world's leading democracies have come together to make sure that never again will we be caught unawares.' Covid is thought to have spread to humans from bats, although some now believe it might have escaped from a laboratory in China. Advertisement Boris Johnson is set to push Freedom Day to July 19 as a new poll shows the majority of Britons want ministers to delay the lifting of all lockdown rules amid a spike in Indian variant cases. A total of 53 per cent of UK voters want some lockdown rules to stay across the UK past June 21 - while 25 per cent want all freedom-limiting legislation to remain. Just 34 per cent of people said they would like life to go back to normal on the day Boris Johnson promised it would, a poll of 1,392 people conducted by YouGov for The Times found. It comes as Michael Tildesley, a University of Warwick epidemiologist, told BBC Radio 4 scientists needed to find the link between cases and hospital admissions before any decisions could be made. A separate question in the YouGov poll saw 22 per cent of people dub the rule of six - which currently limits indoor gatherings to just six people - their least favourite lockdown rule and said it should be lifted first. The Prime Minister is preparing to postpone the final stage of his Covid roadmap by four weeks in a move likely to enrage MPs, business leaders and hospitality chiefs. But in a bid to appease Tory MPs and ministers including Chancellor Rishi Sunak who are keen to unleash the economy, the Prime Minister is expected to promise a review after a fortnight. This could allow curbs to be ditched earlier if hospital admissions remain low. The setback has been prompted by a sharp rise in cases of the Indian variant, and the British Medical Association calling for a delay to allow more people to receive their second jabs. Boris Johnson (pictured today) is set to push Freedom Day to July 19 as a new poll shows the majority of Britons want ministers to delay the lifting of all lockdown rules amid a spike in Indian variant cases Cabinet sources last night conceded that Freedom Day on June 21 was 'not looking great', with a four-week extension to Covid restrictions now 'most likely'. Under the PM's Covid roadmap, June 21 was supposed to be the day when all social distancing curbs were lifted and the work-from-home advice abandoned. Mr Johnson will make a final decision tomorrow night, before making an announcement to the nation on Monday evening. Mr Tildesley, a University of Warwick epidemiologist, said that although cases are going up, because of the success of the vaccine rollout it is not known what effect removing restrictions could have on hospital admissions. He said: 'We don't want to be slipping into another lockdown. To avoid this we have to be cautious and make sure we get enough data from the government as possible informing what we might expect in a future wave as we start to unlock further. 'I understand people really want to open up as soon as possible but of course what we don't want is a big wave of hospital admissions by doing so so it's a really difficult decision the Government are going to have to make over the next few days.' Children SHOULD be vaccinated against Covid says Professor Peter Openshaw who advises ministers on the pandemic A Government adviser has urged ministers to consider vaccinating school-aged children to protect them from coronavirus. Professor Peter Openshaw, a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG), revealed 'on balance' he has come to the view children need to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Experts are still divided on whether Britain should begin vaccinating children this summer, with some insisting it would help deal with the Indian variant but critics suggesting supplies should be used to squash the pandemic abroad first. But Professor Openshaw said because children are now spreading the Delta variant, first discovered in India, in schools the case for vaccination is stronger. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'A lot of people are sitting on the fence about this but I think on balance I'm coming to the view that vaccination of children there's a very strong argument there.' He said the vaccine was safe for children, while prolonged symptoms of coronavirus meant one in ten sufferers have not fully recovered. He added: 'Originally with the Wuhan strain it didn't seem there was very much amplification of the epidemic going on amongst people who were at school in contrast to what we know about influenza, where schools are often the major driver of spread. 'But with these more transmissible variants it is evident that they are being transmitted much more amongst young adults and school children and even younger children and that seems perhaps to be a change in the biological quality of the infection. 'It's still fortunately not causing very high disease rates amongst those kids but it does strengthen the argument against vaccination.' He said the Government 'absolutely needs to have the discussion' as research proves the 'safety and efficacy in terms of generating an antibody response in children'. He added: 'We're also quite concerned about the prolonged symptoms that some people do experience after acute infection and there is a sort of u-shaped curve in the perception of recovery from Covid in that older people and also much younger people don't feel perfectly back to full health after covid. '1 in 10 are getting prolonged symptoms and I think that's another argument for extending vaccination.' Meanwhile, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) last week approved Pfizer's Covid vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds. Advertisement Lawrence Young, virologist Warwick University said the country was in 'a much stronger position than we've ever been during previous waves'. He said the vaccine has broken the link between cases, hospital admissions and deaths. He said delaying lockdown by four weeks would allow more Britons to be vaccinated against the disease. He added: 'This timeframe will give more protection to millions of people who haven't had their second doses but are still vulnerable to infection. 'The delay will allow us to look at more data, make sure we're not seeing a really significant increase in hospitalisations, but also to get more vaccines into arms.' Peter Openshaw, an immunologist at Imperial College London agreed the country needed more time to continue its vaccination program before restrictions are completely removed. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'We need more time for the vaccination programme. We've still got 2million people over 50 unvaccinated and 30million unvaccinated younger adults.' Professor Openshaw, a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG), revealed 'on balance' he has come to the view children need to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Experts are still divided on whether Britain should begin vaccinating children this summer, with some insisting it would help deal with the Indian variant but critics suggesting supplies should be used to squash the pandemic abroad first. But Professor Openshaw said because children are now spreading the Delta variant, first discovered in India, in schools the case for vaccination is stronger. He added: 'A lot of people are sitting on the fence about this but I think on balance I'm coming to the view that vaccination of children there's a very strong argument there.' Professor Tom Solomon, director of the Health Protection Research Unit in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections at the University of Liverpool, said the country could not afford a 'bad decision' on unlocking. He told BBC Breakfast that while vaccines were having a 'massive impact', opening up could lead to hospitals being overwhelmed. Prof Solomon added: 'If you look at hospitalisations, they are doubling - the numbers are small but they are doubling approximately every seven days - and so if you then suddenly say we are going to open up completely we may end up with the hospitals overwhelmed again. 'So I think, unfortunately, we are just going to have to maybe give it another month until we have so many more people vaccinated.' Foreign Office minister James Cleverly said it was 'key' that the country did not trip up at the final hurdle and that restrictions will be lifted in 'a way that is safe'. Mr Cleverly told Times Radio on Saturday: 'The point we've made right at the start of this progressive easing of lockdown is that we'll be guided by the scientific evidence. 'This will be based on data rather than just on dates. And we want to make sure that we continue with the speedy rollout and vaccination process. 'But ultimately we do, all of us, want to get back to the normal way of living and have these restrictions lifted. But it's really, really key that we don't trip up, potentially at the final hurdle. And so we want to ease these restrictions in a way that is safe.' However a delay - potentially to July 19 - will come as a bitter blow to many businesses, particularly in the hospitality and leisure sectors, which had been pinning their hopes on a full summer reopening to help recoup some of the losses of the past year. For Labour, shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said the country was now paying the price for the refusal of ministers to heed the warnings of its own Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage). 'Any delay in rolling back restrictions would be a huge blow for many families and businesses across the country. The fault for this lies squarely with Conservative ministers,' he said. 'Despite warnings from Labour, Sage and others they continued with a reckless border policy that allowed the Delta variant to reach the UK and spread. 'Now the British people look set to have to pay the price.' Scientists now estimate that 96 per cent of all new cases of coronavirus are attributed to the Delta variant. Speaking at the start of the G7 summit in Cornwall, Boris Johnson told his fellow world leaders that mistakes had 'doubtless' been made over the last 18 months during the course of the 'wretched' coronavirus pandemic England's coronavirus R rate is higher than at any time since October at a minimum of 1.2 and possible high of 1.4, SAGE estimated yesterday Public Health England data show how it took just a matter of weeks for the Indian 'Delta' variant to smash past the Kent strain and take over as dominant in England, with it surging to make up 96 per cent of cases in just nine weeks Officials told the Mail last night that the debate in Downing Street was now concentrated on whether to 'pause' the reopening by two weeks or four. In a significant intervention, the British Medical Association called on Mr Johnson to hold off until more people had received both doses of the vaccine. Its council chairman Dr Chaand Nagpaul said the figures showed more time was needed to get the vaccine to more people. 'With only 54.2 per cent of the adult population currently fully vaccinated and many younger people not yet eligible, there is a huge risk that prematurely relaxing all restrictions will undo the excellent work of the vaccine programme and lead to a surge of infections,' he said. Weddings could still get an exemption, with the 30-person cap on guests lifted on June 21 to allow the big weddings that many couples have booked to go ahead. However, the delay to lifting the remainder of the curbs which ban nightclubs opening, limit crowds at theatres and sporting events, restrict capacity indoors at pubs and restaurants and prevent people meeting in large groups is likely to enrage many MPs, hospitality leaders and business chiefs. The Mail revealed this week that Mr Sunak had told Mr Johnson he could live with a delay of 'a week or two' but would resist any further slippage as this could involve extending the furlough scheme. On Friday, nightclubs and bars threatened to sue the Government if the planned lifting of restrictions was postponed. The Office for National Statistics' weekly infection survey suggested England's outbreak grew by only 13 per cent last week to 96,800 total cases - compared to a near-doubling 75 per cent surge the week before Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said the UK must be 'really careful' so not to 'squander' gains made with vaccines. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to delay the end of lockdown planned for June 21 The R rate is highest in the North West, where it could be as high as 1.5. The region is the Indian variant hotspot and cases there have exploded in the past fortnight. A quarter of all the 7,400 cases announced in the UK yesterday were in the North West Andrew Lloyd Webber has already warned that he could take ministers to court if they do not allow theatres to operate at full capacity as planned. And yesterday furious Tory MPs warned they will use every mechanism at their disposal to resist the delay of Freedom Day. Julian Sturdy, the Conservative MP for York Outer, said: 'Despite what lockdown supporters claim, it is simply not just a few extra weeks. People's livelihoods, mental health and our long-term freedoms are at permanent risk.' The move towards delaying June 21 came after the number of cases of the Indian variant also known as the Delta variant increased by 240 per cent in a week. Public Health England said the infections had risen from 12,431 to 42,323 in the latest seven-day period, an increase of 29,892 cases. The majority of cases appeared to be among the unvaccinated. The R-rate of reproduction also increased yesterday to between 1.2 and 1.4. In a further sign that a delay is likely, vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi yesterday stressed the importance of being 'really careful' in lifting coronavirus restrictions and urged against 'squander(ing) those hard-fought gains' made by the vaccination programme. At the G7 summit in Cornwall yesterday, Mr Johnson told fellow world leaders that it was important not to 'repeat some of the errors that we doubtless made in the course of the last 18 months'. The PM has been criticised for not locking down sooner last year. Kate Nicholls, the boss of UK Hospitality, said: 'Any delay in the roadmap would have a devastating effect on an already fragile hospitality sector. 'A one-month delay would cost the sector 3billion in sales and push many businesses even closer to the cliff edge of failure, meaning more job losses.' Public Health England graphs show how the Indian 'Delta' variant (pink) rapidly overtook all other strains of the virus to become dominant in April and May The North West (dark blue) has been by far the hardest hit region by the new variant while London (yellow) has experienced the second highest number of cases Most Delta cases have been in young adults and teenagers, who are unvaccinated, while there have been significantly fewer positive tests in older people, particularly over-50s, most of whom have had two doses of a jab. The true test of the vaccine will be whether the age distribution stays this way as the outbreak gets larger This heat map shows the hotspots for positive test samples that scientists believe are the Delta variant, with the most cases concentrated in the North West around Manchester and Liverpool The vast majority of cases and hospital admissions triggered by the Delta variant have been in people who were unvaccinated, PHE's data show. The figures show that only one in 10 people admitted to hospital after getting infected with the variant had been given two doses of a vaccine - just 42 out of 383 - while the rest of them had either had one jab or none at all. Twelve out of 42 people to have died of the strain had been vaccinated and just 1,785 out of 33,206 infections were in double-jabbed people No10's top scientific advisers have estimated England's coronavirus R rate is higher than at any time since last October and could now be 1.4. Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi had earlier given his own downbeat assessment of the situation as he said the country must not 'squander those hard fought gains that we have made through the vaccination programme'. Speaking at the start of the G7 summit, Mr Johnson told his fellow world leaders: 'We have all been going through the most wretched pandemic our countries have faced for our lifetimes, maybe longer, much longer. 'And I actually think this is a meeting that genuinely needs to happen because we need to make sure that we learn the lessons from the pandemic, we need to make sure that we don't repeat some of the errors that we doubtless made in the course of the last 18 months or so and we need to make sure that we now allow our economies to recover. US REGULATOR STOPS USE OF SWAB TEST WIDELY-USED IN THE UK OVER ACCURACY FEARS US health chiefs have told the public to immediately stop using a lateral flow Covid test that Britain has spent around 2.8billion on. Kits sold by Innova have been put at the heart of the UK's twice-a-week swabbing blitz, with ministers hoping the regular testing programme would thwart the spread of coronavirus. But the tests, which are the NHS-packaged 'self test kits', have been mired in huge controversy since they were given the green light. Now the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates medical devices used in the US, has revealed it has 'significant concerns' over the accuracy of the test and has called on Americans who have bought it to throw it in the bin. The agency accused Innova of peddling 'false or misleading' claims about how well the tests work, with the Californian-based firm claiming they were up to 98.98 per cent accurate. The FDA said the figure didn't 'accurately reflect performance estimates observed during the clinical studies of your devices'. It added the claim 'appears unsupported by any clinical data' but did not offer any clearer accuracy figures. But real-world statistics from Britain have revealed they miss up to 40 per cent of infectious people. They are also less accurate when self-administered, which is the main way they are used in the UK. The FDA said the accuracy of the test 'has not been adequately established' and said the company could respond with any evidence if it disputes the findings. Advertisement 'I think that they have the potential to bounce back very strongly and there is all sorts of reasons for being optimistic. 'But it is vital that we don't repeat the mistake of the last great crisis, the last great economic recession in 2008, when the recovery was not uniform across all parts of society and I think what has gone wrong with this pandemic, or what risks being a lasting scar, is that I think the inequalities may be entrenched. 'We need to make sure that as we recover we level up across our societies and we build back better.' Mr Johnson faced fierce criticism over his decision in the autumn to delay the second national lockdown and Number 10 will be aware that whatever the PM decides to do regarding June 21 he is likely to face a barrage of attacks. Yesterday morning Mr Zahawi said on Times Radio: 'There has been some really hard won battles against this virus and we don't want to squander those hard fought gains that we have made through the vaccination programme. The virus hasn't gone away, the virus will continue to mutate, to escape, to try and survive, and I think it's really important that we are really careful.' Government critics were taken aback by 'terrible' data showing how the Delta variant is taking over so quickly and threatening a third wave of hospital admissions. The PHE figures show that the number of positive tests linked back to the strain more than tripled from 12,431 to 42,323 in just a week. Part of this increase was down to an improved testing system that speeds up the process of working out which variant someone is infected with, PHE said, but cases are rising in the real world, too. The variant was only discovered in April but already accounts for 96 per cent of all positives, which is likely down to the fact that it is an estimated 64 per cent more transmissible than the Kent strain was. Experts say it appears better equipped to latch onto cells in people's airways meaning less exposure is needed to trigger an infection. Nick Thomas-Symonds, Labour's Shadow Home Secretary, said: 'These figures are terrible. The pace at which cases of the Delta variant continue to rise is deeply worrying and is putting the lifting of restrictions at risk. 'The blame for this lies with the Prime Minister and his reckless refusal to act on Labour's repeated warnings to secure our borders against Covid and its variants.' And Layla Moran, Liberal Democrat MP and chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus, added: 'These figures should set alarm bells ringing in government as we approach the 21st June. 'It is particularly concerning that the increased transmissibility of the Delta variant is above the worst-case scenario modelled by SAGE, with cases estimated to be doubling every 4.5 days in some regions. 'The government must immediately explain to the public whether this exponential growth suggests the country is in line for a severe third wave, and if so what it is doing to prevent this.' On plans for June 21 Mr Johnson's spokesperson said the PM would make his final decision over the weekend: 'I am not going to get into speculation. The Prime Minister addressed the question yesterday and the vaccines minister spoke about it as well this morning. 'We are closely looking at the data and assessing against the four tests which we published in the roadmap, particularly on hospitalisations, and we will set out an update on Monday.' Although figures for the Indian variant specifically are rocketing, numbers for the outbreak overall are increasing more slowly. Yesterday's weekly ONS report found that an estimated 96,800 people were coronavirus-positive last week, compared to 85,600 the week before. This was a significantly smaller increase than the near-doubling from 48,500 at May's end. An estimated one in 560 people were carrying the virus by June 5, it said - around 0.18 per cent of the population. This compared to 0.08 per cent in Wales, 0.14 in Northern Ireland and an equal 0.18 in Scotland. The infection rate is significantly higher in North West England, at 0.5 per cent, than in other regions, with all others recording rates of 0.2 or 0.1 per cent. This is backed up the PHE data that showed 8,288 Indian variant cases in the North West by June 7, compared to 2,325 in London, the second worst affected area. The NW cases were almost half of all those in England. By age, secondary school pupils had the highest infection rate in the ONS survey, at 0.5 per cent. The rate was 0.4 per cent for 17 to 24-year-olds and became lower with age to 0.1 per cent among the vaccinated over-50s. The true test of the vaccines will be whether infection rates remain low among older age groups in the coming weeks and, if they do, ministers will likely be satisfied that it is safe to reopen normal society. Dr Jenny Harries, chief of the UK Health Security Agency, said: 'Vaccination is our best defence. If you are eligible, we urge you to come forward and be vaccinated. Remember that two doses provide significantly more protection than a single dose. 'However, while vaccination reduces the risk of severe disease, it does not eliminate it. With data showing that Delta is significantly more transmissible than Alpha, it is just as important as ever to follow public health advice, which has not changed. Get vaccinated, work from home where you can and remember 'hands, face, space, fresh air' at all times. These measures work, and they save lives.' Vaccines are now being offered to everyone over the age of 25 but Mr Zahawi said that supplies of the Pfizer jab, which is being used for everyone under the age of 40 as well as for second doses for around half of older people, were going to be 'tight' in the coming weeks as the rollout rattles ahead. The infection rate is significantly higher in North West England, at 0.5 per cent, than in other regions, with all others recording rates of 0.2 or 0.1 per cent By age, secondary school pupils had the highest infection rate in the ONS survey, at 0.5 per cent. The rate was 0.4 per cent for 17 to 24-year-olds and became lower with age to 0.1 per cent among the vaccinated over-50s People in their 20s were invited to book vaccine appointments for the first time this week and clamoured for the jabs with more than a million people getting booked in on Tuesday alone - a one-day record for the NHS. LIMITING ASTRAZENECA 'IS SLOWING DOWN' JABS ROLLOUT Insisting on giving people younger than 40 the Pfizer vaccine and not the AstraZeneca one is slowing down the UK's vaccine rollout, a Scottish MP has suggested. Ahead of a call between the British nations on Thursday, Humza Yousaf said Scotland needs more Pfizer doses if it is to 'maintain or increase' its current speed of rollout. He said he was 'conscious' that official advice that the AstraZeneca vaccine should not be used for those under 40 had placed 'increased pressure' on supplies. The JCVI, the UK's vaccines watchdog, decided that younger adults should be offered the Pfizer jab wherever possible because of the small risk of blood clotting after the AstraZeneca vaccine. Although both are proven to be safe for the vast majority of people ministers decided to err on the side of caution while the Covid risk was low and it was safe to wait a bit longer to get Pfizer. If the outbreak gets significantly worse or a more dangerous variant appears, the balance of risk might change and the AstraZeneca jab brought back for young people. Nadhim Zahawi and Pfizer tried to play down concerns about the supply chain. The vaccines minister said: 'I am absolutely confident, and I'll speak to Humza on this, that we will be able to deliver the Pfizer vaccines that Scotland needs to be able to meet its targets for end of July, as the United Kingdom target.' He added: 'Supply remains finite, but it is stable, and Pfizer have done a great job in being consistent on their delivery schedule.' Pfizer said in a statement: 'In the UK, quarter one deliveries (January-March) were completed in line with our contractual agreement and we remain on course to continue to deliver a steady supply of vaccines to the UK, in accordance with the monthly schedule.' Advertisement The minister said on LBC: 'Every time I've said the determining factor in terms of vaccine in arms is supply. And supply remains finite, but it is stable, and Pfizer have done a great job in being consistent on their delivery schedule.' It is believed that ministers are still considering keeping some curbs in place for a further two to four weeks to buy more time for the vaccine programme amid mounting concern about the spread of the Indian variant. While an exception is likely to be made for weddings, ministers have become increasingly pessimistic over the course of the week and are now moving closer to a delayed freedom day that could coincide with the start of the school summer holidays. The Pfizer supply setback comes as a particular blow as it makes the prospect of speeding up the vaccine roll-out to meet demand much more difficult. Scottish MP Humza Yousaf told Matt Hancock in a letter that supplies of the Pfizer jab are to be 'particularly tight over the next few weeks', not just in Scotland but across the UK, according to the i newspaper. Mr Yousaf's fears are the result of the updated advice published the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation last month, which said that under-40s should be given Pfizer or Moderna jabs rather than the AstraZeneca equivalent due to concerns over a small risk of blood clots in younger patients. And with thousands of under-30s now receiving jabs after the vaccine roll-out picked up pace, demand for doses of Pfizer has soared beyond supply levels. Yesterday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock revealed that the Indian variant now comprises 91 per cent of new infections. Figures showed Covid-19 case rates have increased across every region in England in the past week. But hospital admissions have only increased fractionally while deaths are up by just 1.9 per cent on the previous week. NHS bosses have said vaccines appear to have broken the link between rising cases and hospitalisations. Those that are admitted are often younger and less sick than during previous waves. According to NHS data published yesterday, more than 85 per cent over-50s in England considered the age group most at risk have now had two vaccine doses. If the NHS in England continues to give doses to 1.3million over-50s a week, everyone in that age bracket should be fully vaccinated by the time all remaining covid curbs are due to ease. Among younger age groups, 35.5 per cent of those aged 40 to 49 are now estimated to have had both doses, along with 22.6 per cent of those aged 30 to 39. The number of people falling ill with Covid has more than doubled in a week, a symptom-tracking study warned amid the rapid spread of the Indian variant across the UK Boris Johnson is expected to decide whether England can go ahead with the full re-opening on June 21 at a meeting in Downing Street on Sunday evening, following the conclusion of the G7 summit in Cornwall. Then, after flying to Brussels on Monday morning to attend a Nato summit, he will return to London in the evening to address the nation. The Government is planning to lift the 30-person limit on weddings, Whitehall sources confirmed last night. But they insisted the Prime Minister is still undecided about the wider lifting of measures including social distancing rules and work-from-home advice. Yesterday, the UK recorded 7,393 new coronavirus cases and seven deaths within 28 days of a positive test. Infections have risen 63 per cent in the past seven days compared to the week before. But the number of hospital admissions has remained steady and the average number of deaths each day has stayed below ten. Dr Jenny Harries, chief executive of the newly-created UK Health Security Agency, said the country was going 'not quite in the right direction' and data suggested there would be a further rise in infections in the coming weeks. But the health chief said the figures suggested that those aged 60 and above are not getting ill because they are 'doubly vaccinated'. She added that those appearing in hospital are either unvaccinated or have had a single dose. The Prime Minister's spokesman said: 'The point of the five-week gap between the steps [in the roadmap] is for us to analyse the data. That's exactly what we've been doing, and we will continue to do so ahead of saying something early next week.' Apple officials announced on Friday that they are limiting how much information they will provide federal prosecutors when they are served a subpoena. The Cupertino, California-based company said it has instituted a limit of 25 'identifiers' such as email addresses and phone numbers per subpoena. Apple made the announcement after the United States Department of Justice subpoenaed the company for information on Democratic lawmakers under former President Donald Trump. That sparked outrage after it was revealed the secret request - which saw Apple hit with a gag order - had targeted representatives Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell to try and identify the source of embarrassing leaks about the Trump administration. The subpoena came in February 2018 and asked for information on 109 identifiers, including 73 phone numbers and 36 email addresses, but officials said they did not release any emails or pictures to prosecutors. Apple, a Cupertino, California-based company, announced on Friday it would limit how much information it would provide prosecutors per subpoena The announcement came after it was revealed the Department of Justice subpoenaed the company in 2018 for information on Democratic lawmakers Adam Schiff (left) and Eric Swalwell (right) The New York Times on Thursday reported that federal prosecutors subpoenaed Apple and other companies as part of an investigation searching for the sources behind news media reports about contacts between Trump's associates and Russia. The investigation targeted at least two Democrats on the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, aides and family members, including one minor, according to The New York Times. 'The subpoena provided no information on the nature of the investigation and it would have been virtually impossible for Apple to understand the In a statement to DailyMail.com, Apple officials said the subpoena 'provided no information on the nature of the investigation' after the company unknowingly handed over the data, relating to Democratic House members Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell. 'We regularly challenge warrants, subpoenas and nondisclosure orders, and have made it our policy to inform affected customers about them just as soon as possible,' a spokesman said. The subpoenas were made under former President Donald Trump as he investigated leaks The Department of Justice is now investigating its efforts to seize the communications data or lawmakers and journalists The company said that the subpoena was issued by a federal grand jury and included a nondisclosure order signed by a federal magistrate judge. '[The subpoena] provided no information on the nature of the investigation and it would have been virtually impossible for Apple to understand the intent of the desired information without digging through users' accounts,' the spokesperson said. The company released only basic 'account subscriber information' such as names, addresses, email addresses and telephone numbers, as well as connection logs and IP addresses. It did not provide any context, such as emails or subscribers or to whom or when any messages of any kind were sent. Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz said on Friday he will investigate the department's efforts under Trump to seize the communications data of lawmakers and members of the news media. Apple receives an average of 250 data requests from law enforcement agencies every week, the Times reported. The tech giant announced its updated disclosure policy after Microsoft revealed it too had been subpoenaed by the Trump-led Justice Department. Microsoft said in a statement to The New York Times that the company received a subpoena in 2017 related to a personal email account, and later learned the person was a congressional staffer. That staffer has not been identified. Like Apple, Microsoft was under a gag order to keep the subpoena a secret and recently notified the customer that their data had been handed over after the gag order expired, the outlet reported. A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed the news in a statement to DailyMail.com. 'In 2017 Microsoft received a subpoena related to a personal email account. As we've said before, we believe customers have a constitutional right to know when the government requests their email or documents, and we have a right to tell them,' the statement to DailyMail.com reads. 'In this case, we were prevented from notifying the customer for more than two years because of a gag order. As soon as the gag order expired, we notified the customer who told us they were a congressional staffer.' The Microsoft spokesperson said the company then provided a briefing to the representative's staff following that notice. 'We will continue to aggressively seek reform that imposes reasonable limits on government secrecy in cases like this,' the statement reads. Donald Trump's Justice Department secretly subpoenaed Microsoft to access a congressional staffer's email account in a bid to expose the leakers of classified information to the press. Pictured: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Like Apple, Microsoft was under a gag order to keep the subpoena a secret and recently notified the customer that their data had been handed over Justice Department prosecutors seized metadata records from Apple for accounts belonging to Rep. Adam Schiff, pictured, and other members of the House Intelligence Committee Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, pictured, revealed he also had data from their Apple devices secretly seized by the Trump administration Trump and his administration were infuriated after detailed conversations between his aides and the Russian ambassador to the US were leaked shortly after he took office in January 2017. The new revelations show the extent of former President Donald Trump's obsession over such leaks and the extraordinary lengths his administration would go through to investigate them. His administration's probe was started under former Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Sessions' successor Bill Barr ordered the probe continue well into 2020, after accusing his own investigators of deliberately dragging their feet over the investigation. Apple revealed in a statement to DailyMail.com that the subpoena it received had 'provided no information on the nature of the investigation' after the company unknowingly handed over data relating to Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell - two of Trump's political nemeses. 'We regularly challenge warrants, subpoenas and nondisclosure orders and have made it our policy to inform affected customers of governmental requests about them just as soon as possible,' a spokesperson for Apple told DailyMail.com. The company said that the subpoena was issued by a federal grand jury and included a nondisclosure order signed by a federal magistrate judge. '[The subpoena] provided no information on the nature of the investigation and it would have been virtually impossible for Apple to understand the intent of the desired information without digging through users' accounts,' the spokesperson said. 'Consistent with the request, Apple limited the information it provided to account subscriber information and did not provide any content such as emails or pictures.' Apple received the federal grand jury subpoena seeking 'customer or subscriber account information' that came with the nondisclosure order on February 6, 2018. Prosecutors sought metadata relating to a total of 73 phone numbers and 36 email addresses, in a large and seemingly random request similar to others that tech giants, including Apple, frequently receive. Democrats want former Attorney General Bill Barr to testify about federal prosecutors subpoenaing Apple for information on Reps. Eric Swalwell and Adam Schiff Democrats also want former Attorney General Jeff Sessions to testify The revelations show the extent of Trump's obsession over leaks and the extraordinary lengths his administration would go through to investigate them The gag order was extended three times under the Trump administration but was not renewed by the Biden administration's Justice Department. The company ultimately notified the customers who were affected on May 5. The House Intelligence Committee then contacted Apple and the company confirmed that it had received the subpoena and directed the lawmakers to contact the Justice Department. The tech giant has recently addressed how it responds to such broad-scope subpoenas and has started to limit its legal requests to just 25 identifiers. When no gag order is in place, Apple typically immediately informs customers of subpoenas. The New York Times noted that Apple, at the time, received an average of 250 data requests each week from U.S. law enforcement agencies. Now, Apple receives thousands of such requests each week. The New Mexico governor who was accused of grabbing her male ex-staffer's crotch has defended her decision to settle the case for $62,500 by saying that the pandemic had demanded her attention. In her first in-person comments concerning the settlement on Friday, Michelle Lujan Grisham said: 'I was focused on the pandemic, and I'll stand by that decision every minute of every day.' Lujan Grisham's gubernatorial campaign made five payments of $12,500 from November through March to an Atlanta-based law firm representing James Hallinan. Asked whether there have been any other financial settlements and nondisclosure agreements of a similar nature, the governor said no. New Mexico governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has defended her decision to settle a sexual mistreatment case for $62,500 by saying that the pandemic had demanded her attention Hallinan first accused the Democratic governor in late 2019 of pouring a bottle of water on his crotch while laughing and then grabbing his crotch through his clothes in front of other campaign staffers. The alleged incident took place during a meeting in 2018 when Lujan Grisham was running for governor and Hallinan was working as her campaign spokesman. Lujan Grisham's political committee paid at least $62,500 to an attorney for Hallinan. Payments were made in five monthly installments to a law firm representing Hallinan, who now runs a public relations and political consulting firm. Lujan Grisham previously issued a denial of Hallinan's public allegations through a campaign spokesman. It is unclear whether Hallinan's harassment accusations ever were independently vetted. 'I have not seen anywhere in the country where there's an independent investigation over an employment claim,' Lujan Grisham said at the news conference on Friday. 'I've been open and transparent and will continue to do that.' Multiple sexual harassment and groping allegations against Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo have prompted an investigation by that state's attorney general and are included in a probe by the New York Assembly into possible impeachment charges. Cuomo denies touching anyone inappropriately. President Joe Biden speaks with Gov. Lujan Grisham during a meeting with a bipartisan group of mayors and governors to discuss a coronavirus relief package. Lujan Grisham said she settled the sexual mistreatment claims against her so she could focus on the pandemic In March, Lujan Grisham waded into the sexual harassment allegations made against Cuomo. Lujan Grisham, leader of the Democratic Governors Association, told the Washington Post the allegations against Cuomo were 'troubling'. 'I'm, frankly, in that group of elected leaders, that you believe the individual, you give real credit and credibility there, if you don't, we are revictimizing brave men and women who come forward,' she said. Lujan Grisham said 'those are not issues you find anywhere in this administration,' and noted that there was no substantiation of Hallinan's claims by witnesses. Lujan Grisham's gubernatorial campaign made five payments of $12,500 every month from November through March to an Atlanta-based law firm representing James Hallinan Hallinan first accused the Democratic governor of sexual mistreatment in a tweet in late 2019 Hallinan first accused the governor of unwanted sexual behavior in late 2019 in a series of cryptic tweets posted on Christmas Day. 'A governor @GovMLG is not above the law for her sexual and physical abuse of employees including (me!!!) I'll talk more when I return to the country,' he tweeted on December 25 2019, around one year after he stopped working for the governor. His tweet did not offer any details of the allegation and sparked an instant denial from the governor's office which released a statement calling the accusations 'bizarre and slanderous'. Days later, Hallinan revealed details of the alleged incident during a senior staff meeting at Representative Deborah Armstrong's home in the summer of 2018. Gov. Lujan Grisham declares her intention to seek reelection during a campaign rally in Albuquerque on June 3. The governor was accused by an ex-staffer of pouring water on his crotch and then grabbing it Rep. Deborah Armstrong, a former campaign treasurer and private business partner to Lujan Grisham, said she never witnessed anything inappropriate. Hallinan claimed Lujan Grisham had taken a bottle of water and poured it onto his crotch before slapping him and grabbing his crotch. He said he was speaking out more than a year later after being convinced by Dominic Gabello not to quit and not to report the incident to police. Gabello, who now works as the governor's senior adviser, was Lujan Grisham's campaign manager at the time. Lujan Grisham's office said the allegations were 'categorically false' and said others present in the meeting have also said the accusations are untrue. At a news conference on Friday, Lujan Grisham made her first in-person comments concerning the settlement concerning the sexual mistreatment claims The office also said Hallinan's work during her campaign had been 'marked by frequent and repeated incidents of inappropriate and unprofessional behavior' and said he had 'played no role whatsoever in the governor's administration'. Hallinan, who now runs his own communications firm, worked for Democratic Attorney General Hector Balderas prior to joining Lujan Grisham's campaign. State campaign finance regulators say that the settlement payments from a political campaign account are permissible because they involve an employment dispute related to Hallinan's time with the governor's election campaign. The governor's office and campaign have declined to say whether further payment is still due to Hallinan. Victorians have started the mammoth task of cleaning up after devastating floods left two dead and 64,000 people without power. Gippsland and the Yarra Ranges were hit with rising flood levels overnight, with people in the Traralgon area subject to an evacuation order. Emergency services are surveying the damage, having predicted rising flood levels in the Yarra River at Yarra Glen, the Thomson River near Sale and Traralgon Creek near Traralgon. Anyone living, working or holidaying in the Traralgon Creek area was ordered to evacuate before nightfall on Friday. Gippsland and the Yarra Ranges were hit with rising flood levels overnight, with people in the Traralgon area subject to an evacuation order Major flooding is possible at Traralgon town from Saturday afternoon, with the creek expected to reach the 'moderate' flood level of 4m by mid-morning Major flooding is possible at Traralgon town from Saturday afternoon, with the creek expected to reach the 'moderate' flood level of 4m by mid-morning. Some 300 buildings in the area have already been impacted by floodwater, and 14 roads have been closed. Moderate flooding is also occurring along the Thomson River near Sale and Wandocka. River levels are falling, but renewed rises are possible with more rain forecast for the catchment on Saturday. Stretches of the South Gippsland Highway are now closed due to the flooding. Residents along the Yarra River from Millgrove to Coldstream are advised to evacuate if it becomes necessary. The Yarra River at Yarra Glen peaked overnight at moderate flood levels but the river is still rising in Christmas Hills and Warrandyte. Victoria has been relentlessly lashed with gusty winds and heavy rainfall since Wednesday night and two people have died in the dangerous conditions. A young woman was found in a vehicle in floodwaters at Glenfyne, 200km southwest of Melbourne, on Friday, and a man's body was found in his submerged car at the Gippsland town of Woodside on Thursday. SES Victoria has had more than 7400 requests for help, with about 5800 related to fallen trees. Victoria SES chief officer Tim Wiebusch said as of mid-Friday afternoon, 100 roads remained closed, particularly through the Dandenong Ranges. Victoria Police said she is believed to be a woman named Nina who went missing from nearby Simpson on Wednesday A strong wind warning was also issued on Friday for Gippsland Lakes and the eastern and central Gippsland coasts. Those already in a safe place in Gippsland are urged to stay put for the next 24 to 48 hours when most of the flooding is expected to move through. Authorities are pleading with locals not to drive through floodwaters after a 20-year-old woman's body was found in flood waters southwest of Melbourne. The body is the second fatality related to the wild weather that has lashed Victoria this week. The body was found inside her ute in flood waters off Maddens Bridge Rd at Glenfyne, about 200km from Melbourne, on Friday morning. Victoria Police said she is believed to be a woman named Nina who went missing from nearby Simpson on Wednesday. A report will be prepared for the coroner, but the death is not being treated as suspicious. A man was found dead in his submerged car at the coastal Gippsland town of Woodside on Thursday afternoon. The body was found inside a her ute (pictured) in flood waters off Maddens Bridge Rd at Glenfyne, about 200km from Melbourne, on Friday morning A map showing where the woman's body was found on Friday and where a man was found dead on Thursday SES Victoria has had more than 7400 requests for help, with about 5800 related to fallen trees. About 2500 of those requests are yet to be cleared. A strong wind warning was also issued on Friday for Gippsland Lakes and the eastern and central Gippsland coasts. 'We know it is not over yet,' Acting Premier Mr Merlino said. 'It was quite extraordinary leaving home and driving through the Dandenongs to work this morning, having a few different routes to go through to get off the mountain - massive trees across homes, across the roads.'. A flood evacuation warning has been re-issued for Traralgon (pictured) in Victoria's Gippsland region The eight House Republicans who voted to oust Marjorie Taylor Greene from her committee assignments say Democrats should impose the same punishment on Ilhan Omar for her latest comments on Israel. The group sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, signed by Carlos Gimenez of Florida, Young Kim of California, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, Fred Upton of Michigan, New Yorkers Chris Jacobs and Nicole Malliotakis, and Florida representatives Mario Diaz-Balart and Maria Salazar. 'It is the responsibility of the party's leadership in the House of Representatives to hold accountable egregious words and actions made by Members of the Party. Now is the time for you to rise to the challenge you have set for yourself,' the letter reads. Florida Rep. Carlos Gimenez, pictured, has led a group of Republicans in calling for Pelosi to strip Ilhan Omar of her committee seats Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., left, and Young Kim, R-Calif., right, have also signed the letter New York Reps. Chris Jacobs, left, and Nicole Malliotakis, right, have also signed the letter Florida representatives Maria Salazar, left, and Mario Diaz-Balart, right, have also signed the letter Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois also signed the letter The letter accused Omar of 'fueling anti-Semitic violence against Jewish communities' and 'denigrating strategic allies of the United States.' It called on Democrats to remove her from her seat on the foreign affairs committee, with those signatories removing their own party member Marjorie Taylor Greene from her seat on the education committee for spouting conspiracy theories. The Republicans also claimed that Omar accused other lawmakers of 'unconstitutionally pleading allegiance to a foreign sovereign because of their support of the U.S.-Israel partnership' and 'whitewashing' the 9/11 terrorist attacks. 'These comments and policy stances undermine the interests of the United States abroad and weakens the effectiveness of our foreign policy,' the letter reads. 'Her continued involvement as a prominent member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee cheapens the role of Congress in foreign policy decision-making.' The lawmakers called Omar's comments 'anti-Semitic' and alleged that not punishing her for them would send 'a dangerous signal' that the United States 'tolerates anti-Semitism.' '[It] sends a dangerous signal to our allies and our adversaries alike that the United States tolerates anti-Semitism, that we no longer believe in the long-term mission of supporting free peoples and free markets, and that we no longer remain committed to combatting acts of terror against the United States or our allies,' the letter reads. According to the Republicans, Omar's stances on foreign policy are 'inconsistent and incompatible' with that of the United States. 'Time after time, Congresswoman Omar has delivered a hollow and meaningless apology with the sole purpose of appeasing her party's leadership, only to revert back to her true sentiments and her real policy stances,' the letter reads. In February, Pelosi called House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy 'cowardly' for refusing to support removing Greene from her committee assignments Pelosi said Friday she will take no further action against Omar for comparing the US and Israel to Hamas and the Taliban The letter writers urged Pelosi to act and said that her rebuke of Omar's comments would be the only one that would have a 'meaningful impact.' 'We wholeheartedly request that you live up to your word and swiftly remove Congresswoman Omar from her committee assignments,' the letter reads. The letter writers add that not punishing Omar would be a 'cowardly refusal' on Pelosi's part to hold members of her own party accountable In February, Pelosi called House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy 'cowardly' for refusing to support removing Greene from her committee assignments. Pelosi said Friday she will take no further action against Omar for comparing the US and Israel to Hamas and the Taliban - and insisted she has 'the right to make that point'. Omar's original tweet said: 'We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the US, Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban. 'We must have the same level of accountability and justice for all victims of crimes against humanity.' Excusing Omar in the wake of ensuing outrage, Pelosi said: 'I think that she clarified her remarks and we accept that, and she has a point that she wanted to make and she has a right to make that point,' Pelosi said at a press conference. 'There's some unease about how it was interpreted.' 'She made her clarification', Pelosi insisted before moving onto the next question. After her appearance, she posed for a photo and bashed Republicans by saying: 'Can you imagine those people though? How awful they are?' The Democratic speaker responded after Omar said the US and Israel had committed 'unspeakable atrocities' like terrorist groups and sparked an intense battle within the party. The party has been thrown into disarray at the start of President Joe Biden's eight-day trip to Europe. Rep. Rashida Tlaib blasted Pelosi and Democratic leadership for a statement they put out Thursday saying Rep. Omar was fomenting 'prejudice' by comparing the U.S. and Israel to Hamas and the Taliban. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday she will take no further action against Rep. Ilhan Omar for comparing the US and Israel to Hamas and the Taliban - and insisted she has 'the right to make that point' 'Freedom of speech doesn't exist for Muslim women in Congress. The benefit of the doubt doesn't exist for Muslim women in Congress,' Tlaib tweeted two hours later. 'House Democratic leadership should be ashamed of its relentless, exclusive tone policing of Congresswomen of color.' Omar on Thursday accused her critics within the Democratic Party of whipping up 'Islamic hate against her' after they complained she was comparing atrocities committed by American and Israeli troops with those of terrorist groups. Beyond support from fellow Squad members Tlaib and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Congressional Progressive Caucus also came out in defense of Omar, a Minnesota Democrat. Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal called Omar a 'deeply valued member' of the Progressive Caucus in a statement sent out Thursday afternoon, several hours after Pelosi and the five top House Democrats sent out theirs. 'We cannot ignore a right-wing media echo chamber that has deliberately and routinely attacked a Black, Muslim woman in Congress, distorting her views and intentions, and resulting in threats against Rep. Omar and her staff,' Jayapal said. 'We urge our colleagues not to abet or amplify such divisive and bad-faith tactics.' 'Members of the Democratic caucus owe it to each other to pause, reflect, and engage directly with each other when misunderstandings arise, and stand together against cynical attempts to divide our caucus,' she added. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (left) defended her fellow 'squad' member, Rep. Ilhan Omar, in a Thursday tweet saying, 'Freedom of speech doesn't exist for Muslim women in Congress. The benefit of the doubt doesn't exist for Muslim women in Congress' Tlaib's tweet came in response to a statement put out by Democratic leadership that Omar was fomenting 'prejudice' by drawing false equivalence between democracies such as U.S. and Israel and terrorist groups such as Hamas and the Taliban Pelosi stepped in on Thursday afternoon in an effort to end the feuding. She said legitimate criticism of the U.S. and Israel was protected by the values of democratic debate. 'But drawing false equivalencies between democracies like the U.S. and Israel and groups that engage in terrorism like Hamas and the Taliban foments prejudice and undermines progress toward a future of peace and security for all,' she said. 'We welcome the clarification by Congresswoman Omar that there is no moral equivalency between the U.S. and Israel and Hamas and the Taliban.' Omar has frequently been at odds with members of her own party on the Middle East. The latest row stems from her pressing Secretary of State Anthony Blinken for an International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into abuses committed by both Hamas and Israeli security forces. Rep. Ilhan Omar hit back at her critics within her own party, accusing them of Islamophobia. 'The Islamophobic tropes in this statement are offensive,' she said on Twitter. The constant harassment and silencing from the signers of this letter is unbearable' On Twitter, she went further, describing 'unthinkable atrocities' committed by the US, Israel, Hamas and the Taliban, triggering an angry backlash and accusations of 'false equivalencies' between 'imperfect' democracies and terrorist outfits. Her office claimed the result was an increase in death threats against her. And Omar blasted back on Twitter: 'It's shameful for colleagues who call me when they need my support to now put out a statement asking for 'clarification' and not just call. 'The Islamophobic tropes in this statement are offensive. The constant harassment and silencing from the signers of this letter is unbearable.' Her senior communications director Jeremy Slevin said: 'As usual, the far right is ginning up hate against Rep. Omar for a technical question about an ongoing investigation. This has already led to an increase in death threats against her and her staff. 'And now some of her own Democratic colleagues are ginning up the same Islamophobic hate against her, accusing her of giving 'cover to terrorist groups' simply for exercising oversight over a criminal investigation.' Omar insisted her words had been taken out of context. 'To be clear: the conversation was about accountability for specific incidents regarding those ICC cases, not a moral comparison between Hamas and the Taliban and the U.S. and Israel,' she said. 'I was in no way equating terrorist organizations with democratic countries with well-established judicial systems.' Even so, she was quickly back on the attack, hinting her own caucus was faster to call out anti-Israel comments with the party than Islamaphobia among Republicans. She highlighted comments by Rep. Mo Brooks in 2019 saying: 'Muslims, more so than most people, have great animosity towards Israel and the Jewish faith.' She asked: 'When will our caucus forcefully stand up against hate towards their Muslim colleagues and constituents?' Omar was back on the attack by Thursday afternoon, after clarifying her earlier comments, saying she 'was in no way equating terrorist organizations with democratic countries with well-established judicial systems' Fellow members of the squad raced to Omar's defense on Twitter with messages of solidarity. Tlaib condemned colleagues and 'their obsession with policing her' as sick Tlaib and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, took to Twitter to show solidarity with Omar. 'I am tired of colleagues (both D+R) demonizing,' wrote Tlaib. 'Their obsession with policing her is sick. 'She has the courage to call out human rights abuses no matter who is responsible. That's better than colleagues who look away if it serves their politics.' An unofficial caucus of 25 Jewish Democrats met on Wednesday to discuss anti-Semitism after the provocative tweet was posted on Monday. Omar had said: 'We must have the same level of accountability and justice for all victims of crimes against humanity. 'We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the US, Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban.' New York Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin said Omar should be removed from the Foreign Affairs Committee. 'She should have never been appointed to this Committee in the first place', he tweeted Wednesday night. Brad Sherman, a senior Democrat from California who has served since 1997, denounced the comments in a furious press release. Representative Ilhan Omar likened U.S. and Israeli actions to the 'unthinkable atrocities committed' by terrorist groups like Hamas and the Taliban He said: 'It's not news that Ilhan Omar would make outrageous and clearly false statements about America and Israel. What's newsworthy is that she admits Hamas is guilty of 'unthinkable atrocities'. 'It's time for all of Israel's detractors to condemn Hamas. And it's time for all those of good will to reject any moral equivalency between the US and Israel on one hand, and Hamas and the Taliban on the other.' 'Ilhan Omar must be removed from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. She should have never been appointed to this Committee in the first place. A number of lawmakers at the meeting of Jewish Democrats wanted to name and shame Omar in a joint statement saying she 'discredited' the party, according to The Times of Israel. Other than Sherman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Brad Schneider were among those pushing to condemn Omar, although no one on the call said they believed the tweet to be anti-Semitic. Others present were Jamie Raskin, who was hesitant to denounce Omar, Jerry Nadler, Ted Deutch, Jan Schakowsky, Elissa Slotkin and Elaine Luria. In her tweet, the Minnesota congresswoman included a clip of her line of questioning with Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a hearing Monday. The questioning did not include lumping in the U.S. with terrorist organizations Schakowsky previously joined Omar on a campaign against Islamophobia and anti-Semitism. Omar's office did not respond to a previous DailyMail.com request on what specific 'atrocities' she was referencing in her tweet that the US is responsible for. Jeremy Slevin, a spokesman for Omar, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency: 'As usual, the far right is ginning up hate against Rep. Omar for a technical question about an ongoing investigation. 'It is the congresswoman's role as a member of Congress conducting federal oversight to follow the facts, ask questions of the administration and work to make sure the public understands our government shouldn't deny any person from seeking justice.' David Harris, the American Jewish Committee CEO, said: 'Beyond shocking. Beyond reprehensible. Brad Sherman, a senior Democrat who has served since 1997, denounced the comments in a furious press release 'Will members of her own party speak up?' A number of Republican lawmakers have chided in to slam Omar for the 'hateful assault'. 'This shouldn't be at all controversial: America is not a terrorist organization,' newly elected South Carolina Representative Nancy Mace tweeted on Tuesday. 'Full stop.' 'It is absolutely befuddling that Rep. [Ilhan Omar] continues her vicious, hateful assault on America, likening our country to terrorists,' she added. Florida Representative Brian Mast tweeted: 'This is absolutely disgusting from a Member of Congress. I lost two legs and a finger defending the USA and fighting the radical Islamic terrorists that [Ilhan] Omar is now defending. She is completely unfit to serve our country.' The 'Squad' member included a clip in her tweet where she questioned Secretary of State Antony Blinken as part of a Monday House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on the State Department's budget request and foreign policy strategy. Her line of questioning, unlike her tweet, did not include her grouping America with terrorist organizations. Instead, she asked Blinken how the US plans to help people in areas where war crimes are being committed by Hamas and the Taliban, including places like in Israel, Palestinian territories and Afghanistan. 'I asked [Secretary Antony Blinken] where people are supposed to go for justice,' Omar tweeted of her line of questioning. South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace said it 'shouldn't be at all controversial' to say that America is 'not a terrorist organization'. She called on Omar to resign The American-Somali congresswoman's comments come shortly after a ceasefire was called between Israel and Hamas, operating in Gaza, following an 11-day deadly conflict. More than 250 people were killed in the conflict and thousands others were injured. Omar saw some backlash for her tweet, including questions of why she serves in Congress if she 'hates America.' 'If Ilhan Omar hates America so much to say that US committed atrocities equal to #Hamas and #Taliban why is she a member of US Congress?' TV reporter Trish Regan tweeted. 'She should resign!!' Former CIA Operations Officer Bryan Dean Wright, tweeted: 'Ilhan Omar claims -- without evidence -- that America is a war criminal, sharing the honor with Hamas, the Taliban, and her favorite of all villains -- the Jewish State.' Democrats criticized President Joe Biden's administration for not being tougher on Israel and sending more humanitarian aid to Palestinians. After working behind the scenes on a ceasefire between the two entities, Biden assured he is focused on the two-state solution so Israel and Palestinians both have their own land. Republicans, however, were critical of the president not doubling-down on America's commitment to defending Israel. Omar and other 'squad' members, Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib, have been vocal about their support for Palestinians and critical of Israel. Tlaib is the first woman of Palestinian descent to be elected to the U.S. Congress. Conservative television journalist Trish Regan slammed Omar for 'hating America,' and said 'she should resign' A former CIA operations officer said Omar's 'favorite villain' is 'the Jewish State' Omar's comments come after an 11-day conflict between Israel and Hamas operating in Gaza, which saw more than 250 people be killed, thousands others injured and millions in damages Last month, Omar accused Israel of committing 'war crimes' in the conflict between the Jewish state and Hamas, which ws operating in Palestinian territory of Gaza. 'We should all be grateful that a ceasefire will prevent more civilians and children from being killed,' Omar tweeted in May. 'But now what? We need accountability for every war crime committed.' 'And we need to stop underwriting crimes against humanity while doing nothing to end the occupation,' she added. During the 11-day conflict last month, thousands of missiles were fired at Jerusalem and Tel Aviv along with other areas in Israel from Gaza. Israel's Iron Dome defense system went into action and the country retaliated with missiles of their own aimed at areas where they believed Hamas was operating like a media building. Advertisement A group of pro-Palestinian protestors burned an Israeli flag outside of Rockefeller Center as they marched through the streets of midtown Manhattan while demonstrating over businesses with ties to Israel. The group carrying Palestinian flags and signs saying, 'None of us are free until all of are free,' 'Imagine justice,' and 'We will free Palestine within our lifetime.' They were also filmed chanting: 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free'.' Some critics claim that line is anti-Semitic because it appears to call for the destruction of Israel. When the group got to Rockefeller Center, the protesters were seen tearing apart an Israeli flag and setting it on fire, and stomping on it, yelling 'Allahu Akbar'. One woman was even filmed kneeling down and spraying more accelerant onto the flag in an apparent attempt to get it to burn faster. Some members of the group were also seen carrying placards saying 'Abolition Now,' in an apparent call to dismantle the police. Then, when they passed the BlackRock offices on 52 Street, two men sprayed red paint to symbolize the blood they claim the business has on its hands. BlackRock, an asset managements firm, has significant investments in US defense firm Lockheed Martin, which supplies weapons technology to the state of Israel. It is owned by Larry Fink, who sits on the board of MoMA. One protester was filmed shouting about why the group had diverged on Rockefeller Plaza. Oil baron John D Rockefeller's mom was one of the founders of MoMA in 1929. Pro-Palestinian activists are now angry over Fink's position on the MoMA board. Fellow board member Paula Crown has also been targeted, over her billionaire family's company General Dynamics. General Dynamics also supplies defense technology to Israel. A group of pro-Palestine protestors burned an Israeli flag outside of Rockefeller Center on Friday as they protested the Museum of Modern Art's board of trustees' ties to Israel The protesters ripped the flag before they burned it, claiming the Rockefeller's money helped create the Museum of Modern Art in midtown Manhattan They then let the flag burn on the ground as they chanted 'Allahu Akhbar' and stomped on it. The protesters have targeted investment firm BlackRock, and the Museum of Modern Art over board members ties to Israel Fellow MoMA board member was blasted for being a member of the World Jewish Congress, which protest group Strike MoMA claims 'has long campaigned in defense of Zionist policies.' The World Jewish Congress says it works to ensure the safety of Jews worldwide, and to serve as 'the diplomatic arm of the Jewish people.' Strike MoMA was last month accused of falsely alleging that another MoMA board member, Steven Tannabaum, after he was wrongly accused of donating money to send young Jewish people to Israel. That $1.8 million gift had actually been used to purchase a piece of modern artwork for the Art Institute of Chicago, The Times of Israel reported. The pro-Palestine protesters passed by a restaurant where a couple was enjoying dinner, and were seen waving flags at them They carried Palestinian flags with them as they marched through the streets of midtown, targeting firms they accused of helping supply Israel with weapons There were several hundred protesters at the #StrikeMoMA protest on Friday, some of whom carried signs as they walked A group of women led the marchers with a sign reading 'We will free Palestine within our lifetime' Strike MoMA have been staging weekly protests against the art museum, with five of its members permanently banned after they were accused of harassing a museum security guard during one protest last month. A woman was seen covering her face with a scarf for the march, which targeted Rockefeller Plaza, investment firm BlackRock and the Museum of Modern Art One of the protesters held signs saying 'None of us are free until all of are free' and 'Imagine justice' One man took it upon himself to spray red paint in front of the BlackRock offices. The company has invested in Lockheed Martin, which has been supplying the Israeli army with weapons since 1971 Protesters claim the paint symbolizes the blood BlackRock founder Larry Fink has on his hands over investments in firms which supply Israel with weapons technology. They have also targeted MoMA over Fink's position on its board Security guards monitored the situation outside the BlackRock offices on Friday Protesters marched through Rockefeller Plaza, with one man condemning tycoon John D Rockefeller's mom for setting up MoMA. Activists are angry about investments by MoMA's board in companies which supply weapons to Israel Protesters were seen waving flags and chanting outside MoMA, which last month banned five pro-Palestinian activists for harassing one of its security guards During 11 days of conflict between Israel and Gaza last month, 243 Palestinians were killed in Gaza, including more than 100 women and children. Twelve people died in Israel. That conflict - which ended with a ceasefire on May 21 - was also blamed for 75 per cent spike in anti-Semitic attacks on the US. The Anti-Defamation League, which tracks anti-Semitic attacks, says 127 hate attacks on Jews were reported in the two weeks before the conflict, with 222 reported during the fortnight of clashes between Israel and Gaza. Some of those attacks were caught on camera. In Los Angeles, a convoy of pro-Palestinian protesters was filmed fighting with Jewish diners at a sushi restaurant after allegedly asking if any of them were Jews. A man in Orthodox Jewish clothing was filmed being chased through a car park by a group driving an Audi SUV. And in New York a man wearing a kippah - the traditional head-covering for Jewish men - was set upon by a pro-Palestinian protester and beaten up. Tucker Carlson on Friday night attacked 'sinister' tech companies for taking down his interview with a respected doctor who said that vaccinating young people was risky and 'a colossal error in public health judgment'. Dr Hooman Noorchashm, a retired cardiac surgeon with a PhD in immunology, who taught at Harvard Medical School, appeared on Carlson's Fox News show on Thursday night after the CDC announced plans for a meeting over rare but worrying rises in cases of heart inflammation among young people given the vaccine. 'After our conversation last night, he upload the data exchange onto YouTube,' Carlson explained on Friday. 'Other parents have an absolute right to know these facts. 'But the tech monopolies would no longer allow that discussion.' Tucker Carlson on Friday night warned his Fox News viewers about the dangerous power of big tech firms. He told that his guest from the previous night, Dr Hooman Noorchashm, posted a clip of their interview to YouTube. YouTube then took it down On Thursday night, Dr Hooman Noorchashm told Carlson that he did not believe vaccinating young people was a good idea because many already had antibodies The Philadelphia-based doctor was shocked to find his views censored by YouTube on Friday Noorchashm said that he did not approve of the vaccine being given to young people, because of their low risk of dying from COVID, and the fact that many already had antibodies from being infected, and recovering. 'If a person does not need or stand to benefit from a vaccine, or any medical treatment, they should not be given it because it only opens the door to harm,' he said. 'In addition, we're doing something unprecedented during this pandemic, which is that we're vaccinating people in the middle of an outbreak where a lot of people are either asymptomatically infected or have had recent infections. 'And that's just a recipe for disaster as the data is bearing out.' He said that his daughter, who was attending college in Boston, had not been infected with COVID so she did not have antibodies. She has now been vaccinated. His son, a sophomore at university in Chicago, has previously had COVID and still retains a high level of antibodies. The doctor said he is seeking a medical exemption for the university's rule that all students must be vaccinated, arguing that his son's antibodies provide sufficient protection, and so it is 'a no-brainer' that he does not need to be vaccinated. He said if his son's level of antibodies fell, he would then recommend a booster shot. Noorchashm's video was taken down by YouTube on Friday. 'For reasons that we can't know for certain but are clearly sinister and certainly incompatible with the functioning democracy, big tech will no longer allow any questions about vaccines, even from Harvard trained immunologists, who are quoting government data,' said Carlson. 'They censor everything but happy talk and propaganda about vaccines, period.' Noorchashm received a message from YouTube, stating: 'Our team has reviewed your content and unfortunately we think it violates our misinformation policy. We have removed the following content from YouTube.' Carlson said the doctor 'was silenced by Google.' Carlson showed the message that Noorchashm received from YouTube, explaining why the clip from Thursday's show was removed Dr Hooman Noorchashm on why he doesn't believe young people should be vaccinated against COVID 'You know, I think in the recent months, and most recently, in the past week, it's becoming increasingly clear that people who are COVID recovered are equally protected from SARS-CoV-2 infections as compared to people who are vaccinated. And this is obviously something that many of us were predicting, even before the evidence emerged. I believe, as we've discussed before extensively, that vaccinating people who are COVID recovered in this emergency situation where we've basically very rapidly approved this new vaccine is a colossal error in public health judgment. I mean, you know, we're basically overriding the principles of medical necessity. So, in other words, if a person does not need or stand to benefit from a vaccine, or any medical treatment, they should not be given it because it only opens the door to harm. In addition, we're doing something unprecedented during this pandemic, which is that we're vaccinating people in the middle of an outbreak where a lot of people are either asymptomatically infected or have had recent infections. And that's just a recipe for disaster as the data is bearing out. I'll tell you that I'm happy to share my own personal experience with you. I have two kids who are going to college, one of them is going to be going to a great college in Boston, starting this fall. She had no antibodies, so she went ahead and got the Moderna vaccine, uneventfully, and now has good antibody levels. My son who is a sophomore at the University of Chicago, well, you know, he had COVID in November, and he has a really a whopping amount of antibodies. And so we are in the process of asking for a vaccine exemption on the basis of medical necessity and potential harm. I mean, you know, I think this is really, you know, from a medical perspective, and from a medical ethical perspective is a no brainer. And frankly, you know, if we start forcing these kids at risk of loss of their educational opportunities and opportunity to be in-person to get vaccinated, then they get end up getting harmed, you know, this is the liability that the institutions will have to absorb. You know, I mean, this is really not an approved vaccine. We're rushing this through very fast in an unprecedented situation where many people are already naturally infected. It's a horrible idea and I think it's a colossal error. We will cross that bridge when we get to it, but you know, I certainly plan on having his serologies measured again, and I would not be opposed if his antibody levels drop, to recommending that he get a booster shot. Now, a part of this is also going to be his own decision because he is an adult, but you know, yes, he has been following my recommendations so far.' Advertisement He tweeted that he recommended vaccinations against COVID-19, and that he and his teenage daughters had received the jab. But he noted: 'My interview with @TuckerCarlson last night on prime time TV was removed by @YouTube. 'Nowhere on the video was I in violation of CDC consensus. 'YouTube just didn't like what I had to say. 'One word: CENSORSHIP! 'Is this still America @POTUS @SenRonJohnson?' Meanwhile, Ron Johnson, a Republican senator for Wisconsin, on Friday had his YouTube account blocked for seven days. He was banned after saying that the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine - heavily promoted as a COVID preventative by Donald Trump - could be used to combat the virus. Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin had his video removed by YouTube when he discussed the benefits of the drug hydroxychloroquine, as touted by Donald Trump. An increasing number of studies show that it may be useful An increasing number of studies are showing the drug works in seriously ill patients, and may boost COVID survival rates by up to 200 per cent, but YouTube took Johnson's video down. 'We removed the video in accordance with our COVID-19 medical misinformation policies, which don't allow content that encourages people to use Hydroxychloroquine or Ivermectin to treat or prevent the virus,' a YouTube spokesperson said in a statement. Carlson also pointed out that last year he invited Chinese scholar Li-Meng Yan to discuss the origins of COVID-19. She told him: 'From my first report, as scientific evidence to our audience that this virus COVID-19, actually is not from nature. 'I work with the top coronavirus virologists in the world. 'So together with my experience I can tell you, this was created in a lab. 'This is owned by China military. And also, it was spread to the world to make such damage.' She said the virus was released 'intentionally'. Yan, a postdoctoral fellow at Hong Kong University who fled to the United States in April 2020, had her video taken down. Carlson mocked the social media moderators, saying: 'The 23-year-old Oberlin graduates knew more about the origins of COVID-19 then a Chinese virologist in Wuhan at the time.' Carlson said that only people who were entirely positive about COVID-19 vaccines were given permission to air their views, describing it as concerning Carlson pointed out that censorship in the United States went even further than big tech companies. 'Now in the United States you know longer allowed to be anything less than a complete across-the-board enthusiastic booster of vaccines for everybody,' he said. He told the story of a woman in Michigan, Marlena Pavlos-Hackney, who defied state lockdown orders by keeping her restaurant open. She was fined $15,000 for violating the COVID rules. On March 12, the Michigan attorney general, Dana Nessel, discussed Hackney's decision to appear on Carlson's show. 'Do we know her whereabouts? We should just have her picked up before she goes on. This is outrageous,' wrote Nessel, in an email obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. Pavlos-Hackney was arrested by the Michigan State Police seven days later, on March 19, and held until March 23. Kelly Rossman-McKinney, spokeswoman for the Attorney General's office, said: 'Ms. Pavlos-Hackney's decision to then go on national television and flaunt her noncompliance compromised the state's ability to protect public safety during a global pandemic and likely emboldened others to break the law.' On Friday, Carlson said: 'She was in prison for daring to come on the show. 'That happened in the state of Michigan - are you surprised? 'We shouldn't be surprised, because it was always the next step. This was never going to end with censorship on social media. It was never going to end there. 'If they can control what you write, why can't they control what you say, think, and do? 'Why can't they throw you behind bars if you disagree with them or criticize the policy? 'They can, it turns out. And they will.' Carlson concluded: 'We've been moving toward this for a long time, not enough people have said anything in response to it. 'They cower and hope they won't be punished. 'But they are going to be punished, if this continues.' Advertisement The Queen has received her official birthday gift from the nation's armed forces in a ceremony of pomp and pageantry in her honour at Windsor Castle after charming world leaders at the G7 summit on Friday. The Duke of Kent, the Queen's cousin, joined her on a dais in the castle's quadrangle in his role as Colonel of the Scots Guards after she returned to Windsor from Cornwall on an overnight royal train. From her dais, the 95-year-old tapped her foot along as she watched the ceremony unfold with Guardsmen in their scarlet tunics and bearskins and the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment in their breast plates and plumed helmets. The birthday parade is a gift from the Household Division - the Army's most prestigious regiments - which has a close affinity with the monarch and is keen to show its loyalty to the Crown. After a year which has seen the Queen mourn the loss of her beloved husband the Duke of Edinburgh and experience family upheavals following accusations made by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the ceremony was a positive event. On Friday night, the Queen joined the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during a reception at the Eden Project in Cornwall with G7 leaders. The Colour or ceremonial flag being trooped past the soldiers was the Colour of the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards with the regiment's F Company given the task of performing the honour. The Queen has received her official birthday gift from the nation's armed forces in a ceremony of pomp and pageantry in her honour at Windsor Castle The Queen smiled during the ceremony as she perched while the Household Division performed at Windsor Castle From her dais, the Queen watched the ceremony unfold with Guardsmen in their scarlet tunics and bearskins and the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment in their breast plates and plumed helmets The Queen and Duke of Kent watch as Red Arrows fly over Windsor Castle at The Trooping Of The Colour The Colour or ceremonial flag being trooped past the soldiers was the Colour of the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards with the regiment's F Company given the task of performing the honour On parade in front of the Queen in bright summer sunshine was an array of socially distanced Guardsmen, mounted Troopers and the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery Lieutenant Colonel Guy Stone and his team have been working for months to stage the event at Windsor Castle which has been dubbed a mini Trooping the Colour The Red Arrows fly over Windsor Castle in Berkshire during the ceremony to mark the official birthday of the Queen The Queen has arrived for the start of her official birthday celebrations at Windsor Castle in the traditional Trooping of the Colour ceremony The birthday parade is a gift from the Household Division - the Army's most prestigious regiments - which has a close affinity with the monarch and is keen to show its loyalty to the Crown The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery fire a 21 Gun Salute at Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich as part of Saturday's ceremony Soldiers and musicians from the Massed Band of the Household Division marched onto the parade area at Windsor Castle ahead of the ceremony Windsor Castle was the setting for the spectacle dubbed a mini Trooping the Colour, featuring soldiers who have supported communities and the NHS during the pandemic or served overseas on military operations The Red Arrows fly over Windsor Castle as the Queen received her official birthday gift from the nation's armed forces The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery fire a 21 Gun Salute at Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich to mark the official birthday of Queen Elizabeth II Lieutenant Colonel Guy Stone and his team have been working for months to stage the event at Windsor Castle which has been dubbed a mini Trooping the Colour Windsor Castle was the setting for the spectacle dubbed a mini Trooping the Colour, featuring soldiers who have supported communities and the NHS during the pandemic or served overseas on military operations. Queen Elizabeth II attends a military ceremony in the Quadrangle of Windsor Castle to mark her Official Birthday on June 12 The Queen tapped her foot along to the parade on Saturday at Windsor Castle for the traditional Trooping of the Colour ceremony to mark her official birthday On parade in front of the Queen in bright summer sunshine was an array of socially distanced Guardsmen, mounted Troopers and the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery. They were joined by a massed band of the Household Division - musicians from all of the five Foot Guards Bands and the 1st Battalion Scots Guards Pipes and Drums. The servicemen and women on parade numbered almost 275, with 70 horses, compared with the 85 soldiers who took part in the ceremony last summer. A rare sight on the parade ground were two officers who were father and son. Colonel Jeremy Bagshaw, Chief of Staff at Army Headquarters London District, was stood close to the Queen's dais while his 18-year-old son, 2nd Lieutenant Henry Bagshaw, Coldstream Guards, was formed up in front of the monarch. A small handful of seated guests lined part of the quadrangle - a change from last year when only the military were present. They were joined by a massed band of the Household Division - musicians from all of the five Foot Guards Bands and the 1st Battalion Scots Guards Pipes and Drums The birthday parade is a gift from the Household Division - the Army's most prestigious regiments The traditional Trooping the Colour ceremony, which is normally staged in London and features hundreds of servicemen and women and thousands of spectators, was ruled out for the second successive year because of the threat of coronavirus The playing of the national anthem as a royal salute was given by soldiers signalled the start of the ceremony and the Massed Bands marched past first in slow then quick time The servicemen and women on parade numbered almost 275, with 70 horses, compared with the 85 soldiers who took part in the ceremony last summer The playing of the national anthem as a royal salute was given by soldiers signalled the start of the ceremony and the Massed Bands marched past first in slow then quick time The Red Arrows fly over as Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Kent watch a military ceremony to mark her official birthday The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery fire a 21 Gun Salute at Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich Windsor Castle looked resplendent in the sun during the display of pageantry with the Household Cavalry on Saturday The Queen sat in a dais alongside the Duke of Kent while the display took place on the grounds in front of her Britain's Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, attends a ceremony marking official birthday of Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle Fresh from charming leaders at the Group of Seven summit, Queen Elizabeth II was back at her residence at Windsor Castle on Saturday The ceremony is a gift from the Household Division of army regiments, which has a close affinity with the monarch The playing of the national anthem as a royal salute was given by soldiers signalled the start of the ceremony and the Massed Bands marched past first in slow then quick time. Why does the Queen have two birthdays? Celebrations to mark the monarch's birthday are often held on different days to their actual birth. The Queen's actual birthday is April 12 which is normally celebrated privately, with the only public acknowledgement a series of gun salutes at midday. A 41-gun salute in Hyde Park, a 21-gun salute in Windsor Great Park and a 62-gun salute at the Tower of London are held every year on April 12. But her official birthday is celebrated in May or June in a tradition dating back to 1748 known as Trooping the Colour. The monarch's birthday is celebrated then because of its likelihood for good weather, and is marked with a military parade. She is normally joined by other members of the Royal Family at the parade which moves between Buckingham Palace, The Mall and Horseguards Parade before the family make an appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. For the past two occasions, the ceremony has been held at Windsor Castle due to the Covid pandemic. Advertisement They performed the feathering technique, named as it resembles the Prince of Wales's feathers when seen from above, and used to allow the marching musicians to turn 180 degrees and maintain individual distances. A lone drummer played the Drummer's Call that signalled the group of soldiers and officers known as the Escort for the Colour to get into position. Lieutenant Hugh Dingwall was given the honour of carrying the Colour which has deep symbolic significance and it was trooped through the ranks. The pandemic has meant for the second year in succession the military commemoration of the Queen's official birthday is being staged in the quadrangle of her Berkshire home rather than in central London, but its scope has increased from last year. Soldiers and musicians from the Massed Band of the Household Division marched onto the parade area at Windsor Castle ahead of the ceremony which allow the Guardsmen to show their precision marching skills while maintaining a social distance of just over two metres. The senior military officer who planned the celebrations said his aim was to create a 'memorable and uplifting day' for the monarch. Lieutenant Colonel Guy Stone and his team have been working for months to stage the event at Windsor Castle which has been dubbed a mini Trooping the Colour. The Guardsmen taking part have been supporting local communities and the NHS across the UK during the pandemic or been serving overseas on military operations. Lt Col Stone was asked about planning the Queen's official birthday celebrations: 'It's been extremely demanding; we've had to tackle Covid like everybody else, with some people needing to isolate and therefore not being able to be on parade.' He explained there was the added issue of a lack of daily practice of ceremonial duties, as the changing of the guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace has been stopped since March 2020 to avoid crowds gathering. From her dais, the Queen watched the ceremony unfold with Guardsmen in their scarlet tunics and bearskins and the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment in their breast plates and plumed helmets It featured soldiers who have played an integral role in the COVID-19 response, as well as those who have been serving on military operations The traditional Trooping the Color ceremony is normally staged in London and features hundreds of servicemen and women and thousands of spectators Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Edward, Duke of Kent (R) attend the Trooping of the Colour military ceremony in the Quadrangle of Windsor Castle The Queen has received her official birthday gift from the nation's armed forces - a ceremony of pomp and pageantry in her honour The Queen smiles as she watches on during the pomp and ceremony at Windsor Castle, her first Trooping the Colour since the death of Prince Philip The Kings's Troop Royal Horse Artillery ride along the Long Walk today for the Trooping the Colour at Windsor Castle to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen's official birthday The Bands of the Household Division arrive in the Quadrangle of Windsor Castle for the scaled back event due to the pandemic Members of the Massed Band of the Household Division during a ceremony at Windsor Castle in Berkshire to mark the Queen's official birthday The Guardsmen taking part have been supporting local communities and the NHS across the UK during the pandemic or been serving overseas on military operations The Duke of Kent, Colonel, Scots Guards, will join the head of state for the ceremony and F Company Scots Guards will Troop the Colour of the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards through the ranks of guardsmen on parade The pandemic has meant for the second year in succession the military commemoration of the Queen's official birthday is being staged in the quadrangle of her Berkshire home Lt Col Stone, who serves with the Welsh Guards, is Brigade Major Household Division and was in overall charge of the military arrangements for the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral For the second year running, the usual ceremony was not possible and it was a slimmed-down affair in the grounds of Windsor Castle, which is around 27 miles west of the capital Dubbed a mini Trooping the Color, it featured soldiers in ceremonial scarlet coats and bearskin hats The senior officer added: 'So from a skillset perspective it's been very difficult to achieve what I hope will be a good standard because we're not doing the Changing of the Guard ceremony every day due to the pandemic that applies to horses, the musicians and the Guardsmen with their foot drill and rifle drill. 'Last year we had 85 on parade, this year we've got 274, plus 70 horses, so we're really excited about the event having grown and getting us back to normal for next year we hope. 'It's been very challenging, but we like a challenge. Covid has got a lot to answer for in so many ways, it's made this difficult but what we want to do more than anything is give the Queen a memorable and uplifting day.' Lt Col Stone, who serves with the Welsh Guards, is Brigade Major Household Division and was in overall charge of the military arrangements for the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral. The servicemen and women on parade numbered almost 275, with 70 horses, compared with the 85 soldiers who took part in the ceremony last summer The ceremony originated from traditional preparations for battle in the Royal Family Members of the Household Cavalry make their way down the Long Walk towards Windsor Castle ahead of Saturday's ceremony The colors - or flags - were 'trooped,' or carried down the lines of soldiers, so they could be seen and recognized in battle Covid guidelines will be followed during the event which will incorporate many elements of the annual Queen's Birthday Parade Though she has been mourning the loss of her husband of 73 years, the queen has carried on performing her duties The ceremony took place a couple of months after the death of her 99-year-old husband Prince Philip, whose funeral also took place at Windsor Castle He was made a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order by the Queen in recognition of his efforts. Buckingham Palace said in a statement: 'The parade will be led by the Foot Guards, who will be joined in the Quadrangle by the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery and the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment. 'Music will be played by a Massed Band of the Household Division, which will include 1st Battalion Scots Guards Pipes and Drums. 'Upon the Queen and the Duke of Kent's arrival in the Quadrangle, Her Majesty and His Royal Highness will be greeted by a royal salute, and the National Anthem. 'The parade will commence with the Musical Troop as the band plays. The Colour will then be trooped through the ranks, and the parade will conclude with a second royal salute.' On Friday night, the Queen and other members of the Royal Family joined Joe and Jill Biden for a party with leaders of the G7. The first couple arrived arm-in-arm; the president in a dark suit and stripped tie with the first lady wearing a trench coat over a dark dress. The Bidens spoke to The Queen in a reception line. The gathering looked jovial with both members of the first couple and the monarch smiling broadly at one another. Biden previously met the Queen in 1982, according to the White House. The Queen sent G7 leaders into fits of giggles when she quipped 'are you supposed be looking as if you're enjoying it' while posing for a photograph Earlier, the Queen sent the leaders into fits of laughter when she quipped 'are you supposed to look as if you're enjoying yourself' while posing for a photograph. Britain sought to dazzle the world's most powerful with a royal charm offensive at a no-holds-barred reception at the Eden Project in Cornwall. And the 95-year-old Monarch's natural wit appeared to have won the leaders over when, during a posed photocall, she asked: 'Are you supposed to look as if you're enjoying yourself?' As other leaders began to chuckle, Prime Minister Boris Johnson jokingly replied: 'We have been enjoying ourselves, despite appearances.' The Royals are at the centre of Britain's diplomatic mission to woo the US as Mr Johnson pushes for a quick free trade deal with President Biden as well as a quarantine-free travel corridor this summer. The Firm then left the reception before world leaders enjoyed an evening meal. The menu for the event had been created by chef Emily Scott of the Watergate Bay Hotel in Newquay and included Cornish turbot and new potatoes for the main course, and local cheeses. Queen looks radiant in a recycled dove grey coat with yellow accents and a pleated floral hat as she attends Trooping the Colour to mark her 95th birthday The Queen recycled a dove grey ensemble with yellow accents today for her official birthday celebrations at Windsor Castle in the traditional Trooping of the Colour ceremony. Her Majesty, 95, looked radiant in the smart ensemble - a departure from her usual bright colour palette - which she teamed with her usual black Launer handbag and black patent leather shoes with silver buckles. The monarch previously showcased the coat and its matching pleated hat with spike flowers, along with her signature pearls and white gloves, at Royal Ascot Ladies Day in 2019. It appears the coat has been modified with the addition of a set of buttons down the front of the coat, giving it a fresh look for today's occasion. The Queen also replaced the striking floral brooch with complimenting yellow diamonds - a present from the Sultan of Oman - she wore to the horse racing with a large aquamarine brooch. The Queen recycled a dove grey ensemble with yellow accents today for her official birthday celebrations at Windsor Castle in the traditional Trooping of the Colour ceremony The monarch previously showcased the coat and its matching pleated hat with spike flowers, along with her signature pearls and white gloves, at Royal Ascot Ladies Day in 2019 - though it appears the coat has been modified with the addition of a set of buttons down the front of the coat Her Majesty, 95, looked radiant in the smart ensemble - a departure from her usual bright colour palette Her Majesty teamed her outfit with her usual black Launer handbag and black patent leather shoes with silver buckles The Queen also replaced the striking floral brooch with complimenting yellow diamonds - a present from the Sultan of Oman - she wore to the horse racing event with a large aquamarine brooch Advertisement What Trooping the Colour looked like in EVERY YEAR of Queen Elizabeth's illustrious 69-year reign It's a tradition that is believed to have gone on since 1748: The Trooping the Colour is an annual celebration of the Queen's official birthday, which is celebrated every second weekend in June. This year's celebration will be Her Majesty's first without Prince Philip, who died in April aged 99. This year's event will be a scaled-down affair at Windsor Castle, similar to last year's ceremony at the Berkshire residence dubbed 'mini trooping'. While the tradition endures, take a look back at how Queen Elizabeth has celebrated Trooping the Colour throughout her illustrious reign... 1952 A SALUTE FROM HER MAJESTY: The 26-year-old Queen had only been the reigning monarch for a few months at this Trooping the Colour - her father, George VI, died in February of that year, and her coronation would not be held for more than a year later due to the lead time needed to make preparations for the ceremony, as well as traditions dictating that a length of time pass after a monarch dies before holding such celebrations. The young Elizabeth, a keen rider, is seen here sitting side-saddle as she salutes the troops at the Horse's Guard parade in Central London. 1953 REGAL IN RED: Elizabeth's coronation was still months ahead at her second Trooping the Colour as Queen. Here, we see Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, to the left of Queen Elizabeth as she salutes the troops on April 1. 1954 THE PRINCE AND PRINCESS SAY HELLO: In the first balcony photos from Trooping the Colour, the young Queen waves to the crowd below with Prince Charles (left) and Princess Anne. Prince Philip stands off to the right, surveying the festivities. Months earlier, the 27-year-old Queen made waves when she became the first and only reigning monarch to visit Australia. Since that first visit in 1954, she has returned 15 times. 1955 CANCELED! In the only full cancellation of the Trooping the Colour in the Queen's reign, the Trooping celebration did not take place due to a national rail strike that year. On June 1, the Queen declared a national state of emergency due to the supply chain shortages that occurred as a result of the strike, which was eventually called off. 1956 SMILE AND WAVE PRINCESS: It was back to business as usual in 1966. Pictured: The Queen salutes the troops with Princess Anne, here about six years old. 1957 THE FULL FAMILY: A crowd at Trooping the Colour reveals the young royal family as they gather to celebrate. From left to right, Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Alexandra of Kent, Princess Anne, the Duchess of Gloucester, Princess Margaret, Prince Philip and Prince Charles. 1958 WHAT A CROWD: The Trooping the Colour ceremony outside Buckingham Palace. The Mall is in the background. 1959 TAKING IN THE SIGHTS: Queen Elizabeth, then 33, is joined by the Duchess of Kent (left), as well as Prince Philip and Princess Margaret (right) as they watch an RAF flypast from the view of the balcony at Buckingham Palace for the Trooping the Colour. 1960 HER MAJESTY AND HER HORSE: Queen Elizabeth, on horseback, is again joined by Prince Philip to take in the Trooping the Colour. 1961 A DOTING MOTHER: Queen Elizabeth hoists a young Prince Andrew, Duke of York, above to see the crowds at the Trooping the Colour. 1962 RESPLENDENT SMILES: A young Prince Andrew joins Queen Elizabeth to view the Trooping the Colour. Surrounding them, from left to right: The Queen Mother, The Duchess of Kent, The Duke of Kent, Princess Alexandra, Princess Anne and Princess Margaret. 1963 THE QUEEN'S MEDALS IN VIEW: A young Prince Andrew with his mother Queen Elizabeth II observe the Trooping the Colour ceremony from the balcony of Buckingham Palace. 1964 A NEW PRINCE: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip with their baby son, Prince Edward, on the balcony at Buckingham Palace during that year's Trooping the Colour. 1965 LIFE LONG PARTNERS: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip return to Buckingham Palace after the Trooping The Colour ceremony. 1966 LOOK UP: The Royal Family gaze up on the balcony of Buckingham Palace as 16 Lightning aircraft of Royal Air Force Fighter Command make a ceremonial fly-past over London to mark Queen Elizabeth II's official birthday. The eager spectators include three of the Royal children - Prince Andrew, 6, Viscount Linley, four-year-old son of Princess Margaret and the Earl of Snowdon, and Prince Edward, 2. Pictured left to right are Earl Mountbatten of Burma, Princess Margaret, Queen Mother, Lord Snowdon (behind), Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Benedikte of Denmark, her father King Frederick and Prince Philip the Duke of Edinburgh. 1967 DRUM ROLL PLEASE: Members of the Guards band at Buckingham Palace, London, after Trooping the Colour. 1968 A MOMENT WITH GRANDMA: The Queen Mother and Prince Charles leave Buckingham Palace to attend the Trooping the Color ceremony and Guards Parade on June 8, 1968 in London. A year later, in 1969, the 21-year-old Charles would be named the Prince of Wales and heir to the throne. 1969 A FAINTING GUARDSMAN: In 1969, an unconscious Guardsman was carried off as The Queen inspected the 1st Battalion, the Scots Guards, on Horse Guards Parade to mark the official birthday of The Queen. Fainting guards during Trooping the Color have become something of a tradition at the yearly event: Temperatures frequently soar, and despite hours of training, the heat sometimes overwhelms them. 1970 BACK ON THE HORSE: The Queen makes her inspections at the Trooping the Colour on the Horse Guards Parade. 1971 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO HER MAJESTY: Queen Elizabeth II sits astride her horse Burmese as she makes her way from Buckingham Palace along the Mall to Horse Guards Parade during the Trooping the Colour ceremony on the Queen's official Birthday Parade in London. 1972 ALWAYS A MOTHER: The Queen explains the details of the Trooping the Colour to her youngest son Prince Edward at Buckingham Palace. Also in 1972, the Queen celebrated 25 years of marriage with Prince Philip. 1973 PRINCELY ARRIVALS: Prince Andrew (left) and Prince Edward in an open landau at the Trooping the Colour ceremony in London. 1974 A REGAL MOMENT: Queen Elizabeth II takes the salute on Horse Guards Parade during the Trooping the Colour ceremony. 1975 HISTORY CONTINUES: The Queen takes part in Trooping the Colour ceremony with 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, Horse Guards Parade London, Saturday June 14, 1975. 1976 RIDING IN: Queen Elizabeth II rides her favorite horse Burmese down the Mall during the Trooping the Colour ceremony. Burmese, a black mare, was gifted to the Queen in 1968 and was ridden by the queen during Trooping the Colour for eighteen consecutive years, from 1968 to 1986. He died in 1990. 1977 THE SILER JUBILEE: Queen Elizabeth II takes the salute on Horse Guards Parade during the Trooping the Colour ceremony. 1977 would have marked a special Trooping the Color for the Queen, as she was also celebrating her Silver Jubilee. The year was marked with a tour of the Commonwealth and lavish celebrations all over Britain. 1978 FOLLOWING TRADITION: Prince Charles wore a a Bearskin Hat at the 1978 Trooping the Colour and joined the parade as Colonel of the Welsh Guards. 1979 HER MAJESTY AND BURMESE: The Queen rides her horse Burmese while leaving Buckingham Palace for Horse Guards Parade and the Trooping the Colour ceremony in celebration of her official birthday in 1979. 1980 THEY WERE ALL YELLOW: On the balcony of Buckingham Palace for the Queen's birthday RAF flypast are (left to right) the Queen Mother, Prince Edward, Princess Anne and her son Master Peter Phillips, 3, the 5 year old Earl of Ulster, Princess Alexandra and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. 1981 A FRIGHTENING CEREMONY: Queen Elizabeth II calms her horse Burmese while policeman spring to action after shots were heard as she rode down the Mall. The 1981 ceremony saw Marcus Sarjeant, of Folkestone, Kent, fire six blank cartridges at the Queen as she turned down Horseguards Parade for the start of the Trooping the Colour ceremony. Sarjeant was sentenced to five years' imprisonment under the Treason Act. 1982 A PREGNANT PRINCESS: The Royal Family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Trooping the Colour ceremony in June 1982. Diana, Princess of Wales was heavily pregnant with Prince William at the time, and gave birth to him a few short weeks later. 1983 A QUICK CARRIAGE RIDE: Diana, Princess of Wales in a carriage with the Queen Mother during the Trooping the Colour ceremony in 1983. 1984 ALL THE QUEEN'S KIDS: Members of the Royal Family gather to watch the RAF flypast for the Queen's birthday. (From left) The Queen Mother, the Prince of Wales, who is holding his son Prince William, the Duke of Kent, Princess Margaret, the Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen, Princess Michael of Kent and the Princess of Wales. (At front, from left) Zara Phillips (daughter of Princess Anne) and Peter Phillips (Princess Anne's son). 1985 GRINNING GRANNY: A crowded balcony full of children and smiling faces saw the Queen beaming in 1985. Here: The Prince of Wales with the Princess of Wales, baby Prince Harry, Prince William, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Edward, Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Anne on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, London to watch the fly past. 1986 THE ROYAL WAVE: An ever-more crowded balcony as members of the extended Royal Family join the Queen on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the Trooping the Colour ceremony. This year, Prince Andrew married publishing executive Sarah Ferguson, also known as Fergie. 1987 FOR THE KIDS: Members of the Royal Family line up on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch the parade march past after the Trooping the Colour ceremony. From left to right (front) are Lady Gabriella Windsor, Peter Phillips, Prince William and Zara Phillips and (rear) the Duke and Duchess of York, Princess Diana, Prince Harry and the Princess Royal. 1988 GOOD AFTERNOON BRITAIN: The Royal family watch the Trooping the Colour from the balcony of Buckingham Palace. Left to right; Princess Michael of Kent with her daughter Lady Gabriella Windsor, the Queen, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales, and Princess of Wales. Foreground; Prince Harry, Prince William and the Earl of Ulster. 1989 TWO BROTHERS: The Royal Family gather on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in London for the Trooping the Colour ceremony. Pictured are Princess Margaret, Diana, Princess of Wales, Prince Harry, Prince William, Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh. Diana is wearing a pink dress by Victor Edelstein and a Philip Somerville hat. 1990 HAPPY TIMES: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William wave from the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Trooping The Colour Ceremony, The Queen's Official Birthday. (Left to right) Prince Edward, Duchess Of York, the Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Prince William, The Grand Duchess Josephine Charlotte Of Luxembourg, Prince Harry, Prince Charles, Lord Frederick Windsor, Princess Diana and Lady Rose Windsor. 1991 A SERIOUS LOOKING GROUP: Members of the Royal Family appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the Queen's annual Trooping the Colour ceremony in London. Present are the Queen and the Queen Mother; the Duke of Edinburgh; Princess Margaret; Prince Charles and Diana Princess of Wales and Prince Andrew. 1992 ANNUS HORRIBILIS: Member of the Royal Family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the Trooping the Colour in London. The Queen this year marked her 40th year on the throne, but it was not a happy one: it was marked by the separation of Charles and Diana and a huge fire at Windsor Castle, leading the Queen to dub 1992 her 'annus horribilis' or horrible year. 1993 THREE CHEERS FOR THE QUEEN: The Queen leads members of the Royal Family in their applause for the flypast by the RAF, on the balcony at Buckingham Palace, at the end of the Trooping the Colour Ceremony. Notably absent from the photo: Diana, Princess of Wales. 1994 READY TO RIDE: Queen Elizabeth II in an open carriage at the Trooping the Colour parade. Behind her are Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and The Duke of Kent. 1995 CHATTING AWAY: Members of The Royal family watch Trooping the Colour from the balcony at Buckingham Palace, (L to R): Queen Mother, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Michael of Kent, Princess Margaret, Princess Michael of Kent, Duchess of Kent, Duke of Kent, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales. 1996 ENJOYING THE DAY: The Queen Mother with other members of the Royal Family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for Trooping the Colour. 1997 HAPPIER TIMES: The Royal Family including The Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother and Prince Charles attending Trooping the Colour at Buckingham Palace in London. Princess Di passed away only a few months later, in August 1997. 1998 LOOK UP! The Queen and Prince Philip watch the traditional fly-past from the balcony of Buckingham Palace following Trooping the Colour in honor of the Queen's official birthday. Left to right: Lord Frederick Windsor, Prince Michael of Kent, the Queen Mother, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Lord Downpatrick, Grandson of the Duke of Kent; the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, Lady Helen Taylor, the Duke of Kent, Prince Charles, the Duke of York and Prince Edward. The three little girls L-R: Princess Eugenie, Lady Marina-Charlotte Windsor - granddaughter of the Duke of Kent and Princess Beatrice. 1999 NEWCOMERS: The Royal Family gather on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in London following the Trooping the Colour ceremony, marking the Queen's official birthday. From left: Sophie Ryhs-Jones, her fiance Prince Edward, Captain Tim Laurence, his wife the Princess Royal, the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen Mother, the Prince of Wales, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. 2000 A PRETTY PINK PATTERN: The Queen (in pink) waves on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, London, for the Trooping the Colour ceremony. (L-R) Countess of Wessex, Queen Mother, Earl of Wessex, Duke of Edinburgh, Princess Margaret, the Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal. 2001 A QUIET MOMENT: From left, The Earl and Countess of Wessex, the Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth II, The Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the annual Trooping the Colour parade in London's Horse Guards parade ground. 2002 THE GOLDEN JUBILEE: The Queen and the rest of the Royal Family celebrate a special milestone in her Golden Jubilee year with her 50th Trooping the Colour ceremony. This is the first ceremony of the Queen's reign without her mother, who passed away on March 30, 2002 aged 101. 2003 THE PLAYBOY PRINCE: Prince William and Prince Harry on the balcony at Buckingham Palace after Trooping the Colour on June 14. The 'playboy' Prince Harry had recently made headlines once again, after attending a fancy dress party with a Nazi swastika on his arm. The latest scandal followed a succession incidents for the young Royal, including a nightclub scuffle with a paparazzi photographer. 2004 A SUNNY DAY: Members of the Royal Family watch the fly past from the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Trooping the Colour ceremony along the Mall. 2005 A ROYAL LAUGH: The Duchess of Cornwall (second left) joins other members of the Royal Family on the balcony at Buckingham Palace. This was the first appearance on the balcony for the Duchess, who married Prince Charles in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall, on April 9, 2005. The Queen told guests in a speech at the wedding reception that her son, who previously divorced the late Princess Diana, was 'home and dry with the woman he loves'. 2006 MATCHING FASCINATORS: Sophie, Countess of Wessex, Princess Beatrice, Prince Andrew, Princess Eugenie, Queen Elizabeth ll, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Harry, Princess Anne and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales look up from the balcony of Buckingham Palace. 2007 GROWING UP SO FAST: Queen Elizabeth II on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with other members of the Royal Family for Trooping the Colour. (L-R) Princess Beatrice, the Duke of York, Princess Eugenie, Prince William, the Queen, Camilla Duchess of Cornwall the Duke Of Edinburgh, the Prince Of Wales, Viscount Linley, the Princess Royal. That year, Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, marked their diamond wedding anniversary on November 18, following 60 years of marriage. 2008 BEST MATES: Prince William, Prince Harry, The Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Timothy Lawrence (back) Queen Elizabeth II, the Earl of Wessex (obscured), the Countess of Wessex, the Duke of Edinburgh and Peter Phillips (back) watch a flyover from the balcony of Buckingham Palace in London at the conclusion of the annual Trooping the Colour. 2009 THE BLUES: Members of the Royal Family watch a flyover from the balcony of Buckingham Palace in London at the conclusion of the annual Trooping the Colour. From left to right: Prince William, Prince Harry, The Princess Royal, Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Michael of Kent (back), the Earl of Wessex (back), the Duke of Edinburgh, Vice Admiral Timothy Lawrence, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Prince of Wales. 2010 A GROWING GROUP: Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh (center) watch a flypast from the balcony of Buckingham Palace, alongside other members of the royal family (from left) Princess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice, Prince William, Earl and Countess of Wessex, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, the Duke of York, The Duchess of Cornwall and the Prince of Wales, following the Trooping the Colour ceremony at Horse Guards Parade. 2011 WELCOME KATE: The Royal Family watch a flypast from the balcony of Buckingham Palace, London, after attending Trooping the Colour, the Queen's annual birthday parade. This year marked the first time Kate Middleton (left) attended the ceremony, which came just two months after her and Prince William's royal wedding. 2012 THE QUEEN AND THE CROCODILE ROCK: Queen Elizabeth II (fourth from left) and members of the British royal family (from left to right) the Duchess of Cornwall, the Prince of Wales, the Earl of Wessex, the Princess Royal, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Duchess of Cambridge, the Duke of Cambridge on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the annual Trooping the Colour parade. That year, the Queen marked 60 years on the throne with a pop concert at Buckingham Palace. Sir Elton John and Kylie Minogue were among the performers. 2013 HANDS UP: The Duchess of Cornwall, the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal, Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of York, Prince Harry and the Duchess of Cambridge on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, in central London, following the annual Trooping the Colour parade. 2014 THE TRADITION CONTINUES: The Duchess of Cornwall, Prince of Wales, Princess Eugenie, Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Harry, Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke of Cambridge watch a fly-past by the RAF, on the balcony at Buckingham Palace following Trooping the Colour at Horse Guards Parade, London. 2015 THE FUTURE KINGS: (From left to right) the Duchess of Cornwall, the Prince of Wales, Prince George, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Harry, James Viscount Severn on the balcony at Buckingham Palace following Trooping the Colour at Horse Guards Parade, London. This year marked the first appearance on the balcony of 23-month-old Prince George, who wore the same outfit his father wore at the 1984 parade. 2016 CELEBRATING GAN GAN: Queen Elizabeth II joins members of the royal family, including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with their children Princess Charlotte and Prince George, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, central London after they attended the Trooping the Colour ceremony as the Queen celebrates her official birthday. Prince George, center, appeared to give the planes a salute, while his 'gan-gan' waved at the pilots soaring overhead. This was also the first time Princess Charlotte was seen in public. 2017 THE ROYAL BABES: The Royals including Queen Elizabeth, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George and Princess Charlotte at Trooping the Colour on June 17, 2017. 2018 A WARDROBE FAUX PAS? Camilla, Duchess Of Cornwall, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Peter Phillips, Autumn Phillips, Isla Phillips and Savannah Phillips stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Trooping the Colour parade on June 9, 2018 in London, England. 2018 was the first year that Meghan attended Trooping the Colour, with the Duchess reportedly breaking royal protocol by wearing an off-the-shoulder dress for the occasion. 2019 HER MAJESTY AND HER SONS: Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Andrew, Duke of York watch a flypast from the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Trooping The Colour, the Queen's annual birthday parade, on June 8, 2019 in London. The annual ceremony involving over 1400 guardsmen and cavalry, is believed to have first been performed during the reign of King Charles II. The parade marks the official birthday of the Sovereign, although the Queen's actual birthday is on April 21st. The FBI is fighting to keep $86 million in cash and millions of dollars worth of jewelry it confiscated while raiding a Beverly Hills safety deposit box business that was allegedly used by criminals, it has been revealed. A March 9 indictment alleges that U.S. Private Vaults and its customers were laundering money and letting drug dealers store fentanyl, guns and cash in the boxes and claimed the business marketed itself to crooks. Agents with the FBI and Drug Enforcement Agency seized the contents of every single box on March 22 after being granted a warrant. Guns, drugs and millions in cash were among items seized, but many other customers say the contents of their boxes were stolen even though they hadn't broken any laws. Customers of U.S. Private Vaults have since filed a class action lawsuit in a desperate bid to retrieve their items. They claim neither they nor their seized belongings - many of which have great sentimental value - are in any way linked to crime. But prosecutors have argued that the FBI is justified in keeping the seized contents, The Los Angeles Times reported. Joseph Ruiz, 47, rented a safety deposit box from U.S. Private Vaults in February 2021 as a safe place to keep his savings, according to the Institute for Justice - a libertarian organization that files lawsuits relating to constitutional rights. He kept $57,000 at U.S. Private Vaults because he distrusts banks and had obtained the money from two legal settlements, one after he suffered a spinal injury in a car accident and another for suing his apartment building for code violations, he told The Los Angeles Times. 'They just kind of stole my money,' Ruiz said. Joseph Ruiz, 47, rented a safety deposit box from U.S. Private Vaults in February 2021 in which he kept $57,000 Paul and Jennifer Snitko stored their family heirlooms at U.S. Private Vaults because their bank had a long waiting list to rent a security deposit box Ruiz, who most recently worked at the airline caterer Gate Gourmet, is the son of a retired Los Angeles police officer. He said a federal agent asked him if he belonged to a drug cartel when he went to try to retrieve is money. 'I'm made out to be a criminal, and I didn't do anything. I'm a law-abiding citizen,' he told The Los Angeles Times. Ruiz said he used the cash to get medical care and buy food and he has not been able to seek treatment and has been surviving on food staples he had stored amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Institute for Justice said in a statement that the FBI has 'baselessly alleged that it should be forfeited to the government' after rejecting his requests to return the cash. Paul and Jennifer Snitko stored their family heirlooms at U.S. Private Vaults because their bank had a long waiting list to rent a security deposit box, according to the Institute for Justice - which described them as 'model citizens.' The Pacific Palisades couple used their box to store watches that Paul Snitko and his father had been rewarded with for years of service at their jobs, as well as his pilot's log and his father's will. The couple also kept backups to their home hard drives, a marriage certificate, a baptismal certificate and other important paperwork. 'Not only was my stuff taken without just cause,' Paul Sitko told Reason, a libertarian monthly magazine. 'It was taken by my own government, and they were asking me to prove my innocence and subject myself to an investigation to get my stuff back, which was unlawfully taken to begin with, and had no evidentiary value.' Federal agents raided an anonymous safety deposit box business in Beverly Hills prompting customers to call the seizures 'unconstitutional' A 10-inch by 10-inch box at U.S. Private Vaults rents annually for $2,000 and the company noted on its website that it accepts bitcoin The Sitkos are seen holding a picture of the contents of their box, including jewelry with great sentimental value The Sitkos had a numnber of watches and hard drives seized, as well as important documents The couple was finally able to retrieve their items on Thursday from the West Los Angeles Federal Building on Wilshire Boulevard, home to the FBI's area field office, Reason reported. Travis May, who serves on the board of trustees at Reason Foundation which publishes the magazine, also had gold and $63,000 in cash seized in the raid, according to the publication. 'We're raised with the understanding that you have a right to privacy in this country. They targeted [U.S. Private Vaults] for the specific reason that there's privacy there,' he alleged. The March 17 warrant that the FBI had secured to raid U.S. Private Vaults was granted by U.S. Magistrate Steve Kim - who had directed the FBI to return what was inside to the owners in the warrant, The Los Angeles Times reported. 'This warrant does not authorize a criminal search or seizure of the contents of the safety deposit boxes,' the warrant reads. Forfeiture laws let law enforcement agencies seize assets if they can be tied to criminal activity, the standard of proof required for the agencies to confiscate the items are generally low. Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. attorneys office in Los Angeles, denied that the federal government misused forfeiture laws to confiscate the contents of the boxes. 'We have some basis to believe that the items are related to criminal activity,' he told The Los Angeles Times. Mrozek claimed that, generally, the FBI could forfeit cash belonging to anyone with a criminal record or no known source of income, the outlet reported. An advertisement for the company on YouTube claims that no Social Security number or I.D. were required to rent boxes at the company The company posted another video to YouTube in 2012 that identifies its president as a Steven Gregory During the raid, agents seized an 'unspecified number of weapons' as well as fentanyl, OxyContin and 'huge stacks of $100 bills' sniffed out by drug dogs, The Los Angeles Times reported after the raid was revealed in April. One box reportedly contained a whopping $1 million in cash. After the raid, a sign was seen taped to the front door telling customers 'to initiate a claim for your U.S. Private Vaults box' on the FBI's website. 'Please go to the following link to initiate a claim for your US Private Vaults box,' the sign notes. The form on the FBI's website reads: 'To make a claim for property stored at U.S. Private Vaults in Beverly Hills, California, please provide the following information. An FBI agent will contact you for additional details.' Prosecutors claimed that U.S. Private Vaults boasted that its anonymous boxes were more secure than banks from federal agencies, according to the indictment obtained by DailyMail.com. 'Unlike traditional bank deposit boxes, US Private Vaults are 100 percent private, allowing your identity to remain completely anonymous,' an advertisement for the company on YouTube claims. A form on the FBI's website reads: 'To make a claim for property stored at U.S. Private Vaults in Beverly Hills, California, please provide the following information. An FBI agent will contact you for additional detail' The company posted another video to YouTube in 2012 that identifies its president as a Steven Gregory. 'Unlike a bank we don't require our customers to show photo ID or provide a Social Security number as a requirement for renting a box,' Gregory says in the video. 'We identify our clients through an iris scan and a palm geometry scan.' According to the indictment, the company had also allegedly advertised: 'We don't even want to know your name' and claimed that it did not require customer information that 'can be easily accessed by government agencies (such as the IRS).' A 10-inch by 10-inch box at U.S. Private Vaults rents annually for $2,000 and the company noted on its website that it accepts Bitcoin - an untraceable payment method. The cheapest box for $700 is only 3-inches by 5-inches. The company even allegedly issued safety deposit box keys that 'were unmarked and unnumbered so that law enforcement could not determine that the keys unlocked safety deposit boxes at USPV,' the indictment reads. Prosecutors claimed that employees would even tip off customers if law enforcement officers were seen in the area. According to The Los Angeles Times, customers would access the business with an eye and hand scan to unlock the door. A manager at U.S. Private Vaults dealt marijuana and cocaine, and prosecutors alleged that the business conspired with a neighboring Gold Business store to launder money, prosecutors claimed. Prosecutors claimed that employees at the Gold Business sold large amounts of jewelry for cash to a customer of the U.S. Private Vaults who is also a confidential informant working with law enforcement. 'I recommend you stay under $10,000 in cash and then you could just do some one day, and a few days later you could do the other,' a Gold Business worker allegedly told an undercover DEA agent posing as a customer. 'If you buy less than $10,000 then there's no form.' In the indictment, a federal grand jury charged U.S. Private Vaults with three counts: conspiracy to launder money, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to structure transactions. The indictment did not name any of the people believed to be behind the illegal activity and it is not immediately clear if they would independently face criminal charges. DailyMail.com has reached out to U.S. Private Vaults for more information and additional comment. A former New York Times science editor forced out after using the n-word is now claiming the company defended him to the Pulitzer Prize committee in an effort to secure its award for his reporting on the COVID pandemic. Donald McNeil Jr., who left his position in the company in February, said executives reached out to the Pulitzer Prize committee after the news broke of him using the slur on a trip to Peru in 2019, to 'reassure them that I was not a racist.' 'They said they had looked into the same accusation in 2019 and had found hem mostly false,' McNeil told Fox News. 'I was told this both by [Times executive editor] Dean Baquet and by [assistant managing editor] Glenn Kramon, who oversees prize submissions.' 'The tactic seemed to have worked,' he concluded. 'Bravo.' The newspaper earned the coveted prize in the 'public service' category on Friday, which was largely due to McNeil's contributions. Now, he said, he just hopes his name is on the prize. 'When the company adds this award to the 15th floor Pulitzer Wall, I hope they will include me in the credits,' McNeil said, 'I aspired to make it there my whole life.' But he also criticized his former employer for saying that he left because he was 'criticized for using a racial slur,' a claim he has denied. The New York Times quietly approached the Pulitzer Prize committee to ensure them that ousted COVID reporter Don McNeil wasn't racist for using the n-word The NY Times won a Pulitzer Prize, pictured, for McNeil's reporting on Friday, with the veteran journalist now fearful his name will be scrubbed from the paper's 'Pulitzer Wall' in its offices 'Even as it celebrates my work, The Times is again libeling me,' he said. The Daily Beast first published reports that he had used the N-word on an August 2019 trip with wealthy students at the end of January 2021. McNeil later explained that he used the N-word, McNeill said, when in conversation with a 17-year-old girl about a previous classmate of hers who'd been suspended from school for saying the word. McNeil asked the 17-year-old: Was the girl suspended for actually saying N-? He used the word itself when asking the question. After the complaints regarding the slur resurfaced, McNeil was eventually forced out after 150 NYT employees - out of a global staff of 4,500 - signed a letter slamming the handling of the 2019 decision to let him stay on staff and demanding an investigation. He said ever since he has been a 'jackal circled by jackals' and that he is now 'somewhat relieved' to be out of journalism. In his Medium post, however, McNeil admitted that he never thought his use of the N-word during that trip would have ended his decades-long career at the newspaper. 'I never dreamed that one of the two Peru trips I took - which to me were just blips in my life, something I'd done largely as a favor to a friend who needed experts to make the trips sell - would sink my Times career,' he said 'It's been quite baffling and painful for me to have people assume I'm a racist and believe that I said the ridiculous things I'm accused of saying.' He said, however, that he doesn't believe what has happened to him should be called a 'witch hunt', saying instead that it is a 'series of misunderstandings and blunders'. Explaining the context behind his use of the word, McNeil said: 'A student asked me if I thought her high school's administration was right to suspend a classmate of hers for using the word in a video she'd made in eighth grade. McNeil was ousted after the Daily Beast reported that he'd used the n-word while chatting with a student about a classmate who'd been suspended for it during a 2019 trip to Peru 'I said 'Did she actually call someone a ('offending word')? Or was she singing a rap song or quoting a book title or something?' When the student explained that it was the student, who was white and Jewish, sitting with a black friend and the two were jokingly insulting each other by calling each other offensive names for a black person and a Jew, I said 'She was suspended for that? 'Two years later? No, I don't think suspension was warranted. Somebody should have talked to her, but any school administrator should know that 12-year-olds say dumb things. It's part of growing up'.' After the exchange resurfaced in the Daily Beast report in January, McNeil said he repeatedly asked the NYT if he could clarify the context behind his conversation but was told to remain quiet. Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet, pictured, is said to have told McNeil of the explanation offered to the Pulitzer committee McNeil said he was willing to apologize but also wanted to clarify the circumstances and be given a chance to refute some of what he says were false allegations, particularly the claim that he said white privilege doesn't exist. 'The portrait the Daily Beast paints of a dyspeptic old man abusing students by spouting 'wildly racist and offensive comments' is inaccurate. I was trying to engage them in a serious conversation that opened their eyes. Which is what, as a Times Expert, I had been assigned to do,' he said. 'Obviously, I badly misjudged my audience in Peru that year. I thought I was generally arguing in favor of open-mindedness and tolerance - but it clearly didn't come across that way. And my bristliness makes me an imperfect pedagogue for sensitive teenagers. Although the students liked me in 2018, some of those in 2019 clearly detested me. I do not see why their complaints should have ended my career at the Times two years later. But they did. 'I'd like to put this behind me. I had hoped to be remembered as a good science reporter whose work saved lives. Not for this.' Still, the new report sparked backlash among his colleagues, some of whom demanded he resign. 'In February, in a moment of panic, The Times pressured me to resign over false accusations that I was racist,' McNeil recounted to FOX News on Friday. 'Sine they had ordered me to not respond in detail to the Daily Beast's accusations, I was unable to explain why they were false (until after I had departed on March 1).' House prices in the United States are being pushed up by pension funds that are outbidding middle class families and purchasing up to 24% of houses in some areas they then rent out, according to a new report. John Burns Real Estate Consulting has said pensions and private-equity firms are competing with young homebuyers which will make home costs 'permanently more expensive,' The Wall Street Journal reported. The outlet highlighted that investors, rather than young Americans, are benefitting most during an era of the cheapest mortgage financing ever while inflating home prices at alarming rates. Rents are also rising as home prices increase. Rather than letting young homebuyers have a chance at the homes, investors are snatching up the properties and reselling them at a premium or renting them out - often to tenants unable to afford to get on the property ladder because of rising prices. The consulting firm noted that home prices rose 11% in 2020 even as the COVID-19 pandemic raged. Home prices will rise another 12% this year and another 6% in 2022, the company estimated. The Amber Pines at Fosters Ridge subdivision in Conroe, Texas, pictured, was sold to online property-investing firm Fundrise in December The Amber Pines at Fosters Ridge subdivision in Conroe, Texas, pictured, was sold to online property-investing firm Fundrise in December John Burns, the consulting firm's CEO, estimated that about 20% of homes sold in top real estate markets are bought by someone who never actually moves in. The outlet detailed a particular instance in Texas as an example - when a bidding war was started after a home developer put an entire community for sale in December. D.R. Horton built 124 houses in Conroe, about 40 miles north of Houston, and called the community Amber Pines at Fosters Ridge. The homebuilder then put the community up for sale sending investors scurrying to Texas. Fundrise LLC, an online property-investing platform, won the bidding war and purchased the entire community for $32 million - twice what D.R. Horton may have made selling the homes directly to families, according to The Wall Street Journal. Bill Wheat, D.R. Horton's Chief Financial Officer, bragged about the sale during a recent investor conference. 'We certainly wouldn't expect every single-family community we sell to sell at a 50% gross margin,' he said. In other areas - like Miami, Phoenix and Las Vegas - investors are intentionally purchasing homes under $300,000 and in decent school districts where young adults would start their families, according to the outlet. In the Houston area, investors have recently bought 24% of homes on the market before young homebuyers had the chance to own their first properties. 'Limited housing supply, low rates, a global reach for yield, and what we're calling the institutionalization of real-estate investors has set the stage for another speculative investor-driven home price bubble,' the firm said. A chart from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis shows median sales price of houses sold for the United States each year since 2005 The pandemic sparked a race for home-office space and yards, with Burns counting more than 200 companies and investment firms competing. Pacific Coast Capital Partners, a company that invests in apartment buildings and office towers, recently announced a $1 billion joint venture with California State Teachers' Retirement System - the second largest public pension fund in the U.S. As a part of the venture, the investment company recently purchased rental-home communities across the southeast, The Wall Street Journal noted. Lennar Corp., another large homebuilder, recently announced it would supply $4 billion of houses to the investment firms Centerbridge Partners and Allianz in a new partnership. On Thursday, Madison Realty Capital closed on a $110 million loan for a project in Los Angeles. The original plan details did not include rentals, but now 220 of the nearly 700 home sites will be sold to investors. Josh Zegen, a managing principal at Madison Realty Capital, admitted: 'A lot of things that would have been for-sale housing are going to be for-rent housing.' One positive case was confirmed on Saturday, a man from the City of Melbourne Victoria's Covid 'Commander-in-Chief' Jeroen Weimer has ominously warned there are 'certainly' more cases in the state after it was revealed testing numbers have dropped significantly. Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Mr Weimer admitted he was concerned at the development, with only 15,110 tests in the last 24 hours. The figures are significantly less than the 40,000 test results being checked when the state's fourth lockdown began late last month. 'My personal view is that there are certainly more cases out there,' Weimer said. Victoria's Covid 'Commander-in-Chief' Jeroen Weimer (pictured) has ominously warned there are 'certainly' more cases in the state after it was revealed testing numbers have dropped on Saturday Speaking at a press conference, Mr Weimer admitted he was concerned at the development, with only 15,110 tests conducted on Saturday (pictured a shopper wearing a protective face mask scans a QR code before entering a store in Melbourne) 'I think we are talking very small numbers - but we need to track them down because as we have seen, if we let them linger and build, we have seen how infectious this Kappa variant can be in certain settings.' He also had a message for his fellow Victorians - encourage everyone they know to get tested. 'If you've got a colleague complaining of a sore throat, make sure they get tested and isolate at home,' he said. He also said the state's Delta strain outbreak had been well contained. Zero new cases have been linked to that outbreak in almost a week. However, the Kappa strain is proving to be more testing. 'Two or three weeks into the outbreak, that we are still finding new branches is of concern,' the Covid Commander said. Victoria's Covid Commander Jeroen Weimer also had a message for his fellow Victorians - get tested as soon as possible (pictured, people on Lygon St on Friday after the lockdown ended on Thursday night A Coles Express in Melbourne (pictured) has been identified as a Covid exposure site by health authorities Melbourne's lockdown has ended - but overnight 19 new exposure sites were added to the Victorian Health website Earlier on Saturday, Victoria recorded one new mystery case of Covid. The positive case was a man from the City of Melbourne. It comes as 19 new exposure sites were added to the Victorian Health website overnight, including a number of restaurants, a Coles Express and a medical centre. Virus sites include Cragieburn, Taylors Lakes, Hillside, North Melbourne, Burnside, Reservoir, Thornbury, Thomastown, Docklands, and Taylors Hill. Summer Hill Shopping Village is deemed a Tier 1 exposure site, with any people who visited the venue on June between 8.45am and 10.30am required to isolate immediately, get a Covid test and then quarantine for 14 days. A further 18 Tier 2 exposure sites were confirmed on Friday, with residents and guests advised to be tested urgently and isolate until they receive a negative result. Three new cases have also been detected in hotel quarantine, bringing the total number of active cases in Victoria to 74. Despite the lockdown finally ending for Victorian residents on Thursday night at 11.59pm, a number of restrictions still apply. Residents in metropolitan Melbourne are not allowed to have visitors to their homes and can't travel more than 25km from their homes - except for work, care, study or to travel to their nearest vaccination centre. Face masks remain mandatory outdoors, with social gatherings permitted outdoors with up to 10 people. Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton has urged Victorians not to dismiss outdoor settings as possible transmission risks. '(Masks) still reduce transmission substantially, people move in and out of indoor and outdoor areas all the time, and it is not always easy to judge how close others are,' he said. Restaurants, bars, shops and beauty services are now open. An heiress to the world's largest cleaning brush industry is engaged to the son of a multimillion-dollar superyacht broker, expanding the O'Neil family dynasty to new - and even wealthier - heights. Lou Hay, whose late father Donald founded the company Hayco, is set to wed Jake O'Neil - the son of Rose Bay Marina owner Denis O'Neil. Hay, a content creator, took to Instagram on Friday to share with her 28,000 followers that O'Neil had gotten down on one knee in a Sydney cafe surrounded by family and friends. Her future sister-in-law Deborah Symond O'Neil, the daughter of Aussie Home Loans magnate John Symond, was in attendance, as well as her sister Simone, who flew home from overseas for the special occasion. Lou Hay took to Instagram on Friday to share with her 28,000 followers that Jake O'Neil had gotten down on one knee in a Sydney cafe surrounded by family and friends Lou Hay, whose late father Donald founded the company Hayco, is set to wed Jake O'Neil - the son of Rose Bay Marina owner Denis O'Neil Deborah made headlines in Sydney's society pages in 2018 when she married Jake's brother Ned O'Neil in a lavish ceremony in the Whitsundays. The couple booked out Hamilton Island's exclusive Qualia resort for the three-day long celebration. Deborah, who has launched her own successful fashion retailer to rival the likes of Net-A-Porter, wore a custom-made $200,000 Christian Dior haute couture gown she had especially curated in Paris. The couple flew 120 guests, including the ten men and women in their wedding party, to North Queensland where they used the hashtag #Neborah on Instagram to show off the day's festivities. Lou Hay's late father Donald founded brush company Hayco. Sadly he died in 2019 from melanoma at age 76 Deborah, Poppy and Lou are staples of Sydney's high society social set, and regularly attend exclusive fashion and charity events together Deborah and Ned met over a decade ago through family friends before realising their fathers were old associates. The pair welcomed their son Beau in February 2020 and are expecting a baby girl later this year. Deborah's father John and step mother Amber McDonald split their time between the their waterfront Sydney mansion, $75million superyacht and London penthouse. Deborah, a content creator and owner of luxury clothing store Mode Sportif, congratulated Lou and Jake on Instagram, posting for all of her 36,000 followers to see. Ned and Jake's sister Poppy Tzaneros (nee O'Neil) runs interior design company Poco Designs with her mother Charlotte 'SO excited for this beautiful couple,' she wrote alongside a photo of the pair. Ned and Jake's sister Poppy Tzaneros (nee O'Neil), who runs interior design company Poco Designs, also shared her excitement. 'So happy for these two!' Poppy captioned a photo of the pair embracing after Jake presented Lou with a diamond engagement ring. Poppy married Anthony Tzaneros - the head of IT at ACFS Port Logistics - in an equally as lavish wedding wearing a custom Jaton Couture gown in October last year. Deborah, Poppy and Lou are staples of Sydney's high society social set, and regularly attend exclusive fashion and charity events together. The trio often rub shoulders with socialite Nadia Fairfax, PR maven Montarna Pitt, The Daily Edited co-founder Alyce Tran, and her stylist sister Caroline. Lou previously lived between Hong Kong and London with her long-time Norwegian fiance Nicolai Asplin. The then-couple moved back to Sydney last year, where they threw a lavish engagement party at Bondi's Icebergs, before breaking up within weeks. She said at the time that the relationship 'had run its course'. The pair welcomed their son Beau in February 2020 and are expecting a baby girl later this year Deborah made headlines in Sydney's society pages in 2018 when she married Jake's brother Ned in a lavish ceremony on Hamilton Island Deborah is a content creator and owner of luxury clothing store Mode Sportif, which has stores in Mosman and Double Bay Deborah wore a custom-made $200,000 Christian Dior haute couture wedding gown she had especially curated in Paris Lou then reunited with Jake, who she had previously dated years earlier. Sadly, the fashion blogger's father Donald passed away in 2019 from melanoma at age 76. Lou uses her platform to regularly urge her followers to get their skin checked while warning about the dangers of tanning. Hong Kong-based Hayco, which sells toilet cleaning brushes, brooms and other household products, has 6000 employees and ships 200million items a year to more than 60 countries. Meanwhile, Jake has followed in his successful father's entrepreneurial footsteps and works for Addenbrooke, a luxury property development company. The words 'snitch dedd' were found scratched into a door next to smudged black handprints after a police officer was stabbed nearby and a man was shot in the leg. Officers were allegedly approached by a man holding a knife after being called to a home in Narraweena on Sydney's Northern Beaches about 5.20pm on Friday. 'Police will allege the man threw a fire extinguisher at a male officer, hitting him in the head,' a New South Wales Police spokesman said. 'He was also stabbed in the hand during the confrontation.' The alleged attacker was then shot in the leg by a second officer. The creepy message NSW police found carved into the door of a unit at Narraweena on Sydney's Northern Beaches during a violent confrontation on Friday night The message was carved into the door of the Warringah Road unit police allege the man was trying to get into before the officers arrived, 9News reported. Black hand prints could also be seen on the surface of the door. The man was taken under police guard to hospital in a stable condition. The officer was also taken to hospital. Police descended on Narraweena (pictured) on Sydney's northern beaches on Friday at about 5.30pm Neither injury is believed to be life-threatening. As of Saturday evening, NSW police had not laid any charges. The matter was referred to a NSW police critical incident team and subject to an 'independent review'. Oxfam's bitter two-year feud over claims a staff member at a charity shop in Hay on Wye called Welsh 'that bloody foreign language' has a new twist in the tale. Shop volunteers Susan and Paul Baker, a retired couple who took the time to volunteer for the charity for 30 years were the latest volunteers to be dismissed from their roles, according to The Times. The saga began in March 2019, when a tweet was sent to the charity claiming that a staff member had told a Welsh-speaking woman to 'get out of the shop' and to 'stop speaking that bloody foreign language.' The store (pictured) was closed and the locks were changed following the incident in 2019 Oxfam responded by suspending Vaughan Evans, a part-time manager at the store, and promptly closed the shop. The charity also issued an apology for the alleged remark. Rachel Cable, head of Oxfam Cymru, said at the time: 'We are very sorry for any offence that this has caused. The alleged remarks does not reflect Oxfam's values and we take allegations of this nature very seriously. 'We strive to ensure that inclusivity and diversity are at the heart of our approach wherever we work in the world, including here in Wales.' Mr Evans denied making the remarks, and the incident was investigated. A disciplinary hearing concluded that the allegations could not be substantiated, but Mr Evans was not reinstated as part-time manager. The charity changed the locks on the shop and closed its doors, prompting a stand off between volunteers who wanted to reinstate their manager and Oxfam bosses. The feud reached boiling point when Danny Sriskandarajah, Oxfam's chief executive, personally travelled to the Welsh town amid support from senior figures within the annual Hay-on-Wye book festival. Eifion Williams (pictured) tweeted Oxfam to claim what had been said to his family in the shop The saga began in 2019 when a tweet was sent claiming that a staff member had told a Welsh-speaking woman to 'stop speaking that bloody foreign language' Mr Sriskandrajah apologised for the 'pain and hurt' the closure of the shop had caused and said Mr Evans' suspension 'should have been handled better.' The store then prepared to reopen to the public in February 2020 under new management. Before they could return to the shop, volunteers were required to undertake training courses, which included suggestions such as greeting customers in Welsh. Juliet Lewis, 66, a volunteer for 15 years at the store, told The Times that she and other volunteers had to watch a video of cartoon bears hugging to help them understand empathy. She added that she was told to change the name of her 'oxfambookshay' Instagram account and delete posts that could be seen as 'detrimental' to the charity, including posts criticising Oxfam's use of plastic packaging. As the shop prepared to reopen, sacks of items donated by the public were thrown out. It went against conflict resolution agreements with volunteers, who had been told they would be consulted on the lay out and running of the shop. It also went against the way volunteers were already doing things by concentrating their efforts on selling donated items and secondhand books, which did not fit with the charity's marketing of its range of ethically produced items. Ms Lewis and others protested against the changes, and new rules which required them to sign up to Oxfam policies, which they said they had never seen. Danny Sriskandarajah, Oxfam's chief executive (pictured) recently made the decision to dismiss two of the Hay-on-Wye stores longest serving volunteers As a result, the charity withdrew their invitations to volunteer. Mr and Mrs Baker were the latest in a line of volunteers to be dismissed by the charity, and their appeals to resolve outstanding issues were rejected. When they appealed the decision made by Mr Sriskandarajah, the charity's retail director Lorna Fallon stepped in and told them that the decision was final, adding that their relationship with Oxfam had 'broken down irretrievably'. Ms Lewis told the Times that the Bakers were 'the two most faithful volunteers' who opened the shop every bank holiday, and that they and others had been upset at the way they had been treated. Volunteers also remain angered that the initial claims from 2019 around remarks about the Welsh language have not been cleared up. Ms Lewis added: 'As far as the world is concerned, we're all still racists and that rankles they didn't stand up for us, they didn't have our backs.' Oxfam confirmed that four volunteers were dismissed from their roles. 'We were disappointed that, despite extensive efforts by both Oxfam and the volunteers, including undertaking mediation, it has proved impossible to resolve the situation in any other way. The four volunteers felt that they were unable to accept the ways of working which are standard across our shop network or commit to fully uphold our values,' they said. A mother of two is suing the Liberal Democrats after she was barred from running for Parliament for saying 'transgender women are not women.' Natalie Bird, 40, was banned from the party office for 10 years after a complaint about her wearing a T-shirt reading, 'Woman: Adult, Human, Female'. Ms Bird, who escaped an abusive partner, previously faced allegations of transphobia in 2018 when trans woman Zoe O'Connell allegedly complained about her suggesting women refuges should be segregated based on biological sex rather than chosen gender. A disciplinary hearing found no evidence of transphobia at the time but she lost her position as chairwoman of the Radical Association after a vote of no confidence. And a second probe has now seen her banned from standing as an MP in Wakefield, Yorkshire, after she wore the T-shirt. Natalie Bird is suing the Liberal Democrats after she was barred from running for Parliament in Wakefield, Yorkshire, for saying transgender women are not women Ms Bird, 40, was banned from the party office for 10 years after a complaint about her wearing a T-shirt saying 'Woman: Adult, Human, Female'. Ms Bird previously faced allegations of transphobia in 2018 when trans woman Zoe O'Connell (left) allegedly complained about her suggesting women refuges should be segregated based on biological sex rather than chosen gender Her accusers said she was 'disseminating transphobic material over a prolonged time' and she was banned from seeking office for a decade. Now she has launched legal action against the party for discrimination under the Equality Act 2010, claiming she was 'hounded' by trans activists. Ms Bird told The Telegraph: 'There has been a witch hunt against me because I've got these viewpoints, it is rather sinister. Mother-of-two law student, 29, is cleared of misconduct by university after saying 'women have vaginas' during seminar on transgender issues A mother-of-two law student who was investigated by university chiefs after saying 'women have vaginas' has today been cleared of misconduct. Mature student Lisa Keogh, 29, was hauled before a disciplinary panel at the University of Abertay in Dundee after her comments made during a seminar on transgender issues were reported to tutors by her classmates. But after a two month probe, which took place while she underwent her final year exams, the university's disciplinary board has decided not to uphold the misconduct charge against her. Today Ms Keogh hit out at the university for subjecting her to what she described as a 'cruel modern day witch hunt' due to her 'gender critical views'. The university deny Ms Keogh was put through the disciplinary procedure because of her 'personal opinions'. In a comment, sent to MailOnline, a 'victorious' Ms Keogh said: 'As overjoyed as I am about this decision, I am saddened that I went through this at such a critical time in my university career. 'The very end of my period at Abertay is now tarnished with these bad memories. 'I know the university has a duty to investigate all complaints, but to draw this process out for two months while I was taking my final exams was needlessly cruel. 'I always knew the complaints made against me were groundless and now the Student Disciplinary Board has confirmed that. 'I was targeted because of my gender critical views it was a modern day witch hunt.' The row erupted after Ms Keogh made comments during a discussion on transgender issues in an online seminar. She said during the seminar that women were born with female genitals and the difference in physical strength between men and women 'was a fact'. Ms Keogh was reported to academic chiefs by classmates who launched a formal probe for alleged 'offensive' and 'discriminatory' comments. Advertisement 'Within day to day life I've got trans friends, and if you've got somebody who wants to be treated as a woman socially, I believe everybody should do that, be polite and give them their preferred name. 'But that does not automatically mean that you become a woman.' The Liberal Democrats said: 'The party is currently carrying out multiple internal investigations involving Natalie Bird. 'As such, we cannot comment further until the investigations are complete.' She claimed the complaint against her in 2018 was a smear by Ms O'Connel. Ms OConnell denied all knowledge of the case or that she was the complainant at the time. Ms Bird told The Times: 'Their tactics seems to be the same as those used by abusive men: they play the victim publicly then privately try to do everything they can to control how others see you. 'They try to take away your voice and self-worth and then if that doesn't work, threaten suicide. They built a smear campaign against me, shutting me out of Facebook groups, no-platforming me and silencing my concerns. 'Standing up for the rights of vulnerable women is nothing I should be ashamed of. The lack of freedom of speech and freedom of thought on this issue is frankly terrifying.' Ms Bird has received backing from tax expert Maya Forstater, who lost her job after claiming people cannot change their biological sex won her appeal against an employment tribunal. In March, Ms Forstater Tweeted: 'Natalie Bird was suspended from the Lib Dems for refusing to recite the Trans Women are Women Credo. 'Help her take her case to court.' Maya Forstater's contract was not renewed in March 2019 after she posted Tweets opposing government proposals to reform the Gender Recognition Act to allow people to identify as the opposite sex. The Central London Employment Tribunal had originally upheld the dismissal following the posts. But on Thursday a High Court judge said the original tribunal had 'erred in law', but added: 'This judgment does not mean that those with gender-critical beliefs can 'misgender' trans persons with impunity.' Finding in favour of Ms Forstater, Mr Justice Choudhury said her views 'may well be profoundly offensive and even distressing', but said they 'must be tolerated in a pluralist society'. Ms Forstater, 47, who worked as a tax expert at the Centre for Global Development (CGD), an international think tank that campaigns against poverty and inequality, took her case to an employment tribunal on the grounds that her dismissal constituted discrimination against her beliefs. Reacting to the landmark judgement, Ms Forstater said she was 'incredibly proud' and insisted the ruling will protect women's rights in the workplace. Amanda Glassman, Chief Executive Officer of CGDE and Executive Vice President of CGD, said: 'The decision is disappointing and surprising because we believe Judge Tayler got it right when he found this type of offensive speech causes harm to trans people, and therefore could not be protected under the Equality Act. 'Today's decision is a step backwards for inclusivity and equality for all. We're currently considering the various paths forward with our lawyers.' The employment tribunal had upheld the dismissal after judge James Tayler described her beliefs as 'not worthy of respect in a democratic society'. Her case gained national attention after Harry Potter author JK Rowling voiced her support, and said she disagreed with the tribunal's decision to throw out her discrimination claim. Humans will be able to reproduce on Mars because sperm can survive there for up to 200 years, scientists have found. Hopes of a space colony are a step closer but there are still questions over how people could have sex in the Red Planet's micro-gravity. Experts had previously thought radiation in space would corrupt our DNA and make breeding impossible. But this changed when scientists kept mouse sperm on the International Space Station for six years and found it was still healthy. Hopes of a space colony have come a step closer but there are still questions over how people could have sex on the Red Planet's micro-gravity. Pictured: How the team at Yamanashi University in Japan led the experiment Experts had previously thought radiation in space would corrupt our DNA and make breeding impossible (file photo) The liquid from 66 mice was first put in more than 30 glass ampules in 2012. Scientists then decided the best ones to produce offspring. Three were launched to the ISS on August 4, 2013, and the other three were kept on the ground in Tsukuba, Japan, in almost the same conditions. Here they were exposed to space's vicious radiation. The first box was returned home on May 19, 2014, and confirmed whether the experiment had been working properly or not. After examining this sample and comparing it with the ground one, the experts decided to go ahead with the project. The second box was returned on May 11, 2016, two years and nine months after being launched. The last one was sent back on June 3, 2019, five years and 10 months later, which made it the longest space experiment in biological research history. The liquid was first put in more than 30 glass ampules from 66 mice in 2012. Scientists then decided the best ones to produce offspring. Pictured: The scientists examined sperm damage Professor Sayaka Wakayama, from the university, said: 'Many genetically normal offspring were obtained. These discoveries are essential for mankind.' Pictured: They also examinated sperm damage after fertilisation Following the experiment in space and on Earth, the experts looked at embryo quality and full-term development (pictured) The ground-control boxes were also returned from JAXA to the Yamanashi University in Japan at the same time. Professor Sayaka Wakayama said: 'Many genetically normal offspring were obtained. These discoveries are essential for mankind. 'When the time comes to migrate to other planets, we will need to maintain the diversity of genetic resources, not only for humans but also domestic animals.' The discovery came three days after NASA's Ingenuity helicopter made its seventh successful flight on Mars. This time it landed in an airfield that had only previously been seen by a Mars orbiter. The four-pound helicopter made its successful journey on June 6, more than two weeks after its last flight. 'Another successful flight,' NASA JPL tweeted. The miniature helicopter flew for 62.8 seconds, traveling 348ft south before settling down in a new airfield. The drone also took a black-and-white photo during its flight. NASA's Ingenuity helicopter made its seventh successful flight on Mars, this time landing in an airfield that had only previously been seen by a Mars orbiter The 4-pound helicopter made its successful journey on June 6, more than two weeks after its last flight INGENUITY: FIRST SEVEN FLIGHTS ON MARS Flight one: April 19, 2021 with a vertical takeoff up to 9.8ft, stationary hover and a landing April 19, 2021 with a vertical takeoff up to 9.8ft, stationary hover and a landing Flight two: April 22, 2021 with a vertical takeoff up to 16ft, hover, then shift westward for 14ft before returning and landing April 22, 2021 with a vertical takeoff up to 16ft, hover, then shift westward for 14ft before returning and landing Flight three: April 25, 2021 with a vertical takeoff up to 16ft, hover, shift northwards for 328ft at an airspeed of 2 m/s before returning to land April 25, 2021 with a vertical takeoff up to 16ft, hover, shift northwards for 328ft at an airspeed of 2 m/s before returning to land Flight four: April 30, 2021 with a vertical takeoff up to 16ft, hover, shift southwards 873ft at 3.5m/s before returning to land April 30, 2021 with a vertical takeoff up to 16ft, hover, shift southwards 873ft at 3.5m/s before returning to land Flight five: May 7, 2021 with a vertical takeoff up to 33ft, hover, shift southwards 423ft at 3.5 m/s before landing at that new location May 7, 2021 with a vertical takeoff up to 33ft, hover, shift southwards 423ft at 3.5 m/s before landing at that new location Flight six: May 22, 2021 with a vertical takeoff of 33ft, hover, shift southwest 492ft at 9mph, travel 49ft south, travel 164ft before returning to land Advertisement This airfield, previously observed by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, is the fourth it has landed on since the Perseverance rover landed on the Red Planet on February 18. On May 22, Ingenuity's sixth flight took some unwanted turns, resulting in an 'unexpected motion' due to an 'image processing issue.' At the time, NASA said the helicopter 'landed safely and is ready to fly again.' Ingenuity first deployed from Perseverance on April 3, starting a 30-day clock to make its first powered flight. Ingenuity, which is just 18-inches tall, made its first flight on April 19, 2021, making history as the first powered controlled flight on another planet. Since then it has completed six successful flights, the first five as part of a 'technical demonstration' to prove something could fly on Mars. The sixth and seventh flights are part of an extended mission support role, helping Perseverance. While airborne, Ingenuity keeps track of its motion using an onboard inertial measurement unit (IMU) - that tracks acceleration and rotation rates. By integrating this information over time, it is possible to estimate where it is, how fast it is moving, and how it is oriented in space. The onboard control system reacts to the estimated motions by adjusting control inputs rapidly - at a rate of 500 times per second. Perseverance is currently heading south from its landing spot on the Jezero Crater, where it landed 107 sols (Martian days) ago. So far, it has driven 0.32 miles within the crater Despite encountering an anomaly on its sixth flight, the helicopter landed within 16ft of the intended landing location and did so due to 'stability margins' within flight control The $2.7billion Perseverance is currently heading south from its landing spot on the Jezero Crater, where it landed 107 sols (Martian days) ago, on February 18. So far, it has driven 0.32 miles within the crater, NASA said, where it is performing a number of tasks, including searching for evidence of ancient life. At this point, it's unclear how many more times Ingenuity, which cost $85 million to build and operate, will fly. Lori Glaze, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division, said 'We're in a kind of see-how-it-goes phase,' in a recent press briefing, according to Insider. A Government adviser has urged ministers to consider vaccinating school-aged children to protect them from coronavirus. Professor Peter Openshaw, a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG), revealed 'on balance' he has come to the view children need to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Experts are still divided on whether Britain should begin vaccinating children this summer, with some insisting it would help deal with the Indian variant but critics suggesting supplies should be used to squash the pandemic abroad first. But Professor Openshaw said because children are now spreading the Delta variant, first discovered in India, in schools the case for vaccination is stronger. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'A lot of people are sitting on the fence about this but I think on balance Im coming to the view that vaccination of children theres a very strong argument there.' Professor Peter Openshaw (pictured), a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG), revealed 'on balance' he has come to the view children need to be vaccinated against Covid-19 He said the vaccine was safe for children, while prolonged symptoms of coronavirus meant one in ten sufferers have not fully recovered. He added: 'Originally with the Wuhan strain it didnt seem there was very much amplification of the epidemic going on amongst people who were at school in contrast to what we know about influenza, where schools are often the major driver of spread. 'But with these more transmissible variants it is evident that they are being transmitted much more amongst young adults and school children and even younger children and that seems perhaps to be a change in the biological quality of the infection. 'Its still fortunately not causing very high disease rates amongst those kids but it does strengthen the argument against vaccination.' He said the Government 'absolutely needs to have the discussion' as research proves the 'safety and efficacy in terms of generating an antibody response in children'. Professor Openshaw said because children are now spreading the Delta variant, first discovered in India, in schools the case for vaccination is stronger. Pictured, a teenager, aged 16, is given the vaccine He added: 'Were also quite concerned about the prolonged symptoms that some people do experience after acute infection and there is a sort of u-shaped curve in the perception of recovery from Covid in that older people and also much younger people dont feel perfectly back to full health after covid. '1 in 10 are getting prolonged symptoms and I think thats another argument for extending vaccination.' Meanwhile, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) last week approved Pfizer's Covid vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds. But no decision has yet been taken on whether to extend the rollout to under-18s once all adults have been offered a jab. And there are now concerns in the US that the Pfizer jab might have health risks for children that outweigh the benefits, with officials there fearing around 200 cases of heart damage among under-30s could have been linked to the jab. He said the Government 'absolutely needs to have the discussion' as research proves the 'safety and efficacy in terms of generating an antibody response in children' (file image) The MHRA said it has not seen any such cases in the UK but the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised that young adults or children should not be given the AstraZeneca jab unless it's the only option because of a small blood clot risk. The JCVI is expected to tell ministers the move to give jabs to children would be a 'political decision'. Scientists claim rolling out the vaccine to children would help crack down on the rampant spread of the Delta variant. Cases of the mutant strain have more than tripled in a week to 42,000 and the strain appears to be spreading 64 per cent faster than the Kent variant. Dr Simon Clarke (left) said vaccinating children or teenagers 'can only help' to control the spread of the coronavirus while Professor David Livermore (right) said it was ethically difficult because children were not the ones being protected by their own jabs Dr Simon Clarke, a cellular microbiologist at the University of Reading, told MailOnline vaccinating all children would ensure they do not spread the variant further, particularly to older people whose immunity from vaccines earlier in the year could be on the wane. He said: 'We don't yet know how much if any of the Indian variant has gone through schools but undeniably children, particularly teenagers, are potential vectors for spreading it round. US REGULATOR FLAGS CONCERNS ABOUT HEART DAMAGE Britain's medical regulator yesterday revealed it has not yet detected any link between Pfizer and Moderna's Covid vaccines and heart damage, despite US officials calling an urgent meeting over growing fears there is a connection. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which polices the safety of drugs in the UK, said it is 'closely monitoring reports of myocarditis and pericarditis received with the Covid vaccines'. It has recorded just 34 cases of myocarditis after Pfizer jabs a similar number to after the AstraZeneca vaccine and only two after Moderna, but says numbers 'similar or below expected background levels'. Meanwhile, US health chiefs have announced officials will gather on June 18 to discuss 226 plausible cases of heart inflammation in under-30s given the jabs in America. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) bosses yesterday admitted the number of cases was higher than expected and that most were in boys and young men. However, they insisted the complication was still rare. Among the cases spotted in the US, three are in intensive care, 15 are hospitalised and 41 have ongoing symptoms. The CDC continues to urge everyone aged 12 and older in the US to get vaccinated and says it is not clear if either condition is actually caused by the shots. The average age for people suffering the condition in the US was 24 who have yet to begin routinely receiving their jabs in Britain and comparatively few Moderna doses have been dished out in the UK. Advertisement 'So if we can put a firewall in with younger people, then it can only help.' But if children were to be invited for jabs, they would be receiving Moderna or Pfizer vaccines the latter of which is expected to have supply squeezed over the coming month. Vaccine minister Nadhim Zahawi yesterday admitted supply of the American drug manufacturer's jab would be 'tight', which could potentially prevent children being invited this summer with second doses for those who have already had Pfizer being prioritised in the coming months. And there are calls to donate supplies abroad to developing nations where the majority of adults have still not had a first dose. Dr Clarke said: 'What you've got to remember is there are lots of elderly people in this country who have had the AstraZeneca vaccine. 'That appears to be not as protective certainly against milder disease and transmission. 'There are always going to be a lot of people in this country who despite doing the right thing and getting their jabs are not going to be protected. That's just the way these thing work. 'So the idea that it's okay because we've jabbed everybody, that doesn't mean everyone is fully protected.' But jabbing children over the summer would rely on having enough vaccines to dish out. With thousands of under-30s now receiving jabs after the vaccine roll-out picked up pace, demand for doses of Pfizer has now soared beyond supply levels. Scottish MP Humza Yousaf told Matt Hancock in a letter that supplies of the jab are to be 'particularly tight over the next few weeks', not just in Scotland but across the UK, according to the i newspaper. Mr Zahawi admitted supply would fall this month but insisted the UK remains on target to give first doses to all adults by He told LBC: 'I'm confident that Scotland will be able to meet the target of offering every adult at least one dose by the end of July as we will in England as well.' MailOnline analysis of official figures shows even with consistent supply and 100 per cent uptake, all adults in the UK may not have received their final inoculation until September 18 making it difficult to justify handing out first doses to children beforehand. There are also safety concerns surrounding Pfizer and Moderna's vaccine in young people, particularly men. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US today confirmed it would be meeting to discuss 226 plausible cases of heart inflammation in the UK that have been linked to the companies' jabs. Experts are divided on whether Britain should begin vaccinating children this summer, with some insisting jabs are safe but critics suggesting supplies should be used to squash the pandemic abroad first Why children are less affected by Covid-19 Children are less at risk of developing severe Covid symptoms and dying from the disease due to a host of differences between the bodies and immune systems of youngsters and adults, a study shows. Australian researchers have identified several specific physiological differences which may explain why Covid-19 is rarely severe or fatal in children. These include strong, undamaged cells in their blood vessels which prevent inflammation and clotting; elevated levels of vitamin D; an immune system that is both fast acting and well-oiled; and fewer ACE2 receptors, which the coronavirus uses to infect cells. While Covid-19 causes well-documented respiratory problems in adults, particularly the vulnerable and elderly, other respiratory conditions also plague children. However, society's youngest are demonstrably less affected by coronavirus infection, making up only a tiny proportion of cases, hospital admissions and deaths. A recent study from the US looked at hospital admissions of children at seven different hospitals and found just just four per cent of children test positive for the virus. The research looked at tests of more than 135,000 children who went to hospital for various reasons before September 8. It revealed only 5,374 (4.0 per cent) of patients tested positive and, of this small percentage, only 359 (6.7 per cent) were hospitalised, with 99 in intensive care. Eight of the infected patients (0.15 per cent) later died. Six of the deaths were patients with 'complex preexisting comorbidities', the scientists say. But why this is the case has thus far remained a mystery, with scientists and doctors trying to get to the bottom of the mystery. Advertisement The condition was seen most among people aged 24 and younger and the CDC admitted the number was higher than expected. UK faces shortage of Pfizer vaccines throughout June Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi yesterday admitted that supply of the Pfizer vaccine will be tight over the next few weeks but insisted that it was 'stable'. It comes after Scotland's Health Secretary Humza Yousaf warned supply of the Pfizer vaccine will be 'particularly tight' over the next few weeks. Mr Zahawi told LBC: 'I am absolutely confident, and I'll speak to Humza on this, that we will be able to deliver the Pfizer vaccines that Scotland needs to be able to meet its targets for end of July, as the United Kingdom target.' Asked if it is going to be 'tight' in the next few weeks, he said: 'It will be, there is no doubt. Every time I've come on your show I've said that the determining factor in terms of vaccine in arms is supply. 'And supply remains finite, but it is stable, and Pfizer have done a great job in being consistent on their delivery schedule.' Advertisement But there is no evidence to suggest the condition was definitely caused by the jabs and the MHRA said numbers 'similar or below expected background levels' in the UK. Nevertheless, there are legitimate concerns around safety, especially considering giving out vaccines to youngsters mainly serves to benefit adults rather than the children themselves, according to Professor David Livermore, microbiologist at the University of East Anglia. Professor Livermore told MailOnline: 'The argument against vaccinating children is ethical. 'Children dont get severe Covid and so arent being vaccinated for their own protection. 'And, whilst the speed with which vaccines have been developed is a great credit to the pharma industry, it is inevitable that that they havent been through such extensive evaluation as normally required for a vaccine.' But he added vaccinating children would 'boost the level of herd immunity in the population'. He said: 'It would prevent schools becoming reservoirs for the virus, which might spread back to the minority of unvaccinated adults or those with waning immunity.' Experts have also called for the UK to donate the doses that could be earmarked for children to developing nations that are significantly lagging behind in their rollouts. Britain on Thursday said it would give at least 100million surplus vaccines to the world's poorest nations. Mr Zahawi said the donations would not affect the domestic vaccine program. He said: 'No doses that are required for Scotland, for Northern Ireland, for Wales, for England are being taken away by our announcement [on donating vaccines].' Airlines have started shrinking their schedules until late July as the government plans to push Freedom Day back by a month. British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and easyJet are cancelling flights until after the new July 19 date as demand plummets. Virgin Atlantic pushed back journeys from Heathrow to Cuba and Trinidad and Tobago until October as well as transatlantic flights until mid-July. Budget airline easyJet started dropping trips to Greece and France as Britons face a second summer trapped at home. Meanwhile Stobart Air, which operates regional services for Aer Lingus, this morning ceased trading due to a lack of demand. Last night it emerged Boris Johnson will delay the end of lockdown until July 19 after doctors urged him to wait until more people have been double jabbed. After a sharp rise in the Indian variant, Cabinet sources said Freedom Day on June 21 was 'not looking great', with a four-week extension to restrictions 'most likely'. But in a bid to appease Tory MPs and ministers who are keen to unleash the economy, the Prime Minister is expected to promise a review after a fortnight. This could allow curbs to be ditched earlier this year if hospital admissions remain low. British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and easyJet are cancelling flights until after the new July 19 date as demand plummets (file photo) The budget airline has started dropping trips to Greece (file photo) and France as Britons face a second summer trapped at home Last night it emerged Boris Johnson (pictured yesterday) will delay the end of lockdown until July 19 after doctors urged him to wait until more people have been double jabbed Paul Charles, CEO of travel consultancy The PC Agency said airlines were shrinking their schedule because demand is plummeting. He told MailOnline: 'Airlines are reducing their flying schedules fast as government policies on overseas travel are putting off consumers from flying. 'There simply isn't enough demand to fly when so many countries are on amber and swab testing is so expensive. 'So we're now seeing airlines cutting their flying and staffing costs rapidly, as they ground more aircraft and return thousands of cabin crew and other staff to furlough. 'The government is strangling the aviation sector even though the majority of adults in the UK have received both vaccine doses and should be given the freedom to fly.' He added: 'Why are we in a worse position than last summer when we had no vaccines? 'The government should follow America's and Europe's lead and enable fully-jabbed citizens to fly more flexibly.' Nicky Kelvin, head of travel website The Points Guy UK, added: 'The majority of the travel industry predicted a further opening up of travel at the last Government announcement. 'But instead further restrictions were put in place and most surprisingly, Portugal was removed from the green list of destinations for travellers to visit. 'Unsurprisingly, this has caused confusion and reduced confidence for holidaymakers and the tightening of revenue potential for airlines and other holiday companies. 'For leisure travel to be truly viable in the UK, we'll need to see the opening up of further travel corridors and a reliable roadmap by the Government which will in turn instil confidence that would push would-be holidaymakers to make bookings. 'Elsewhere in Europe we are seeing a steady influx in travel. It was revealed this week that Lufthansa would begin flying its 747-8 Jumbo jets and Airbus A350 widebodies between Frankfurt and Palma de Mallorca in order to cope with an increased demand. 'Meanwhile in the UK, airlines have been forced to slash schedules and re-furlough thousands of staff because of the delays to the restart of international travel.' A Virgin Atlantic spokesman said: 'We're continually reviewing our flying programme and holiday schedules and in response to the ongoing impact of Covid-19 restrictions, we have taken the difficult decision to delay the restart of some of our Caribbean services. 'These include the London Heathrow to Trinidad and Tobago service, currently assigned Red List status on the UK Government's traffic light system, which will now resume from 7 October and our London Heathrow Havana route, now due to commence 1 October. 'As a result of ongoing travel restrictions between the UK and US, we have also pushed back the restart of some transatlantic flights to mid-July, including our London Heathrow services to Orlando, Las Vegas, San Francisco and Manchester to Orlando, Atlanta and New York-JFK. World-leading vaccination programmes in both the UK and US have created the opportunity to safely open up travel between these two low-risk countries whilst protecting public health and we urge Prime Minister Johnson and President Biden to use the G7 Summit to move the US to the UK's 'green list' and repeal the 212F proclamation for UK travellers to the US immediately, and no later than 4 July. Children SHOULD be vaccinated against Covid says Professor Peter Openshaw who advises ministers on the pandemic A Government adviser has urged ministers to consider vaccinating school-aged children to protect them from coronavirus. Professor Peter Openshaw, a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG), revealed 'on balance' he has come to the view children need to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Experts are still divided on whether Britain should begin vaccinating children this summer, with some insisting it would help deal with the Indian variant but critics suggesting supplies should be used to squash the pandemic abroad first. But Professor Openshaw said because children are now spreading the Delta variant, first discovered in India, in schools the case for vaccination is stronger. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'A lot of people are sitting on the fence about this but I think on balance I'm coming to the view that vaccination of children there's a very strong argument there.' He said the vaccine was safe for children, while prolonged symptoms of coronavirus meant one in ten sufferers have not fully recovered. He added: 'Originally with the Wuhan strain it didn't seem there was very much amplification of the epidemic going on amongst people who were at school in contrast to what we know about influenza, where schools are often the major driver of spread. 'But with these more transmissible variants it is evident that they are being transmitted much more amongst young adults and school children and even younger children and that seems perhaps to be a change in the biological quality of the infection. 'It's still fortunately not causing very high disease rates amongst those kids but it does strengthen the argument against vaccination.' Advertisement 'We're sorry for the inconvenience caused to our customers and look forward to returning to these destinations as soon as possible. 'Where a flight is cancelled, customers can rebook their flights for a new travel date all the way until 30 April 2023, convert their booking to a travel voucher, or of course request a full cash refund. 'Any customers who made their bookings through a third party or travel agent, should contact them directly to discuss their options. 'To simplify the options and to provide immediate peace of mind for Virgin Holidays customers whose holidays are no longer going ahead as a result of a flight cancellation, we're automatically providing a digital voucher for the value of their trip, redeemable up until 30 September 2022, which they can use to rebook a new package holiday, departing any time before 30 April 2023. 'This can either be to the same destination or we can look at alternatives, as well as different times of the year. Where a holiday is cancelled, customers can also request a cash refund.' British Airways and easyJet have been approached for comment. Meanwhile Aer Lingus announced a number of regional flights have been cancelled after operator Stobart Air ended its contract with the Irish airline. The announcement affects several flights from Dublin and Belfast City airports to UK cities. An Aer Lingus statement said: 'Late on the evening of June 11, Stobart Air notified Aer Lingus that it was terminating its franchise agreement with Aer Lingus with immediate effect. 'As a result, all Aer Lingus regional flights operated by Stobart Air are cancelled. 'Stobart Air referred to the continuing impact of the pandemic which has resulted in almost no flying since March 2020. 'Stobart Air has ceased trading and is now in the process of appointing a liquidator. 'Aer Lingus apologises to customers for the inconvenience caused by the cancellation at such short notice of all flights operated by Stobart Air. 'Aer Lingus is now communicating to customers to advise them of their options for refund or rebooking.' Customers who have booked flights are advised not go to the airport and to check the Aer Lingus website. The announcement affects flights from Dublin to Kerry, Donegal, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Newquay. Flights from Belfast City Airport to Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Leeds Bradford, Exeter and East Midlands have also been cancelled. A spokesman for Belfast City Airport said: 'We were informed by Aer Lingus this morning that Stobart Air, who operated the Aer Lingus regional franchise, has ceased operations. 'The Aer Lingus Heathrow service is not affected and is still operating. 'We apologise to our passengers for this inconvenience and are working with Aer Lingus to ensure these routes are operating again as soon as possible.' A spokesman for Stobart Air said: 'It is with great regret and sadness that Stobart Air can confirm that the board is in the process of appointing a liquidator to the business and the airline is to cease operations with immediate effect. 'Stobart Air apologises to all its customers for the inconvenience caused at short notice. All 480 staff at the airline have been informed. 'Last April, Stobart Air announced that a new owner had been identified. However, it has emerged that the funding to support this transaction is no longer in place and the new owner is now unable to conclude the transaction. 'Given the continued impact of the pandemic which has virtually halted air travel and in the absence of any alternative purchasers or sources of funding, the board of Stobart Air must take the necessary, unavoidable and difficult decision to seek to appoint a liquidator.' Aer Lingus announced a number of regional flights have been cancelled after operator Stobart Air ended its contract with the Irish airline The announcement affects several flights from Dublin and Belfast City airports to UK cities Aer Lingus cancels regional flights as Stobart Air appoints liquidator Aer Lingus has announced that a number of regional flights have been cancelled after operator Stobart Air ended its contract with the Irish airline. The announcement affects several flights from Dublin and Belfast City airports to UK cities. An Aer Lingus statement said: 'Late on the evening of June 11, Stobart Air notified Aer Lingus that it was terminating its franchise agreement with Aer Lingus with immediate effect. 'As a result, all Aer Lingus regional flights operated by Stobart Air are cancelled. Stobart Air referred to the continuing impact of the pandemic which has resulted in almost no flying since March 2020. 'Stobart Air has ceased trading and is now in the process of appointing a liquidator. Aer Lingus apologises to customers for the inconvenience caused by the cancellation at such short notice of all flights operated by Stobart Air. 'Aer Lingus is now communicating to customers to advise them of their options for refund or rebooking.' Customers who have booked flights are advised not go to the airport and to check the Aer Lingus website. The announcement affects flights from Dublin to Kerry, Donegal, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Newquay. Flights from Belfast City Airport to Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Leeds Bradford, Exeter and East Midlands have also been cancelled. A spokesperson for Belfast City Airport said: 'We were informed by Aer Lingus this morning that Stobart Air, who operated the Aer Lingus regional franchise, has ceased operations. 'The Aer Lingus Heathrow service is not affected and is still operating. 'We apologise to our passengers for this inconvenience and are working with Aer Lingus to ensure these routes are operating again as soon as possible.' A spokesperson for Stobart Air said: 'It is with great regret and sadness that Stobart Air can confirm that the board is in the process of appointing a liquidator to the business and the airline is to cease operations with immediate effect. 'Stobart Air apologises to all its customers for the inconvenience caused at short notice. All 480 staff at the airline have been informed.' Advertisement Under the PM's Covid roadmap, June 21 was supposed to be the day when all social distancing curbs were lifted and the work-from-home advice abandoned. Mr Johnson will make a final decision tomorrow night, before making an announcement to the nation on Monday evening. But officials told the Mail last night that the debate in Downing Street was now concentrated on whether to 'pause' the reopening by two weeks or four. In a significant intervention, the British Medical Association called on Mr Johnson to hold off until more people had received both doses of the vaccine. Its council chairman Dr Chaand Nagpaul said the figures showed more time was needed to get the vaccine to more people. 'With only 54.2 per cent of the adult population currently fully vaccinated and many younger people not yet eligible, there is a huge risk that prematurely relaxing all restrictions will undo the excellent work of the vaccine programme and lead to a surge of infections,' he said. Weddings could still get an exemption, with the 30-person cap on guests lifted on June 21 to allow the big weddings that many couples have booked to go ahead. However, the delay to lifting the remainder of the curbs which ban nightclubs opening, limit crowds at theatres and sporting events, restrict capacity indoors at pubs and restaurants and prevent people meeting in large groups is likely to enrage many MPs, hospitality leaders and business chiefs. The Mail revealed Mr Sunak told Mr Johnson he could live with a delay of 'a week or two' but would resist any further slippage as this could involve extending furlough. Last night, nightclubs and bars threatened to sue the Government if the planned lifting of restrictions was postponed. Andrew Lloyd Webber has already warned that he could take ministers to court if they do not allow theatres to operate at full capacity as planned. And yesterday furious Tory MPs warned they will use every mechanism at their disposal to resist the delay of Freedom Day. Julian Sturdy, the Conservative MP for York Outer, said: 'Despite what lockdown supporters claim, it is simply not just a few extra weeks. 'People's livelihoods, mental health and our long-term freedoms are at permanent risk.' The move towards delaying June 21 came after the number of cases of the Indian variant also known as the Delta variant increased by 240 per cent in a week. Public Health England said the infections had risen from 12,431 to 42,323 in the latest seven-day period, an increase of 29,892 cases. England's coronavirus R rate is higher than at any time since October at a minimum of 1.2 and possible high of 1.4, SAGE estimated yesterday Public Health England data show how it took just a matter of weeks for the Indian 'Delta' variant to smash past the Kent strain and take over as dominant in England, with it surging to make up 96 per cent of cases in just nine weeks The Office for National Statistics' weekly infection survey suggested England's outbreak grew by only 13 per cent last week to 96,800 total cases - compared to a near-doubling 75 per cent surge the week before The majority of cases appeared to be among the unvaccinated. The R-rate of reproduction also increased yesterday to between 1.2 and 1.4. In a further sign that a delay is likely, vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi yesterday stressed the importance of being 'really careful' in lifting coronavirus restrictions and urged against 'squander(ing) those hard-fought gains' made by the vaccination programme. At the G7 summit in Cornwall yesterday, Mr Johnson told fellow world leaders that it was important not to 'repeat some of the errors that we doubtless made in the course of the last 18 months'. The PM has been criticised for not locking down sooner last year. Kate Nicholls, the boss of UK Hospitality, said last night: 'Any delay in the roadmap would have a devastating effect on an already fragile hospitality sector. 'A one-month delay would cost the sector 3billion in sales and push many businesses even closer to the cliff edge of failure, meaning more job losses.' The statue of Scottish inventor James Watt in Birmingham will be reinstalled with a plaque explaining his 'dark side' and links to slavery. The steam engine pioneer, who died in 1819, was a key figure in the Industrial Revolution and was honoured with a gilded statue with colleagues Matthew Boulton and William Murdoch, known as the 'golden boys'. Even though the monument is in storage, Birmingham City Council identified it as a 'possible risk' in a statue review amid the Black Lives Matter protests. The statue of Scottish inventor James Watt in Birmingham will be reinstalled with a plaque explaining his 'dark side' and links to slavery The engineer, who developed the idea of horsepower and lends his name to the unit of power, had family connections to the slave trade. The council has now decided to reinstate the statue in the city centre with the addition of an explanatory plaque, according to The Telegraph. The information on the plaque will explain the 'dark side to the story of the Watt family'. In the dossier of 'at risk' statues by the council, it states: 'Watt's family and Watt himself were not only complicit in the slave trade - they participated directly and benefited extensively from the profits that slavery generated. The engineer, who developed the idea of horsepower and lends his name to the unit of power, had family connections to the slave trade 'The father of the industrial revolution': How James Watt started in his shipwright father's workshop before going on to pioneer the steam engine James Watt studying improvements for the steam engine in his laboratory James Watt was born in 1736 in Renfrewshire and went on to work in his shipwright father's workshop. He opened a shop in 1747 selling mathematical instruments at Glasgow University where he met a number of prominent scientists. While repairing a model of the Newcomen steam engine in 1764, he was surprised by its waste of steam and invented a separate condenser. He later made his own engine using his designs which massively improved their power, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. He later adapted his engine to produce rotary motion and a double-acting engine in which the piston pushed and pulled. Mills and factories quickly implemented his inventions, scaling up the productivity during the height of the Industrial Revolution. Advertisement 'His father paid for Watt's education; an element of his father's income was from colonial trade.' It also states on the 'golden boys' statue: 'Both Boulton and Watt sold steam trains for slave plantations in the Caribbean. Murdoch, as an employee, framed by association.' The statue was placed in storage in 2017 while works were carried out on the Metro system and has since remained in storage. When it is reinstalled in the city, it will be contextualised with the plaque as well as online information about the links to slavery. The council is using a research document commissioned by the Birmingham Museums Trust as a basis for the reworked installation. The 18th century pioneer, who until recently appeared on the 50 note, was supported by his father in his career who was a West India merchant and slave trader. Watt helped turn Britain from cottage and craft production into an industrial powerhouse thanks to his work on the steam engine, which improved on earlier designs to make a more efficient and available source of power. It comes as Birmingham City Council is reassessing its statues and memorials in the wake of last year's BLM movement. The local authority said it would engage with residents about 'heritage, injustice, inequality and multicultural citizenry'. In 2019, Glasgow University condemned Watt among other donors for their links to slave trade. The university had signed an 'historic' agreement to fund a 20million programme of 'reparative justice' over its links to the slavery during the British Empire. Officials signed an agreement with the University of the West Indies to fund a joint centre for development research A report said: 'Watt worked for his father as a mercantile agent in Glasgow during the 1750s. Furthermore, Caribbean planters who needed to process sugar cane were significant consumers of James Watt's steam-engines. 'It is certain that Watt profited from slavery and its commerce, but exact quantification is impossible.' Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli, the university vice chancellor, said: 'One of our report's external advisers says, while you can't change the past, you can change their consequences. 'This is the story of our journey to do this to further enhance awareness and understanding of our history and the university's connections to both historical slavery and the abolitionist movement.' The council has now decided to reinstate the statue in the city centre with the addition of an explanatory plaque Advertisement Boris Johnson gave a grim warning about 'worrying signs' of a Covid surge today as he all-but confirmed that Freedom Day will be pushed back to July 19. The PM delivered a downbeat assessment of the dangers posed by the Indian - or Delta - variant amid growing expectations he will announce a four-week delay to the unlocking roadmap at a press conference on Monday. In a glimmer of hope, he is expected to say that the situation could be reviewed again in a fortnight if hospitalisations stay low. In a round of broadcast interviews at the G7 summit in Cornwall, Mr Johnson insisted no final decision will be taken until Monday. 'We are seeing some worrying stuff in the data, clearly. We are seeing the Delta variant causing an increase in cases, we are seeing an increase in hospitalisations,' he told Channel 5 News. 'The whole point of having an irreversible road map is to do it cautiously and that's what we are going to do. 'I know people are impatient to hear more but you will be hearing the full picture on Monday.' Ministers believe the backlash from Tory MPs and the public should be limited as long as the timetable does not slip beyond the school holidays. A poll today suggested that just a third of Britons want the total lifting of restrictions to go ahead as originally laid out. Professor Peter Openshaw, a member of the government's Nervtag advisory group, said the emergence of an 'even more successful' variant of the disease was 'such a disappointing setback'. It seems to be around 60 per cent more transmissible than the Kent - or Alpha - strain. 'It really has gone up another gear and that means that we really have to double down and not lose all the advantage that has been gained by the massive effort that has been put in so far,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. Cases of the Indian variant have been rising sharply, and the British Medical Association is among those calling for a delay to allow more people to receive their second jabs. Boris Johnson (pictured meeting Angela Merkel at the G7 summit in Cornwall today) is expected to confirm the Freedom Day delay at a press conference on Monday Airlines slash schedules until end of July amid Freedom Day delay Airlines have started shrinking their schedules until late July as the government plans to push Freedom Day back by a month. British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and easyJet are cancelling flights until after the new July 19 date as demand plummets. Virgin Atlantic pushed back journeys from Heathrow to Cuba and Trinidad and Tobago until October as well as transatlantic flights until mid-July. Budget airline easyJet started dropping trips to Greece and France as Britons face a second summer trapped at home. Meanwhile Stobart Air, which operates regional services for Aer Lingus, this morning ceased trading due to a lack of demand. Advertisement Under the PM's Covid roadmap, June 21 was supposed to be the day when all social distancing curbs were lifted and the work-from-home advice abandoned. But in his interviews today he left little doubt that the schedule will not be maintained, saying that vaccines need 'extra legs' to minimise hospitalisations and deaths. 'We're looking at all the data but what we're wanting to do is avoid another wave of deaths that could be prevented by allowing the vaccines to work in the way that they are. 'The vaccine programme has been absolutely astonishing and there's no question that if you look at the people going into hospital now they tend to be in different groups, younger groups than we saw in the first couple of waves of the pandemic... 'But it may be that we need in the race between the vaccines and the virus, we need to make sure we give the vaccines extra legs.' Mike Tildesley, a University of Warwick epidemiologist, said that although cases are going up, because of the success of the vaccine rollout it is not known what effect removing restrictions could have on hospital admissions. He said: 'We don't want to be slipping into another lockdown. To avoid this we have to be cautious and make sure we get enough data from the government as possible informing what we might expect in a future wave as we start to unlock further. 'I understand people really want to open up as soon as possible but of course what we don't want is a big wave of hospital admissions by doing so so it's a really difficult decision the Government are going to have to make over the next few days.' Just 34 per cent of people said they would like life to go back to normal on the day Boris Johnson promised it would, a poll of 1,392 people conducted by YouGov for The Times found. A separate question in the YouGov poll saw 22 per cent of people dub the rule of six - which currently limits indoor gatherings to just six people - their least favourite lockdown rule and said it should be lifted first. A total of 53 per cent of UK voters want some lockdown rules to stay across the UK past June 21 - while 25 per cent want all freedom-limiting legislation to remain. In a bid to placate Tory MPs and ministers including Chancellor Rishi Sunak who are keen to unleash the economy, the PM is expected to promise a review after a fortnight. That could potentially could allow curbs to be ditched earlier if hospital admissions remain low. But UKHospitality Chief Executive Kate Nicholls said: 'The Government has a balance to strike but due to the amazing efforts of the NHS in rolling out vaccines, it is time to lift the restrictions that are crushing businesses. 'A full and final ending of restrictions is the only way to ensure that businesses in this sector can trade profitably. If Government decides it has to keep some restrictions in place after June 21, then it must prioritise those that do the least damage to business and commit to further supporting the sector. 'Confidence has been shaken so it is imperative that Government postpones business rates payments until at least October and extend the rent and debt moratoria for hospitality businesses while a long-term solution to Covid arrears is found.' In a significant intervention, the British Medical Association called on Mr Johnson to hold off until more people had received both doses of the vaccine. Its council chairman Dr Chaand Nagpaul said the figures showed more time was needed to get the vaccine to more people. 'With only 54.2 per cent of the adult population currently fully vaccinated and many younger people not yet eligible, there is a huge risk that prematurely relaxing all restrictions will undo the excellent work of the vaccine programme and lead to a surge of infections,' he said. Weddings could still get an exemption, with the 30-person cap on guests lifted on June 21 to allow the big weddings that many couples have booked to go ahead. However, the delay to lifting the remainder of the curbs which ban nightclubs opening, limit crowds at theatres and sporting events, restrict capacity indoors at pubs and restaurants and prevent people meeting in large groups is likely to enrage many MPs, hospitality leaders and business chiefs. The Mail revealed this week that Mr Sunak had told Mr Johnson he could live with a delay of 'a week or two' but would resist any further slippage as this could involve extending the furlough scheme. Nightclubs and bars have threatened to sue the Government if the planned lifting of restrictions is postponed. England's coronavirus R rate is higher than at any time since October at a minimum of 1.2 and possible high of 1.4, SAGE estimated yesterday Public Health England data show how it took just a matter of weeks for the Indian 'Delta' variant to smash past the Kent strain and take over as dominant in England, with it surging to make up 96 per cent of cases in just nine weeks The Office for National Statistics' weekly infection survey suggested England's outbreak grew by only 13 per cent last week to 96,800 total cases - compared to a near-doubling 75 per cent surge the week before The R rate is highest in the North West, where it could be as high as 1.5. The region is the Indian variant hotspot and cases there have exploded in the past fortnight. A quarter of all the 7,400 cases announced in the UK yesterday were in the North West The move towards delaying June 21 came after the number of cases of the Indian variant also known as the Delta variant increased by 240 per cent in a week. Public Health England said the infections had risen from 12,431 to 42,323 in the latest seven-day period, an increase of 29,892 cases. The majority of cases appeared to be among the unvaccinated. The R-rate of reproduction also increased yesterday to between 1.2 and 1.4. At the G7 summit in Cornwall yesterday, Mr Johnson told fellow world leaders that it was important not to 'repeat some of the errors that we doubtless made in the course of the last 18 months'. The PM has been criticised for not locking down sooner last year. Kate Nicholls, the boss of UK Hospitality, said: 'Any delay in the roadmap would have a devastating effect on an already fragile hospitality sector. 'A one-month delay would cost the sector 3billion in sales and push many businesses even closer to the cliff edge of failure, meaning more job losses.' Public Health England graphs show how the Indian 'Delta' variant (pink) rapidly overtook all other strains of the virus to become dominant in April and May The North West (dark blue) has been by far the hardest hit region by the new variant while London (yellow) has experienced the second highest number of cases Most Delta cases have been in young adults and teenagers, who are unvaccinated, while there have been significantly fewer positive tests in older people, particularly over-50s, most of whom have had two doses of a jab. The true test of the vaccine will be whether the age distribution stays this way as the outbreak gets larger This heat map shows the hotspots for positive test samples that scientists believe are the Delta variant, with the most cases concentrated in the North West around Manchester and Liverpool The vast majority of cases and hospital admissions triggered by the Delta variant have been in people who were unvaccinated, PHE's data show. The figures show that only one in 10 people admitted to hospital after getting infected with the variant had been given two doses of a vaccine - just 42 out of 383 - while the rest of them had either had one jab or none at all. Twelve out of 42 people to have died of the strain had been vaccinated and just 1,785 out of 33,206 infections were in double-jabbed people No10's top scientific advisers have estimated England's coronavirus R rate is higher than at any time since last October and could now be 1.4. Government critics were taken aback by 'terrible' data showing how the Delta variant is taking over so quickly and threatening a third wave of hospital admissions. The PHE figures show that the number of positive tests linked back to the strain more than tripled from 12,431 to 42,323 in just a week. Part of this increase was down to an improved testing system that speeds up the process of working out which variant someone is infected with, PHE said, but cases are rising in the real world, too. The variant was only discovered in April but already accounts for 96 per cent of all positives, which is likely down to the fact that it is an estimated 64 per cent more transmissible than the Kent strain was. Experts say it appears better equipped to latch onto cells in people's airways meaning less exposure is needed to trigger an infection. Boris Johnson prepared for his showdown with EU counterparts today as he went for an early morning swim off the Cornish coast. The Premier rose early to take a dip took near the luxurious hotel where the G7 summit is taking place before continuing his health kick as he jogged along the beach. He readied himself for battle before heading to lunchtime talks with French President EmmanueL Macron, Angela Merkel and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen at the summit in Cornwall. This afternoon, the Prime Minister demanded 'radical' changes to the Northern Ireland protocol as he faced off with Mr Macron amid mounting anger at the EU's 'bloody-minded' approach. Boris Johnson rose early to fit a morning swim and a jog at the Carbis Bay location ahead of G7 talks The Prime Minister also went for a run along the beach in Cornwall today Despite threats earlier in the week from Brussels of a possible trade war, Downing Street insisted the talks in Cornwall with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen had been 'constructive'. However the Prime Minister's official spokesman said there was now an urgent need to find 'radical changes and pragmatic solutions' to enable the protocol to function effectively. 'In all cases they agreed that they needed to continue discussions on this and to continuing talking to try to find a way through,' the spokesman said. 'The Prime Minister's desire currently is to work within the existing protocol to find radical changes and pragmatic solutions. That is our immediate focus. 'Currently as implemented, the protocol is having a damaging impact on the people of Northern Ireland. We need to find urgent and innovative solutions.' Downing Street has indicated the UK would be prepared to unilaterally delay the full implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol to prevent a ban on chilled meats crossing the Irish Sea from Great Britain. Restrictions on British-produced chilled meats entering Northern Ireland are due to come into force at the end of the month. Prime Minister Boris Johnson meets with French President Emmanuel Macron earlier today Delaying the checks without Brussels' agreement risks triggering a 'sausage war' trade dispute, with the EU threatening to respond to any breach of the deal signed by the Prime Minister. A No 10 spokesman said that in his talks with the EU leaders, Mr Johnson had stressed his desire for 'pragmatism and compromise on all sides' while stressing the need to protect the Northern Ireland peace process. 'The Prime Minister underlined the UK's position on the Northern Ireland Protocol and the need to maintain both the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the UK,' the spokesman said. 'The Prime Minister made it clear that the UK is committed to finding practical solutions within the framework of the protocol which protect the aims of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and minimise the impact on the day-to-day lives of people in Northern Ireland.' It comes after the world leaders from USA, Japan, Germany, France, Italy and Canada arrived in Cornwall yesterday. Later the Queen sent G7 leaders into fits of laughter when she quipped 'are you supposed to look as if you're enjoying yourself' while posing for a photograph. Staff working at JD Wetherspoon have been transported across the country to work at a pub near the G7 summit after a covid outbreak forced the regular team to isolate. Workers had to travel to Cornwall to keep the Towan Blystra Pub in Newquay open after four members of the usual team at the pub tested positive for coronavirus. It is understood that the staff who have been brought in to fill the gap have come from other Wetherspoon pubs, with some coming from as far away as Newcastle on Tyne. Workers had to travel to Cornwall to keep the Towan Blystra Pub in Newquay (pictured) open after four members of the usual team at the pub tested positive for coronavirus. Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon said: 'In accordance with NHS guidelines, these employees are required to self-isolate for the requisite ten-day period. 'As a precaution, in accordance with public health guidelines, 19 other members of staff who may have come into close contact with the employees who tested positive have also been asked to self-isolate for 10 days. 'We are working closely with Cornwall Council, Public Health England and other relevant authorities and have followed their advice in relation to the cases. 'We have not been asked to close the pub and it remains open. 'In order to support the pub, given the number of employees self - isolating, additional experienced Wetherspoon managers and staff from a number of our pubs, both in Cornwall and beyond, have worked at the pub since the 4th June.' The pub is five miles from Newquay airport where attendees and staff flew in for the G7 summit which started yesterday. The G7 is a group comprising of the world's seven largest advance economies, and includes the UK, the US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. The summit is the main event of the year, when the groups come together to discuss the big issues of the day. The G7 summit is the main event of the year, when the groups come together to discuss the big issues of the day. World leaders are expected to commit today to work together to crush future pandemics within 100 days. The nations will sign what will be known as the Carbis Bay Declaration, after the Cornish resort where the summit is being held. As part of the strategy, Britain will build a 25million animal vaccine centre to halt the spread of new diseases and therefore prevent them from jumping to humans. The British woman rescued from the jaws of crocodile by her twin in Mexico has spoken for the first time since the vicious attack to thank her sister for saving her life. Melissa Laurie was dragged under the water and put into a terrifying death roll as the crocodile tried to drown the 28-year-old zoo keeper from Berkshire. She only survived because her twin Georgia fought off the ten-foot predator by punching it repeatedly in the face as she dragged her sister to safety. Now speaking for the first time Melissa told of her gratitude that she came out of the horrific ordeal. And she praised for beloved sister for fighting off the beast to save her life. In a short voice message from her hospital bed in the surfing resort of Puerto Escondido she told MailOnline: I am extremely grateful that I came out of this alive. And that I had Georgia fight my side for me. So I am very happy for that. Melissa Laurie (left) told of her gratitude that she came out of a horrific crocodile attack in Mexico Determined to come to her sister's aid, Georgia punched the crocodile repeatedly in the head before dragging Melissa away by her hair Melissa praised for beloved sister for fighting off the beast to save her life. Pictured: Georgia is pictured after the attack in Puerto Escondido in Mexico Melissa suffered terrible injuries from the attack including deep bites to her body, legs, hands and wrists some of which turned septic. She also suffered a suspected punctured lung and was put in a medically induced coma to aid her recovery. But she has been brought round now and is able to speak to Georgia who visits her regularly at the private hospital where she is being treated. The girls parents have told of their relief that Melissas condition is improving and have been sent a picture of their daughter in hospital. Mum Sue Laurie told MailOnline: Georgia sent us a picture of her in hospital bed in intensive care and weve seen Melissa for the first time. She is looking quite a bit better. She has traces of black eyes and a scratch on her face. She still has monitors on her fingers shes still all wired up. And she has an oxygen tube going into her nose. But its great to see to see her. She is trying to smile but its obvious that she is in a lot of pain. The family have also received the first medical bill for Melissas treatment, which dad Sean has described as eye-watering!. Israel's longest-serving leader, 71, will be succeeded on Sunday by a coalition Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has failed in his final bid to extend his 12-year reign in power after his rival signed a power-sharing deal. Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving leader, will be succeeded on Sunday by a coalition government that includes for the first time a party from Israel's Arab minority. Under a power-sharing agreement, Naftali Bennett, of the ultra-nationalist Yamina (Rightwards) party, will serve as prime minister for two years. Netanyahu, dubbed 'King Bibi' by his supporters, offered to resign as Prime Minister and allow Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who heads the centrist party Blue and White, to replace him in return for disbanding the anticipated coalition government. Gantz was told that 71-year-old Netanyahu was 'ready to resign' on Friday morning and handed offers by several sources close to the politician, with the final one received shortly after midnight on Thursday, according to N12. But his team vehemently denied the offer and the new Israeli government set to end Netanyahu's 12-year tenure as prime minister signed its final coalition agreements on Friday, pointedly including term limits. Gantz's rejection came despite the timing of the proposed resignation - Friday morning - meaning he would have the reassurance that he could return to the coalition government with Netanyahu only having 48 hours to retract the letter. The proposal also could have allowed him to serve for three years as prime minister, with Netanyahu becoming an MK - Member of the Knesset (parliament). Benjamin Netanyahu (pictured above, speaking at a ceremony in a file photo), Israel's longest-serving leader, 71, will be succeeded on Sunday by a coalition government that includes for the first time a party from Israel's Arab minority Supporters of Netanyahu protest near the Knesset (parliament) in Jerusalem on June 10 against a proposed coalition that is set to end the Israel Prime Minister's 12 years in power Listed: The agreements outlined by Israel's 'unity government' Among the agreements outlined by parties in what Lapid described as a 'unity government' are: Limiting the prime minister's term of office to two terms, or eight years. An infrastructure push to include new hospitals, a new university and a new airport. Passing a two-year budget to help stabilize the country's finances - the prolonged political stalemate has left Israel still using a pro-rated version of a base 2019 budget that was ratified in mid-2018. Maintaining the 'status-quo' on issues of religion and state, with Bennett's Yamina party to have a veto. Possible reforms include breaking up an ultra-Orthodox monopoly on overseeing which foods are kosher, and decentralizing authority over Jewish conversions. An 'overall plan for transportation' in the Israeli- occupied West Bank. A general goal to 'ensure Israel's interests' in areas of the West Bank under full Israeli control. Allocating more than 53 billion shekels ($16 billion) to improve infrastructure and welfare in Arab towns, and curbing violent crime there. Decriminalizing marijuana and moving to regulate the market. Advertisement The coalition of parties from far-right to left is expected to focus mostly on economic and social issues rather than risk exposing internal rifts by trying to address major diplomatic issues such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Bennett said on Friday that the coalition 'brings to an end two and a half years of political crisis', although it was unclear how long the coalition's disparate elements would hold together. He will then hand over to Yair Lapid of the centrist Yesh Atid (There is a Future) party. Lapid, 57, entered parliament in 2013 after a successful career as a newspaper columnist, TV anchor and author. His new Yesh Atid party ran a successful rookie campaign, landing Lapid the powerful post of finance minister. But he and Netanyahu did not get along, and the coalition quickly crumbled. Yesh Atid has been in the opposition since 2015 elections. The party is popular with secular, middle-class voters and has been critical of Netanyahu's close ties with ultra-Orthodox parties and said the prime minister should step down while on trial for corruption charges. Bennett, meanwhile, is a former top aide to Netanyahu whose small Yamina party caters to religious and nationalist hard-liners. He was a successful high-tech entrepreneur and leader of the West Bank settler movement before entering politics. It is far from certain that their coalition will last that long. In order to secure the required parliamentary majority, Lapid had to bring together eight parties that have little in common. Their partners range from a pair of dovish, left-wing parties that support broad concessions to the Palestinians to three hard-line parties that oppose Palestinian independence and support West Bank settlements. Lapid's Yesh Atid and Blue and White, of which Gantz is chairman, and the United Arab List are the remaining members. Defense Minister Benny Gantz (pictured above) was told that 71-year-old Netanyahu was 'ready to resign' by Friday morning and handed offers by several sources close to the politician Pictured: (Top L to R) Israel's opposition leader Yair Lapid, Israeli former Defense Minister Naftali Bennett, Israeli former Interior Minister Gidon Saar, Israeli ex-defence minister Avigdor Lieberman, (bottom L to R) Israeli politician Nitzan Horowitz, Israeli alternate Prime Minister Mr Gantz, head of Israel's conservative Islamic Raam party Mansour Abbas, and leader of the Israeli Labour Party (HaAvoda) Merav Michaeli The coalition members are hoping their shared animosity to Netanyahu, coupled with the agreement that another election must be avoided, will provide enough incentive to find some common ground. Netanyahu, who served an earlier three-year term in the 1990s, had previously warned of 'a left-wing government dangerous to the state of Israel'. The premier, who heads the Likud party and has developed a reputation as a wily political operator, scrambled to scupper the new alliance. Likud's lawyers on Tuesday tried to hobble the emerging coalition by challenging Bennett's right to serve first as prime minister, given that it was Lapid who was charged with forming the government. Pictured: An image shared on social media purportedly showing the agreement between the eight parties to form the coalition Israeli right-wing protesters chant slogans and hold flags during a demonstration against the forming of a new government in the central Israeli city of Ramat Gan, Wednesday, June 2, 2021 But the legal adviser to Israel's president dismissed the challenge. Netanyahu's latest proposal came as Israeli police said they blocked a planned procession by Jewish ultranationalists through parts of Jerusalem's Old City, following warnings that it could reignite tensions that led to a punishing 11-day war against Gaza's militants last month. The parade, which celebrates Israel's capture of east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war, was under way on May 10 when Hamas militants in Gaza fired rockets toward the holy city, setting off heavy fighting. Some 254 people were killed in Gaza and 13 in Israel before a ceasefire took effect on May 21. The war was preceded by weeks of clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian demonstrators in the Old City and in the nearby neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah, where Jewish settlers have waged a decades-long campaign to evict Palestinian families from their homes. President Joe Biden will hold a solo press conference after his meeting with Vladimir Putin next week, denying the Russian president the opportunity to stand by him and answer questions from the press. A joint press conference is traditional when two world leaders meet and President Donald Trump held one with Putin when the two men met in Helsinki in July 2018. It was an indication both of the administration's reluctance to grant Putin yet another prominent platform in addition to the summit itself - as well as a reluctance on the part of the White House to put Biden in an unscripted situation that could go off the rails. President Joe Biden will hold a solo press conference after his meeting with Vladimir Putin next week White House will set a different tone for President Biden's meeting with Vladimir Putin compared to when Donald Trump met with the Russian President The two leaders meet in Geneva on Wednesday in an 18th-century Swiss villa overlooking Lake Geneva. It's their first face-to-face meeting since Biden became president. 'We expect this meeting to be candid and straightforward and a solo press conference is the appropriate format to clearly communicate with the free press the topics that were raised in the meetingboth in terms of areas where we may agree and in areas where we have significant concerns,' a White House official said on Saturday. If they were to do a joint presser, Putin would get the chance to undercut serious warnings Biden wants to deliver on Russian dissident Alexei Navalny and cyber issues. Putin has already scoffed at the issue by raising treatment of US Capitol rioters in an effort to establish equivalency. The format of the meeting is still being finalized but, according to the official, the plan is 'for both a working session and a smaller session.' Russian and American officials have been going back-and-forth on the format of the meeting, volleying ideas and jockeying for position as the date gets closer. The sit down comes amid rising tensions between Washington and Moscow, with Biden making it clear he will take a tougher stance on Russian aggression than his predecessor in the Oval Office, Donald Trump. 'We're under no illusions that this is going to be an easy relationship; it is going to be an extremely challenging relationship. And I think we've been quite clear about that,' a senior administration official told reporters on a briefing call Friday. Biden meeting with Putin in March 2011 when he was vice president President Trump held a formal press conference with President Putin in Helsinki in July 2018, where Putin gave him a soccer ball and Trump sided with him over US intelligence agencies Whatever the final format ends up being, it is expected to be much different than the last meeting between a Russian and American president - both in message and visuals. Two years ago, Trump met privately for two hours with Putin in Helsinki and, afterward, they stood side-by-side to answer questions from reporters. At the time, Trump sided with the Kremlin over US intelligence agencies, claiming he believed his Russian counterpart when Putin said the Kremlin didn't interfere in US elections. 'President Putin says it's not Russia. I don't see any reason why it would be,' Trump said. Additionally, images of the two men smiling as Putin handed Trump an Adidas soccer ball undercut the stern messages of lawmakers and the intelligence community. The White House also has yet to answer questions about who will be present during the smaller session, having faced questions about Trump and Putin's decision to meet with only note takers present during past summit meetings. Biden will deliver a much tougher message when he talks election interference, cyber attacks, human rights and the Ukraine. He previewed it earlier this week when he kicked off his eight-day trip to Europe with a speech to US Air Force personnel stationed in the United Kingdom. Speaking at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk he said: 'I'm meeting with Mr. Putin to let him know what I want him to know,' drawing cheers from the troops. Putin also didn't sound hopeful about the sit down. 'We have a bilateral relationship that has deteriorated to its lowest point in recent years,' he told NBC News. A burglary gang were caught on CCTV smashing their way into banks to steal five cashpoints but failing to make off with any of them. The thugs caused tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage in the attempted robberies across Birmingham. When one of the men was caught he was captured on camera spitting at arresting officers while threatening to give them Covid. A court heard the gang first struck in October, 2018, when a stolen van was driven into the side of the Nationwide building society in Small Heath, Birmingham. They had a second van to take the cash machine away with them but failed and sped away in a high-powered Audi. The group used two stolen vans and an Audi taken in a car key burglary to ram the Birchfield Road Post Office in Handsworth on August 8 On March 1, 2019, they tied straps tied to a cash machine at Lloyds Bank, Bordesley Green in Birmingham, but fled in their Audi when police arrived. They used a stolen van 11 days later in another failed attempt to steal a cash machine from the Drink Buster shop in the Bromford area of the city. On May 10, they rammed a stolen van into the Acfold Road Post Office in Handsworth. Then on August 8, 2019 the group used two stolen vans and an Audi taken in a car key burglary to ram the Birchfield Road Post Office in Handsworth. As officers arrived, the gang threw a hammer at them and sped off in an Audi. Detectives uncovered mobile phone and car evidence linking four men to the crime who have now been handed lengthy jail sentences. Left: Corey Jones, 30, of Erdington, was jailed for five years and three months at Birmingham Crown Court on June 4. Right: Chad Lee, 30, of Erdington, Birmingham, was jailed for 10 years and two months for drugs offences, burglary and assaulting an emergency worker after he spat, coughed and claimed he had Covid during his arrest Left: Reece Proffitt, 24, of Erdington, receieved a six year sentence for drugs offences and burglary. Right: Ishmael Farquharson, 30, of Yardley, Birmingham, was jaildefor three years and two months Chad Lee, 30, of Erdington, Birmingham, was jailed for 10 years and two months for drugs offences, burglary and assaulting an emergency worker after he spat, coughed and claimed he had Covid during his arrest. Corey Jones, 30, of Erdington, was jailed for five years and three months at Birmingham Crown Court on June 4. Officers recovered a text message from him where he bragged to a girlfriend about the Lloyds Bank raid and saying she'd be able to see it on the internet. Ishmael Farquharson, 30, of Yardley, Birmingham, was jaildefor three years and two months. Reece Proffitt, 24, of Erdington, receieved a six year sentence for drugs offences and burglary. Police found footage he recorded on his mobile phone of one of the cashpoints he had filmed on a reconnaissance visit. Officers recovered a text message from Jones where he bragged to a girlfriend about the Lloyds Bank raid and saying she'd be able to see it on the internet The thugs caused tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage in the attempted robberies across Birmingham Lee, Proffitt and Jones all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary, whilst Farquharson pleaded guilty to theft and raiding the Birchfield Road Post office. Proffitt and Lee were also convicted of conspiracy to supply class A and B drugs. Lee played a leading role in the supply and was paid more than 25,000 into his bank account in a year by his customers. Proceeds of Crime Act proceedings are now under way to claw back criminal cash from the gang. Detective Constable Max Gebhard, of West Midlands Police, said: 'This gang caused thousands of pounds of damage and major disruption for businesses around Birmingham, with no regard for the safety of anyone around at the time. 'They were willing to use violence when confronted by officers, and thankfully they're now behind bars for a considerable amount of time.' The Trump Justice Department's secret seizure of smartphone data belonging to Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee is 'Nixon on stilts and steroids', Watergate 'master manipulator' John Dean said Friday. Dean, who served as President Nixon's White House counsel through the Watergate years before being slipped by prosecutors, suggested the actions of the Trump DOJ went 'beyond' the actions of his former boss. 'Nixon didn't have that kind of Department of Justice,' Dean told CNN's Erin Burnett. He then recalled how the Nixon administration responded to the leak of the classified Pentagon Papers about US actions in the Vietnam War. Asked by Burnett if the Trump DOJ's actions went 'beyond what Nixon did', Dean responded: 'It is beyond Nixon, yes. It's Nixon on stilts and steroids.' Dean, who served as President Nixon's White House counsel through the Watergate years before being slipped by prosecutors, told CNN's Erin Burnett the actions of the Trump DOJ went 'beyond' the actions of his former boss On Friday, the Justice Department's internal watchdog announced that it was investigating the records seizure. Pictured is Trump last Friday Dean used exactly the same phrase in 2018 when he criticised President Trump for sending a barrage of critical tweets about Special Counsel Robert Mueller during his probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Other commentators have also suggested Trump's actions were more disturbing than Nixon's during Watergate. They pointed out Nixon's were done in secret out of the White House, while the Trump administration moves to take the congressmen's records were approved by top Justice Department officials and worked on by prosecutors, who obtained secret subpoenas from a federal judge and then gag orders to keep them quiet. 'The fate of Richard Nixon had a restraining effect on political corruption in America,' said Timothy Naftali, a Nixon scholar and former director of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum. 'It didn't last forever, but the Republican Party wanted to cleanse itself of Nixon's bad apples and bad actors.' On Friday, the Justice Department's internal watchdog announced that it was investigating the records seizure. And Democratic leaders in Congress are demanding that former top Justice officials testify before a Senate committee to explain why the iPhone records of Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell, both Democrats, and their family members were secretly subpoenaed in 2018. The two men are strident Trump critics. The records of at least 12 people were eventually shared by Apple. DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz announced the 'review' Friday afternoon, just hours after initial public reports about the EOJ use of the authority on two prominent Democratic lawmakers amid leak probes during the Trump Administation. 'The DOJ Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is initiating a review of DOJ's use of subpoenas and other legal authorities to obtain communication records of Members of Congress and affiliated persons, and the news media in connection with recent investigations of alleged unauthorized disclosures of information to the media by government officials,' Horowitz's office said in a statement. 'The review will examine the Department's compliance with applicable DOJ policies and procedures, and whether any such uses, or the investigations, were based upon improper considerations. If circumstances warrant, the OIG will consider other issues that may arise during the review.' Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, pictured, revealed he also had data from their Apple devices secretly seized by the Trump administration Justice Department prosecutors seized metadata records from Apple for accounts belonging to Rep. Adam Schiff, pictured, and other members of the House Intelligence Committee White House spokesman Andrew Bates said the conduct of Trump's Justice Department was a shocking misuse of authority. 'Attorneys general's only loyalty should be to the rule of law never to politics,' he said. Senate Democratic leaders have demanded that former Trump attorneys general Bill Barr and Jeff Sessions testify about what they called a 'gross abuse of power'. And the deputy attorney general of the Justice Department, Lisa Monaco, has asked the agency's nonpartisan Inspector General to probe the seizure of lawmakers' personal information during the Trump administration. The lawmakers demanded both men appear to testify under oath and threatened to subpoena them if they would not cooperate. Democrats want former Attorney General Bill Barr to testify about federal prosecutors subpoenaing Apple for information on Reps. Eric Swalwell and Adam Schiff 'The revelation that the Trump Justice Department secretly subpoenaed metadata of House Intelligence Committee Members and staff and their families, including a minor, is shocking,' wrote Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and Senate Judiciary Chairman Richard Durbin of Illinois. 'This is a gross abuse of power and an assault on the separation of powers. This appalling politicization of the Department of Justice by Donald Trump and his sycophants must be investigated immediately by both the DOJ Inspector General and Congress,' they wrote. 'Former Attorneys General Barr and Sessions and other officials who were involved must testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee under oath,' they continued. 'If they refuse, they are subject to being subpoenaed and compelled to testify under oath.' Barr told Politico he was 'not aware of any congressman's records being sought in a leak case.' He said Trump 'was not aware of who we were looking at in any of the cases not withstanding Trump's regular practice of calling out 'leakers and liars' publicly. 'I never discussed the leak cases with Trump. He didn't really ask me any of the specifics,' said Barr. The lawmakers also called on DOJ, now overseen by AG Merrick Garland, to 'provide information and answers to the Judiciary Committee, which will vigorously investigate this abuse of power.' 'The reports of the behavior of the attorney general under Donald Trump are appalling,' White House comms director Kate Bedingfield told MSNBC. 'He obviously has a very different relationship with his Department of Justice than Trump did his,' she said. Schumer and Durbin wrote: 'This issue should not be partisan; under the Constitution, Congress is a co-equal branch of government and must be protected from an overreaching executive, and we expect that our Republican colleagues will join us in getting to the bottom of this serious matter.' The move comes as Swalwell, one of two lawmakers whose data is known to have been taken, said Trump's DOJ was 'weaponized' against political opponents. Trump regularly inveighed against Swalwell and 'liddle Adam Schiff' during the Russia probe. Both were prominent opposition figures in the matter. Whether the lawmakers will succeed in forcing Barr and Sessions to appear in unclear. Former White House counsel Don McGahn appeared before House Judiciary last week after a two-year legal battle. Democrats also want former Attorney General Jeff Sessions to testify According to the New York Times, which broke the story, Apple handed over metadata and account information to the government, but did not provide photos or the internal content of the data. The data they handed over did not establish proof either man leaked the information being probed. CNN reported that the effort began in 2018, when Sessions was serving as attorney general, despite suffering repeated attacks from Trump for recusing himself from the Russia probe. Sessions resigned his post in November, 2018. 'This is about everyday Americans who don't want to see their government weaponize law enforcement against them because of their political beliefs,' Swalwell told CNN. Apple, one of the largest companies in the world, has yet to comment. They were under a judicial gag at the time they provided the data. Schiff said Donald Trump's Justice Department broke rules brought in after Watergate by secretly trawling his communications to try and identify the source of embarrassing leaks. Schiff and his fellow representative Eric Swalwell had data from their Apple devices seized and analysed as part of a probe revealed Thursday. And Schiff - who also sits on the House Intelligence Committee - shared his outrage with Chris Cuomo on CNN Thursday. He told Cuomo he had never heard of a White House administration opening such a probe, adding: 'And you know we brought about these new norms after Watergate to prevent exactly this kind of abuse. But they didn't survive this presidency and -- but it is shocking.' Schiff and Swalwell - both members of the House Intelligence Committee - had metadata taken from their devices by Justice Department prosecutors as officials tried to work out who was leaking information about meetings between Trump associates and Russian leaders. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and Judiciary Committee Chairman Richard Durbin called the Trump Justice Department's actions in a leak probe a 'gross abuse of power' Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions began the probe in 2017, with more records seized in 2018. A dozen people with links to the House Intelligence Committee - which is privy to classified intelligence - had their metadata examined. Their family members - including one minor child - were also targeted, amid concerns the suspected leakers may have been using children's devices to try and cover their tracks. Justice Department prosecutors also sought a gag order to keep the probe secret, with none of those whose data was targeted aware of what was going on. They finally found last month, with Schiff and Swalwell both sharing their outrage in separate CNN interviews on Thursday night. Schiff told Chris Cuomo he was 'shocked but not surprised' by the 'terrible abuse of the rule of law,' and called for an inquiry into the DoJ probe. He added: 'I love my experience there. And to see how it was turned into this bludgeon to go after the president's enemies and a shield to protect those who lied for him, people like Roger stone and Mike Flynn and others, it's disgraceful, but it's also, such a body blow to our democracy.' Schiff also told the Times: 'It is increasingly apparent that those demands did not fall on deaf ears.' 'The politicization of the department and the attacks on the rule of law are among the most dangerous assaults on our democracy carried out by the former president.' Speaking on Don Lemon's show later on Thursday, Swalwell said: 'It's wrong. This is what they do - they smear.' The subpoenas which were used to obtain the information were first revealed to the The New York Times. Trump and his administration were infuriated after detailed conversations between his aides and the Russian ambassador to the US were leaked shortly after he took office in January 2017. They are said to have identified then-FBI director James Comey and his deputy Andrew McCabe as possible sources for leaks, as well as the House Intelligence Committee. Embarrassing leaks included details of Trump's first national security Michael flynn's conversations with Russian ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Flynn was later fired and charged, then later convicted, for lying to the FBI about his contact with Russia. He was later pardoned by Trump. The seized data ultimately did not tie members of the House Intelligence Committee - including Schiff - to leaks to the press regarding contacts between associates of Donald Trump and Russia, the outlet reported. Exactly how much was seized remains unknown. Schiff and other members of the committee had access to secret material, including intelligence on the Trump administration's ties to Russians. The Justice Department also secured a gag order against Apple preventing them from telling the lawmakers they were being investigated, sources told the outlet. That gag order finally expired this year and Apple told the committee members that they were investigated last month. Those investigators, who worked under then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, discussed if the Justice Department should close its investigation into the leaks of the classified information to the press. Sessions, 74, was ultimately forced out as Attorney General and replaced by William Barr - who revived attempts to investigate Schiff and his alleged connection to information leaks, The New York Times reported. He is said to have done so after accusing investigators tasked with trying to identify the leakers of deliberately dragging their heels. Barr even moved Osmar Benvenuto, a New Jersey prosecutor, to the main Justice Department offices in February 2020 to work on the case related to Schiff and about six others, sources told the outlet. Schiff released a statement on Thursday addressing the revelations A former Justice Department leak investigator David Laufman also condemned the probes begun by Sessions and continued by Barr. He said: 'Notwithstanding whether there was sufficient predication for the leak investigation itself, including family members and minor children strikes me as extremely aggressive. 'In combination with former President Trump's unmistakable vendetta against Congressman Schiff, it raises serious questions about whether the manner in which this investigation was conducted was influenced by political considerations rather than purely legal ones.' Prosecutors also subpoenaed records from news reporters at The Washington Post, The New York Times and CNN in an attempt to identify their confidential sources, which also remained secret until the Justice Department recently disclosed them. The revelations show the extent of Trump's obsession over leaks and the extraordinary lengths his administration would go through to investigate them. The Justice Department routinely investigates leaks of classified information - though officials noted to The New York Times that they could not recall any time when a lawmaker's records had been seized. 'President Trump repeatedly and fragrantly demanded that the Department of Justice carry out his political will, and tried to use the Department as a cudgel against his political opponents and members of the media,' Schiff said in a statement released on Thursday. 'It is increasingly apparent that those demands did not fall on deaf ears. The politicization of the Department and the attacks on the rule of law are among the most dangerous assaults on our democracy carried out by the former President.' He added: 'Though we were informed by the Department in May that this investigation is closed, I believe more answers are needed, which is why I believe the Inspector General should investigate this and other cases that suggest the weaponization of law enforcement by a corrupt president.' News reports based on sensitive or classified information began to surface almost immediately after Trump was inaugurated in 2017. Among the first leaks, to The New York Times, included details of conversations between Sergey I. Kislyak, then Russia's ambassador to the United States, and some of Trump's top aides. U.S. intelligence agencies had already started investigating if the Trump campaign colluded with Russians in attempts to influence the 2016 presidential election. Trump's White House was resolved to prosecute anyone who leaked information to the press. The Justice Department started to look into Obama administration national security officials and opened cases focusing on former FBI director James Comey and former FBI Deputy Director deputy Andrew McCabe, sources told The New York Times. A grand jury subpoenaed Apple and another internet service provider, which was not revealed, for the the committee's Democratic members, aides and even members of their families - including a minor, The New York Times reported. It was not clear if any Republicans were also subpoenaed and the outlet noted that the records for members of the Senate Intelligence Committee were seemingly not subpoenaed. A man who was caught urinating in a north Houston street was shot dead by a resident who took exception to the crude act. Both the victim and the suspect drew guns on each other Thursday night after a heated exchange between the man and a large group of residents. The man who was relieving himself - later identified as 20-year-old Lester Fuentes-Buezo - was shot multiple times, Houston police said. Police didn't say if Fuentes-Buezo fired his weapon. It's unclear exactly how many residents were involved in this confrontation, but at least one of the suspects left the scene and is still in the wind Saturday morning and another went into a home, Fox reported. Another person admitted to police he was involved he shooting and is cooperating with the investigation, according to Fox. The fatal exchange happened around 10:25pm in the 9000 block of Bunny Run Drive, where responding officers found Fuentes-Buezo's body in the street with multiple gunshot wounds, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The 9000 block of Bunny Run Drive in northern Houston was blocked off Thursday after a man peeing in the street was shot dead The victim's body was in the street, but police are still looking for the suspect Anyone with information in this case is urged to contact the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS. Fuentes-Buezo's death was one of three shootings in a 24-hour span in Houston. Shortly before 9am Thursday, a man was shot while driving on Vance Street but is expected to live. Around 12:40am Friday, a 15-year-old girl was fatally shot on South Green Road. This is what the area looks like during the day without first responder vehicles and police tape In recent months, many Texas police departments have expressed concern that shootings will continue to become more frequent with the state's 'constitutional carry' law, which was passed by the state legislature in May. The law, which just needs the governor's signature, would allow anyone to carry a concealed handgun without a permit. Gov. Greg Abbott hasn't officially given his signature but promised to do so while the state legislature debated the bill in April and May. Police have launched a murder investigation after a woman's body was discovered, while the body of a man found in a neighbouring street is being treated as 'unexplained'. Officers were called to reports a body had been found at an address in Manchester at 2pm on Friday. Emergency services attended and discovered the body of a 58-year-old woman. A murder investigation has been launched into the circumstances surrounding her death. Forensic teams at the scene in Manchester as investigations by Greater Manchester Police get underway At 8pm on Friday, officers were called to an address on Plymouth Grove and discovered the body of a man in his 60s. A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said they cannot rule out a link at the early stage of the investigation. He added: 'We're keeping an open mind around any potential links at this time, as our investigation is in the extremely early stages, and we can't rule out any lines of inquiry.' Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Wilkinson from GMP's Major Incident Team said: 'First and foremost our thoughts remain with the woman's family, who are understandably devastated following the discovery yesterday. 'Detectives are carrying out a thorough investigation, and are following up a number of lines of inquiry to piece together exactly what has happened, and bring whoever is responsible to justice. Police were called to reports that a body had been found at an address on Holker Close at 2pm on Friday 'Our investigation is in its early stages, inquiries are ongoing, and there will be an increase of officers in the area. 'Anyone concerned in the local area can stop and speak to our officers. 'We're also asking anyone with information to come forward - even the smallest bit may help with our investigation.' A GMP spokesperson added about the death of the man: 'His death is currently being treated as unexplained at this time, officers remain in the area, and inquiries are ongoing into the circumstances.' White men who grew up with a black neighbor are more likely to register as Democrats even 70 years after leaving the neighborhood, a study has shown. Scientists found that young white boys who lived next door to people from different backgrounds in the 1940s became more liberal-minded in adulthood. Their findings revealed that even as late as 2017 there was a greater chance these men would sign up to the Democratic Party compared to other white males from the same neighborhood. The authors wrote: 'We find that, among white Americans, early-life exposure to black neighbors predicts Democratic partisanship over 70 years later.' The study, which analyzed records for more than 650,000 white men, suggests that experiences and socialization in early life have a long term effect on attitudes. Scientists have found revealed that white men who grew up with a black neighbor are more likely to register as Democrats even 70 years after leaving the neighborhood The study, published in the journal Science Advances, used information from the US census rolls from the 1940s, which is thought to have covered 99 per cent of the population The pattern was revealed across different regions of the United States and was consistent among those who had and had not moved from their childhood homes. The authors note that the study has implications on the response to diversity in the United States. They wrote that 'despite the short-term social inefficiencies associated with diversity, there may be long-term positive effects for social harmony'. Ryan Enos, one of the lead scientists involved in the study, told the Los Angeles Times: 'One thing we know from a lot of academic research and we know this from just our own two eyes is that there can often be negative consequences of [diversity] because some people aren't comfortable with it.' He pointed to the case of Republican Donald Trump being elected president in 2016 following the United States' first black president Barack Obama, who was a Democrat. Enos noted that on the campaign trail, Trump appealed to voters using rhetoric that was often deemed racist or xenophobic. The study, which analyzed records for more than 650,000 white men, suggests that experiences and socialization in early life have a long term effect on attitudes These most recent findings suggests that the negative reactions to diversity could be short-term effects and that diverse societies can be successful. The study, published in the journal Science Advances, used information from the US census rolls from the 1940s, which is thought to have covered 99 per cent of the population. Using an algorithm, the authors matched as many people from the census as they could with voter file data from California in 2005 and North Carolina in 2009. They repeated the same process for both these states plus Nebraska in 2017. Researcher Ryan Enos pointed to the case of Republican Donald Trump being elected president following the United States' first black president Barack Obama Enos noted that on the campaign trail, Trump appealed to voters using rhetoric that was often deemed racist or xenophobic The findings revealed that who lived one door down from black neighbors when hey were children were 1.5 to 4.2 percentage points more likely be registered Democrats in the 2005/2009 data, and 2.8 to 5.3 percentage points more likely to be Democrats than their peers in the 2017 data. The scientists said the data may indicate a more liberal-minded outlook from white men who grew up living close to black neighbors, since Democratic affiliation is associated with more racially liberal politics. Although these percentages are small, Enos pointed out that when multiplied by the millions of people who lived in the United States at the time of the study they have the potential to make a significant impact. He said: 'Ask how many more or less people would have different racial attitudes if we had a more or less segregated society at the time it adds up to a lot.' China is set to wage a campaign of harassment against Australia by sending a militia of armed and unmarked fishing boats into its waters, the Taiwanese government has warned. Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said China was likely to launch what is known as a 'grey-zone' war in Australian waters by sending civilian vessels commandeered by the communist nation's navy. The risk of war with China in the Indo-Pacific region is growing and the world is facing uncertainty not seen since the 1930s, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has plenty to think about with increasing fears of war, as experts warn China is already targeting an expansion of Beijing's influential 'grey-zone war' into Australian waters Some of the 220 Chinese vessels are seen moored at Whitsun Reef, South China Sea. The Philippine government expressed concern after spotting more than 200 Chinese fishing vessels it believed were crewed by militias at a reef claimed by both countries Australia's relationship with China - its largest trading partner by far - has rapidly deteriorated since the Morrison government called for a pandemic inquiry last year, with Beijing blocking several key Aussie exports including coal, barley, beef, seafood and wine. Chinese ministers have refused to answer calls from their Australian counterparts, even though Mr Morrison says he 'stands ready' to engage in talks. Grey-zone operations are regarded as a type of state-led intimidation below the level of a traditional military build-up, but which has a similar purpose. Those operations are aimed at bullying Australia into a slow-drip submission to Chinese will and expansion, Dr Wu told The Weekend Australian. 'The new phenomenon we are seeing is part of what I would describe as China's 'grey zone' operations, where it sends in its maritime militia large fishing boats armed, operated and following the orders of China's navy to harass and intimidate their perceived enemies,' Dr Wu said. 'This is something Australia hasn't experienced yet but it is coming.' Beijing has denied its maritime militia even exists. Last month, Major General Adam Findlay is understood to have said in a background briefing a grey-zone war is already underway with Chin, Sky News reported. Beijing has had increasingly mocked Australia's defiance towards China since relations soured after Canberra called for an inquiry into the origins of the Coronavirus pandemic Nations including Taiwan and the Philippines have noted regular incursions inside their official maritime boundaries by civilian Chinese vessels. In March 2020, Chinese fishing vessels were recorded close to the Whitsun Reef in the South China Sea, an area officially that is Filipino. The Philippines has demanded a 'threatening' Chinese presence in the region disperse, but Beijing shrugged and maintained the ships were not part of its military and were seeking shelter from rough seas. Dr Wu claimed China had ambitions that led much wider than the South China Sea and would inevitably lead its martime militia inside Australian waters. Three Chinese Navy ships made a four-day visit to Sydney in June 2019 with Scott Morrison saying it was reciprocal after Australian naval vessels visited China. Since then relations have soured He claimed China's re-establishment of diplomatic relations with the Solomon Islands was likely to be strategic and should be a worry for Australia given the islands are just over 3,000km away. Dr Wu said Taiwan had been facing Chinese intimidation for decades and wants to see democratic nations unite against aggression from Beijing. The United States too, by virtue of its interests in the region, are also involved in this escalating grey-zone war. A note written by a Delta pilot at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic expressing his fears and hope for the future has been discovered more than a year later by a colleague. More than 400 days ago, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced thousands of canceled flights and a world of uncertainty, First Officer Chris Dennis parked Delta ship 3009 to start the 'wake up' process at the Victorville airport in the California desert, the airline posted to it's official Facebook account on Thursday. Prior to his arrival from MinneapolisSaint Paul International Airport, he had heard talks of a two-week lockdown as the pandemic continued to spread across the globe. Feeling the weight of the moment, the pilot penned a note for the next airman that would be doing the return to service flight before leaving it on the parked plane. That next pilot, fellow First Officer Nick Perez, was going through his normal pre-flight checklist to start up the plane on Thursday when he discovered a letter 'tucked away' on a tray table in the flight deck, the post said. 'Hey pilots, it's March 23 and we just arrived from MSP,' the 435-day old letter began. 'Very chilling to see so much of our fleet here in the desert,' the pilot noted, just as the world began to shut down. A note from the start of the COVID-19 scare was discovered onboard a Delta plane over a year later, reflecting the fears and hope that gripped the world in March 2020 Pictured: First Officer Nick Perez would discover his fellow pilot's note 435-days later after removing the plane from its storage in the California desert on Thursday The industry would see mass shutdowns in the immediate aftermath of the COVID-19 onset, leaving travelers without many options as airlines were forced to cancel flights. With planes no longer in flight, Delta had to store their aircrafts in the California desert, where Chris had flown ship 3009 to at the start of the pandemic. 'Amazing how fast it changed,' the first officer's note continued. 'Have a safe flight bringing it out of storage!' The heartwarming letter caused many Facebook commenters to reflect on an extremely difficult year for travelers and non-travelers alike. 'Goosebumps for sure,' Brett Pohlman commented on Delta's post. 'Seeing so many Delta planes in storage at BHM was a constant reminder of the world we live in. After flying with Delta last week and weekend, I'm so glad to see that many of those planes have been brought back into service. Airports are busy again. Such a great sight!' 'Petition to have Ship 3009 be designated something like Spirit of America or Hope and have it receive a custom paint scheme,' Travis Renton commented. 'Yes! We love this idea. Thanks so much for sharing it!' the Delta Facebook page replied. Pictured: First Officer Chris Dennis wrote the note at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, just as traveling and the world braced for lockdown Delta had to store airplanes in the California desert after the pandemic shut down travel, forcing airlines to cancel flights across the board indefinitely 'This really does sum up how we all felt and the uncertainty of March 2020. I got chills reading this note. Safe flying, First Officer Nick P,' another commenter added. 'Exactly! We got those same chills,' the airline responded. As traveling continues to move toward normal pre-pandemic levels, the airline noted it won't be taking operations for granted after the past 435 days. 'While the world certainly has changed over the past year, one thing is for certain: we won't be taking that open runway for granted anytime soon,' Delta wrote. Dennis expressed his feelings in a Facebook post, which had 11k likes and over 1.1k shares as of Saturday, the very same day he wrote and left the note for Nick Perez to find. 'Today is a day I will remember for the rest of my life,' his post began. 'A trip opened up to bring a Delta A321 to Victorville, CA for storage. I had no idea what I would see or what emotions I would feel.' 'Chilling, apocalyptic, surreal... all words that don't fit what is happening in the world.' 'Each one of these aircrafts represents hundreds of jobs, if not more,' he noted. Justine Ang Fonte, the health and wellness and the Dalton School, came under fire for her sex education classes A teacher who showed first graders cartoons about masturbation during sex-ed classes at a $55,000-per-year New York City private school and told kids they can't be hugged 'without consent' has resigned, it emerged Saturday. Justine Ang Fonte will not return to Dalton School on Manhattan's Upper East Side next year, according to an email from head of school, Jim Best. The controversial classes sparked fury from parents, but Best's email announcing Fonte's resignation insisted the school still stood 'firmly behind the program and those who teach it'. In the message, sent to parents Friday and seen by the New York Post, Best wrote: 'Throughout her tenure at Dalton, Justine Ang Fonte has helped to develop an exemplary K-12 Health and Wellness program. 'Dalton our faculty, staff, administration, and trustees continue to stand firmly behind this program and those who teach it. 'At faculty and staff meetings this week, Justine announced her decision to leave Dalton to focus on her work as an independent Health Educator. She has been working toward this goal for over a year. We support Justine's aspirations and look forward to honoring her accomplishments as the academic year comes to a close.' One Dalton parent reacted angrily to the statement, saying: 'This inability to admit a mistake or acknowledge misstep is strange.' Fonte, the health and wellness and the Dalton School, showed students a video last fall from the free sex education series AMAZE In the video, a cartoon little boy asks: 'Hey, how come sometimes my penis gets big sometimes and points in the air?' Fonte, a health and wellness teacher at the Dalton School, showed students a video last fall from the free sex education series for children called AMAZE, in which a cartoon boy asks about erections. In the video, a cartoon little boy asks: 'Hey, how come sometimes my penis gets big sometimes and points in the air?' 'That's called an erection,' the cartoon adult woman responds. 'Sometimes I touch my penis because it feels good,' the boy adds. Then a cartoon little girl says: 'Sometimes, when I'm in my bath or when Mom puts me to bed, I like to touch my vulva too.' 'You have a clitoris there, Kayla, that probably feels good to touch the same way Keith's penis feels good when he touches it,' the adult character tells the little girl. The cartoon adult then tells the boy that's called an 'erection' before the boy seemingly addresses masturbating A young cartoon girl then tells the adult she also touches her vulva when she goes to bed The video also teaches the first graders about the differences between a penis and a clitoris The adult woman adds: 'Have you ever noticed that older kids and grown-ups don't touch their private parts in public? It's okay to touch yourself and see how different body parts feel - but it's best to only do it in private.' Following an outcry, Fonte told parents that did does not use the word 'masturbation' in class. Those who complained to school administrators were told they had misinterpreted the lessons, the Post reported earlier this year. Hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman's Pershing Square Foundation provided the school, where his ex-wife Karen is on the board of trustees, with a $450,000 grant which reportedly funded Fonte's work. The series in which the controversial video appears was created through a partnership between the Washington D.C. based nonprofit Advocates for Youth and the organizations Answer and Youth Tech Health. Parents at an elite private school in New York City are furious that first-graders have been shown sex education videos Fonte recently presented a slideshow to high school students about porn literacy The slideshow included images of partially-nude women, asking students if it was 'art or porn?' One mother said when the row first broke: 'Kids have no less than five classes on gender identity this is pure indoctrination. This person should absolutely not be teaching children.' The Post also recently revealed that Fonte led 'Porn Literacy' workshops on May 5 at a $47,000-a-year Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School on Manhattan's Upper West Side. The school, once attended by Barron Trump, allegedly forced juniors to attend a compulsory workshop on porn which included lessons on incest roleplay and OnlyFans. The students at Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School on Manhattan's Upper West Side were told to watch a slideshow entitled, 'Pornography Literacy: An intersectional focus on mainstream porn.' Most of the 120 students, between the ages of 16 and 17, who attended the lecture watched it on Zoom from home. The slideshow allegedly told students what kinds of pornography are legal to produce The lesson also included statistics on the 'orgasm gap' showing straight women are less likely to orgasm than straight or gay men and gay women The teens were also shown statistics on the 'orgasm gap' showing straight women have fewer orgasms with their partners than gay men or lesbians. Students were also shown photos of partially-nude women, some of whom were in bondage, to analyze 'What is porn and what is art?' Another slide cited various genres of porn, such as 'incest-themed,' consensual or 'vanilla,' 'barely legal,' 'kink' and BDSM. Additionally, the slideshow included a list of the most-searched pornographic terms in 2019, including 'anal,' 'gangbang' and even 'stepmom,' and discussed OnlyFans, where 'content creators' share photos and videos of themselves naked or having sex with subscribers for a monthly fee. School officials later apologized to parents for the lecture, with headmaster Dr. William Donohue saying they were not aware of what the lesson would entail. Devonte Watts, 26, has been charged with four felonies, including aggravated battery, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, as well as possession of a firearm during commission of a crime A McDonald's customer in Georgia was arrested after he allegedly spat on an employee before shooting another one after an argument that started in the drive-thru lane. The violent incident unfolded around 9:11pm on Thursday night at a McDonald's off the highway in Jefferson, approximately 55 miles northeast of Atlanta. According to the Jefferson Police Department, Devonte Watts, 26, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, pulled up to the drive-thru to place an order. Authorities say that an argument unfolded between Watts and the employee taking his order. It's not clear what the nature of the argument between Watts and the employee was. When Watts proceeded to pull up to the pick-up window to get his food, he allegedly spat on the employee at the window. From there, the employee exited the restaurant to confront Watts, according to the Jefferson Police Department. Watts allegedly spat on an employee before shooting another one after an argument that started in the drive-thru lane of this McDonald's in Georgia As the confrontation unfolded, Watts began to drive away and allegedly fired a gun at the employee, which hit a second employee who was trying 'to defuse the situation,' according to the Jefferson PD. The suspect fled after the shooting, while the unidentified employee who was shot was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to ABC News. Their current condition is not known. Less than 24 hours after the shooting, the Jefferson PD announced that they had nabbed Watts. Watts has been charged with four felonies, including aggravated battery, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, as well as possession of a firearm during commission of a crime. It's not immediately clear what Watts' previous felony conviction was for. DailyMail.com has reached out to the Jefferson Police Department for more information. When Watts proceeded to pull up to the pick-up window to get his food, he allegedly spat on the employee at the window (Google Map picture) 'We'd like to thank all the agencies who assisted us with this incident including Jackson County Sheriff's Office, Georgia Bureau of Investigations, Gainesville Police Department & Hall County Sheriffs Office,' the Jefferson PD added in their release. This was at least the third shooting to take place in the vicinity of a McDonald's in the United States this week. On Wednesday night, a gunshot victim was found in a parking lot of a McDonald's in Jacksonville, Florida, though the location of the shooting was unclear. The victim was taken to the hospital with multiple non-life-threatening injuries. Watts allegedly shot another employee afterwards, with the Jefferson Police Department announcing his arrest less than 24 hours after the shooting The shooting forced employees of the McDonald's to lock themselves in the store temporarily, according to Action News Jax. Later on Wednesday night, a shooting took place outside of a McDonald's in North Philadelphia, which left one man injured. The victim told police that he was shot in the drive-thru area of the fast food establishment. CBS3 reports that an unoccupied vehicle that had been struck by gunfire was found by police near the restaurant. Facebook vice-president Nick Clegg has admitted the company's fact-checkers employed to root out alleged 'fake news' from its social-media platforms could be biased and pursuing their own political agendas, according to a European Commission document obtained by The Mail on Sunday. The former Deputy Prime Minister made the admission to EU officials in November during talks about how the tech giant was tackling misinformation flooding its site. Facebook announced fact-checking measures in 2016 amid claims that its failure to remove misleading content helped to swing that year's US Presidential election in favour of Donald Trump. The measures, which allow users to alert Facebook to content they believed to be fake, was applauded by many. Facebook vice-president Nick Clegg has admitted the company's fact-checkers employed to root out alleged 'fake news' from its social-media platforms could be biased and pursuing their own political agendas, according to a European Commission document obtained by The Mail on Sunday The former Deputy Prime Minister made the admission to EU officials in November during talks about how the tech giant was tackling misinformation flooding its site. Facebook announced fact-checking measures in 2016 amid claims that its failure to remove misleading content helped to swing that year's US Presidential election in favour of Donald Trump Critics, however, decried the intervention, warning that Facebook would rely on Left-wing fact-checkers and that the project would be a 'disaster'. Since then, Facebook has been accused of suppressing legitimate stories and stifling public debate. In recent weeks huge controversy has surrounded its decision to censor stories claiming that Covid-19 could have been man-made and leaked from a Wuhan laboratory. For months it removed or placed warning labels on stories that suggested the virus originated from a Chinese lab fears first revealed by the MoS until it reversed its decision last month when President Joe Biden ordered an inquiry into the claims. Under its fact-checking scheme, Facebook uses a network of 80 organisations across the world, including three in the UK, to flag up misinformation on its platforms. Stories deemed false or misleading are not removed from the site but flagged to users via a series of warning labels. Facebook's sophisticated algorithms can relegate such stories so far down the site that few people would ever see them again. Now, minutes of a meeting between Mr Clegg and a Brussels power-broker reveal how he questioned the ability of the fact-checkers to make impartial decisions. In recent weeks, huge controversy has surrounded Facebook's decision to censor stories claiming that Covid-19 could have been man-made and leaked from a Wuhan laboratory. For months it removed or placed warning labels on stories that suggested the virus originated from a Chinese lab fears first revealed by the MoS until it reversed its decision last month when President Joe Biden ordered an inquiry into the claims The document shows that Mr Clegg and Vera Jourova, vice-president of the European Commission, discussed how Facebook countered disinformation during the 2020 US Presidential election two weeks earlier. However, the minutes add: 'He [Mr Clegg] also stressed that independent fact-checkers are not necessarily objective because they have their own agenda.' Former Cabinet Minister David Jones described Mr Clegg's comments as 'deeply worrying'. He added: 'The admission completely destroys the credibility of Facebook's own procedures. It offers news organisations no right of appeal when it censors them, even though it may have acted on the advice of fact-checkers who are motivated by 'their own agenda'.' Facebook said last night: 'Nick never suggested there is bias in our fact-checking programme. He did describe that one benefit of having a range of independent fact-checking partners is the variety of specialisms in different countries and issue areas that they bring.' Facebook began placing fact-checking warnings on stories about the possibility of a lab leak at the beginning of the pandemic. Then in February the tech giant announced it would remove 'false claims on Facebook and Instagram' suggesting that Covid-19 was man-made or manufactured. (Above, Mr Clegg and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in 2019) Mr Clegg's comments come amid mounting concern that Facebook is shutting down public debate. Facebook began placing fact-checking warnings on stories about the possibility of a lab leak at the beginning of the pandemic. Then in February the tech giant announced it would remove 'false claims on Facebook and Instagram' suggesting that Covid-19 was man-made or manufactured. Among the articles labelled as 'false information' was one written by award-winning MoS journalist Ian Birrell on the UnHerd website. The tech giant later apologised for its 'mistake'. In March, Facebook placed a warning label on an article written in the Wall Street Journal by a US surgeon about herd immunity. The opinion piece by Dr Martin Makary, a professor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, predicted that Covid-19 'will be mostly gone by April' in the US. Facebook added a 'missing context' label to Dr Makary's piece after an investigation by Health Feedback, one of its third-party fact-checkers. 'Independent fact-checkers say this information could mislead people,' the label added. A furious Wall Street Journal accused Facebook of 'counter-opinion masquerading as fact-checking'. It said Dr Makary made a projection, not a factual claim, and Facebook was 'cherry-picking' studies 'to support their own opinions'. Facebook said: 'If someone feels that a fact-check is inappropriate, they can appeal it and, when merited, fact-checkers have the discretion to change the label.' Images captured in Dover this weekend show migrants arriving by boat on British shores, days after Kent County Council declared it had reached its limit for the number of unaccompanied child migrants it can look after. The Home Office confirmed that it had dealt with a small boat incident today involving 39 people. In France, one crossing attempted overnight was intercepted prior to launch which involved 30 people. It comes after more than 1,000 would-be refugees crossed the Channel this month. Images showed migrants arriving at Dover on Saturday in one dinghy, according to reports Council leader Roger Gough and Sue Chandler, the cabinet member for integrated children's services, said it had reached unsafe capacity once again, just ten month after it faced a similar problem. They added that the council will no longer be able to accept any new unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) from June 14. The council said the government's recommended maximum number of under 18-year-old UASC that Kent should care for is 231. Kent's number of under-18 UASC in care has risen from 274 to more than 400 since the beginning of the year and the numbers are rapidly increasing on a daily basis, according to KCC. The latest arrival comes after Kent Council said it has reached its limit for the amount of unaccompanied children crossing the Channel that it can look after The council said it is also dealing with 1,100 UASC care leavers over 18 who remain in care with the council until the age of 25. Border Force officials intercepted 179 people including children and a baby making the dangerous 21-mile journey in six boats on Thursday, and 10 more arrived at the Dover Marina on the same day. It took the total to cross the Dover Strait during the first nine days of the month to 1,008 people on board 41 boats. Just 407 made the treacherous trip in the same timeframe last month - with May ending up smashing the monthly record as 1,619 migrants arrived in 80 boats. Damaged boats which have been previously used to cross the Channel lie in Dover Between January to May this year, French authorities have stopped 314 boats involving 4,072 migrants. In the same time frame for 2020, 220 boats involving 1,834 migrants were stopped. In total, 8,410 made the journey across the Channel in 2020. The numbers of migrants risking the dangerous journey are rising despite Home Secretary Priti Patel's pledge in March to overhaul the immigration system and to make illegal Channel crossings 'unviable'. The Home Secretary blamed the spiralling crisis on social media giants such as Facebook and Twitter who allow people-smugglers to use their platforms to advertise their criminal services. So far this year, 4,725 migrants have crossed the Channel, and 8,410 made the journey in 2020 A spokesperson for the Home Office said: 'Criminal gangs are putting profits before people's lives through these dangerous and unnecessary crossings. 'Almost 5,000 people have been prevented from making the dangerous crossing so far this year and we are cracking down on the despicable criminal gangs behind people smuggling. 'Inaction is not an option whilst people are dying. The Government is bringing legislation forward through our New Plan for Immigration which will break the business model of these heinous people smuggling networks and save lives.' Vincent Iacono died of an apparent overdose in Brooklyn on Friday, according to the New York Post The identical twin who helped his brother dump the body of a mobster's son into a Long Island estuary was found dead Friday of an apparent drug overdose in Brooklyn a day before his 40th birthday, the New York Post reported. Vincent Iacono was found unconscious in a Brooklyn bathroom just before 11am with a needle and a fanny pack filled with drugs, police sources told the outlet. The NYPD later confirmed Iacono's death. The Iacono brothers were part of a major crime story in 2017 after they were arrested in Indiana in connection to the murder of Carmine Carini, Jr., the son of a Gambino crime-family associate Carmine Carini Sr. Vincent spent 15 months in prison after he was convicted of tampering with physical evidence before he was released on parole in July 2020, the New York Post reported. Vincent's twin, Louie, is accused of killing Carini Jr. with a hammer. That trial is still pending. Vincent Iacono is pictured here during his trial for tampering with evidence, which he was found guilty of and spent 15 months in prison before his July 2020 release on parole Louie Iacono, who is accused of killing Carini Jr.'s by bashing his head with a hammer, is still on trial for murder After Carini Jr.'s death, the twins allegedly used duct tape to wrap the body in a tarp, attached cinderblocks to his legs and tossed the body in Jamaica Bay. The body washed up days later with the tide. Vincent was working as a caretaker for a person at the apartment where his body was found. Before Carini Jr.'s murder, he and the Iacono brothers were 'lifelong' friends, according to a 2017 New York Times story. Carmine Carini Jr. was allegedly murdered by one of the Iacono brothers, who were described as 'lifelong friends' The twins even asked him to move in with them to help pay the rent, the New York Times reported. At the time, Carini Jr.'s brother died of an overdose after he became addicted to painkillers, his father was in prison for a series of violent robberies, and Carini Jr. was in and out of jail for violating parole, according to The Times. 'He said: "I'm going to move into a really nice house. The baby's going to have his own bedroom," Christina Frisone, Carini Jr.'s girlfriend and mother of their child, told The York Times. 'He trusted them. They just took complete advantage of this kid.' About a month later, Louie Iacono allegedly killed Carini Jr. after a fight over money. The brothers allegedly covered up the murder and went on the run until their arrests. Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron sealed their bromance on Saturday with a sit down by the sea as the French president lavished praise on his American counterpart. Macron even got in a swipe at former President Donald Trump in his remarks, when he fawned over Biden as being 'part of the club.' 'What you demonstrate is that leadership is partnership. I think it's great to have the US president part of the club, and very willing to cooperate,' Macron said as Biden sat beside him, smiling and nodding. The two men met on the sidelines of the G7 summit, which took place at the picturesque Cabris Bay in Southern England. The vibes between them were as warm as the sunny British day with Biden, at times, roaring his head back with laughter at Macron's words. When reporters asked Biden if 'America is back' - the phrase the White House has used repeatedly on his trip - Biden pointed to Macron and said 'ask him.' 'Definitely,' the French president responded. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron sealed their bromance with sit down by the sea Macron praised Biden repeatedly in his remarks while Biden was just as effusive President Biden chuckles at Macron's words French President Emmanuel Macron speaks with President Joe Biden during the G7 Biden and Macron had a private pull aside during the three-day summit The three-day summit in Southern England has capped a closing period for both America and the world on Trump's turbulent four years as president. White House Read Out of Biden and Macron's Meeting at G7 The White House issued an official read out of the meeting between President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron: President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. met today with President Emmanuel Macron on the margins of the G7 Summit. The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to deepening our bilateral ties and to the Transatlantic alliance. They highlighted their dedication to ending the pandemic, including through participation in the G7 commitment to donate COVID-19 vaccines to countries in need, and to build back better global health security for the future. They reaffirmed their commitment to reform the international tax system to address some of the inequities created by globalization. President Biden expressed his appreciation for Frances leadership on climate issues through the Paris Agreement, and both leaders underscored their dedication to achieve ambitious outcomes at the COP26 Summit in Glasgow in November. President Biden and President Macron discussed our work to strengthen and modernize NATO, and our close cooperation on counter terrorism cooperation, including in the Sahel, and other shared foreign policy priorities such as China and Russia. Advertisement Trump often disagreed with his fellow leaders', refused to sign their communiques, and bashed them on Twitter. After a 2018 G7 meeting, hosted by Justin Trudeau, Trump called the Canadian Prime Minister 'dishonest' and 'weak' because of comments Trudeau made on tariffs during the summit. At a 2019 NATO meeting, Trump said that Macron's description of NATO as brain dead was insulting and a 'very, very nasty statement.' Macron stood by his comments as his previously warm relationship with Trump - he was one of two world leaders to get a state dinner during the Trump presidency - cooled. But Biden was just as effusive about Macron on Saturday, showering him with warm words. Biden needs the support of France as he targets China's labor practices, battles the coronavirus pandemic, and pushes for a global infrastructure deal. 'The sun is shining, we're on this beach, I'm well,' Biden said. 'And I'm with the president of France, that makes me even feel better.' 'Things are going, I think, well and we're - as we say back in the States - we're on the same page,' he noted. The two leaders sparked attention on Friday when, after they posed for a family photo with other members of the G7, they walked off the beach location with their arms around each other. The French president later posted to social media the video of an impromptu beach meeting the two had. 'How that we are together, united, determined to make a difference, it's time to deliver. I'm sure we will @JoeBiden,' Macron tweeted after their friendly greeting. Biden and first lady Jill Biden are wrapping up the first portion of the their first overseas trip since moving into the White House. Their five days in the UK included meeting with fellow leaders and spouses, time with the royal family, and a casual outing to their hotel bar. It will be capped with Sunday's afternoon tea with The Queen at Windsor Castle. Then Jill Biden returns to the States while President Biden heads to Brussels for a NATO meeting. The images of Biden interacting with world leaders contrast starkly with some of the imagery from President Trump's four years. Jill Biden and Joe Biden are coming to a close of their five-day trip to the UK France's President Emmanuel Macron (left) walks alongside President Joe Biden (right) at the opener of the G7 Friday President Joe Biden joked with French President Emmanuel Macron as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau followed them President Macron also posted a gushing tweet of his conversation with President Biden Trump and Macron feuded at the 2019 NATO meeting, causing a cooling off in their relations Trump and Macron had gotten along well - Macron was one of only two world leaders to get a state dinner during the Trump presidency; above the two men at the G7 in 2019 During the 2018 G7 summit a photo went viral of former President Donald Trump (right), seated with his arms crossed, staring down German Chancellor Angela Merkel (left) During a 2019 NATO summit, Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson (right), Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (second from left) and French President Emmanuel Macron (second from right) were seemingly caught on camera gossiping about Trump During the 2018 G7 summit a photo went viral of Trump, seated with his arms crossed, staring down German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Macron is by her side, while Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe - the first world leader to meet Trump as president-elect - has his arms crossed too, watching the back-and-forth. Then during a 2019 NATO summit, Johnson, Trudeau and Macron were seemingly caught on camera gossiping about Trump. The leaders looked to be talking about Trump's unscripted press conferences. 'You just watched his team's jaws drop to the floor,' Trudeau uttered. Biden, of course, has far more experience on the world stage than Trump, who was a real estate investor and reality TV star before running for office. Biden was chosen to be President Barack Obama's vice president after serving on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations for years. A furious Bill Maher has slammed Kevin Hart for his 'ridiculous' claim that 'white power and white privilege' is at an 'all-time high', as he called out woke liberals for suffering from 'progress-o-phobia'. On his Real Time With Bill Maher show Friday, he pointed to America's tortured racial history to attack the comedian's claim during an interview with the New York Times that things have never been worse. 'This is one of the big problems with wokeness, that what you say doesn't have to make sense or chime with the facts or ever be challenged, lest the challenge itself it conflated with racism,' he said during the 'New Rule' segment. 'But saying white power and privilege is at an all-time high is just ridiculous. Higher than a century ago, the year of the Tulsa Race Massacre? Higher than the years when the KKK rode unchecked and the KKK went unchallenged? 'Higher than the 1960s when the Supremes and The Willie Mays still couldn't stay in the same hotel as the white people they were working with? Higher than during slavery?' On his Real Time With Bill Maher show Friday, pointed to America's tortured racial history attack Kevin Hart's claims in an NYT article (pictured) that things have never been worse Maher, 65, played a video of Joe Biden rambling about the increase in the number of mixed-race couples on TV before making his point that the far-left has 'progressophobia,' a term coined by Canadian psychologist Steven Pinker. The host - a liberal who is happy to call out the excesses of the modern left - said: 'Actually Uncle Joe is pointing liberals to something that they need to be more aware of. 'If you don't recognize it you're part of the problem': Kevin Hart's comments to the NYT 'I don't understand why everybody is so afraid to address the elephant in the room. It's shocking to me. 'You're witnessing white power and white privilege at an all-time high. 'For those who say they don't understand that, or don't see it, or are confused as to what that means, I'm going to say you're a part of the problem.' Advertisement 'They have a bad case of Progressophobia, that's a term coined by Steven Pinker to describe a brain disorder that strikes liberals and makes them incapable of recognizing progress. 'It's like situational blindness although it means you can't see that your dorm in 2021 is better than the South before the Civil War.' Maher pointed to progress made in gay marriage and racial diversity on TV to urge liberals to 'adjust your mask because it's covering your eyes', as he added: 'There's a recurring theme on the far-left that things have never been worse.' The host accepted that 'racism is still unfortunately with us' but a more realistic approach was needed. 'Seeing it clearly is necessary for actually fixing problems, and clearly racism is simply no longer everywhere. It isn't in my home and it probably isn't in yours,' he said. 'This progressive allergy to acknowledging societal advances is self-defeating. Because progress and hope that we can achieve it is the product we are selling, and having a warped view of reality means to policies that are warped. 'Black only dorms and graduation ceremonies, a growing belief in whiteness as a malady and white people as irredeemable, giving up on a color blind society. Only if you believe we've made no progress does any of that make sense.' Hart (pictured) told the NYT: 'You're witnessing white power and white privilege at an all-time high' Maher mentioned the Tulsa Race Massacre - the 100th anniversary of which was marked this year - to demonstrate America's grim racial history Hart appeared in a New York Times feature last year in which he seemed to suggest America was more racist than ever. 'I don't understand why everybody is so afraid to address the elephant in the room. It's shocking to me,' he said. 'You're witnessing white power and white privilege at an all-time high. 'For those who say they don't understand that, or don't see it, or are confused as to what that means, I'm going to say you're a part of the problem.' Maher has become known for his straight-talking attacks on modern liberals, although he himself identifies as one. In April he ripped into liberals and the media for pushing 'panic porn' and praised Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for protecting his elderly population better than New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. He also spoke of a time when the KKK were able to march around Washington DC (as shown in this image) Maher also said he doesn't want politics mixed-in with his medical decisions and blamed the pandemic on obesity - while COVID-19 cases recently soared in 21 states, particularly among children. 'Texas lifted its COVID restrictions recently and their infection rates went down, in part because of people getting outside and letting the sun and wind do their thing,' Maher said. 'But to many liberals, that can't be right because Texas and beach-loving Florida have Republican governors.' Advertisement Britain faces 100,000 Covid cases every day by July, scientists have warned, and Boris Johnson has been told by ministers that lockdown rules will remain until next spring unless he can see off pressure to delay Freedom Day. The PM all-but confirmed June 20 would be pushed back to July 19 on Saturday as Covid cases continued to rise by more than a third over last week to 7,738 - the second-highest daily figure since February after they exceeded 8,000 on Friday. 'We are seeing some worrying stuff in the data, clearly. We are seeing the Delta (Indian) variant causing an increase in cases, we are seeing an increase in hospitalisations,' Mr Johnson said. Around 90 per cent of new infections are now the Indian variant and cases are doubling every nine days. Independent SAGE's Anthony Costello, of University College London, said the true daily infection figure was likely more than double the 8,000 recorded in tests. He told The Mirror: 'In a month you'll be up to 100,000 new cases a day. If the Government takes a gamble and lets rip like Tory backbenchers want, the NHS will be overloaded. Let's wait. Let's stay as we are.' The surge in cases caused by the Indian variant has yet to be reflected in death figures, which remained low on Saturday, falling from 13 last week to 12. And Britain's vaccine roll-out continued at pace, with 202,846 first doses dished out. It takes the total number of people to have received a first dose to just under 41.3million 78.4. per cent of the population. Another 285,513 second doses were also given yesterday, taking the total number of fully protected adults to 29.5million. But the PM remained cautious in Cornwall, saying: 'The whole point of having an irreversible road map is to do it cautiously and that's what we are going to do. I know people are impatient to hear more but you will be hearing the full picture on Monday.' Tory ministers have warned Mr Johnson that a delay will leave a 'very short window to open up,' with further push-backs leading to a full reopening only next spring - when winter pressures on the NHS have abated. The minister told The Telegraph: 'I am very worried the people who want to keep us shut down now want us to keep us shut down permanently and are aiming for "zero Covid". 'Once you start delaying to the spring you're making this type of control of people's lives semi-permanent.' Boris Johnson (pictured meeting South Korea's President Moon Jae-in at the G7 summit in Cornwall today) is expected to confirm the Freedom Day delay at a press conference on Monday Ministers believe the backlash from Tory MPs and the public should be limited as long as the timetable does not slip beyond the school holidays. A poll today suggested that just a third of Britons want the total lifting of restrictions to go ahead as originally laid out. Professor Peter Openshaw, a member of the government's Nervtag advisory group, said the emergence of an 'even more successful' variant of the disease was 'such a disappointing setback'. It seems to be around 60 per cent more transmissible than the Kent 'Alpha' strain. 'It really has gone up another gear and that means that we really have to double down and not lose all the advantage that has been gained by the massive effort that has been put in so far,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. Cases of the Indian variant have been rising sharply, and the British Medical Association is among those calling for a delay to allow more people to receive their second jabs. Airlines slash schedules until end of July amid Freedom Day delay Airlines have started shrinking their schedules until late July as the government plans to push Freedom Day back by a month. British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and easyJet are cancelling flights until after the new July 19 date as demand plummets. Virgin Atlantic pushed back journeys from Heathrow to Cuba and Trinidad and Tobago until October as well as transatlantic flights until mid-July. Budget airline easyJet started dropping trips to Greece and France as Britons face a second summer trapped at home. Meanwhile Stobart Air, which operates regional services for Aer Lingus, this morning ceased trading due to a lack of demand. Advertisement Under the PM's Covid roadmap, June 21 was supposed to be the day when all social distancing curbs were lifted and the work-from-home advice abandoned. Mike Tildesley, a University of Warwick epidemiologist, said that although cases are going up, because of the success of the vaccine rollout it is not known what effect removing restrictions could have on hospital admissions. He said: 'We don't want to be slipping into another lockdown. To avoid this we have to be cautious and make sure we get enough data from the government as possible informing what we might expect in a future wave as we start to unlock further. 'I understand people really want to open up as soon as possible but of course what we don't want is a big wave of hospital admissions by doing so so it's a really difficult decision the Government are going to have to make over the next few days.' Just 34 per cent of people said they would like life to go back to normal on the day Boris Johnson promised it would, a poll of 1,392 people conducted by YouGov for The Times found. A separate question in the YouGov poll saw 22 per cent of people dub the rule of six - which currently limits indoor gatherings to just six people - their least favourite lockdown rule and said it should be lifted first. A total of 53 per cent of UK voters want some lockdown rules to stay across the UK past June 21 - while 25 per cent want all freedom-limiting legislation to remain. In a bid to placate Tory MPs and ministers including Chancellor Rishi Sunak who are keen to unleash the economy, the PM is expected to promise a review after a fortnight. That could potentially could allow curbs to be ditched earlier if hospital admissions remain low. But UKHospitality Chief Executive Kate Nicholls said: 'The Government has a balance to strike but due to the amazing efforts of the NHS in rolling out vaccines, it is time to lift the restrictions that are crushing businesses. 'A full and final ending of restrictions is the only way to ensure that businesses in this sector can trade profitably. If Government decides it has to keep some restrictions in place after June 21, then it must prioritise those that do the least damage to business and commit to further supporting the sector. 'Confidence has been shaken so it is imperative that Government postpones business rates payments until at least October and extend the rent and debt moratoria for hospitality businesses while a long-term solution to Covid arrears is found.' In a significant intervention, the British Medical Association called on Mr Johnson to hold off until more people had received both doses of the vaccine. Its council chairman Dr Chaand Nagpaul said the figures showed more time was needed to get the vaccine to more people. 'With only 54.2 per cent of the adult population currently fully vaccinated and many younger people not yet eligible, there is a huge risk that prematurely relaxing all restrictions will undo the excellent work of the vaccine programme and lead to a surge of infections,' he said. Weddings could still get an exemption, with the 30-person cap on guests lifted on June 21 to allow the big weddings that many couples have booked to go ahead. However, the delay to lifting the remainder of the curbs which ban nightclubs opening, limit crowds at theatres and sporting events, restrict capacity indoors at pubs and restaurants and prevent people meeting in large groups is likely to enrage many MPs, hospitality leaders and business chiefs. The Mail revealed this week that Mr Sunak had told Mr Johnson he could live with a delay of 'a week or two' but would resist any further slippage as this could involve extending the furlough scheme. Nightclubs and bars have threatened to sue the Government if the planned lifting of restrictions is postponed. England's coronavirus R rate is higher than at any time since October at a minimum of 1.2 and possible high of 1.4, SAGE estimated yesterday Public Health England data show how it took just a matter of weeks for the Indian 'Delta' variant to smash past the Kent strain and take over as dominant in England, with it surging to make up 96 per cent of cases in just nine weeks The Office for National Statistics' weekly infection survey suggested England's outbreak grew by only 13 per cent last week to 96,800 total cases - compared to a near-doubling 75 per cent surge the week before The R rate is highest in the North West, where it could be as high as 1.5. The region is the Indian variant hotspot and cases there have exploded in the past fortnight. A quarter of all the 7,400 cases announced in the UK yesterday were in the North West The move towards delaying June 21 came after the number of cases of the Indian variant also known as the Delta variant increased by 240 per cent in a week. Public Health England said the infections had risen from 12,431 to 42,323 in the latest seven-day period, an increase of 29,892 cases. The majority of cases appeared to be among the unvaccinated. The R-rate of reproduction also increased yesterday to between 1.2 and 1.4. At the G7 summit in Cornwall yesterday, Mr Johnson told fellow world leaders that it was important not to 'repeat some of the errors that we doubtless made in the course of the last 18 months'. The PM has been criticised for not locking down sooner last year. Kate Nicholls, the boss of UK Hospitality, said: 'Any delay in the roadmap would have a devastating effect on an already fragile hospitality sector. 'A one-month delay would cost the sector 3billion in sales and push many businesses even closer to the cliff edge of failure, meaning more job losses.' Public Health England graphs show how the Indian 'Delta' variant (pink) rapidly overtook all other strains of the virus to become dominant in April and May The North West (dark blue) has been by far the hardest hit region by the new variant while London (yellow) has experienced the second highest number of cases Most Delta cases have been in young adults and teenagers, who are unvaccinated, while there have been significantly fewer positive tests in older people, particularly over-50s, most of whom have had two doses of a jab. The true test of the vaccine will be whether the age distribution stays this way as the outbreak gets larger This heat map shows the hotspots for positive test samples that scientists believe are the Delta variant, with the most cases concentrated in the North West around Manchester and Liverpool The vast majority of cases and hospital admissions triggered by the Delta variant have been in people who were unvaccinated, PHE's data show. The figures show that only one in 10 people admitted to hospital after getting infected with the variant had been given two doses of a vaccine - just 42 out of 383 - while the rest of them had either had one jab or none at all. Twelve out of 42 people to have died of the strain had been vaccinated and just 1,785 out of 33,206 infections were in double-jabbed people No10's top scientific advisers have estimated England's coronavirus R rate is higher than at any time since last October and could now be 1.4. Government critics were taken aback by 'terrible' data showing how the Delta variant is taking over so quickly and threatening a third wave of hospital admissions. The PHE figures show that the number of positive tests linked back to the strain more than tripled from 12,431 to 42,323 in just a week. Part of this increase was down to an improved testing system that speeds up the process of working out which variant someone is infected with, PHE said, but cases are rising in the real world, too. The variant was only discovered in April but already accounts for 96 per cent of all positives, which is likely down to the fact that it is an estimated 64 per cent more transmissible than the Kent strain was. Experts say it appears better equipped to latch onto cells in people's airways meaning less exposure is needed to trigger an infection. Advertisement Boris and Carrie Johnson's one-year-old son Wilfred dazzled G7 leaders at a beach barbecue tonight, as Britain pulled out all the stops in a bid to woo the world's most powerful. The youngster was seen toddling towards his mother in Carbis Bay, Cornwall, as other wives of world leaders - including First Lady Jill Biden - beamed at him. Emmanuel Macron's wife Brigitte was also among the group cooing over Wilfred, who joined his parents for the barbecue which featured locally-sourced seafood prepared by a nearby beach hut. At the barbecue, some of the world's most-powerful men and women were treated to a breathtaking flypast by Red Arrows. Leaders and their spouses were all seen smiling in awe as they as they watched the planes soar overhead - with the Prime Minister tweeting: 'What a sight! Thank you to the incredible RAF Red Arrows for an amazing show.' Mrs Johnson cut an elegant figure in a floor-length purple floral gown, which she dressed down with gold loafers for the less-formal event. Mrs Biden opted for a butterfly-printed dress which finished just below the knee, which she paired with a matching dark purple shawl. The fleet of aircraft - known officially as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team - lit up the sky with patriotic red, white and blue. Boris and Carrie Johnson's one-year-old son Wilfred dazzled G7 leaders at a beach barbecue tonight, as Britain pulled out all the stops in a bid to woo the world's most powerful The youngster was seen toddling towards his mother in Carbis Bay, Cornwall, as other wives of world leaders - including First Lady Jill Biden - beamed at him Mrs Biden was among the group cooing over Wilfred, who joined his parents for the barbecue which featured locally-sourced seafood prepared by a nearby beach hut At the barbecue, some of the world's most-powerful men and women were treated to a breathtaking flypast by Red Arrows. Leaders and their spouses were all seen smiling in awe as they as they watched the planes soar overhead - with the Prime Minister tweeting: 'What a sight! Thank you to the incredible RAF Red Arrows for an amazing show' Mrs Johnson cut an elegant figure in a floor-length purple floral gown, which she dressed down with gold loafers for the less-formal event Mrs Johnson beamed as she spoke to First Lady Mrs Biden and Amelie Derbaudrenghie, the wife of European Council President Charles Michel Mr Johnson is seen speaking to Emmanuel Macron along with a Red Arrows pilot at the G7 Summit in Carbis Bay Earlier today, Boris and Carrie Johnson sweltered in the Cornwall sunshine as they welcomed more guests - before the PM posed for another 'family photo' with the newly arrived dignitaries. The PM and his new wife donned smart business suits despite the soaring temperature as they welcomed UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, South African president Cyril Ramaphosa and South Korean premier Moon Jae-in. The countries are attending the gathering as guests at the invitation of the UK, and will join the Saturday night festivities. But Mr Johnson might be hoping he can change out of his suit and tie before the party kicks off, while Carrie is also likely to switch her vivid blue trouser suit for more relaxed attire. Any jokes with Emmanuel Macron about sausages at the barbecue could also be a dangerous move - as the UK and EU leaders are engaged in a bitter row over Brexit restrictions on chilled meat exports from the British mainland to Northern Ireland. The Red Arrows performed a breathtaking fly-past during the G7 summit in Cornwall this evening in a bid to woo high-powered G7 guests ahead of a beach barbecue The fleet of aircraft - known officially as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team - lit up the sky with patriotic red, white and blue as the dignitaries no-doubt watched on Earlier today, Boris and Carrie Johnson sweltered in the Cornwall sunshine today as they welcomed more high-powered G7 guests ahead of a beach barbecue Mr Johnson might be hoping he can change out of his suit and tie before a beach barbecue tonight, while Carrie is also likely to switch her vivid blue trouser suit for more relaxed attire The PM and his new wife donned smart business suits despite the soaring temperature as they welcomed UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres The Red Arrows already performed a flypast for the Queen's official birthday celebrations earlier today. Pictured: The Red Arrows in Cornwall Earlier today, Boris and Carrie Johnson sweltered in the Cornwall sunshine as they welcomed more guests - before the PM posed for another 'family photo' with the newly arrived dignitaries (pictured) People watched on as the Royal Air Force aerobatic team performed over St Ives on Saturday The Red Arrows are seen flying over the heads of locals in St Ives. Their display looked breathtaking against the bright blue backdrop G7 leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the United States are gathered in Cornwall this weekend. The Red Arrows flew overhead in a stunning flypast this afternoon The Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team carried out a performance during the G7 summit in Cornwall this afternoon Red, blue and white smoke filled the sky during the Red Arrows performance in St Ives People gathered to watch the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team - known as the Red Arrows - fly past Earlier, Mr Johnson demanded the EU 'gets it into their heads' that Northern Ireland is part of the UK - as he branded the bloc's approach to the Brexit rules 'theological' in a round of broadcast interviews after holding talks with Mr Macron, Angela Merkel and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen. Tonight's much-anticipated barbecue comes as the UK recorded a further 7,738 new Covid-19 cases - the fourth day in a row that cases have exceeded the 7,000 mark. Today's daily figure is an increase of 34.2 per cent on last Saturday's 5,765 - and is the second highest daily infections number since February 26 after they exceeded 8,000 yesterday. The surge in cases caused by the Indian variant has yet to be reflected in death figures, which remained low today, falling from 13 last week to 12. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, center, with from left, Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa, South Korea's President Moon Jae-in, US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and President of the European Council Charles Michel during the G7 summit today Mr Johnson and President Biden are seen during a meeting at the G7 summit in Cornwall today Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, right, welcomes French President Emmanuel Macron today Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau welcomes German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday South African president Cyril Ramaphosa (left) has also been invited to be a guest at the summit by the UK South Korean premier Moon Jae-in and his wife Kim Jung-sook have also been welcomed to the G7 summit in Cornwall Meanwhile, Mrs Johnson has been busy entertaining the leaders' spouses as the main sessions take place at the venue in Carbis Bay. She donned a sculpted, slim fitting 595 jacket and 395 flared trousers, both by Amanda Wakeley. Both are currently listed on My Wardrobe HQ, the clothing rental site which Carrie used to hire her Christos Costarellos wedding dress, priced at 80 apiece. The group including Jill Biden and Brigitte Macron were taken to the impressive Minack theatre, where they watched a performance of Ocean World - in keeping with the environmentally friendly theme of the summit. A chef running a Cornish beach shack has been chosen to woo world leaders with a traditional British barbecue and Joe Biden and leaders others will bond around camp fires toasting marshmallows and listening to sea shanties. However, there will be no sausages in sight as the UK and EU clash over Northern Ireland trade rules. Cornish feast awaiting the G7 leaders tonight The leaders will tuck into a barbecue on the beach in Carbis Bay cooked by Simon Stallard, from the Hidden Hut in Portscatho. They will also be treated to a flypast by the Red Arrows. They will be served: - Canapes including: sparkling scallops, Curgurrell crab claws and Portscatho mackerel. - Main: Seared and smokey Moorland sirloin, Newlyn lobster and scorched leeks served with sides of layered Cornish potato chips, St Just purple sprouting broccoli and salt-baked beetroot. - Dessert: Beach Hut Sundae. Afterwards the leaders will also be able to have baked brie, hot buttered rum and toasted marshmallows around fire pits on the beach. Sea shanty group Du Hag Owr will provide the musical accompaniment to the event. Should the G7 wish to toast a successful summit - or drown their sorrows - they will be offered Cornish sparkling wine, German Riesling, Australian Shiraz, Cornish beer and a hedgerow fizz cocktail. Advertisement Simon Stallard, who runs The Hidden Hut on the Roseland Peninsula with his wife Jemma Glass, will serve G7 dignitaries Curgurrell crab claws, Portscatho mackerel and Newlyn lobster on Saturday night. After 'smokey' steaks seared on the 50ft grill and an ice cream sundae washed down with Cornish sparkling wine and beers, the most powerful men and women on the planet will huddle around camp fires. The politicians will be served hot buttered rum to drink and toasted marshmallows on the beach at Carbis Bay near St Ives to help thrash out a plan for a post-pandemic world. Du Hag Owr, Cornish for 'black and gold', will be singing shanties for guests and will end the show with a rousing rendition of Cornish anthem Cornwall My Home. The Hidden Hut above Portscatho beach may have a humble name but it has become one of the most loved places to eat in southern Cornwall. Chef Stallard and his wife are famed for their 'feast nights' of barbecued food he describes as 'like a big family picnic' where guests are served quality local produce on large tables on the sand - as long as they bring their own plates, cutlery and drinks. The G7 leaders will be provided with the tableware on Saturday night, he said, adding: 'I'm not sure I could have got away with asking them to do their own washing-up this time round'. He admitted the G7 booking 'came as a surprise', adding: 'But it's so beautiful in the bay, and I think if you're on the beach you want to make the most of it.' On arrival Mr Biden, Mr Johnson, Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel will be served canapes including: 'sparkling scallops', Curgurrell crab claws and Portscatho mackerel. Simon Stallard, who runs The Hidden Hut on the Roseland Peninsula with his wife Jemma Glass (pictured together), will serve G7 dignitaries Curgurrell crab claws, Portscatho mackerel and Newlyn lobster tonight This is the posh BBQ meal being served to the G7's chiefs on Saturday night The Hidden Hut may have a humble name, it is renowned for its food, especially seafood like this lobster Carrie Johnson took spouses including Jill Biden and Brigitte Macron to the impressive Minack theatre, where they watched a performance of Ocean World - in keeping with the environmentally friendly theme of the summit Mrs Johnson (centre right) was flanked by Mrs Macron to her left and Jill Biden to her right at the Minack theatre today 'We're seeing some worrying stuff, clearly': Boris Johnson all-but confirms FOUR WEEK delay to Freedom Day as Covid cases rise by more than a THIRD over last week to 7,738 Covid cases have continued to rise week-on-week again today by more than a third as Boris Johnson all but confirmed Freedom day would be pushed back to July 19. Some 7,738 new cases were recorded today an increase of 34.2 per cent on last Saturday's figure of 5,765 the second highest daily infections number since February 26 after they exceeded 8,000 yesterday. The surge in cases caused by the Indian variant has yet to be reflected in death figures, which remained low today, falling from 13 last week to 12. And Britain's vaccine roll-out continued at pace, with 202,846 first doses dished out. It takes the total number of people to have received a first dose to just under 41.3million 78.4. per cent of the population. Another 285,513 second doses were also given yesterday, taking the total number of fully protected adults to 29.5million. The PM delivered a downbeat assessment of the dangers posed by the Indian 'Delta' variant amid growing expectations he will announce a four-week delay to the unlocking roadmap at a press conference on Monday. In a glimmer of hope, he is expected to say that the situation could be reviewed again in a fortnight if hospitalisations stay low. In a round of broadcast interviews at the G7 summit in Cornwall, Mr Johnson insisted no final decision will be taken until Monday. 'We are seeing some worrying stuff in the data, clearly. We are seeing the Delta variant causing an increase in cases, we are seeing an increase in hospitalisations,' he told Channel 5 News. 'The whole point of having an irreversible road map is to do it cautiously and that's what we are going to do. I know people are impatient to hear more but you will be hearing the full picture on Monday.' Advertisement For their main they will be offered 'seared and smokey' Moorland sirloin and Newlyn lobster and scorched leeks all served with sides of layered Cornish potato chips with St Just purple sprouting broccoli and salt-baked beetroot on the side. The pudding is a 'Beach Hut Sundae' - and afterwards the leaders will also be able to have baked brie, hot buttered rum and toasted marshmallows around fire pits on the beach. Should the leaders wish to toast a successful summit - or drown their sorrows - they will be offered Cornish sparkling wine, German Riesling, Australian Shiraz, Cornish beer and a hedgerow fizz cocktail. Earlier, Mr Johnson demanded the EU 'gets it into their heads' that Northern Ireland is part of the UK as he ramped up the 'sausage war' after a showdown with Mr Macron. The PM branded the bloc's approach to the Brexit rules 'theological' in a round of broadcast interviews after holding talks with Mr Macron, Angela Merkel and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen at the G7 summit in Cornwall. And he insisted he 'will not hesitate' to suspend the Northern Ireland protocol unilaterally if Brussels does not compromise over trade restrictions between mainland Britain and the province. 'I think if the protocol continues to be applied in this way, then we will obviously not hesitate to invoke Article 16, as i have said before,' he said. 'Don't forget, the EU themselves invoked Article 16 in January, to disapply the protocol, so they can stop removal of vaccines from the EU to the UK. 'I've talked to some of our friends here today, who do seem to misunderstand that the UK is a single country, a single territory. I just need to get that into their heads.' Ministers have made clear they will not allow British traders to be hit with a complete ban on sausage exports to Northern Ireland when a 'grace period' on the Brexit deal expires at the end of this month. But French diplomats say Mr Macron used the pair's meeting this morning to insist that relations can only improve if the premier 'keeps his word' on the terms he agreed. He has already vowed to veto any fundamental renegotiation of the protocol, saying the idea is 'not serious'. Downing Street has stressed that the PM is 'currently' committed to working through the protocol, but added: 'We keep all options on the table.' Mr Johnson prepared for the showdown with EU counterparts by going for a swim near the luxurious hotel where the summit is happening. Earlier, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: 'They can be more pragmatic about the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol in a way that is win-win or they can be bloody-minded and purist about it in which case I am afraid we will not allow the integrity of the UK to be threatened.' Boris Johnson held talks with Emmanuel Macron at the G7 summit this morning, as well as meeting Angela Merkel and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen Mr Johnson and German Chancellor Mrs Merkel also met for a bilateral at the summit in Cornwall this morning Mr Johnson (centre) kicks off discussions with EU council president Charles Michel (left) and Ursula von der Leyen (right) A man has been jailed after he was found in possession of a submachine gun, drugs and more than 200,000 in cash. Azeem Ahktar, 29, of Cooper Road, Brent, north-west London, was sentenced to eight years on Friday at Harrow Crown Court. He was stopped in his vehicle by the Metropolitan Police's Violent Crime Taskforce (VCTF) in November and a large amount of heroin was discovered. Azeem Ahktar, 29, of Cooper Road, Brent, north-west London, was sentenced to eight years on Friday at Harrow Crown Court after he was found in possession of a submachine gun, drugs and more than 200,000 in cash Officers searched Ahktar's address where they found a Skorpion submachine gun, ammunition, drugs and a number of mobile phones. The Met said Akhtar pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm, ammunition and criminal property (221,320.04 in cash), and possession to supply class A and B drugs. Detective Constable Ash Harkin, the investigating officer with the VCTF, said: 'What started off as a proactive vehicle stop ended up leading us to a loaded firearm and many rounds of ammunition, and the stark reality is that every bullet we seize could be a life saved. Officers searched Ahktar's address where they found a Skorpion submachine gun, ammunition, drugs and a number of mobile phones The Met said Akhtar pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm, ammunition and criminal property (221,320.04 in cash), and possession to supply class A and B drugs 'We know that drugs not only cause misery to communities, but also drive a high proportion of violence we see on the streets - and we will continue to relentlessly pursue those who supply them in the capital. 'This investigation involved various teams within the VCTF, working together to bring Ahktar to justice. 'Reducing violence remains our top priority and officers are out across London daily, removing dangerous weapons and targeting the drivers of violent crime.' A black Florida mom, whose passionate speech at a local school board meeting against teaching 'racist' critical race theory made national headlines, was applauded by Fox host Tucker Carlson 'for telling the truth.' Carlson opened the segment with a video clip of a snippet of Keisha King's speech to the Duvall County school board on Thursday. One of her children is a student in the district. 'If this continues, we will look back and be responsible for the dismantling of the greatest nation in the world by reverting to teaching hate and that race is a determining factor on where your destiny lies,' King said. 'Good for her. She's telling the truth; too few are,' Carlson said during his Friday night episode. He added that that The 1776 Project PAC and its founder Ryan Girdusky are supporting parents and educators who don't want critical race theory taught in the classroom. Keisha King, who has a child in the Duvall County school district in Florida, made an impassioned speech against critical race theory Thursday night that made national headlines Fox host Tucker Carlson applauded King's efforts, saying, 'Good for her. She's telling the truth' King's comments were made after she was outraged at seeing teachers in the Duvall County school district - in northeastern Florida - teach critical race theory and even separate students by their race. Duvall County confirmed it was invoking Florida Governor Ron DeSantis's ban on CRT later the same evening. During King's speech, she disputed claims that critical race theory is 'racial sensitivity or simply teaching unfavorable American history or teaching Jim Crow history.' 'CRT is deeper and more dangerous than that,' King said. 'CRT and its outworking today is a teaching that there's a hierarchy in society where white male, heterosexual, able-bodied people are deemed the oppressors and anyone else outside of that status is oppressed. 'I don't know about you, but telling my child, or any child, that they are in a permanent oppressed status in America because they are black is racist. And saying that white people are automatically above me, my children, or any child is racist as well.' What is critical race theory? The concept dividing the nation which asserts that US institutions are inherently racist 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 influences American politics, culture and the law. Advertisement Critical race theory teaches that racism is a social construct used to oppress people of color, and that it is present in almost all aspects of everyday life. Its supporters say the theory helps illuminate the obstacles faced by BIPOC (black, indigenous and people of color) individuals in their everyday lives, that their white counterparts do not have to worry about. Critics claim it is unnecessarily divisive, and teaches children that they are either victims or oppressors from an early age. Its been a source of heated debates across the country in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement and the 1619 Project, and parents have even resorted to pulling their students out of high-end schools after the schools including it in their curriculums. Several Republican-led states have since adopted laws banning the teaching of the theory, with many more advancing similar legislation. The Georgia State Board of Education voted 11 - 2 on June 3 to pass a resolution banning the teaching of critical race theory in schools, after Republican Governor Brian Kemp wrote the board a letter urging them to adopt such a policy. Florida passed the ban the same night that King made her speech. The southern states join Tennessee, Oklahoma, Montana and Idaho that have already banned the teaching of the theory. There are 10 other states discussing a ban, including Texas, Arizona, Iowa, Missouri, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, West Virginia, San Dakota, North Carolina and Louisiana. Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has been pushing for a ban on the theory for months. He opened the the same Thursday night meeting that included King's speech by urging the board to adopt the measure, calling critical race theory 'really toxic,' and claiming that it would cause a lot more divisions in society. Florida became the sixth state to ban teaching critical race theory in the classroom while at least 10 other states are considering the ban 'I think it will cause people to think of themselves more as a member of a particular race based on their skin color, rather than based on the content of their character and based on their hard work and what they're trying to accomplish in life,' DeSantis told the board, which unanimously approved the ban. The resolution states: 'Instruction on the required topics must be factual and may not suppress or distort significant historical events, such as the Holocaust, and may not define American history as something other than the creation of a new nation based largely on universal principles stated in the Declaration of Independence.' The specifics of how the resolution will be enforced will likely be up to each individual school board. The mother of a three-year-old New Jersey boy who died when he fell from a third-story window and was then mauled by his family's two dogs has paid tribute to her 'angel'. 'The worst thing that a parent can go through is having to give their sweet Angel back to Heaven,' Nasha Soto posted on Facebook next to a drawing of a baby angel on Friday. Her three-year-old son, who has not yet been named, died on Wednesday following a 10ft fall from a rear window in the family's Elizabeth, New Jersey home. The toddler was then mauled by his family's two dogs in their backyard. Nasha Soto (pictured) shared a touching post in honor of her three-year-old son who died on Wednesday 'The worst thing that a parent can go through is having to give their sweet Angel back to Heaven,' Soto posted to Facebook on Friday Soto's unidentified three-year-old son (pictured in red) died on Wednesday after falling three-stories from a rear window in the family's in Elizabeth, New Jersey home Soto's son died on Wednesday after he fell 10 feet from a rear window and was attacked by his family's dogs in his Elizabeth, New Jersey, home (pictured) The dogs, which neighbors identified as pit bulls, have since been taken by a local animal control organization and city officials are planning to euthanize them, according to local news outlet NJ Advance Media. Friends and family have sent words of comfort to the 23-year-old mother-of-three after Soto posted her touching tribute to her son. 'Sending my condolences and prayers to you and your family,' one friend posted. 'May God give you the strength with in to find some type of comfort especially for your babies. Never forget that you have the most precious angel in heaven. May his little soul rest in paradise.' Another person commented: 'Only Jesus can heal your heart mamas. I pray that God gives you the strength to wake up everyday and be strong for your little ones and husband I pray that you heal and know that non of this was your fault I pray that God brings blessings from here on out to you and your family! amen!' 'My deepest condolences to you and the family in this difficult time mama im so sorry for the loss of your gorgeous baby I hope God gives you and ur husband all the strength ya need to be strong i will have you in my prayers with much love God bless you and ur family,' someone else commented. Another friend said: 'May beautiful memories bring you peace during this difficult time. So sorry for your loss, here for you always.' Police arrived shortly before 5.30pm on Wednesday to the home to find the boy in critical condition. He had a neck injury from the fall and bite wounds on his body from the dogs, according to RLS Media. A nearby neighbor who did not want to be named told NJ Media Advance that she heard a bang and someone screaming, 'Help! No stop, no stop!' A man ran to the front of the house carrying the battered and bleeding child. Another anonymous neighbor was quoted in the article saying that she always found the dogs to be aggressive, and saw them 'jumping and barking when she walked past the home.' In March a similar incident occurred in New Jersey when Aziz Ahmed died and his mother was hospitalized with serious injuries after their neighbor's two pit bulls got into the family's yard and mauled them in Carteret. Neighbors told ABC7NY that the three-year-old boy, whose family just moved there from Brooklyn, was playing in the backyard when the two dogs somehow got underneath the fence separating the two properties and lunged at him. Both dogs were reportedly shot by police officers at the scene. Italian police said on Saturday they had arrested a Romanian citizen who is the subject of an international arrest warrant from the UK for the manslaughter of 39 Vietnamese people who were being smuggled into Britain. Stefan Damian Dragos, 28, allegedly provided the truck which was used to smuggle the group of migrants, who were found dead in a freight container on the back of the vehicle in October 2019, Italian police said in a statement. There was no immediate statement from the suspect or from any lawyer representing him. He was arrested in the town of Cinisello Balsamo, north of Milan, but police gave no further details. Italian police arrested Stefan Damian Dragos, 28, on suspicion of being involved in the attempt to smuggle 39 Vietnamese migrants into the UK He was arrested in the town of Cinisello Balsamo, north of Milan and faces extradition to the UK where police want to question him in connection with the 39 deaths The discovery of so many dead people - two as young as 15 - in the back of the truck on an industrial estate to the east of London shocked Britain and Vietnam. It also shone a spotlight on the illicit global trade that sends the poor of Asia, Africa and the Middle East on perilous journeys to the West. Most of those who died were from Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces in north-central Vietnam, where poor job prospects, environmental disasters and the promise of financial reward abroad fuel migration. In January four men who admitted or were found guilty of manslaughter and immigration offences were given long jail sentences. Shortly before the pandemic, Sir Jeremy Farrar, head of the globally respected Wellcome Trust, delivered a speech offering his prescription for protection of public health: it required good leadership, free-thinking scientists and universal trust in their work. The director of the worlds biggest philanthropic science funding body said he had tremendous responsibility to be accountable for what we do and to be as transparent as we can be. So it is curious that since the Covid pandemic began, this hugely influential figure has been at the heart of the scientific establishments efforts to stifle debate on the origins of the virus that emerged in Wuhan. The controversy over Farrars role comes amid growing international acceptance of a possibility that the pandemic began with a leak from one of the vaccine or virus research centres in Wuhan At least three Lancet signatories have since admitted that the lab leak theory merits serious investigation The Oxford, Edinburgh and London-educated infectious diseases expert has claimed scientists know Covid was not created in a lab, suggested such an idea was a conspiracy theory and insisted that evidence indicates it spilled over naturally from animals. Now, The Mail on Sunday can reveal that emails from Americas top infectious disease chief, Anthony Fauci, show how Farrar played a key role behind the scenes in marshalling top scientists response to concerns over the viruss origins, even demanding secrecy on their discussions. Crucially, he was a central figure behind two landmark statements published by leading science journals that helped to silence dissident views, arguing against the plausibility of any type of laboratory-based scenario. Scientists who have sought a proper investigation into the possibility that the novel coronavirus might have leaked from a Wuhan laboratory accuse Farrar of helping establish a false narrative that has set back understanding of the disease. His actions have also prompted alarm in Westminster. Farrar is clearly an impressive individual, so we should all be concerned when someone of his stature appears to be stifling debate, said Bob Seely, a Tory member of the foreign affairs select committee. It is chilling. The job of science is to go where the truth leads, not to stop us going there. Distinguished people such as Jeremy Farrar should not have been participating in systematic and organised attempts to shut down open debate on such a vital issue for the entire world. We have a right to be worried. Sadly, this seems to have been precisely what the 59-year-old Wellcome chief has been doing. The controversy over Farrars role comes amid growing international acceptance of a possibility that the pandemic began with a leak from one of the vaccine or virus research centres in Wuhan, despite Chinas vigorous efforts to blame other causes. But after President Joe Biden gave US intelligence agencies 90 days to detail how the virus might have spread from bats to humans, there has been mounting concern over how top scientific figures colluded to divert attention from risky research in Wuhan. Many insisted that science showed Sars-CoV-2 the strain of coronavirus that causes Covid-19 was a spill-over from nature, despite known safety concerns at Wuhan labs and some unusual features of the disease. Farrar a former Oxford University professor who was appointed to lead the Wellcome Trust eight years ago has been among the foremost voices making such arguments. His position gives him immense power as the head of one of the worlds wealthiest charitable foundations, which has funds of 29 billion and spent more than 1 billion last year alone. He is also a member of the Governments Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies. Just weeks before the pandemic erupted, Farrar helped oversee a report alongside Fauci for the World Health Organisation that highlighted an increasing risk of global pandemic from a pathogen escaping after being engineered in a lab. Significantly, it said scientific advances allowed disease-causing micro-organisms to be engineered or recreated in laboratories, warning that accidental or deliberate events caused by high-impact respiratory pathogens pose global catastrophic biological risks. The authors may well have been proved right: the world was not prepared for a fast-moving, virulent respiratory pathogen pandemic and the consequences are catastrophic. Yet Farrars previous warnings jar with his actions during the pandemic. Last year, for instance, he said that people should ignore the conspiracy theories: scientists know Covid-19 wasnt created in a lab. His comment promoted an article in The Guardian by British scientist Dr Peter Daszak which criticised former MI6 head Sir Richard Dearlove for suggesting Covid might have escaped accidentally from a lab, and sneered at those critical of his research partners at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The truth is, scientists have found no firm evidence on the cause of this pandemic, despite testing 80,000 samples from animals to find a possible natural link but there is some circumstantial evidence to raise concerns over a leak from a Wuhan lab. Yet Daszak and Farrar were among 27 leading experts who published a statement in The Lancet in February last year attacking conspiracy theories suggesting that Covid-19 does not have a natural origin. Daszak is a former Kingston University snail researcher who earns $410,000-a-year heading a virus-hunting charity called EcoHealth Alliance. He has long-standing links with Shi Zhengli, the Wuhan Institute of Virology expert on coronaviruses nicknamed Bat woman for her sample-gathering trips to caves in southern China. Farrars endorsement of that controversial Lancet letter clearly intended to shut down debate looks even more intriguing after the publication by the news site Buzzfeed this month of 3,234 pages of Faucis emails from the early months of the pandemic. They show that on January 31 last year, Fauci was sent a copy of an article in Science magazine that examined how researchers were doing investigative work on genomes to unravel the viruss beginnings. The article detailed work by Daszak and Shi in sampling more than 10,000 bats and finding 500 new coronaviruses. It also examined controversies over risky gain of function work, which uses genetic technology to make natural viruses more dangerous, including mention of a 2015 paper on experiments by Shi and a US researcher that modified a Sars-like bat virus to boost infectivity to humans. Science magazine quoted Richard Ebright, a bio-security expert and professor of chemical biology at Rutgers University, New Jersey, stating that data at the time was consistent with entry into the human population as either a natural accident or a laboratory accident. Fauci immediately circulated the article to senior US officials. To one, he marked the email IMPORTANT and attached the gain of function paper. Keep your phone on, he said. A senior figure at the US National Institutes of Health replied that they were trying to determine if we have any distant ties to this work abroad. The Mail on Sunday later revealed the institute was funding Shis work, which was stopped by then president Donald Trump. Fauci also sent the article to Farrar, saying: It is of interest to the current discussion. In turn, Farrar set up an urgent conference-call involving himself, Fauci and 11 other global experts including Sir Patrick Vallance, Englands chief scientific adviser. The Wellcome director, who appears to have led the teleconference, warned their discussions were in total confidence and information was not to be shared without agreement. Farrar then became the centre of a flurry of emails that included mention of a discussion with World Health Organisation head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, amid fears that he might prevaricate. Two days later, Dr Tedros issued a call to combat the spread of rumours and misinformation and for all countries to work together in a spirit of solidarity and co-operation. Farrar also alerted Fauci to an article on ZeroHedge, a financial blog, that linked a Wuhan researcher to the virus outbreak. Five days after Farrars conference-call, Daszak started circulating a draft around potential signatories for his Lancet letter, saying he was dismayed by the recent spreading of rumours, misinformation and conspiracy theories on its origins. He cautioned, however, that they should ensure the statement was not identifiable as coming from one person or organisation, so that it would be seen as simply a letter from leading scientists. Another key participant in Farrars call was Kristian Andersen, an immunologist at Scripps Research institute in California who was the lead author on another highly influential commentary published just six weeks later by Nature Medicine journal. This commentary, headlined The proximal origin of Sars-CoV-2 and cited almost 1,500 times in other scientific papers, boldly stated that the five authors do not believe that any type of laboratory-based scenario is plausible. However, critics contested its claim of evidence that proved Sars-CoV-2 was not a purposefully manipulated virus yet like The Lancet letter, this document played a central role to dampen down scientific, political and media discussion of a possible lab leak. When I asked Farrar to share his evidence pointing to natural zoonotic (animal to human) transmission, he cited this article. Significantly, his office told me that he helped convene the five authors of The Lancet letter who included the Australian professor Edward Holmes, an adviser to the Chinese health authorities, and Andrew Rambaut, an evolutionary biologist at Edinburgh University. Both were on his conference call. The conclusions reached by these world-leading experts have informed Jeremys views, along with other evidence-based research, said a spokesman. He took a step back once the researchers were introduced and followed their results keenly. He does not suggest that all other theories or explanations are conspiracy theories. But, as always in any branch of scientific research, any other theories must be evidence-based to hold any credibility. Yet the Fauci emails disclose that Andersen, who was sent the Science article, admitted a close look at all the genetic sequences showed some of the features (potentially) look engineered and that several other experts agreed with him that the genome was inconsistent with expectations from evolutionary theory. After this emerged, Andersen argued that the discussion was a clear example of the scientific process then deleted his Twitter account that had been full of tweets challenging those calling for a lab leak to be taken seriously. Bio-security expert Richard Ebright said that he was shocked Farrar has given such weight to the pseudoscientific analysis. In an interview earlier this month President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser, Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, agreed that a lab escape was 'a possibility' It is disturbing that both Fauci and Farrar have played key roles in establishing the false narratives of the last 15 months and that neither has made a clean break with them, he said. For his part, Daszak thanked Fauci in April for publicly standing up and stating that the scientific evidence supports a natural origin for Covid-19 from a bat-to-human spillover, not a lab release from Wuhan Institute of Virology. Yet, at least three Lancet signatories have since admitted that the lab leak theory merits serious investigation. They included Bernard Roizman, a University of Chicago virologist, who is convinced the virus was taken to a lab, worked on and then some sloppy individual took it out. Ian Lipkin, a Columbia University epidemiologist honoured by China for his work in the country, who was one of the five authors of the Nature Medicine commentary, has also voiced concern over safety standards at the Wuhan institute. Farrar told The Mail on Sunday he believes the best scientific evidence available to date points to a scenario where the virus crossed from animals to humans and then evolved in humans. While saying it is critical to understand Covids origins to prevent future outbreaks, the Wellcome boss claimed there had been too much conjecture and theory without data or evidence with no evidence to support the idea of a laboratory-linked outbreak. In all this, there is one thing that surely all parties can agree on with Sir Jeremy Farrar that everyone stays open-minded while efforts continue to gather and share the evidence needed and that regardless of the outcome of investigations, it is absolutely vital to ensure all laboratories are safe. Those who know Sir Keir Starmer well often speak of his decency, integrity, intellect and reluctance to give too much away about himself. However, Labour's local elections trouncing in May spurred him to greater efforts on the self-promotion front. The opening move was an interview on Piers Morgan's Life Stories, in which he spoke tearfully and movingly about his mother's life-debilitating illness. With this biography, I have dug deeper than the ITV programme was able to, and can reveal details of its lasting effects on her elder son. Those who know Sir Keir Starmer well often speak of his decency, integrity, intellect and reluctance to give too much away about himself, writes Lord Ashcroft I will also describe how Sir Keir, a man of many contradictions, who attended a fee-paying school and Oxford University, has, in my view, overplayed his supposed working class credentials when friends and colleagues have confirmed to me that realistically he is anything but. 'One of Keir's faults, which has come out from time to time, is his wanting to insist how working class he is when he's absolutely, plainly not,' says Professor Bill Bowring, who teaches law at Birkbeck College, University of London. 'If you're a QC and former Director of Public Prosecutions, you've left your working-class roots far behind. That's a weakness of his, to go on about it. He's become very middle class.' Sir Keir did not want this story to be written. Indeed, it is no exaggeration to say that he actively obstructed it. While I am the first to accept that everybody is entitled to a private life, I also believe that any politician who presents themselves to the country as the Prime Minister-in-waiting should have a skin thick enough to be untroubled about a study of their character. By having such a prickly reaction to my decision to write his story, Sir Keir has arguably shown more of himself than he perhaps realised. Given that most of his career has been spent outside elected politics he was a barrister from 1987 until 2008; the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) from 2008 to 2013; and only became a Labour parliamentary candidate in December 2014 some probing is justified. So who is the man who would be Britain's leader? His mother Josephine's path through life was far from straightforward. Aged 11, she was diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, also known as Still's Disease, after the English paediatrician George Still who first described it in 1896. This rare illness is characterised by fever and a rash as well as joint pain, and it can have a profoundly destabilising effect on those who live with it. Sadly, Josephine was not spared the worst of what the disease is capable of inflicting. According to the eulogy given at her funeral in 2015, she was quickly taken under the wing of the consultant who was in charge of her care, Dr Kenneth Maclean. It was he who told Josephine and her husband Rodney on their wedding day in 1960 that if they intended to start a family, the unknown side effects of the pioneering cortisone treatment he was giving her meant they should not wait. Wedding: Sir Keir Starmer with wife Victoria, and parents Josephine and Rodney in 2007 Rodney, who worked as a toolmaker in Ashford, Kent, and his bride took the advice seriously. In June 1961, Josephine gave birth to their eldest child, Anna. On September 2, 1962, Keir was born. It is often stated as fact that he was named after Keir Hardie, a founder of the Labour Party, yet Starmer admitted in an interview in 2015 that he had no evidence for this because he had never discussed it with his parents. Still, this idea has stuck and he has never disabused anybody of it. Anna and Keir were followed in March 1964 by twins Nicholas and Katherine. Shortly after Keir's birth, the family settled in a three-bedroom semi-detached house close to the Surrey commuter town of Oxted. Diana Watson, who is the same age as Keir, says she remembers visiting him at home about 50 years ago. 'Their house was very modest,' she says. 'The Starmers were unpretentious. They were normal people.' Another neighbour adds: 'The Starmers were staunchly Labour. At election times their house would be plastered with Labour posters.' Records show that among Josephine's ancestors was an attendant in an asylum, a printer, a miller, a labourer, a servant and a laundress: Rodney's include a gamekeeper, a wheelwright and a mechanic. After the move to Tanhouse Road in Oxted, Rodney continued to work in the toolmaking trade but, due to his son's ambiguous explanations, there has always been a certain amount of confusion as to his employment status. In March 2018, Starmer told the BBC's Nick Robinson that his father 'was a toolmaker working in a factory and working every hour, basically'. The following year, he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme that his father 'worked in a factory' as a toolmaker. The inference that listeners might have drawn is that Rodney Starmer was employed by somebody else. Yet the available evidence suggests that this was not the case. For reasons best known to himself, Keir Starmer did not use any of these opportunities to explain that his father, in fact, ran his own business, the Oxted Tool Company. As a Companies House representative has said that no records of the Oxted Tool Company exist in its files, it is difficult to assess how successful Rodney Starmer's business became and indicates that he may have remained a sole trader as opposed to running a limited company throughout his working life. As a skilled manual worker who was self-employed and who owned a house (albeit with a mortgage), it is arguable that Rodney would be thought of by some social scientists as being a cut above other toolmakers who were employed. None of this would matter in any way, of course, but for the fact that Keir Starmer has not been totally explicit about it when asked. Perhaps it would be most accurate to say that Starmer's background was neither working class nor 'posh', as some commentators have attempted to prove, but was instead closer to what sociologists would once have called petit bourgeois. This French term is akin to lower-middle class. In 1974, Keir won a place at Reigate Grammar School, which would become independent during his time there. Those who were already pupils were allowed to continue, with their fees paid by the local council. Starmer's friends there included Quentin Cook, subsequently known as Norman and by his DJ name Fatboy Slim. They took violin lessons together, though Cook left Reigate Grammar aged 16. Music remained a very important part of the life of Starmer, who also played the flute, piano and recorder. He was a good enough flute player to secure a place at the prestigious Junior Guildhall School of Music. Every Saturday morning, at the insistence of his parents, he would travel to London for lessons by staff who played in professional orchestras. It is noteworthy that when the Daily Mail discovered in September 2009 that Starmer had omitted to mention Reigate Grammar School in his Who's Who entry, it concluded that this was a piece of chicanery which reflected badly on his character. By then, he was the Director of Public Prosecutions. Like Boris Johnson and Gordon Brown, adversity drove him on It has been noted that people who aspire to the highest office in the land often have experience of trauma or tragedy which perhaps drives them on to succeed. An assessment of those who have been in power over the past 30 years shows this to be more than a theory. Boris Johnsons mother, Charlotte, had a nervous breakdown when he was ten and was a patient at the Maudsley Hospital in London for nine months with depression, rupturing his childhood. Theresa May was an only child whose mother had multiple sclerosis and whose father died in 1981 after a car crash when she was in her early 20s. Gordon Brown was kicked in the head during a school rugby match aged 16, leaving him blind in his left eye and fearful of losing his sight in his right. Tony Blair, John Major and David Cameron, too, faced immense personal and family challenges. Such setbacks tend to leave a mark on a persons character, instilling in them a desire to achieve. Advertisement As with the questions raised about what Starmer has had to say regarding his father's profession, the fact he attended a grammar school which became a private school should not matter to anybody. A more interesting point is why he should feel any sensitivity about it. Whatever the explanation, it is striking that, after the Mail story, he updated his Who's Who entry. As a result of Josephine Starmer's illness and Rodney's unsociable working hours, there were few adult visitors to the house during Keir's childhood. The family lived under the appalling fear of Josephine needing to be admitted to a high-dependency unit at any time. Such was Rodney's devotion to his wife that he stopped drinking alcohol so he would be able to accompany her to hospital at all hours of the day or night if need be. There, he would remain with her, sleeping in a chair if necessary. Keir has even recalled a time, when he was aged 13 or 14, and his father rang him from a hospital to warn: 'I don't think your mum's going to make it. Will you tell the others?' Such unwanted and painful responsibility, placed on his shoulders at a young age, forced him to grow up quickly and perhaps to take life more seriously than most of his peers. Inevitably, it left its mark on his personality as well. 'People liked him,' says his schoolfriend Andrew Sullivan. 'He was quite popular. But he always seemed a little angry about the world.' 'He's quite an austere man, and Parliament is not a very austere place,' says former Tory Attorney General Dominic Grieve, who worked closely with Starmer during his time as DPP. Others note that Starmer is warmer in private than his often rather solemn public persona. 'Off-duty he's quite light-hearted,' says one who knows him in the Commons. 'But he is a serious guy. He wouldn't have four or five pints with the whips in the bar. He'd want to get home his family, his duties to his kids. He's not an absent parent.' AS the first person in his family to attend university, Starmer's parents were adamant that Keir should not waste the opportunity. Originally he had expressed an interest in studying politics. But in a sure sign that Rodney and Josephine expected their son to gain a degree in a subject that would equip him to enter a profession after he graduated, they insisted he should apply to study law instead at his chosen university of Leeds. Starmer acquiesced, despite his legal knowledge being minimal when he began the course. Revealingly, the student news-paper Leeds Student contains an anonymous message for Starmer under the Personal section dated January 27, 1984. It reads: 'Keir Starmer, king of middle class radicals.' This was almost certainly an in-joke between friends but, if nothing else, it proves that ever since he was 21 years old this former Surrey grammar school boy has been fending off accusations of being more bourgeois than he would care to admit. Starmer then went on to St Edmund Hall, Oxford, to study for a postgraduate law degree in 1985 at a time when the city was awash with future front-ranking politicians including David Cameron, Michael Gove, Boris Johnson, Ed Balls and David Miliband. It is known that he and Miliband became friendly during this period. An idea has taken hold that when Keir Starmer moved to London a year later to pursue a legal career, he lived above a brothel. This is not quite true. To be strictly accurate, it would appear that he rented a room in a flat above a sauna. In August 1985, the year before Starmer's tenancy, the owner of a business based at the same address was found guilty at the Old Bailey of living off the earnings of prostitution. The premises had apparently ceased to be a house of ill-repute by the time Starmer moved in. According to some accounts, though, it remained a fairly insalubrious place. In 1988, he was joined there by, among others, his then girlfriend Angela O'Brien, whom he had met at Leeds. They would remain together for nearly a decade, buying a flat together. But by 1997 she had moved out, although it is understood that Starmer remained in the property until it was sold later that year. By then he was almost 35 years old and had struck up a relationship with fellow barrister Phillippa Kaufmann. Several people have claimed he had 'other girlfriends' besides O'Brien and Kaufmann. Intriguingly, they note that he has always been careful about remaining on good terms with these women. O'Brien and Kaufmann both went on to marry colleagues of Starmer. In March 2002, Starmer became a QC at the relatively early age of 39. A few months later he was mentioned in an Observer profile piece headlined The New Legal Crusaders, which focused on a group of ambitious young lawyers. Student: Keir, front right, with his Leeds University flatmates in the early 1980s This article is noteworthy for the following sentence: 'Among them was Ben Emmerson, the dashing young advocate and colleague of Cherie Booth at the fashionable Matrix Chambers. 'Admirers say that if Colin Firth's human rights lawyer in the film Bridget Jones's Diary wasn't based on Emmerson, then it should have been.' These words solve a mystery which has portrayed Starmer in a very useful and flattering light for many years. Starmer always seemed happy not to disabuse people of the notion that he was the inspiration for the dashing Mark Darcy, who was created by author Helen Fielding. The fact is that he never was. What appears to have happened is that in April 2012, a decade after the Observer article, a Sunday Times journalist interviewed Starmer. 'Just before my interview with Keir Starmer, the director of public prosecutions (DPP), someone tells me that the chisel-jawed former human rights lawyer was the inspiration for Mark Darcy,' she wrote at the time. 'I am not sure if this is true.' From that point on, other journalists decided that it was true and the myth held. Starmer never denied it, no doubt relishing the touch of glamour it gave him. For example, during the Labour leadership contest, when ITV News asked him if the Darcy character was based on him, he answered: 'Everybody asks me this question when they should be asking [Fielding] the question because she knows the answer and I don't.' Finally, it was Fielding herself who explained on Desert Island Discs last July that Starmer played no part in her thinking up Mark Darcy. While this may seem to be a trivial matter, one friend of Starmer says it is rather revealing. The Starmer whom this person knows apparently paid attention when members of the opposite sex said he was good-looking. Red Knight: The Unauthorised Biography Of Sir Keir Starmer, by Michael Ashcroft, published by Biteback on August 19 at 20 'What's interesting is he knows full well he wasn't the model for Mark Darcy,' says the friend. 'His answers tended to leave the impression that it was true.' Keir Starmer is often described as being intensely ambitious, yet it is arguable that this trait is at least in part a consequence of the hopes and dreams of his family. The evidence for this comes from a round-robin letter written in December 2014 by Starmer's father, Rodney. In it he expressed to friends his delight that his son had just been chosen as Labour's prospective parliamentary candidate in the safe Labour seat of Holborn and St Pancras. 'We are very pleased and wish him well,' Rodney wrote. 'My dad, Bert, said many years ago that one of the Starmers should be an MP.' Who can say why Starmer's mechanic grandfather seemed fixed upon a family member making it to the House of Commons? But Keir will no doubt have known about this comment. It was a huge personal tragedy for Starmer that his mother did not live to see him become an MP in the General Election of May 2015. Very sadly, she died less than two weeks before polling day. Now, six years later, many analysts are agreed that Starmer's position on the political spectrum is difficult to define. Immediately after he became leader, James Schneider, Jeremy Corbyn's former head of strategic communications, wrote: 'Keir Starmer is not a ghoulish neo-liberal, reactionary authoritarian, or a lover of war but he isn't a socialist. 'Hard to place, he appears to be on the progressive end of social reformism. He has no strong allergy to being near socialist ideas but they aren't to his taste or style.' For his part, Starmer has often referred to himself in public as a socialist. Peter Mandelson and Alastair Campbell like to remind the Left that Labour's record in the past 11 General Elections reads 'lost, lost, lost, lost, Blair, Blair, Blair, lost, lost, lost, lost'. The thing about Blair was that he relentlessly put voters' priorities ahead of his party's and made sure he won the battles that ensued. It is time for Starmer to follow this example. 'Let Reagan be Reagan' was the mantra of White House allies who felt the then US President was at his best when he followed his instincts. 'Let Starmer be Starmer' may turn out to be terrible advice but that, for what it's worth, is mine. If what then comes to the fore is a radical Left-wing lawyer, voters can at least decide if that's what they want. But if his true aim, tempered by experience, is to turn Labour back into a party that can be trusted with government, he must fight for it every day and face down anyone who stands in his way. After all, he has nothing to lose. The head of the WHO tonight insisted the theory that Covid emerged from a Wuhan lab has not been ruled out - as he said China should help solve the mystery out of 'respect' for the dead. The body's director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus suggested that Beijing had not cooperated fully as he urged more 'transparency' in the continuing investigation. There has been mounting controversy over how the virus first emerged - whether through animal contact at a 'wet' market in Wuhan or leakage from a highly secure research laboratory in the same city as some have suggested. China says it is not responsible for the pandemic and has dismissed conspiracy theories about the disease being manmade. However, last month Joe Biden ordered US intelligence agencies to report in the next three months on whether the Covid-19 virus first emerged in China from an animal or from a laboratory accident. WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus suggested that Beijing had not cooperated fully as he urged more 'transparency' in the continuing investigation hina says it is not responsible for the pandemic and has dismissed 'conspiracy theories' about the disease being manmade. Pictured, Wuhan in March last year Asked whether the possibility of a lab leak was still on the table, Dr Tedros told a G7 summit briefing that currently 'every hypothesis should be open'. He said at least 174million people were confirmed as having contracted the disease so far and 3.75million had died. 'I think the respect these people deserve is knowing what the origin of this virus is so that we can prevent it from happening again,' he added. Dr Tedros suggested there had not been enough 'transparency and cooperation' from China in the initial stages of the investigation. 'We need cooperation from the Chinese side. We need transparency to understand and know or find the origins of this virus,' he added. 'There were difficulties in data sharing, especially raw data (we) hope the next phase there will be better cooperation and transparency.' UK ministers have also demanded China cooperate fully with probes into the origins of the disease. Last month Mr Biden ordered agencies to 'redouble their efforts to collect and analyse information' and report back in 90 days. According to Mr Biden, the intelligence services are currently split over the two possible sources for the virus that swept the planet over the past year, killing millions of people. Mr Biden said that in March he asked for a report on the origins of the virus, including 'whether it emerged from human contact with an infected animal or from a laboratory accident.' There have been claimed that three researchers at the Wuhan lab were hospitalised with Covid-19-like symptoms in November, a month before China said it discovered the first cases of the virus. Greek hoteliers believe the UK Government is deliberately keeping Britons from holidaying abroad so that they will spend more money at home, according to the boss of a leading travel company. Graham Simpson, the founder of Simpson Travel, says those who run tourist businesses in Greece cannot understand why Britain is preventing visits to destinations where Covid figures are extremely low. They are now challenging the UK Government to justify its decision by providing facts and data. Greek hoteliers believe the UK Government is deliberately keeping Britons from holidaying abroad so that they will spend more money at home. Pictured: Zakynthos in Greece Speaking about a prevailing mood of 'shock, despair and worry', Mr Simpson said: 'I had a meeting with 18 hoteliers and the MP of Zakynthos [an Ionian island], who are extremely concerned. 'Usually 70 per cent of hotel guests are from the UK. They don't understand why British tourists are unable to travel to Greece. 'They believe the UK Government is trying to keep their population in the UK to ensure money is kept in the UK.' Greek hoteliers are now challenging the UK Government to justify its decision by providing facts and data. Pictured: Santorini in Greece Describing the vaccination programme in Greece as 'tremendous', Mr Simpson, who lives part of the year in Paxos with his Greek wife Yianna, said he had been fully vaccinated by April. He said Paxos had recorded zero deaths and only five cases in the past five months. There had been no cases on the Ionian island of Meganisi and the situation was similar on Lefkada, Kefalonia, Ithaca and Zakynthos. He added: 'On Corfu, the island with the biggest population of around 120,000, there have been ten to 15 cases a day. Vaccination is taken very seriously and a new law means anyone working in the travel industry must be vaccinated. 'You are more likely to get infected at Gatwick Airport where people have encountered queues of two or more hours alongside other arrivals from around the world and confronted with disorganisation and untrained staff. 'It's clear the Government have not made any plan for the UK population to travel this summer.' In the past seven days there were 64 infections per 100,000 people reported in Greece a number which has been falling for ten days straight. However, it is still marginally higher than the UK, which has reported 61 cases per 100,000 people in the past seven days. There have been 12,346 Covid-related deaths reported in Greece since the pandemic began. Corfu Hoteliers' Association president Babis Voulgaris told Crete newspaper Enimerosi: 'The UK has been very tough. They didn't add any new countries to the green list and, although there is great demand for travel, bookings aren't being made. In some places they are less than ten per cent [of usual levels].' In a bid to lure back holidaymakers and other travellers, the Greek authorities launched 'Operation Blue Freedom' to inoculate everyone on its 200-plus occupied islands by the end of June. Last month, Greece's tourism minister Harry Theoharis described the country's vaccination programme as 'a model for pandemic management'. A quick-thinking boy has revealed how he helped save the life a British woman who was attacked by a 10ft crocodile in Mexico. Moises Salinas, 16, who works as a helper on a tour boat named Espatula Rosada, jumped into the shallow murky waters along the Manialtepec River last Sunday, where he helped pull Melissa Laurie, 28, onto his boat before rushing her and her sister to a waiting ambulance 20 minutes away. Seconds earlier, Melissa had been dragged under the water and put into a terrifying death roll as the crocodile tried to drown her, and only survived because her twin Georgia fought off the ten-foot predator by punching it repeatedly in the face as she dragged her sister to safety. Moises Salinas, 16, who works as a helper on a tour boat named Espatula Rosada, jumped into the shallow murky waters along the Manialtepec River last Sunday Melissa Laurie (left) told of her gratitude that she came out of a horrific crocodile attack in Mexico Salinas told Dailymail.com: Ill never forget seeing their faces, it was sheer panic. Melissa was saying help us, help us. I jumped into the water and grabbed her from behind with my arms grasped around her front, keeping her head above water. We arrived at the same time, by the time we go there the crocodile had left the area. The noise from our engine scared off the crocodile. The pair, from Berkshire, were taking part in a wildlife tour on the Pacific west coast when they were attacked by the 10ft predator. Salinas said that earlier in the tour the group were having a bonfire when they walked away with two men. A while later, one of the men came running out of the bushes yelling for help. Salinas jumped in the boat with the man and a few other tourists and sped up the river to where the women were last seen. The man pointed into the low marshy area where the crocodile attached the sister, and Salinas drove the boat into the area and saw the two women in the water. He took a DailyMail.com reporter and photographer to the area where the attack happened, where you could still see beaten down marsh grass where Melissa and Georgia fought off the crocodile. While pulling Melissa to safety Salinas asked Melissa, Why didnt you listen to me? Salinas said Laurie replied back in Spanish, my sister is hardheaded. The boat that Salinas used to rescue Melissa and take both her and her sister back to shore Salinas said she was struggling to breathe, I didnt know if she was going to live. Right after she was put on a seat, she vomited up blood. I dont know if it was from her injuries or what. Her sister had her arms around her the entire 20 minute boat ride back. You could see the fear in her face. Salinas said before he left the shore he called 911 around 7:45 PM--showing DailyMail.com a screenshot of the phone call-- and told the emergency operator about the accident and requested for an ambulance to meet them when they arrive. Civil Protection officer Said Guillermo Hernandez was at the scene of the accident when DailyMail.com was there on Friday, June 11th, he said they were further investigating the accident. Earlier this week Georgia spoke for the first time since the attack and told her family that Melissa has come out of her coma and her condition is improving. She said: 'Melissa recognised me and she smiled at me. She's doing really much better. She's doing really good.' Georgia added, in a WhatsApp voice message to her family: 'She's been breathing on her own very well. 'She can't talk because of the soreness of the tube but she can hear.' Their mother Sue said: 'Melissa is off the intubation. She has been brought out the medically induced coma and is breathing for herself. She recognised Georgia. That is really, really good news. 'We were worried that because we did not know how long she had been under water without oxygen. ' It comes as it was revealed a rogue guide led the British sisters into the crocodile infested waters on an unlicensed tour. The German backpacker, known locally as 'Richie', arranged the swimming tour to the Manialtepec Lagoon, 10 miles from Puerto Escondido, where the predator pulled Melissa under water. The sisters were among a group of 25 foreign tourists taken by the unlicensed and inexperienced guide to a part of the lagoon where crocodiles breed and raise their young on Sunday evening. Richie, who is a backpacker organising unlicensed tours to fund his travelling, agreed to take the twins after meeting them at a hostel in Puerto Escondido, a popular surfing resort. However due to his ignorance of the lagoon, he took the women into a crocodile nesting area where the reptiles are fiercely protective of their eggs. He took the sisters on a bioluminescent tour where tourists marvel at the glowing blue plankton-rich waters at twilight are held on the other side of the ten-mile long lagoon. Melissa praised for beloved sister for fighting off the beast to save her life. Pictured: Georgia is pictured after the attack in Puerto Escondido in Mexico Melissa was half-drowned and suffered horrific injuries to her arms, legs, face, some of which have become septic. Doctors put her in a medically induced coma to help her recover. Georgia also suffered extensive bite wounds to her arms and hands. One crocodile bite went through the palm of her hand. Rogue guide Richie visited the sisters in hospital on Sunday and fled after he saw the extent of their injuries. The German declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline today [Thursday]. Local wildlife experts believe the sisters may have been attacked by a female crocodile protecting her eggs. While I am relieved they are getting better, I wished they would have heeded mine and other warnings about swimming in the river. Hernandez told DailyMaill.com their theory so far: 'The group were swimming upstream against the river current and after swimming several hundred yards they go tired and decided to go ashore and walk back to the group. 'Along the shoreline the grass is 15 feet tall at places, they choose to go into an area where the grass wasnt so high making it easier to navigate to the shore. Unfortunately for them they didnt realize was its nesting season for crocodiles in June and July where they lay their eggs and it these area is a prime are for crocodiles. Hernandez added that since the accident they have put up warning signs for crocodiles for tourists, the locals know these waters are infested with crocodiles. Salinas added that you have to respect Mother Nature and the environment. The crocodile was just defending its area or home just as we would as humans. I feel bad for the girls but had they listened to the Captain they wouldnt be in their situation. No one else from the group jumped into the river. Salinas said hes heard of the several thousand dollars that have been donated to the sister for their bills and recovery, he said he doesnt want a reward for helping save their lives. I would like to have a thank you from them. Santos said that hes company is not to blame for their accident and reaffirmed at no time did any of his workers say that it was safe to swim in the river. My people would never tell any tourist its safe to swim in the murky river, its dangerous not only are there crocodiles, the current can be difficult at times. Santos gave a video to DailyMail.com showing a crocodile he filmed on June 10th near the area where their boat docks, its estimated to be about 12 ft in length. As for Richie, no one has heard from him. Santos said he thinks he left town I wish the girls a full recovery, Santos added. EXCLUSIVE: 'I'm grateful I came out alive and had Georgia to fight for me': British woman, 28, rescued from the jaws of 10ft crocodile by her twin in Mexican lagoon speaks for the first time since the attack to thank her sister for saving her life By Nick Fagge from MailOnline The British woman rescued from the jaws of crocodile by her twin in Mexico has spoken for the first time since the vicious attack to thank her sister for saving her life. Melissa Laurie was dragged under the water and put into a terrifying death roll as the crocodile tried to drown the 28-year-old zoo keeper from Berkshire. She only survived because her twin Georgia fought off the ten-foot predator by punching it repeatedly in the face as she dragged her sister to safety. Now speaking for the first time Melissa told of her gratitude that she came out of the horrific ordeal. Determined to come to her sister's aid, Georgia punched the crocodile repeatedly in the head before dragging Melissa away by her hair And she praised for beloved sister for fighting off the beast to save her life. In a short voice message from her hospital bed in the surfing resort of Puerto Escondido she told MailOnline: I am extremely grateful that I came out of this alive. And that I had Georgia fight my side for me. So I am very happy for that. Melissa suffered terrible injuries from the attack including deep bites to her body, legs, hands and wrists some of which turned septic. She also suffered a suspected punctured lung and was put in a medically induced coma to aid her recovery. But she has been brought round now and is able to speak to Georgia who visits her regularly at the private hospital where she is being treated. The girls parents have told of their relief that Melissas condition is improving and have been sent a picture of their daughter in hospital. Mum Sue Laurie told MailOnline: Georgia sent us a picture of her in hospital bed in intensive care and weve seen Melissa for the first time. She is looking quite a bit better. She has traces of black eyes and a scratch on her face. She still has monitors on her fingers shes still all wired up. And she has an oxygen tube going into her nose. But its great to see to see her. She is trying to smile but its obvious that she is in a lot of pain. The family have also received the first medical bill for Melissas treatment, which dad Sean has described as eye-watering!. Advertisement Family and friends of the police officer shot dead in Belize laid the cop to rest in his hometown just days after Canadian socialite Jasmine Hartin was released on bail over the killing. Mourners gathered around Superintendent Henry Jemmott's casket as it was driven from the Scared Heart Catholic Church in the town of Dangringa following a funeral service. Jemmott's family attended the funeral wearing face masks bearing the words 'RIP King' - the police officer's nickname because he was the only son among many daughters. The congregation sang songs and said prayers before the casket was lifted onto a truck and driven through the streets of Dangriga. Mourners gathered around Superintendent Henry Jemmott's casket as it was driven from the Scared Heart Catholic Church in the town of Dangriga following a funeral service Jemmott's family attended the funeral wearing face masks bearing the words 'RIP King' in honor of the fact that the police offer was the only son among many sisters During the service, which included a eulogy from Jemmott's Belizean chef friend Sean Kuylen, mourners could be seen wiping tears from their eyes. Jemmott, a 24-year veteran of the Belize Police Department, leaves behind five children and a partner of 14 years, described by family as his common-law wife. The prominent police officer was shot dead by his own service weapon during a late night drinking session with Hartin. His body was found floating beside a pier on the upscale vacation island of San Pedro in the early hours of May 28. Hartin, 32, who is married to the son of British billionaire Lord Michael Ashcroft, faces a charge of manslaughter by negligence for the killing. This is the least serious charge she could have faced and one that will likely result in just a fine or a maximum of nine months' imprisonment. On Wednesday, the mother-of-two was released on bail after posting a bond of 30,000 Belizean dollars - equivalent to around $15,000. Jemmott, a 24-year veteran of the Belize Police Department, leaves behind five children and a partner of 14 years, described by family as his common-law wife Jemmott's family and friends gathered to pay their respects to the police officer Belize Police Superintendent Henry Jemmott was shot dead by his own service weapon during a late night drinking session with Canadian socialite Jasmine Hartin A judge ruled that she was not a flight risk and could return home to her two four-year-old twins. The Canadian national reportedly insists she fired by accident as she was handing Jemmott his gun after he laid it on a pier while they drank and socialized in violation of Belize's midnight Covid curfew. 'It's not right. It's not right. The family will feel really bad. This is not justice,' his sister Cherry Jemmott, 48, an assistant superintendent in the Belize Police, said of the charge. 'He gave 24 years to the police. And this is the value they put on his life? The congregation sang songs and said prayers before the casket was lifted onto a truck and driven through the streets of Dangriga A procession was led through Jemmott's hometown as the policeman's body was laid to rest 'The people can see what is going on here, they are already saying it,' she added, referring to a flood of social media posts complaining that Hartin was 'let off' because of her connections to the ultra-rich expat community. 'I can't say too much because of my position but it's not fair. Something is not right. 'He was our only boy. She took his life. She deprived him of his family. She deprived us of his love.' Ashcroft, 75, is a former deputy chairman and key financial backer of the UK's ruling Conservative Party. He also holds Belizean citizenship, has invested heavily in the country and has represented it at the United Nations. Canadian socialite and resort owner Jasmine Hartin (left) was drinking with Belize Police Superintendent Henry Jemmott (right) before he died. She has insisted she accidentally shot the officer while handing him his service weapon Jasmine Hartin was moved to Belize Central Prison before being released on bail after posting a bond of 30,000 Belizean dollars - equivalent to around $15,000 The Ashcrofts' latest venture in partnership with hotel giant Marriott is the gleaming new Alaia resort, which was completed during lockdown and opened just three weeks ago. It has a rooftop pool and rooms were going for $1,000 a night this week. The Ashcrofts are also building a condominium building on nearby land. He was a senior officer on Ambergris Caye for three years from 2016 when its believed he became friendly with the Ashcrofts, after which he returned to his family on mainland Belize. Jemmott headed back to the island last week for a vacation and fishing trip after taking time off work for 'personal issues', linking up with Hartin who was an 'old friend'. Theresa May's scathing attack on Boris Johnson's 'chaotic' Covid international travel restrictions won cross-party backing last night even from Tory critics who once savaged her failed Brexit deal. The former Prime Minister found herself at the head of an unlikely coalition of Tory and Labour politicians after condemning the travel-abroad rules as 'incomprehensible'. In a highly embarrassing intervention for her successor, Mrs May told MPs last week that the chaotic foreign travel rules meant 'global Britain shut for business', with travel policy going backwards, not forwards. Theresa May found herself at the head of an unlikely coalition of Tory and Labour politicians She said: 'We now have over 50 per cent of the adult population vaccinated a wonderful programme yet we're more restricted on travel than we were last year.' Last night, former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, who in 2018 lambasted Mrs May for selling out Britain's sovereignty to Brussels, told The Mail on Sunday: 'Theresa is right [to say] this is unbelievably damaging to both the reality of the airline business and to the reputation of the UK as a global centre.' Former Brexit Minister David Jones, sacked by Mrs May in 2017, said: 'Theresa is actually on this occasion right. Mrs May made a scathing attack on Boris Johnson's 'chaotic' Covid international travel restrictions 'We do need to make sure we get the aviation industry going again.' Labour MP Graham Stringer said: 'Theresa May is entirely right to condemn the Government's chaotic Covid policy on aviation. It is a shambles it's almost as though the vaccines never happened.' Mrs May was speaking in the wake of the abrupt decision to remove Portugal from the Government's 'green' list of quarantine-free travel leaving, critics point out, just Gibraltar and Iceland as possible holiday destinations. The row broke amid concerns that overseas tourism to the UK is not expected to recover to pre-pandemic levels until 2025, according to analysis presented to Ministers. A Department for Transport spokesperson said: 'Our policy on international travel is guided by one overwhelming priority - public health - and we cannot risk sacrificing the progress we have made in our vaccination effort. 'That's why our traffic light allocations are based on a range of health factors including genomic surveillance capability, COVID-19 transmission risk and Variant of Concern transmission risk.' Conspiracy theorist Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene revealed she doesn't 'believe in evolution,' and suggested COVID-19 was designed to be a bioweapon and leaked on purpose. The Georgia representative made the comments earlier this week on the 'Real America's Voice' podcast, hosted by Steve Bannon, former White House chief strategist under President Donald Trump. 'I don't believe in evolution,' she told Bannon. 'I believe in God.' Conspiracy theorist Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene revealed she doesn't 'believe in evolution,' and suggested COVID-19 was designed to be a bioweapon and leaked on purpose. Greene (right) made the comments earlier this week on the 'Real America's Voice' podcast, hosted by Steve Bannon, (left) former white house chief strategist under President Donald Trump Greene and Bannon were discussing theories about the origin of COVID-19 when Greene pushed the theory that the virus had been created in a lab and released out into the public on purpose as a 'bioweapon' 'Why is there any need to create a virus that could spread rapidly through a population, make people sick and kill them? That's a bioweapon,' Greene said. 'So we need to very clear about what was the intent of COVID-19 and these viruses that they experiment with like some sort of Dr. Frankenstein experiments.' While there is no evidence suggesting the virus was created as a bioweapon as Greene claims, there has been mounting controversy over how the virus first emerged - whether through animal contact at a 'wet' market in Wuhan or leakage from a \secure research laboratory in the same city as some have suggested. China says it is not responsible for the pandemic and has dismissed conspiracy theories about the disease being manmade. However, last month Joe Biden ordered US intelligence agencies to report in the next three months on whether the Covid-19 virus first emerged in China from an animal or from a laboratory accident. Greene, a big supporter of former president Trump, is the first person to serve in Congress and openly support the QAnon conspiracy theory Bannon asked Greene if she believed in gain-of-function research, medical research that alters diseases to study their spreadability to better predict emerging infectious diseases and to help develop vaccines. She said she does not buy that kind of research because that science is supported by the theory of evolution. 'I don't believe in that type of so-called science,' Greene said. The theory of evolution is based on the idea that all species are related and gradually change over time. Greene, a big supporter of former president Trump, is the first person to serve in Congress and openly support the QAnon conspiracy theory. QAnon started on fringe website 4chan, where a poster calling themselves Q left messages claiming to be a senior federal official and purporting to reveal a 'deep state' cabal intent on bringing down Donald Trump. Q grew out of the discredited Pizzagate conspiracy that top Democrats were involved in pedophilia and cannibalism from the basement of a Washington D.C. restaurant, but quickly picked up steam with 'Q' leaving 'clues' and claims that Trump was going to bring down the deep state. Whenever the conspiracies turn out to not be true, followers rationalize that the inaccuracies are part of Qs larger plan. Sometimes her newfound status as freedom of speech heroine leaves Maya Forstater bemused. When women shout, Maya, we love you! as she walks through her local park for instance. And when simply the mention of her name prompts an eruption of applause. Ive gone from being a tired mum doing the weekly Tesco shopping to being the figurehead for a cause, she says. Its taking some getting used to. By her own assessment, Ms Forstater, married with two teenage boys, is rather unremarkable in most respects. At least, she used to be. Then one day she was pitched into the front line of the nations culture wars when she lost her job for saying on Twitter that men cannot be women, something her bosses decided was offensive. By her own assessment, Ms Forstater, is rather unremarkable in most respects. Then one day she was pitched into the front line of the nations culture wars Harry Potter author JK Rowling came under fire when she tweeted in support of Maya on her stance In the face of fierce online abuse, she fought back, only for an employment tribunal to later dismiss her claim that she was discriminated against over her gender critical beliefs. Ms Forstater, 47, who tweeted comments such as woman means adult human female, was accused of fear-mongering. With the intervention of the Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling who lent Ms Forstater her support the case became an international cause celebre. And in a landmark decision last week, a High Court appeal judge overturned the tribunal decision, ruling that holding a view that biological sex never changes regardless of a persons gender identification is a protected philosophical belief under equality law. Put another way, Ms Forstater had struck an important blow for common sense. The judgment protects the right to express beliefs and opinions a right Mrs Forstater says was being eroded by those seeking to stifle views with which they disagree. It also makes clear the difference between holding an opinion and how one expresses it. I was the right person in the right place to take this to court because it takes a certain amount of resilience and bloody mindedness to do it, she says. As a senior researcher at the Center for Global Development in London, Ms Forstater was often outspoken and opinionated. One might assume that to be a prerequisite for a think-tank employee. My workplace was somewhere that is meant to be about ideas, she says. If I couldnt defend myself for saying it there, what would it mean for young women at school or for women with English as a second language or for elderly women in hospital who need to be able to say, I want a female nurse? She believes workplaces are increasingly intolerant to differences in viewpoints and notes that tolerating others beliefs is essential in a democratic society. I think this judgment is going to make organisations think again. It says people should be able to have a debate about contentious issues without taking offence. Ms Forstaters crusade was part of a wider battle between transgender activists and feminist campaigners, with one of the key issues being whether males who identify as women should be allowed access to female-only spaces. She has now become a figurehead around whom like-minded women coalesce. Maya agreed to make it clear that her tweets were her own personal opinion, that one should treat people politely at work and use preferred pronouns At a public meeting she put her hand up, saying, Im Maya Forstater and the room exploded with clapping and cheering. She has received hundreds of supportive messages since her victory. The biggest thing women have messaged me about is the feeling that they can now speak freely on this subject and will not be sacked and have their livelihood taken away from them, she says. After losing her job, Ms Forstater waited two years for vindication. In her typically understated way, she wrote just two words on Twitter: We won. She says: I expected a response to the judgment but it blew me away how big it was. The judgment feels like it belongs to so many people. Obviously its about my job, but its also about all of these women who are being bullied and silenced at work. People were saying they were crying, telling me thank you and how happy they were that I had won. Some said they now felt safer in their jobs. Graham Linehan, the co-creator of Father Ted, who was banned from Twitter over remarks about the transgender lobby, described Ms Forstater as the heroine we need right now. As a careful thinker who prefers not to take knee-jerk positions on issues, Ms Forstater took her time before entering the increasingly fraught gender debate. She offered her opinion on Karen White a transgender prisoner, born male, with a history of sex offences, who sexually assaulted two women when he was placed in a female jail. And she questioned the wisdom of giving a gender fluid man, Credit Suisse director Philip Bunce, who occasionally dresses as a woman, an award for being one of the top 100 women in business. But a few days after broaching this subject, she received an email from the HR department saying concerns had been raised about her tweets. In response, Maya agreed to make it clear that her tweets were her own personal opinion, that one should treat people politely at work and use preferred pronouns. At the same time, she insisted she would continue to say that trans women were biologically male. Relations with her employers went downhill from this point. According to Ms Forstater, diversity and inclusion consultants were called in by the think-tank to scrutinise her online activity. In March 2019 she was informed that her services were no longer needed. It was a messy end, she admits. It was a job I loved and I was good at. Im the main breadwinner in my family, so that was the lowest point. After she revealed her misfortune online, which prompted a wave of sympathy, Ms Forstater decided to fight back. She raised more than 120,000 through crowdfunding for her legal action, and in November 2019 took her former employers to a tribunal. After what her lawyer described as a six-day inquisition, the judge concluded that Ms Forstaters view that biological sex is immutable was absolutist and not worthy of respect in a democratic society. The tribunal case made headlines. What turned it into something much bigger though was a supportive tweet from with the hashtag IStand- WithMaya from J. K. Rowling, who has 14 million Twitter followers. Significantly, this was the authors first foray into the bitter debate and the repercussions were devastating. She was cancelled on social media. And some of the stars of the Potter films criticised her. Ms Forstater says: I didnt see it coming at all. I had no contact with her. The tweet just came out of nowhere. Someone WhatsApped it to me and I thought theyd Photoshopped it to cheer me up. It was amazing to get her support. As it transpired, Rowling would back her to the end. She sent a private message of congratulations and retweeted Ms Forstaters celebratory declaration of: We won! Reflecting on the case, Ms Forstater says: I just wanted to contribute to a Government consultation on womens rights and Ive been taking it one step at a time ever since. Its been really hard but I wouldnt do anything differently. An enraged man was arrested on Saturday after he allegedly shoved a cook into a plate class window when asked to leave a Manhattan diner. Around 9:45am, a man police identified as Gregory Conwell, 27, of Red Hook in Brooklyn, was reported to be bothering customers at the Washington Square Diner in the West Village, workers told the New York Post. Conwell was asked to leave the restaurant, which led to him becoming enraged. The NYPD tells DailyMail.com that Conwell was attempting to use the restroom when he was denied by a 77-year-old employee of the restaurant, sparking an argument. Diner manager George Takos said Conwell 'started cursing and screaming and yelling and doing whatever he wanted, and then he grabbed the chef and threw him on the window.' Around 9:45am, a man police identified as Gregory Conwell, 27, of Red Hook in Brooklyn, was reported to be bothering customers at the Washington Square Diner in the West Village The cook, a 77-year-old named Constantino, was trying to escort Conwell out of the restaurant when he was allegedly thrown into the window. He suffered a gash to the back of his head and required treatment at a hospital, according to police and diner workers. After the alleged assault, Conwell allegedly fled the diner towards Washington Square Park, with three diner employees chasing him. The employees claim they managed to catch up to Conwell and hold him down until police arrived on the scene, though not before Conwell allegedly bit one of them in the arm. After Conwell allegedly assaulted a cook at the diner, he was chased to Washington Square Park (pictured), where he was detained by diner workers before the cops arrived One of the employees also told The Post that a crack pipe fell from Conwell's pocket during the detainment. Diner workers claimed that they had previous run-ins with Conwell prior to Saturday's violent incident. One time, he even pretended to be a waiter in the restaurant, workers said. Being mere footsteps away from Washington Square Park has caused frequent problems for the diner. 'That window has been broken at least five times in the past five years,' Takos said. 'Same situation. They get upset, and they see the best way to hurt you is to break your windows.' Another employee added, 'This happens a lot and the cops cant do anything unless someone gets hurt.' The diner seems to be moving forward with business as usual, though, reporting that it was 'very busy' in the afternoon when reached by The Post. Meanwhile, the NYPD says Conwell with criminal mischief, as well as two counts of assault. One count is for felony assault because Conwell's alleged victim is over 65 years old. Police say the current upswing of crime is driven by robbery and grand larceny The attack comes amid a surge in violent crime in the city as it reopens from lockdown. Overall crime was up by 22 percent in May compared with the same time last year, according to the crime numbers released by the NYPD at the end of May. Police say the current upswing in crime is driven by a 47 percent increase in robbery (1,182 v. 806) and a 36 percent increase in grand larceny (2,848 v. 2,101). Felony assaults last month increased by 20.5 percent (1,979 v. 1,643) compared to May 2020, when much of the city was still in lockdown from the coronavirus. Murders remained the same last month, though the total number of murders this year is up 17.4 percent compared to what they were at this point in 2020. This year's tally of rape and felony assault are up 2.4 and 7.7 percent respectively through the end of May compared to the same time last year, according to NYPD stats. Washington Square Park needed to be cleaned up after a party at the park in defiance of a curfew earlier in the week Washington Square Park has also become a trouble spot for some of the violence in NYC Washington Square Park has also become a trouble spot for some of the violence in New York City. Last week, violent scenes erupted in Washington Square Park as cops imposed a new 10pm curfew, with at least 22 arrested and five police officers injured. People still in the park after the curfew was enforced were filmed jeering and shoving cops after being told to leave, with scuffles breaking out as NYPD cops moved to enforce the new curfew, which is aimed at tackling rampant anti-social behavior and crime in the Manhattan hangout spot. Police used pepper spray to disperse the crowd afterwards, with some people throwing bottles at officers. One shirtless man was arrested after he was caught on camera trying to square up to officers with a metal barricade. Cops could then be seen using physical force, including pushing and grabbing. Some were filmed using their bikes and batons to shove parkgoers who had formed a human chain. Several police cars entered the park from different sides announcing over their speakers that the park was closed and that people still inside had to leave - or face arrest. Those who decided to remain had to be forcibly remove by police before metal barricades were pulled across the entrances to the park in order to keep others out. The park was cleared within 15 minutes of police arriving on the scene. The Queen will no longer remain silent when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex allow mistruths about the Royal Family to circulate in the public domain, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. In a dramatic departure from her longstanding never complain, never explain policy, Her Majesty has instructed courtiers to correct any statements which misrepresent her private conversations or those of other senior Royals. The extraordinary move demonstrates the Queens exasperation at the relentless briefings that allies of the couple have been giving to the media and follows the bitter dispute over Harry and Meghans choice of name for their new daughter. The Queen has ordered courtiers to ditch the traditional royal policy of 'never complain, never explain' after being angered by a transatlantic briefing war over her new great grand daughter's new name Her Majesty has instructed courtiers to correct any statements which misrepresent her private conversations or those of other senior Royals The Duchess of Sussex has given birth to a daughter named Lilibet 'Lili' Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, after the family nickname for the Queen and the duke's mother Princess Diana An insider said the latest bruising episode had sent the Queen over the edge. The feud began when US-based journalists favoured by supporters of Harry and Meghan reported that the couple had asked permission to name their daughter Lilibet, a deeply personal childhood nickname of the Queen that was used by very close relatives, including her late husband Prince Philip. But a Royal insider described the conversation between Harry and his grandmother as a telling, not an asking confirming a BBC report last week which said the Sussexes had not asked the Queen if she had any objection to their choice of name. Harry and Meghan reacted furiously, instructing their lawyers to contest the BBC story, which they described as false and defamatory. Sources say the Queens more robust response to the tsunami of media briefings from allies of the Sussexes will go beyond the Lilibet story. This is about whether or not what is being reported is an accurate version of what actually happened, said the insider. The 95-year-old Monarch put aside the controversy yesterday as she smiled and even tapped her feet to the music during Trooping the Colour, her annual birthday parade. After hosting a reception at the G7 summit on Friday where she entertained world leaders by cutting a cake with a sword and joked as a team photograph was taken, Are you supposed to look as if youre enjoying yourself? she will today welcome US President Joe Biden and his First Lady, Jill, to Windsor Castle. The Sussexes chose Lilibet - the name used by Prince Philip for the Queen - for the name of their daughter who was born just days before the Duke of Edinburgh would have turned 100 The new baby will be entitled to be a princess and Archie a prince - both with HRH styles - after the death of the Queen and when Charles becomes king. This is because they will have moved up the line of succession Harry and Meghan, who are now based in California, announced the arrival of their daughter last Sunday, prompting warm messages of congratulations from the Queen, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The Mail on Sunday understands that Harry also sent a text message to Kate, cementing her role as a bridge between him and his brother that appeared to be forged at Prince Philips funeral in April. But the mood began to sour with an article in the New York Post which said it had been told by unnamed sources that Harry called the Queen for permission to name his daughter Lilibet. The story was soon picked up by other media outlets, infuriating the Palace to the extent that a high-ranking, but unnamed, Palace source did not dispute claims by a BBC reporter that no such permission had been sought. The impact was immediate and incendiary. The BBC story, effectively killed the New York Posts account and led, within hours, to the letter from Harry and Meghans lawyers. A spokesman for the couple said: The Duke spoke with his family in advance of the announcement. In fact, his grandmother was the first family member he called. During that conversation, he shared their hope of naming Lilibet in her honour. Had she not been supportive, they would not have used the name. Friends of Harry and Meghan based in LA have been briefing the US media However, there was further irritation at the Palace when friends of Harry and Meghan suggested to US journalists that the Queen had been introduced to Lilibet over a video call However, there was further irritation at the Palace when friends of Harry and Meghan suggested to US journalists that the Queen had been introduced to Lilibet over a video call. The insider last night denied that, stating, No video call has taken place, adding: Friends of the Sussexes appear to have given misleading briefings to journalists about what the Queen had said and that took the whole thing over the edge. The Palace couldnt deny the story that this was a mistruth. Ironically, Harry has spoken out against the barrage of mistruths on social media. While the Palace has largely sought to mollify Harry and Meghan even amid the grenades thrown during their interview with Oprah Winfrey in March and Harrys subsequent TV series on mental health the Queen and other senior Royals have shown there is a limit to their patience. After Harry and Meghan claimed there was racism in the Royal Household, William snapped: Were very much not a racist family. And Buckingham Palace which is investigating the claims pointedly said recollections may vary. Tri-state beachgoers may want to rethink their next summer outing after professional shark taggers revealed four massive great white sharks are making their way from the waters of Long Island and New Jersey up to Cape Cod. The group of apex predators include a 16-foot, 3,456-pound behemoth named Mary Lee, who's currently prowling around New Jersey's Long Beach Island, according to Ocearch research foundation founder Chris Fischer. 'Right now the sharks are loading up on dog fish, seals and blubber over the summer,' Fischer tweeted. Professional shark taggers are warning tri-state area beachgoers of four massive great white sharks (not featured in this picture) making their way up to Cape Cod in Massachusetts Ocearch currently has 70 great whites tagged among thousands that prowl the waters of the East Coast as they migrate north for the summer 'There are thousands of them on the East Coast right now.' The three other tagged great whites in the tri-state area are an 8-foot, 300-pound juvenile named Charlotte, a 7- foot, 184-pound juvenile named Martha, and Monomoy, a 6-foot, 7-inch juvenile male, Ocearch reported as of Friday. A fifth shark, a 10-foot, 5-inch, 600 pounder named Rose, is being tracked from the waters of Delaware Bay and is on schedule to arrive this weekend. Researchers at Ocearch say the shark's numbers will peak in late summer near Cape Cod before they make the nearly 1000-mile long migration back to the Carolinas. The four great whites being tracked off of tri-state waters are hardly the biggest of the bunch out of the 70 sharks Ocearch currently has tagged. There's the 11-foot Andromache, who was tracked lurking along New York waters in May, and the one of the largest of them all, Nukumi, a massive 17.2-foot female great white, who recently returned to the waters off Nova Scotia after swimming over the mid-Atlantic ridge, the New York Post reports. Pictured: The Global Shark Tracker tracks great white shark migrations in real time as they make their way northward from the Carolinas and all the way to the waters of Nova Scotia Nukumi, a massive 17.2-foot female great white, recently returned to the waters off Nova Scotia after swimming over the mid-Atlantic ridge For those beachgoers who are determined to make it to the shore this summer, Ocearch has an online Global Shark Tracker that offers real-time shark tracking. While shark attacks of humans are rare, Fischer warned swimmers and surfers alike to use common sense while in the water. 'It doesnt make sense to dress up like a seal and go out in the middle of the food chain,' Fischer said. 'The moment youre 3 feet in the ocean, youre in the wild, and youve taken a risk,' Fischer warned. 'Its the same thing as wandering off into the woods without protection or unprepared during bear season you might get yourself killed.' The heir to a legal dynasty awaiting trial over the death of a 19 year-old girl was the intended target of a shooting that killed him and his mom, police sources say. Paul Murdaugh, 22, and his mom Margaret, 52, were found shot dead at their hunting lodge in Islandton, South Carolina around 10pm on Monday, with a law enforcement source since claiming that Paul was the intended victim. The source told The Island Packet that Margaret was likely killed just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Paul had been awaiting trial on charges relating to the 2019 boating death of 19-year-old Mallory Beach, who was thrown from the boat Paul was allegedly driving while drunk when he crashed it. He was shot in the head and upper body with a shotgun, while Margaret was shot with an assault rifle, the source said. Their bodies were found several yards apart from one another and shell casings were discovered at the scene. Their deaths have been ruled a double murder and two firearms - a shotgun and an assault rifle - were used to carry out the killings. Three days after Monday's murders, Paul's grandfather Richard Murdaugh III died aged 81, although his death is believed to have been the result of natural causes. Gossip over the shocking killings of two members of a family spawning multiple generations of local prosecutors has reached fever pitch, with cops yet to officially reveal a motive, suspect, or any further information about the case. They insist there is no risk to the public, despite not having made any arrests, sparking further discussion over what investigators know but have yet to say. The Murdaugh family has ruled the county's legal system for decades, prosecuting nearly every criminal case in the southern part of the state. Several family members have served as county elected prosecutors going back almost 87 years. The local community felt Paul was receiving special treatment in the boating death case due to his family's power. Buster, Margaret, Paul and Richard Alex Murdaugh. Margaret, 52, and Paul Murdaugh, 22, were found dead, shot multiple times, in the backyard of their sprawling estate in Islandton, South Carolina, at 10pm on Monday Paul (right) - the son of a powerful South Carolina legal family - is thought to have been the intended target of the shooting that also killed his mom Margaret (left) Questions are now mounting about the murders, as authorities have fallen silent and are refusing to release almost any information about the investigation. A South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) spokesman also stonewalled DailyMail.com when contacted Saturday night, saying only: 'No additional information is available at this time while we are conducting an active investigation.' South Carolina state law requires police to provide some records on cases in the days following an incident. And yet the only report released to date is a one-line statement from Colleton County Sheriff's Office Tuesday. It reads: 'On June 7, 2021 at approximately 2226 hours I responded to 4147 Moselle Rd in Colleton County in reference to two gunshot victims found by the caller.' A spokesperson for Colleton County Sheriff's Office told DailyMail.com Saturday they could not release any information about the case and that SLED is leading the investigation. There are growing concerns the family's powerful role in the county's legal system could jeopardize the investigation and the search for the killer or killers. The sheriff's office handed the case to SLED due to the Murdaugh family ties to the 14th Circuit solicitor's office, according to The Post and Courier. Richard Alex Murdaugh - Margaret's husband and Paul's dad - works as a part time prosecutor for the 14th Circuit solicitor's office. Three generations of the family - Richard Alex's father, grandfather and great-grandfather - ran the office consecutively from 1920 through 2005. There was a brief gap in 1995 when Buster Murdaugh was accused of helping moonshiners evade authorities. Paul was awaiting trial in the 2019 boating death of Mallory Beach, 19 (pictured above) Questions are mounting about the murders, as authorities have fallen silent and are refusing to release almost any information about the investigation. Colleton County Sheriff's Office released this one-line statement Tuesday It is now headed up by non-family member Duffie Stone. It was Richard Alex who reportedly found the bodies of his wife and son around 10pm Monday night. Sources said he told cops he had been out shooting and returned to the grim scene. However, the 14th Circuit solicitor's office is still involved with the investigation and has not handed off the case, reported The Post and Courier. DailyMail.com has reached out to the solicitor's office asking if it plans to remove itself from the case due to potential conflict of interest. Former University of South Carolina law dean Robert Wilcox told the Post and Courier the solicitor's office's involvement does not pose ethical issues yet. Conflicts of interest could however arise depending on where the investigation leads and who is identified as a suspect, he said. 'That mere fact that the Murdaugh name is closely associated with the solicitor's office doesn't cause me any concerns at this point,' Wilcox said. 'We have no idea who the solicitor will ultimately be engaged in prosecuting.' The bodies were found near a dog kennel on the family's property on Monday at 10pm The Murdaugh family home is expansive, sitting on nearly two acres of land. Police haven't yet named any suspects Paul was awaiting trial on three felony charges of facing one count of boating under the influence causing death and two counts of boating under the influence causing great bodily injury over the death of Mallory in 2019. According to depositions filed as part of a lawsuit brought by Mallory's family, he and Mallory were part of a group of six who went by boat to an oyster roast on Paukie Island on February 23 2019. The group left to head back around midnight. Witnesses at the party said they urged the group not to travel by boat as it was foggy and cold and they had been drinking. Paul was 'grossly intoxicated', got into an argument in a bar and insisted on driving the boat, according to testimony. Pauls cousin Anthony Cook said Paul was behaving erratically in the moments before the crash. He started yelling at his girlfriend and slapped her, before stripping down into his underwear, he said. Paul then allegedly pushed the boat full throttle and it crashed into bridge pilings that lead to Parris Island. Mallory was thrown from the boat and drowned. It took dive teams nine days to find her body in the water. Paul pleaded not guilty and was due to stand trial. Paul's family connections are believed by some to have landed him with softer treatment from prosecutors. The day after the boating accident - and weeks before Paul was charged - the 14th Circuit solicitor's office told the attorney general about the conflict of interest. Paul, Margaret, Richard Alex and Buster. The bodies were reportedly found by Richard Alex. Their deaths have been ruled a double murder Paul Murdaugh, Richard and Margaret Murdaugh, and Buster Murdaugh (left to right). Sources said Paul was the likely target and his mother was collateral damage Richard Alex and Margaret. The Murdaugh family has ruled the county's legal system for decades Mallory's mother filed a wrongful death civil lawsuit against the family last year. The suit also named Parker's convenience store, saying a store clerk sold alcohol to two of the underage teens that night after one of them flashed a fake ID. Both Mallory and Paul were underage at the time. The first two judges it was assigned to each recused themselves from the suit and it was eventually handed to a judge from another county in the state. The charges will now be dropped against Paul but the lawsuit will continue. The Beach family released a statement after the murders saying they hoped the killer would be brought to justice. On Thursday, Richard Murdaugh III - Paul's grandfather and Margaret's father-in-law, died aged 81 from an unspecified illness 'The Beach Family extends its deepest and warmest sympathies to the Murdaugh family during this terrible time. 'Having suffered the devastating loss of their own daughter, the family prays that the Murdaughs can find some level of peace from this tragic loss. 'They would like the family and the community to know that their thoughts and continued prayers are with the Murdaughs. 'It is their most sincere hope that someone will come forward and cooperate with authorities so that the perpetrator of these senseless crimes can be brought to justice.' Funerals were held Friday for Paul and Margaret. Hundreds including public officials gathered for the service as they were laid to rest in Hampton Cemetery. Richard Alex and Margaret also had another son named Buster. As well as dominating the 14th Circuit solicitor's office, Randolph Murdaugh also founded law firm Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth & Detrick in 1910. The Murdaugh family's power has helped them accrue vast amounts of wealth in the county, including owning more than 1,700 acres of land including the hunting lodge where the double murders took place. They have been struck by other tragedy in the past with Randolph killed when a freight train hit his car. One of the top advisers to Donald Trump during the pandemic has suggested that she wanted him to lose the 2020 election, according to a new book. Dr Deborah Birx dropped the hint at a meeting with Minnesota officials in August 2020 according to Andy Slavitt, a former administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In a new book, Preventable, written by Slavitt, he recounts asking Dr Birx if she would want to continue her service should Joe Biden win the election. 'At one point, after a brief pause, she looked me in the eye and said, 'I hope the election turns out a certain way,'' Slavitt wrote. 'I had the most important information I needed.' Birx (right) revealed the strains of working under Trump (left) who frequently downplayed the gravity of the pandemic, forcing herself to walk a fine line between contradicting misinformation spread by the president and making sure the public were appropriately informed about the dangers of the coronavirus and how to protect themselves from it When the pandemic begun, Birx together with Dr Anthony Fauci were two of President Trump's move visible advisers, regularly speaking alongside one another. As the White House Coronavirus response coordinator, Birx was present at the press conference during which the president suggested people should inject themselves with disinfectant as a possible COVID treatment Close-up video of Birx's reaction went viral online, with many social media users setting her reactions to music from comedy shows. Birx smirked briefly and looked down as dejection set in. But by the summer of 2020, things began to unravel having fallen out of favor with Trump, who initially considered her 'classy' and 'a lady,' according to White House sources. In August the president replaced her with Dr Scott Atlas, a radiologist who had no epidemiological experience, but whom Trump had seen speak on Fox News. When the pandemic begun, Birx together with Dr Anthony Fauci were two of President Trump's move visible advisers, regularly speaking alongside one another. Pictured here in May 2020 A public servant since the Reagan administration, Birx was pulled away from her ambassadorial post as the US global AIDS coordinator to lead the White House coronavirus task force in late February 2020 'Fighting the virus and Scott Atlas together is the hardest thing I've had to do,' Dr Birx is reported to have said at the Minnesota meeting. Birx told Slavitt she had been 'completely silenced' by Trump and barred from appearing on any national news media. In August President Trump replaced Birx with Dr Scott Atlas, pictured, a radiologist who had no epidemiological experience, but whom Trump had seen speak on Fox News. 'Her early optimism was long gone,' Slavitt writes. Having been barred from using her national platform, Birx decided to tour the country to give detailed Covid data to local officials in person. It was during one such meeting she met with Slavitt, who for the last six months, has served as Biden's senior adviser on the Covid-19 response before stepping down on Thursday. 'I wanted to get a sense for whether, in the event of a strained transition of government, she would help give Biden and his team the best chance to be effective,' Slavitt writes in the book, seen by CNN. During one news conference, Birx had praised Trump saying he had been 'so attentive to the scientific literature and the details and the data' and that his 'ability to analyze and integrate data' came from 'his long history in business.' But Birx's outlook went from bad to worse at the year continued to progress. Birx had expressed a desire to maintain a significant position on the White House coronavirus task force when Biden became president but it ultimately made sense for her to resign In August, Trump called Birx 'pathetic' when she warned Americans that the pandemic is 'extraordinarily widespread' in the US. 'At the end of October 2020, she was beyond all of that; she was downright scared,' Slavitt notes. Although she considered quitting her White House job many times, Birx finally retired from her government post on 20 January, when Mr Biden took office. 'I mean, why would you want to put yourself through that every day?' she told Face the Nation. 'I had to ask myself every morning, is there something that I think I can do that would be helpful in responding to this pandemic and it's something I asked myself every night.' The claim that Dr. Deborah Birx wanted Trump to lose the 2020 election has been made in a new book written by Andy Slavitt, pictured Birx's departure from government came after she faced criticism for ignoring her own public advice and traveling out of state to visit family over the Thanksgiving weekend. It was reported that she traveled out of state for the holiday even as she and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were urging Americans to forgo holiday travel. Birx was widely branded a hypocrite for the Black Friday trip, where she was accompanied by her husband Paige Reffe, one of her daughters, a son-in-law and two grandchildren. She lamented that the scrutiny has been very hard on her and her family, who have been struggling just like everyone else during the pandemic. Birx came to the White House coronavirus task force with a sterling reputation She insisted the purpose of the roughly 50-hour visit to Fenwick Island was to deal with the winterization of a property before a potential sale - something she says she previously hadn't had time to do because of her busy schedule. Birx came to the White House coronavirus task force with a sterling reputation. A public servant since the Reagan administration, Birx has served as a US Army physician and a globally recognized AIDS researcher. She was pulled away from her ambassadorial post as the US global AIDS coordinator to help the task force in late February 2020. Birx, however, has faced criticism from public health experts and Democratic lawmakers for not speaking out forcefully against Trump when he contradicted advice from medical advisers and scientists about how to fight the virus. She stayed in Trump's good graces far longer than Dr Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health, who frequently contradicted Trump. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has received his coronavirus jab prepares to finally return to work on June 28. Mr Andrews got his first jab of the Pfizer vaccine at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne on Wednesday. Days later on Saturday night he revealed he would return on June 28 - more than three months after suffering a serious spinal injury when he fell down the stairs. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews received a dose of the Pfizer vaccine at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne on Wednesday Mr Andrews said the broken vertabra he suffered on March 9 during the fall at a holiday rental house in Sorrento, south-east of Melbourne, had 'almost fully healed'. 'This week I had another round of scans and a meeting with my care team at the Alfred and got some good news,' he said. 'They're letting me take off the back brace that I've had to wear for the last three months. 'The six broken ribs will take a while longer to finish healing and doctors tell me that between the ribs and getting used to not having the brace on, the next couple of weeks will be a painful adjustment. 'But overall I'm feeling good and have been given the all-clear to return to work on Monday June 28. I'm looking forward to it'. He broke five ribs and fractured his T7 vertabra in the fall. Conspiracy theories over his injury and hiatus from public appearances began circulating shortly after. However, Mr Andrews quickly quashed these rumours when he told Ambulance Victoria to release a statement about their role in his treatment following questions from the state's opposition leader. Liberal leader Michael O'Brien said asking questions was 'legitimate' to provide voters with a clear picture of what happened. Daniel Andrews was injured on March 9 and spent 10 days in hospital. Conspiracy theorists claimed this image was photoshopped to show his head on some-one else's body In his statement on Saturday, Mr Andrews thanked his wife Catherine and children as well as ambulance officers and medical specialists for looking after him as he healed. 'I'm grateful to James Merlino for stepping in to lead the government and the state through a really difficult time he's done an amazing job,' he said 'And finally, a special thanks to the tens of thousands of Victorians especially all the kids who've sent cards and letters and emails. 'Your kindness and concern is the best medicine Being Premier is a great honour. I cannot wait to get back to work, fit and healthy and getting things done.' Only one fresh local case was recorded in the state on Saturday, and none on Friday, but testing commander Jeroen Weimar indicated this was of little comfort. Melbourne has just emerged from the city's fourth lockdown (pictured: people exercise in lockdown on June 2 in Melbourne) 'Our concern at the moment is there may well be more out there,' he told reporters. He encouraged Victorians to call each other out about virus symptoms to boost testing numbers. There were a little over 15,000 tests in the past 24 hours in Victoria, with similar figures in recent days. Heavy rainfall and widespread flooding has been a likely deterrent for many, with some areas without telecommunications or power. The single new infection added on Saturday is a 'mystery case', Mr Weimar said, although he believes investigators will find a link to the main Kappa strain outbreak. There are now 74 active cases in Victoria, including returned travellers in hotel quarantine. Dan Andrews (pictured with daughter Grace, 18) in April as he recovered from his back injury Melburnians have grown wearily used to lockdown, having emerged from a fourth on Friday. Restrictions have been eased allowing residents to move around within 25km of their homes and to have outdoor gatherings up to 10 people, with mask wearing indoors and outdoors. Students have returned to schools, retail is open and hospitality venues have resumed seated service. The repeated economic stress on Victorians was front of Treasurer Josh Frydenberg's mind this week when he said the lockdown 'dents confidence', 'hits investment' and 'costs jobs'. The Melbourne MP met with state and territory counterparts on Friday where it was agreed that Victoria and NSW would draft a new model for household support to be funded by the Commonwealth in any future lockdown. Nationally consistent payments for Australian businesses are to be put before next month's national cabinet meeting to be chaired by Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Under the arrangement, the federal government will offer payments of up to $500 for workers who lose income when a hotspot-designated area is locked down for more than a week. French President Emmanuel Macron angered Boris Johnson during a tense standoff over the EU sausage wars yesterday by suggesting that Northern Ireland was not part of the UK. The row over the EUs insistence on barring chilled meats from crossing the Irish Sea from Great Britain has pushed Mr Johnson to the brink of suspending the Northern Ireland Protocol a key plank of the UKs post-Brexit trading relations to stop the ban kicking in when the grace period ends in a fortnight. During their encounter yesterday morning, Mr Johnson asked Mr Macron: How would you like it if the French courts stopped you moving Toulouse sausages to Paris? Macron replied that he did not think it was a good comparison because Paris and Toulouse were both part of the same country to which an irritated Mr Johnson said: Northern Ireland and Britain are part of the same country as well. During their encounter yesterday morning, Mr Johnson asked Mr Macron: How would you like it if the French courts stopped you moving Toulouse sausages to Paris? A UK Government source said: He was pretty struck by it, he thought it was highly revealing of the EUs position. After the clash, Mr Johnson announced that the EU should get it into their heads that the province was part of the UK, and declared that he did not think that the EUs insistence on checks which has also affected the supply of vital pharmaceuticals to Northern Ireland was sensible or pragmatic. He said: I think that the protocol can work if it is sensibly applied. Its not just a question of chilled meats or sausages, there are all kinds of impediments being constructed, and we need to sort it out. It is up to our EU friends and partners to understand that we will do whatever it takes. Ive talked to some of our friends here today, who do seem to misunderstand that the UK is a single country, a single territory. I just need to get that into their heads. The impasse means that the UK is on the brink of invoking Article 16 of the protocol, which allows the EU or UK to unilaterally suspend aspects of its operations if either side considers that aspect to be causing economic, societal or environmental difficulties. Banger PM threw into the feud The variety of sausage that Boris Johnson mentioned in his clash with President Macron the saucisse de Toulouse is one of south-west Frances best-known culinary specialities. It is made from coarsely minced pork with salt and pepper being the only other traditional ingredients though some versions also feature garlic, nutmeg or red wine. The original recipe dates back to the 18th Century. Perhaps its most common use is in cassoulet, the rustic French stew made with white beans and duck legs. The traditional Toulouse sausage is minced by hand rather than ground, which gives it a distinct coarse texture. It differs from popular English recipes, such as the Cumberland sausage, because of the minimal number of ingredients. Cumberland sausage gets its flavour from various spices, including white and black pepper, sage, thyme and cayenne. Both the Cumberland and the Toulouse varieties are produced in a long string and often presented in a coiled shape. The variety of sausage that Boris Johnson mentioned in his clash with President Macron the saucisse de Toulouse is one of south-west Frances best-known culinary specialities Advertisement Mr Johnson, who also held talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, said: I think if the protocol continues to be applied in this way, then we will obviously not hesitate to invoke Article 16. French diplomats said that Mr Macron would veto any fundamental renegotiation of the protocol as not serious. An EU source said: We have moved on in Europe. The [sausage row] is not something that the people of Europe care about. A UK Government source hit back: It doesnt matter to us whether the people of Europe care about this issue we care. We want a negotiated solution but time is running out. No 10 has rejected an EU compromise proposal for Britain to accept ongoing alignment with Brussels rules on the grounds it would make it impossible to strike ambitious trade deals. A source said: That is not going to happen. Boris resigned from Theresa Mays Government over a refusal to follow EU rules. The EU is trying to reinstate the backstop. European leaders have warned that unilateral action to suspend the protocol would lead to retaliatory measures, including tariffs. Leaders of the G7 are to combine forces to combat the growing global might of China by ploughing hundreds of millions of pounds into countries at risk of being sucked into Beijing's sphere of influence. The UK-hosted summit in Cornwall agreed to calls by US President Joe Biden to band together to compete with China, which since 2013 has been using its 'Belt and Road Initiative' to finance big projects in poor countries making them politically and economically indebted to Beijing in the process. President Biden's administration secured agreement for a G7 equivalent of the Chinese scheme that will dovetail with moves to tackle climate change. Leaders of the G7 agreed to calls by US President Joe Biden to band together to compete with China It came as Washington steps up its rhetoric against China over human rights abuses and the regime's lack of transparency over the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic, which US intelligence increasingly suspects was caused by an accident at a laboratory in Wuhan. The UK supports efforts to counter Chinese economic power but has been more hesitant about criticising Beijing, with China 'doves' in the Government warning about the possible impact on future trade deals. Under the new scheme, which is being dubbed the 'Green Belt Initiative', the countries will form a 'partnership on green investment' for developing countries, which the UK Government said would offer them a 'democratic alternative' to China. Sources say the plan, called 'Build Back Better for the World', after Biden's election slogan, will finance 'everything from railways in Africa to wind farms in Asia' by 'giving developing countries access to better and faster finance, while accelerating the global shift to renewable energy and sustainable technology'. A source said: 'It means giving countries an alternative to a totalitarian paymaster.' Behind the scenes of the summit, President Biden has been urging the rest of the G7 countries to 'speak out in a single voice' by including criticism of Chinese human rights abuses, such as forced labour for Uighur Muslims and other ethnic minorities, in the joint communique being released today. There has been resistance from the EU, which last year signed a deal with Beijing giving Europe and China greater access to each other's markets. The deal is currently on hold. President Biden's administration secured agreement for a G7 equivalent of the Chinese scheme that will dovetail with moves to tackle climate change Mr Biden believes that the West's battle for domination with China will be the defining geopolitical struggle of the 21st Century. A UK Government spokesman said: 'We have a pragmatic relationship with China. This project stands on its own merits and is in line with the G7's priorities on ensuring the world builds back better and greener from the pandemic. 'It is designed to ensure developing countries have a choice in finding support from fair-minded countries in line with democratic principles.' In a separate move, Mr Johnson has launched a 500 million Blue Planet Fund to support countries including Ghana, Indonesia and the Pacific island states to protect coastal ecosystems such as mangroves and coral reefs and reduce marine pollution. A G7 'nature compact' will work towards a global target to conserve or protect at least 30 per cent of the world's land mass and 30 per cent of oceans globally by the end of the decade. Naturalist Sir David Attenborough will appear by videolink today to urge G7 leaders to take action on the environment. He will tell the leaders that 'the decisions we make this decade in particular the decisions made by the most economically advanced nations are the most important in human history'. Last night, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus revealed the G7 leaders had talked about whether the pandemic might have been caused by a leak from a laboratory in Wuhan Asked if the 'lab leak theory' was discussed, he replied: 'It was raised. We discussed... the origins. 'The origins were discussed in relation to now, but more in relation to how this should be handled in the future.' America's First Lady Jill Biden gave the Prime Ministers son Wilfred a copy of the book she wrote about her husbands childhood when she met him for a paddle in the sea. Dr Biden, 70, handed the gift to Carrie Johnson, the one-year-olds mother, as they enjoyed a stroll on the beach at Carbis Bay, Cornwall, on Thursday. Her book Joey: The Story Of Joe Biden was published last year and tells the story of the US Presidents early years as a devoted brother and a defender of his childhood friends who were being bullied. Dr Biden, 70, handed the gift to Carrie Johnson, the one-year-olds mother, as they enjoyed a stroll on the beach at Carbis Bay, Cornwall, on Thursday It also describes a true story about him and his friends hopping from rooftop to rooftop of the garages in his neighbourhood after seeing a Tarzan movie. The cover is an illustration of a young Biden riding a red bicycle. His younger sister Valerie is believed to be the character sitting on the handlebars. A bestseller in America, it was published by Schuster and Schuster. Wilfred with his telltale mane of blond hair joined his mother and Dr Biden on the beach. The cover is an illustration of a young Biden riding a red bicycle. His younger sister Valerie is believed to be the character sitting on the handlebars Posting a photo on Instagram of the seaside visit, Mrs Johnson, 33, wrote: Wonderful to spend some time with First Lady at Carbis Bay. We even dipped our toes into the water. Beautiful but freezing. Mrs Biden and Mrs Johnson were seen getting on well, smiling and laughing together. Speaking about the book last year, she said: Young children see Joe on TV and I want them to know Joe as a child, he was so brave and adventurous. The unofficial Bard of Hull the man who famously stated that deprivation is for me what daffodils were for Wordsworth put it this way: When your train comes to rest at Paragon Station against a row of docile buffers, you alight with an end-of-the-line sense of freedom. As it happens, the city will be celebrating Philip Larkins centenary next year and, fittingly, the Larkin Trail is a detailed but accessible tour around the city. Along the self-guided route I find plaques, designed to look like Victorian circus posters, which reveal the relevance of places as diverse as the (now shuttered) Marks & Spencer and the dour-looking Royal Station Hotel (immortalised in a 1967 poem where Larkin writes of silence laid like carpet and all the salesmen . . . gone back to Leeds). City with soul: Queen Victoria Square in Hull. It was UK City of Culture in 2017 The Humber Estuary here feels as wide as the Mississippi, the softly green-tinged waters churning boisterously out into the frigid North Sea beyond. The vast skies, pockmarked with iceberg clouds, have an American Midwest endlessness to them. On ground level, though, this is a city that, especially around the narrow, cobbled, original High Street, has a cosy, red-brick warmth to it. In 1955, Larkin already a recognised literary figure from his early novels and two collections of poetry, The North Ship and The Less Deceived moved to Hull to become a librarian at the university, a post he would hold until his death 30 years later. He enjoyed a drink and Hull is a great British city for pubs. Each seems to have a unique look to it, from the racing green, Art Nouveau-tiled, horseshoe bar of The White Hart on Alfred Gelder Street to the heraldic crests and narrow passageways of Ye Olde Black Boy on the old High Street, where Larkin gave talks on jazz music in the 1970s. My favourite is The Minerva, a solid, Victorian behemoth situated on a corner overlooking the estuary. Curved to give a maritime feel to the exterior, this is the kind of pub where real ales are barely 3 a pint, dogs snore under bar stools and strangers ask if youre wearing enough layers for the walk home. There is a surprisingly international feel to this city, too, enhanced by its year as UK City of Culture in 2017 though the roots stretch back much further; there were Dutch and Danish embassies here until relatively recently to deal with the mercantile business from the docks. The Daily Mail's Rob Crossan says there is a 'surprisingly international' feel to Hull, pictured Hulls statue of the poet Philip Larkin. The city will be celebrating his centenary next year The food scene has a similar outward-looking feel to it, particularly around the former fruit market and old marina, now housing sublime tapas at Ambiente, gourmet burgers with Wagyu beef and cheeseburger spring rolls (possibly the most glorious guilty pleasure on any menu in the north of England) at Solita and heaving plates of monkfish, lobster and oysters at the Humber Fish Co. But the shadow of Larkin is never far away. On my final morning, I walk deep into silent, leaf-strewn suburbia to find 105 Newland Park, Larkins final home. Neat and anonymous, it appears to be the antithesis of what Larkin represented. But on the upstairs balcony is a huge ceramic toad. Gazing out on to the deserted road below, its a reference on behalf of the current owners to one of Larkins famed poems, Toads, where, in a rage against the tyranny of the nine-to-five existence, he asks why he cant drive the brute off with a pitchfork. Just like Larkin himself, Hull is a place whose reputation belies a wonderfully quirky and unique soul to which those vast skies, gargantuan portions and giant ceramic toads all attest. Advertisement The traditional destinations for a 'surfing safari' range from Hawaii to the shores of Peru. Certainly, I don't recall The Beach Boys ever singing about the north-west suburbs of Bristol. And yet, here we are, a mile or two from the M5, M4, and M49 motorways, watching swarms of wetsuit-clad men and women carve their way along a seemingly endless succession of perfect turquoise waves. A couple of hundred yards away is a luxury tent where our 'quiver' of surfboards stands ready for action. If all goes according to plan, we'll watch the sunset on the tent's pretty wooden veranda. Catching waves: Surfers at The Wave - a giant pool in Bristol shaped like a pizza slice where a reverberating machine can churn rideable waves Waves at The Wave are churned out from dawn to dusk, seven days a week I envision drinking a restorative beer and talking my thoroughly exhausted wife and children through the thrills, spills and wipe-outs of our respective teatime surf sessions. This may seem a peculiar scenario, given the nearest thing to a local beach is the mud-brown Severn Estuary. But recent times have turned this previously unlovely corner of the West Country into England's surf Mecca. The man responsible is Nick Hounsfield. Back in 2010, he was just a middle-aged osteopath. Then he chanced upon an internet video showing how engineers had built a working artificial surf lake in Spain's Basque Country. Inspired by his late father, who on his deathbed told Nick to do something 'big and bold', he decided to create a version on low-grade farmland near Avonmouth. Nine years and the thick end of 25 million later, he opened The Wave, a giant pool shaped like a pizza slice where a reverberating machine can churn out a thousand perfectly rideable waves every single hour, from dawn to dusk, seven days a week. Nick is busy turning The Wave into a full holiday destination. Now, visitors can stay overnight at a posh 'glamping' facility close enough to the lake to hear the never-ending whoops and hollers. It's called The Camp at The Wave, and helping me road-test the place on its opening weekend is my wife, Katie, and our three sprogs William, ten, Megan, eight, and Henry, five. Our home for the night is less Hi-de-Hi!, more Out Of Africa: one of 25 mega-tents containing three bedrooms, a living area complete with fully functioning kitchen and wood-burning stove, plus wi-fi, iPhone charging sockets and a faintly terrifying eco-friendly toilet that incinerates its contents at the touch of a button. The tents can sleep eight at a squeeze (it involves turning the living-room sofa into a bed) and are accessed by a network of wooden walkways lit by hundreds of fairy lights after dark. Everything is solar-powered and ultra-sustainable. Over at the lake, there's a real buzz, with packed bars and a busy daily rota of lessons (for beginners) and sessions for every other standard of surfer. The machines have a variety of settings that can produce waves anywhere from 50cm to 2m high. The Daily Mail's Guy Adams with his children Henry, Megan, William and wife Katie. They stayed overnight at a posh 'glamping' facility close enough to the lake to hear the never-ending whoops and hollers TRAVEL FACTS Tents sleep up to eight people and cost from 105 per night (200 per night in summer) with a two-night minimum stay in the week and three-night minimum at weekends. Surf sessions (lasting one hour) cost from 50 for adults and 40 for children in peak season. Beginner lessons (one-and-a-half hours) cost from 60 for adults and 50 for children in peak season (thewave.com, 0333 016 4133). Advertisement Hour-long sessions cost from 40 for children and from 50 for adults in peak season, with wetsuits, boards and all other kit included. They tend to fill up weeks in advance, but residents of The Camp get priority booking. Katie takes William and Megan for an introductory lesson with Emily, a bubbly Welsh surf champ whose infectious enthusiasm has them grinning like Cheshire cats. After half-an-hour's practice on dry land, they wade out into waist-deep water where magic! they all manage to 'catch', 'pop up' and actually surf a series of knee-high waves. Thanks to a vaguely misspent youth, I'm a reasonable (if unfit) hobby surfer, so have booked an intermediate session. In the course of an exhilarating hour, I get to ride more waves than I'd expect to hop aboard on a weekend trip to Cornwall. Nick's vision is for The Wave to become a sort of all-round wellness retreat, where visitors book into a couple of surf sessions a day and while away the rest of their time taking yoga classes or visiting vast adventure playgrounds and skate parks, which he's hoping to build in the coming months. For younger children you need to be six years old and capable of swimming a good 25 metres to surf there are 'play in the bay' sessions, where beachy toys are laid on. I'd happily stay at the water's edge for days. But those who get itchy feet can venture out to the Aerospace Bristol museum to see the final Concorde made, or Bristol Zoo. After a red-letter afternoon, we emerge from the water with arms that feel like spaghetti and stomachs in urgent need of filling at the excellent 'beach' restaurant. Before we retire to our mega-tent, I allow the children to order a round of enormous ice-cream sundaes. We've probably earned it. KIIS FM star Kyle Sandilands is set to celebrate his milestone 50th birthday this weekend with a lavish yacht party on Sydney Harbour. And now, more details have emerged of his party plans. According to The Daily Telegraph, the shock jock has given guests a fun dress code for the evening and has plans to party both day and night. From a strict (and fun) dress code to plans to party both day and night: More details have emerged of Kyle Sandilands' wild 50th birthday bash Kyle will reportedly be hosting his 50th birthday bash on Saturday, with festivities starting at around lunch time and running into the night, and has asked guests to 'add a touch of gold' to their outfits. The publication notes the party will be a wild 'day-night' event. Last week, Kyle told Stellar about his party plans, revealing he was throwing a lavish yacht party on Sydney Harbour with guests including Karl Stefanovic attending. All in the details! Kyle will reportedly be hosting his 50th birthday bash on Saturday, with festivities starting at around lunch time, and has asked guests to 'add a touch of gold' to their outfits What a milestone! Kyle turned 50 earlier this week Other guests include his close friends and family, various KIIS FM staffers and his girlfriend Tegan Kynaston. '[Karl] Stefanovic has weaseled his way in,' Kyle jokingly said. Meanwhile on The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Wednesday, the show's resident psychic Georgina Walker recently predicted how the shock jock will meet his demise in frighteningly accurate detail. Someone's excited! Last week, Kyle told Stellar about his party plans, revealing he was throwing a lavish yacht party on Sydney Harbour with guests including Karl Stefanovic (right) attending Just days before Kyle is due to celebrate his birthday on a superyacht, a loyal listener called in on Tuesday to remind him of Georgina's chilling prediction. 'She was saying that she dreamt that you were in the water,' the caller said. 'You weren't in the water playing or swimming, she had no idea why you were in the water,' she continued. 'And I remember her saying to you, "Kyle, be very careful if you're around a boat." So I do hope it's not the end,' she added. Jackie 'O' Henderson than revealed that KIIS FM producer Adam Price recently had a 'very vivid dream' that everybody at Kyle's boat party would end up overboard. 'The boat sank,' Adam said cryptically, before later adding that even if it does sink, it's right on the Sydney Harbour so everybody 'should be fine'. Their long-awaited collaboration has been in the works for years. But now Little Mix's new project with Anne-Marie has reportedly been suspended after a crew member reportedly tested positive for coronavirus. The pop girl group and The Voice judge, 30, were set to shoot a video for a new track on Monday but were forced to shut it down at the '11th hour'. Pushed back: Little Mix's long-awaited collaboration with Anne-Marie has been suspended after a crew member reportedly tested positive for coronavirus According to The Sun, production are now clambering to find a new date which fits into the stars' busy schedules. They are also remaining mindful of the coronavirus pandemic, especially as Little Mix's Perrie Edwards, 27, and Leigh-Anne Pinnock, 29, are both pregnant and clinically vulnerable to the disease. A music insider told the publication: 'Little Mix and Anne-Marie were supposed to be shooting the video for their new single on Monday. 'But just hours before, one of the crew tested positive for Covid, meaning everything had to be cancelled. On hold: The pop girl group and The Voice judge, 30, (pictured) were set to shoot a video for a new track on Monday but were forced to shut it down at the '11th hour' 'Perrie and Leigh-Anne being pregnant means it's even more of a worry for them.' MailOnline have contacted Little Mix and Anne Marie's reps for further comment. Information about the new record and video remains firmly under wraps, but it is expected to be released in July. It is likely it will appear on Anne-Marie's upcoming album, Therapy, which hits the airwaves on July 23. Planning ahead: According to The Sun , production are now clambering to find a new date which fits into the stars' busy schedules Stay safe: They are also remaining mindful of the coronavirus pandemic, especially as Little Mix's Perrie Edwards, 27, (right) and Leigh-Anne Pinnock, 29, (left) are both pregnant The Voice judge and Little Mix have remained friends for many years, with Anne-Marie recording a podcast with Jade Thirlwall last year. Leigh-Anne also teamed up with Anne-Marie on The Voice earlier this year as she appeared as a guest mentor. Hinting at a collaboration with the trio in December, the 30-year-old said: I love harmonies. I've always had to do my own so it will be nice to have them do it with me all at once.' Perrie announced she's expecting her first child with her partner Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in a sweet Instagram post last month. Also in May, her bandmate Leigh-Anne revealed she is expecting her first child. And in a TikTok interview last week, the duo shared their pregnancy cravings with fans. Exciting: Perrie announced she's expecting her first child with her partner Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in a sweet Instagram post last month Baby on the way: Also in May, her bandmate Leigh-Anne revealed she is expecting her first child Leigh-Anne revealed she is constantly wanting prawn sandwiches while Perrie said she is craving anything sour. In the interview Leigh-Anne said: 'It's prawn sandwiches, but the M&S kind. Frazzles, I literally ordered a box on Amazon because I was that obsessed, and Fruit Pastilles. They're my three.' Meanwhile, Perrie said sour candy helped her with the morning sickness. 'Mine have been weird, my one was Toxic Waste, you know the barrel. All I wanted was just sour, sour, sour, I loved it,' she said. 'And Brain Lickers, I had to get myself on Amazon and get all the classics, Juicy Drop Pops, anything that was sour, I'm so over it, that was when I was feeling really sick but I'm great now.' The band mates recently revealed they announced their pregnancy in tandem on 'a work Zoom call'. During another TikTok interview to plug their new single with David Guetta, Perrie revealed that she and Leigh-Anne, 'cried our eyes out' upon discovering the news, gushing: 'What timing!' and insisted their joint pregnancy 'wasn't planned'. The sweet moment unfolded after Little Mix were going through their work schedule - with Perrie noting the band is booked up two years in advance, which led to their manager discovering the happy news. Clearly delighted, Perrie detailed: 'We were on a work Zoom and we were chatting about things that were coming up in our schedule because in Little Mix we are blocked out two years in advance... Cravings: The duo shared their pregnancy cravings with fans in a TikTok interview last week 'I was thinking, 'I won't be able to do that.' I messaged my manager and she called me and said, 'You're pregnant'... 'Then she said: 'Can I add someone to the call?' 'I just heard this voice that said: 'Perrie! You too!' And then we just cried our eyes out. What timing!' It follows the news that Little Mix have become the UK's top earning young female positions, after boosting their joined fortune by 6million over the past year, giving them a combined net worth of 54million. Perrie, Leigh-Anne and Jade Thirlwall, 28, have pressed on as a trio this year, following the December departure of bandmate Jesy Nelson, 29, with whom they have reportedly severed financial ties. Katie McGlynn stood out from the crowd in a striking yellow skirt co-ord as she headed to dinner in Manchester on Friday night. The former Coronation Street star, 27, put on a leggy display as she grabbed a bite to eat at Gorilla Bar and Kitchen for her best friend Lee's birthday. The actress set pulses racing with the eye-catching outfit, which featured a short mini skirt and a matching cropped jacket. Showstopping: Katie McGlynn, 27, stood out from the crowd in a striking yellow skirt co-ord as she headed to dinner in Manchester on Friday night As well as showing off her enviable pins, the soap star flashed a little cleavage in a black asymmetric top with a cut out across her chest. She carried a black clutch bag and donned a pair of matching fishnet-look high heels. Katie wore her brunette tresses in a half-up half-down hair style, with a slight wave and her bangs perfectly shaping her face. The soap star left the ITV soap in 2019 after her character Sinead died following a heartbreaking cervical cancer storyline. Sizzling: The actress set pulses racing with the eye-catching outfit, which feature a short mini skirt and a matching cropped jacket Sexy: As well as showing off her enviable pins, the soap star flashed a little cleavage in a black asymmetric top with a cut out across her chest Yet despite being off the cobbles for more than a year, Katie admitted that it has impacted her dating life as people tend to contact her over her Corrie fame. Talking to The Sun, Katie insisted that she doesn't want to join any online apps as it 'doesn't feel natural' to her after she briefly used them in the past. She told the publication: 'I can't tell if I like somebody over a screen, and a lot of people who would contact me would do so because I was on Corrie. 'Most of them would be expecting Sinead Tinker and not me, Katie McGlynn. They'll be surprised to learn we're not the same people. I mean, I'm alive for a start.' Katie went on to reflect over the past year as just weeks after she left Coronation Street, the coronavirus pandemic started with the TV industry forced to postponed, delay and shut down production during the first lockdown. The soap star said: 'Because Ive not been massively busy, you do question the other parts of your life. And then youre like, "Oh well, Ive not found Mr Right yet. But were in a pandemic, so I cant". Katie admitted that it would 'be good' if her dating life was complete but she's not 'desperate' and knows it will happen, adding she would rather be alone than with someone who 'isn't right'. There's no doubt about it, Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds is one of Hollywood's biggest names. And as his newest film Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard is released around the country, Aussie director Patrick Hughes, 43, has lifted the lid on what it's like working with the star. 'He is genuine, he is creative, he's talented, he's extremely good looking of course,' Patrick told Weekend Today host Richard Wilkins on Saturday. Legend! As their new film Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard lands in cinemas around the country, Aussie director Patrick Hughes, 43, has lifted the lid on what it's like working with Ryan Reynolds. 'He is genuine, he is creative, he's talented, he's extremely good looking of course,' he said 'He goes above and beyond, and he is a wonderful human being,' he added. And according to Patrick, one of the perks on the job has been enjoying the creative process with Ryan, 44, amongst other high profile names as they text about the project. 'We [Ryan and I] have the same sense of humour,' he said. 'And one thing that comes out of this - doing these films together is, like, just the text chain I've got with Ryan, because that's where all our writing goes down.' Funny man! According to Patrick, Ryan is just as funny off-camera as he is on the set of his blockbuster films. 'We [Ryan and I] have the same sense of humour,' he said. Pictured on set, Ryan (left), Salma (centre), and Samuel L. Jackson (right) Patrick also added that prominent lead actress Salma Hayek, 54, also brings a unique set energy to the table. 'She's crazy, in a good way. She's creative - a crazy creative ball of energy - that is Salma Hayek.' 'Look, what you see is what you get. She is crazy and I love her to bits.' Crazy energy: Patrick also added that prominent lead actress Salma Hayek, 54, also brings a unique set energy to the table. 'She's crazy, in a good way. She's creative - a crazy creative ball of energy - that is Salma Hayek' Stellar cast: The Ryan Reynolds-starring feature sees him returning to his role as Michael Bryce and being assigned to protect his former colleague, played by Samuel L. Jackson, as well as his ex-partner's wife, played by Salma Hayek The Ryan Reynolds-starring feature sees him returning to his role as Michael Bryce and being assigned to protect his former colleague, played by Samuel L. Jackson, as well as his ex-partner's wife, played by Salma Hayek. Other notable stars include Antonio Banderas. The movie serves as a sequel to the original Hitman's Bodyguard film, which was released in 2017 and received praise for the on-screen chemistry between its stars. The lead actors received much critical praise for their portrayals of the lead characters in the original 2017 film, with many reviewers pointing to their comedic timing and genuine action-star appeal. The Hitman's Bodyguard's Wife was originally supposed to be released in August of last year before the premiere date was pushed back due to the onset of the global pandemic, but it is out in cinemas now. Shirley Ballas has detailed her ordeal after previously being struck down with coronavirus, admitting at one point she didn't even 'know my own name'. The Strictly Come Dancing head judge, 60, contracted the virus in March this year, shortly after having her first vaccination, and was left bedbound for two weeks as a result. And in a new interview with The Sun, Shirley told she's having medical tests to see if she has long covid after 'other issues' have occurred since she was ill. Struggles: Shirley Ballas has detailed her ordeal after previously being struck down with coronavirus, admitting at one point she didn't even 'know my own name' Detailing her experience, she said: 'I'm in the middle of having some tests for that, because there are now some other issues that have occurred... 'We both got Covid and were both poorly and we've both had after- effects, from tiredness to certain lumps and bumps, and we're dealing with that.' Long covid, also known as post-COVID-19 syndrome, is when people suffer with symptoms that last weeks or months after the coronavirus infection has gone. She went on: 'Although I didn't have to go to hospital, I was in bed for two weeks and I didn't know my own name. It was scary for a while. I couldn't get my act together, and that is not like me. I'm usually up at seven in the morning, going here and there.' Ill: The Strictly judge, 60, contracted the virus in March this year, shortly after having her first vaccination, and was left bedbound for two weeks as a result (pictured getting her vaccine) Shirley added that it was 'quite an experience' for her and has left her with a 'tiring effect'. WHAT ARE THE LONG-TERM SYMPTOMS OF COVID-19? Most coronavirus patients will recover within a fortnight, suffering a fever, cough and losing their sense of smell or taste for several days. However, evidence is beginning to show that the tell-tale symptoms of the virus can persist for weeks on end in 'long haulers' the term for patients plagued by lasting complications. Data from the COVID Symptom Study app, by King's College London and health company Zoe, suggests one in ten people may still have symptoms after three weeks, and some may suffer for months. Long term symptoms include: Chronic tiredness Breathlessness Raised heart rate Delusions Strokes Insomnia Loss of taste/smell Kidney disease Mobility issues Headaches Muscle pains Fevers Advertisement The star told how she had her first jab and was later struck down with the virus. After recovering, she then recently had her second vaccination. She then went on to encourage others to get their vaccinations while expressing her hope that everything will be 'sorted' by the time the new series of Strictly kicks off in September. With the 19th series set to hit screens in just a few months, Shirley told how there has been a few 'tweaks and turns' amid covid restrictions. Last year's show saw a reduced audience, social distancing, a shortened run and the Blackpool special being cancelled, as well as other strict protocols. She added that the BBC show will be 'outstanding', while she teased that the cast for the series are 'fantastic'. Another change this year will see the departure of professional dancer Janette Manrara, who announced this week that she'll be leaving to become the new co-host of spin-off show It Takes Two, after Zoe Ball quit the role. Of Janette's exciting news, Shirley remarked that she's 'super-proud' and 'happy' for the dancer, noting that she will be 'incredible' on the show. Meanwhile, Shirley opened up about getting into shape ahead of the new series, after putting on a little extra weight during lockdown. She said: 'I'm carrying a little bit extra but these workouts are like four hours every day, plus there's my Peloton bike. I'm starting to get back into shape for Strictly. This show is all about focus and I think it has kick-started me into my better health regime.' She added that to get into the 'slinky evening dresses' she so often wears on the show, she'll need to be at her 'regular weight', remarking that she loses weight in her face first. Fears: And in a new interview with The Sun , Shirley told she's having medical tests to see if she has long covid after 'other issues' have occurred since she was ill Ordeal: 'I was in bed for two weeks and I didn't know my own name. It was scary for a while. I couldn't get my act together and that is not like me' And the Queen of Latin remained coy about whether she'll be slipping into another all important dress soon - wedding dress. Shirley told that she and boyfriend Danny Taylor, 48, have a 'good relationship' and do 'discuss' the idea of getting married, but have been so busy of late to have had the time to 'focus on ourselves'. While the star remained tight-lipped about her wedding plans, she did let slip about the couple's sex life, hinting that her toyboy lover needs stamina to keep up with her. exciting: With the 19th series set to hit screens in just a few months, Shirley told how there has been a few 'tweaks and turns' amid covid restrictions She joked that although Danny has 'bundles of energy', he is the one that has to 'keep up' with her between the sheets, adding that she thinks her beau finds her 'quite exhausting'. The beauty then went on to give an inspirational message to older women looking for love, noting that there was 'somebody out there' for everyone. She urged ladies over 55 to not put themselves 'on the shelf', saying that they still have a lot of 'living to do' and 'loving to give, before remarking that they should use her as an example. Sarah Jessica Parker shared a sweet snap with her Sex and the City co-stars Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis on the set of the highly-anticipated HBO reboot of their hit series. While Kim Cattrall, who played Samantha Jones during SATC's initial run, declined to reprise her role, the returning three leading ladies on the much-loved sitcom looked thrilled to reunite for the first time on screen since 2010's Sex and the City 2. 'Together again,' Parker, 56, captioned a photo of herself standing between Nixon, 55, Davis, 56, with New York City's glorious skyline behind them on Friday. Back together! Sarah Jessica Parker shared a sweet snap with her Sex and the City co-stars, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis, on the set of the highly-anticipated HBO reboot of their hit series After reading through their first episodes 'alongside all the fellas' and their 'newest cast members,' she gushed everything came together 'like an ice cream sundae.' In the picture, Parked rocked a pair of her trademark gold aviator sunglasses, a black tank top and light-wash jeans, which showcased her trim waist and toned figure. Meanwhile, Davis sported a white v-neck, a blue skirt and her dark brown hair in loose curls. Girl gang: While Kim Cattrall, who played Samantha Jones during SATC's initial run, declined to reprise her role, the returning three leading ladies on the much-loved sitcom looked thrilled to reunite for the first time on screen since 2010's Sex and the City 2 (pictured in 2008) Nixon, whose character is known for her sleek red bob, wore a long grey top, statement necklace and white trousers. The natural blonde has yet to dye her hair back to her character's fiery color, but it's possible she'll opt to wear a wig for the reboot. In response to Parker's post, Davis commented: 'Love you forever and ever ' Wow: On her own Instagram Story, the Deadly Illusions star documented her day on set, which included a look at their glamorous fitting rooms and a peek at their wardrobe 'Just some of the hats,' Davis captioned on picture of rows of hats, headbands and designer clutches. 'We are so spoiled. It is a joy.' On her own Instagram Story, the Deadly Illusions star documented her day on set, which included a look at their glamorous fitting rooms and a peek at their wardrobe. 'Just some of the hats,' she captioned one picture of rows of hats, headbands and designer clutches. 'We are so spoiled. It is a joy.' She also shared a snap of a stunning $4,495 Judith Leiber crystal cupcake clutch, which appeared in the first Sex and the City film. Sweet: Meanwhile, Nixon shared the same group photo as Parker with the caption: 'Friendship never goes out of style' Davis also shared a snap of a stunning $4,495 Judith Leiber crystal cupcake clutch, which appeared in the first Sex and the City film Views: Davis also posted a photo of just a scenic snap of the city Meanwhile, Nixon shared the same group photo as Parker with the caption: 'Friendship never goes out of style.' Earlier in the day, Parker thrilled fans when she shared photos of the script to the Sex And The City revival, called And Just Like That. The actress, 56, was at a table read for the new series which has been in the works for years. Her co-stars will be Nixon and Davis. It was noted on the script that it had to be turned in at the end of the table read as producers want to keep the plot secret. First read: On Friday, Parker thrilled fans when she shared photos of the script to the highly-anticipated Sex And The City revival And Just Like That All but one: On Friday, the cast (apart from Cattrall) was at a table read for the new series which has been in the works for years (seen in 1998 in a photo by Matthew Rolston) '1st Table Read. Got here way too early. Nerves all a wonderful jumble. X, SJ,' the New Yorker said in her Instagram caption for her 6.6M followers. Her pal Andy Cohen said, 'Carrie is back' as Melanie Griffith hit the like button. She also shared images of the place settings for Nixon as Miranda, Chris Noth as Big, Davis as Charlotte, Willie Garson as Stanford, Sara Ramirez as Che and Mario Cantone as Anthony. Nervous: '1st Table Read. Got here way too early. Nerves all a wonderful jumble. X, SJ,' the New Yorker said in her caption for her 6.6M followers. Her pal Andy Cohen said, 'Carrie is back' as Melanie Griffith hit the like button. Seen in 2017 The scripts read on top: 'And Just Like That, Please note these scripts will be collected at the end of the table read.' There was also a microphone, an ear piece, and a medical mask. The HBO Max series promises to shed light on how the trio are continuing to navigate love and friendship in the Big Apple now that they are in their 50s. She had her own seat as well: Davis is reprising her role as mom Charlotte She is back too: Cynthia will be back as Miranda; she had the same set up with face mask at the ready and ear piece The ladies are here! Nixon is seen left and Davis is on the right on the series in 1998; the show ran until 2004 Cattrall, who had a falling out with Parker, elected not to return for the new show. However, plenty of other famous faces from the original series, that ran on HBO from 1998 to 2004, have confirmed they are participating in the reboot. Noth and John Corbett, who played Carrie's competing love interests Mr. Big and Aidan, have come on board the show. She is in the cast as well: Sara Ramirez has a part in the new series Ready to go: Ramirez attends The CBS EyeSpeak Summit at the Pacific Design Center in 2018 in West Hollywood Also signed up are Mario Cantone, David Eigenberg, Willie Garson and Evan Handler. Cantone will be back as Anthony Marentino, a gay wedding planner who worked with Charlotte before becoming her good friend. Eigenberg reprises his role as the sometimes-geeky Steve, who became the most serious love interest for Miranda and later married her. Back for more: Garson played Stanford Blatch, Carrie's greatest confidante and one of the only male characters to occasionally carry a storyline on his own In a sequined blazer and a pink tie: Garson pictured on the Sex And The City film in 2008 Garson played Stanford Blatch, Carrie's greatest confidante and one of the only male characters to occasionally carry a storyline on his own. His character married Cantone's wedding planner in the second Sex And The City movie, so fans may get a chance to see what married life is like for them. Evan Handler rounds out the returning love interests as Harry Goldenblatt, a divorce lawyer who represented Charlotte when she splits from her husband Trey MacDougal (played by Twin Peaks' Kyle MacLachlan). Mario is here: Cantone will be back as Anthony Marentino, a gay wedding planner who worked with Charlotte before becoming her good friend He has been a favorite: Mario is seen in the Sex And The City movie in 2008 Despite initially being turned off by his appearance and gruff demeanor, she falls for him and they marry later in the series. Earlier this week, Sarah posted several photos to Instagram taken outside the Perry Street location. It doubles as the exterior of her character Carrie Bradshaw's apartment building. It's happening: Parker shared photos of Perry Street to Instagram on Thursday Familiar place: The Perry Street location doubles as the exterior of the apartment building that's home to Parker's character Carrie Bradshaw on the HBO series and spin-off movies 'Pure coincidence AND JUST LIKE THAT, we find ourselves on this street called Perry the night before it all begins again,' she captioned the snaps. She then added: 'MPK, here we go. And Im thrilled and terrified. X, SJ. ' 'MPK' stands for Michael Patrick King, the longtime writer-director-producer of Sex And The City who is part of the reboot. He's back: Plenty of famous faces from the original series that ran on HBO from 1998 to 2004 will be seen in And Just Like That including Chris Noth's Mr. Big who ended up marrying Carrie Love rival: John Corbett will also be back as Aidan, Carrie's other major suitor who went off and married someone else and had two children More star power: Evan Handler will reprise his role as Harry Goldenblatt, a divorce lawyer who married Charlotte after she split from husband Trey MacDougal (played by Kyle MacLachlan) She has a long list of Hollywood pals. And Catherine Zeta-Jones has revealed that actor Michael Sheen is her 'brother' as she discussed their close bond on Friday whilst revealing they grew up in the same area in South Wales. According to the actress, 51, she was raised only a stone's throw away from the actor, 52, as she confirmed their parents and friends know each other. Connection: Catherine Zeta-Jones said actor Michael Sheen is her 'brother' as she discussed their close bond on Friday whilst revealing they grew up in the same area in South Wales However they never encountered one another until last year when they began filming season two of the Prodigal Son and found an instant connection. Speaking about their long-awaited encounter on set, she said to The Mirror: 'We spent a lot of time going, 'Did you hear about Jones?' 'No, how is she?' 'She's got two kids' 'Never.' 'We are literally like brother and sister from different parents, we're that close.' 'I don't know why that never happened,' Catherine said, reflecting on why they never crossed paths during childhood. 'My parents know Michael's parents, Michael has met my parents, half my friends are Michael's friends but never the twain had crossed. Fond: According to the actress, 51, she was raised only a stone's throw away from the actor, 52, as she confirmed their parents and friends know each other Met her match: However they never encountered one another until last year when they began filming season two of the Prodigal Son and found an instant connection 'We're the same age, don't tell anyone. Where we come from is like a pimple on the map of the world. I could throw my ball to the end of the village.' Catherine said she feels like she's known Michael 'all my life,' and meeting him was 'everything I thought it would be.' She said they had plenty to talk about on set for the crime drama in New York as they discussed rugby, their mutual friends and school jokes. The actress revealed that in between takes they would revert back to their strong Welsh accents. Bond: She said to The Mirror: 'We are literally like brother and sister from different parents, we're that close' Humble beginnings: Michael was raised in Port Talbot and went to the local primary school whilst Catherine attended private Dumbarton House School in Swansea (pictured in 2000) Michael was raised in Port Talbot and went to the local primary school whilst Catherine attended private Dumbarton House School in Swansea. Although both thespians grew up in modest homes, Catherine's family experienced a stroke of luck when they won 100,000 in a bingo competition. As a result, they were able to afford dance, ballet lessons and a private education for their daughter. Catherine revealed she was sent away at a young age to London where she received schooling and a chaperone who would take her to the West End. Fortune: Although both thespians grew up in modest homes, Catherine's family experienced a stroke of luck when they won 100,000 in a bingo competition (pictured in 1992) Meanwhile Michael began his performance career at the Dylan Thomas Contemporary Dance and the Dylan Thomas Theatre, near her native home. Catherine joined forces with Michael in the Prodigal Son in 2020, with the second series set to premiere on Sky One next month. She portrays a resident doctor a Claremont Psychiatric Hospital whilst Michael plays serial killer Martin Whitly, also known as The Surgeon, who is serving life for his crimes. Partner: Michael is in a relationship with actress Anna Lundberg, 26, and they share a 20-month-old daughter called Lyra First born: He is also the father to Lily Mo, 22, with his ex Kate Beckinsale (pictured together in 2001) Before joining the cast, Catherine admitted she 'only watched' to see what Michael was doing as she 'loves' seeing him on screen. Michael is in a relationship with actress Anna Lundberg, 26, and they share a 20-month-old daughter called Lyra. He is also the father to Lily Mo, 22, with his ex Kate Beckinsale. Meanwhile Catherine tied the knot with Michael Douglas, 76, in 2000. They share daughter Carys Zeta Douglas, 18, and son Dylan Michael Douglas, 20. Star Wars fans have been holding their breath in anticipation for the latest update in George Lucas' legendary saga. And Ewan McGregor only added to the excitement when he was seen for the first time on set of the highly-anticipated Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi limited series for Disney+ on Friday afternoon. Though diehard fans have seen the 50-year-old actor in his iconic costume before, the crew made sure his new ensemble was kept under wraps as he wore a long black trench coat over it while heading to the soundstage. He's back: Ewan McGregor was seen for the first time on set of the highly-anticipated Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi limited series for Disney+ Legend: The actor will be making his return to the Star Wars universe as he starred in all three prequel films which were released from 1999 to 2005 Ewan - who plays the titular character - kept up with the protective face mask protocol on the Los Angeles set on Friday before getting in front of the camera. The actor will be making his return to the Star Wars universe as he starred in all three prequel films which were released from 1999 to 2005. He was not the only castmember on set as others wore similar robing to cover up their costumes. Under wraps: Though diehard fans have seen the 50-year-old actor in his iconic costume before, the crew made sure his new ensemble was kept under wraps as he wore a long black trench coat over it while heading to the soundstage Close to the vest: He was not the only castmember on set as others wore similar robing to cover up their costumes This came just months after McGregor had claimed the forthcoming Disney+ show on will 'feel so much more real' than the prequel series ever did. The actor discussed the franchise with The Hollywood Reporter back in April, detailing how advances in technology will impact the show in comparison to The Phantom Menace, Attack Of The Clones, and Revenge Of The Sith. In the prequel films, director George Lucas was keen to add more and more CGI, a factor that was blasted by fans and critics alike when the films came out. Intriguing: This came just months after McGregor had claimed the forthcoming Disney+ show on will 'feel so much more real' than the prequel series ever did in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter back in April At the time physical sets and backdrops were replaced with bluescreens for the CGI, and Ewan reflected: 'After three or four months of that, it just gets really tedious especially when the scenes are I don't want to be rude, but it's not Shakespeare. 'There's not something to dig into in the dialogue that can satisfy you when there's no environment there. It was quite hard to do.' But the Obi-Wan Kenobi series will use a process called StageCraft, which was used in The Mandalorian and was pioneered by co-creator Jon Favreau. Candid: In the prequel films director George Lucas was keen to add more and more CGI using bluescreens, which Ewan (pictured as Obi-Wan) said was a 'really tedious' process as an actor The technology drops characters into realistic virtual backgrounds by projecting them onto a massive LED screen, creating the illusion that the actors are on location. Ewan explained: 'So if you're in a desert, you're standing in the middle of a desert. If you're in the snow, you're surrounded by snow. And if you're in a cockpit of a starfighter, you're in space. It's going to feel so much more real.' In March, Disney+ announced the cast of their upcoming series, revealing Joel Edgerton, Kumail Nanjiani, and a slew of others will be joining Ewan and Hayden Christensen in the upcoming Disney+ series. Thoughts: The Obi-Wan Kenobi series will use a process called StageCraft, which projects realistic virtual backgrounds onto an LED screen which will make it 'feel so much more real' Ewan and Hayden's involvement in the series was already previously announced, with McGregor returning as the titular Obi-Wan and Hayden, 39, playing Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. Moses Ingram, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell, and Benny Safdie are also joining the line-up of stars. The upcoming series is set a decade after the events of the Revenge Of The Sith, and is believed to see Obi-Wan square off against Anakin once more. These are the co-stars you're looking for: In March, Disney+ announced the cast of the series, revealing Joel Edgerton, Kumail Nanjiani, and others will join Ewan and Hayden Christensen Last year, LucasFilm president Kathleen Kennedy described the rumble as 'the rematch of the century.' Many fans assumed that Obi-Wan and Anakin didn't meet again until he had fully transformed into Darth Vader in the first Star Wars movie, 1977's A New Hope, when Obi-Wan was played by Sir Alec Guinness. Since there is roughly a 30-year gap between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, there was certainly the possibility of their paths crossing again, which has now been confirmed. 'It was such an incredible journey playing Anakin Skywalker,' said Christensen in a statement. 'Of course, Anakin and Obi-Wan weren't on the greatest of terms when we last saw them. 'It will be interesting to see what an amazing director like Deborah Chow has in store for us all. I'm excited to work with Ewan again. It feels good to back.' Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron stood out in a pair of bright orange leggings after a vigorous workout on Thursday afternoon in Beverly Hills. As the 45-year-old star left the gym wearing a sporty ensemble, she was positively glowing from her sweat session with no makeup and her blonde tresses in a sleek half-up, half-down hairstyle. In addition to showing off her toned arms in a tight black tank top, the mother-of-two rocked a glowing tan, a pair of black Nike sneakers and toted a bottle of water. Stunning without makeup: Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron stood out in a pair of bright orange leggings after a vigorous workout on Thursday afternoon in Beverly Hills Her outing comes just weeks after the first shots of her and Kerry Washington were released from their upcoming fantasy film, School for Good and Evil. In mid-May, the film's director Paul Feig shared a shot between the A-listers from the set of the movie in Belfast, Northern Ireland. In the image, Washington donned a shimmering grey gown, while Theron wore a black dress with black boots and her hair dyed red. Natural beauty: The 45-year-old star was positively glowing from her sweat session with no makeup 'First look at Lady Lesso and Professor Dovey of the #SchoolForGoodAndEvil, apparently hanging with the swing choir teacher of good and evil,' Feig, 58, said in the caption of the post. 'Everyday with these two awesome powerhouses is a true joy.' He added the hashtags, #solucky and #timeofmylife to the post. Theron shared extra pictures in costume from the filming, writing, 'Ain't no rest for the EVIL,' with a devil emoji, adding, 'Can't wait for you all to meet Lady Lesso.' Coming soon: Kerry Washington, 44, Paul Feig, 58, and Theron, 45, were seen last month in new shots taken on the set of School for Good and Evil, an upcoming fantasy movie to air on Netflix next year Washington, 44, on her page, wore a gold ensemble with blonde hair and ornate necklaces and rings. 'More GOODness to come,' said the beauty, who plays the role of Professor Dovey in the film. Washington in March told People she was 'super excited' to be in the movie. On set: Theron shared extra shots in costume from the filming the movie 'It's a fantasy land, so I'm actually having a lot of fun thinking about what the nails will look like for that character!' she said. The film also stars Laurence Fishburne, Michelle Yeoh, Sofia Wylie and Kit Young. It's based on the work of author Soman Chainani and set in the fictional background of Endless Woods, as kids are taught to be good or evil. Chainani's work in the series hit the New York Times bestseller list upon its release in 2013, and has gone on to sell more than 2.5 million copies. NBC has halted production on its upcoming show Ultimate Slip 'N Slide after a diarrhea outbreak among multiple members of the crew. The shutdown is indefinite according to The Wrap which reported that the illness may have affected as many as 40 people who worked on the program. Crew members were 'collapsing' and 'forced to run into port-o-potties' as a result of the 'awful explosive diarrhea' according to one source. Uh oh: NBC has halted production on its upcoming show Ultimate Slip 'N Slide after a diarrhea outbreak; hosts Ron Funches (left) and Bobby Moynihan (right) however did not fall ill The insider alleged further that some crew members feel the production is culpable and are leery of coming back to work. A studio representative said: 'The health and safety of everyone on our set is our number one priority, so out of an abundance of caution we have made the decision to stop production of Ultimate Slip 'N Slide at the current location. We are in the process of determining next steps in order to complete production.' Universal Television Alternative Studios, which is behind the show, said a crew member got a positive test for a diarrhea-causing parasite called giardia on June 2. That very same day a stop was put to the production, which was taking place on a ranch in Simi Valley, an area just outside Los Angeles County. The bug: Universal Television Alternative Studios, which is behind the show, said a crew member got a positive test for a diarrhea-causing parasite called giardia on June 2 The health departments of both Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, plus an environmental lab, tested all the water utilized in the show for parasites. Although the water in the restroom sinks, slide pool, pond, water truck and well did not have giardia in it the parasite was found nearby this week. An insider dished to TMZ that just one week was left of the shoot, with seven weeks of filming already having been completed prior to the stay. Family fun: The show is inspired by the popular children's Slip 'N Slide game which is pictured Saturday Night Live alum Bobby Moynihan and Undateable star Ron Funches, who are hosting the show, reportedly did not fall ill. The idea of the show is for two-person teams to compete against one another for a cash prize by engaging in hijinks with names like Bocce Fall and Human Pong. Coming at the end of the show, the Big Slipper is the Slip 'N Slide challenge and will decide which of the final two teams will win. Jennifer Lopez and Rita Ora have reportedly held 'secret' talks to discuss 'future music and film collaborations'. The hitmakers are said to have got together in LA to hash out 'what they could possibly do together' and 'nothing was off limits', according to The Sun. Rita, 30, recently landed in California following her months-long stint in Australia where she was filming The Voice, while Jennifer, 51, flew back to The City Of Angels after wrapping up a music video shoot in Miami this week. Exciting: Jennifer Lopez, 51, and Rita Ora, 30, have held 'secret' talks to discuss 'future music and film collaborations' (pictured together in 2015) The Sun reports: 'J-Lo and Rita met at Soho House in LA and spent a couple of hours talking about what they could do together. There was a real sense of mutual appreciation between the women... 'J-Lo's career trajectory is something that Rita very much wants to emulate'. It appears a collaboration with the Jenny From The Block hit-maker has been on Rita's radar for years, as Rita spoke in 2018 about her preference to balance a TV and movie career with her music. In the interview she revealed she takes inspiration from Jennifer. Collaboration: The hit-makers reportedly got together in LA to hash out 'what they could possibly do together' and 'nothing was off limits' (pictured together in 2015) Rita said: 'I chose to do multiple things like TV and movies. One of my biggest inspirations is Jennifer Lopez.' Rita's representatives declined to comment when approached by MailOnline. MailOnline has also reached out to Jennifer's representatives. It comes a day after Rita was spotted on a grocery run in LA with her new beau, filmmaker Taika Waititi. Rita and Taika, 45, reportedly became an item after she broke up earlier this year with French filmmaker Romain Gavras, the son of Z director Costa-Gavras. News of the romance emerged in April when they arrived together at the Sydney Opera House for the RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under premiere. Meanwhile, Jennifer has recently rekindled her romance with former fiance Ben Affleck. Loved up: Rita and Taika Waititi, 45, reportedly became an item after she broke up earlier this year with Romain Gavras, the son of Z director Costa-Gavras (pictured in April) Jennifer and actor Ben, 48, were first spotted together in late April, with the pair famously venturing to Montana to spend some quality time. A source told UsWeekly that Jennifer and Ben are 'in love' again after 17 years and that they feel like they are 'soul mates'. Jennifer called off her engagement to Alex Rodriguez in April. Ben and actress Ana de Armas split after a whirlwind year-long romance in January this year. Christian Bale recently wrapped his filming his scenes in Sydney for the upcoming fourth Thor film. And it seems the actor is enjoying quality time with his wife Sibi and their two children in Australian's Northern Territory. On Friday, the 47-year-old smiled for a photo with a fan and employee of Hot Tamale - a Mexican restaurant in the Darwin waterfront. 'Batman Approved!' Christian Bale smiled for a photo with a fan and restaurant employee, named Pravin Phuyal (right) at a Mexican Restaurant in Darwin as he enjoys a break in Australia after filming Thor: Love and Thunder The Dark Knight actor kept it casual dressed in a black shirt with matching trousers while the restaurant employee Pravin Phuyal looked chuffed to be alongside the movie star. The photo was shared on Hot Tamale's Facebook page with the caption: 'Tacos & Tequila? Batman Approved. Thank you for visiting Christian Bale!!' Christian arrived in Australia with his wife Sibi and their children - 16-year-old daughter Emmeline and six-year-old son Joseph - in October last year. The Bale's have managed to kept under the radar as he filmed scenes for Thor: Love and Thunder alongside the likes of Natalie Portman, Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson. Family time: The actor was likely enjoying quality time with his wife Sibi and their two children at the Mexican restaurant (pictured) in Australian's Northern Territory The Academy Award winner will play the villain, Gorr the God Butcher, in the Taika Waititi-directed movie, which is scheduled for release on February 11, 2022. Tessa, who plays Valkyrie in the Marvel franchise, said last year Christian had been cast as the malevolent character. She told ET in October: 'Christian Bale is going to play our villain, which is going to be fantastic. Keeping it low key: Christian arrived in Australia with his wife Sibi (pictured) and their children - 16-year-old daughter Emmeline and six-year-old son Joseph - in October last year. The Bale's have managed to kept under the radar 'I've read the script. I can't tell you much. Lots of exciting text messages exchanged between Natalie [Portman] and I.' Tessa added of working with Taika Waititi, who previously directed Thor: Ragnarok: 'We're going to have fun. 'Taika is writing [and] directing. Some familiar faces. 'Some new people coming into the mix.' Filming for Thor: Love and Thunder wrapped earlier this month. Tinie Tempah turned heads with his unique fashion sense as he attended a new art residency in France on Friday. The 32-year-old rapper was spotted at the 'Present The Future' art residency in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, France. The official website for the residency labels the project as the world's first NFT (Non-fungible token) focused art residency and was created by French-Iranian artist Sassan Behnam-Bakhtiar and curator Kamiar Maleki in collaboration Tinie and artist Vector Meldrew. Artistic: Tinie Tempah donned a quirky orange checked outfit as he attended the 'World First' NFT focused art residency in France he worked on alongside French-Iranian artist Sassan Behnam-Bakhtiar (both pictured) and artist Vector Meldrew Tinie stood out from the crowd as he mingled with guests on Friday in a vibrant orange and black checked two-piece outfit. He finished off his ensemble with a pair of canvas trainers and sunglasses. Although the residency officially launched on June 7, an auction of the art on display is set to take place on July 21 on online platform Nifty Gateway. Speaking about the project on the residency's official website, Tinie said: 'I am excited about the way art is evolving and being redefined. Group snap: Tinie posed for photos with a number of people during his appearance at the art residency (L-R: Tinie, Sassan Behnam-Bakhtiar, Jorja Smith, Suspect and Dumi Oburota) 'Present The Future': The art residency, in France, was created by Tinie in collaboration with curator Kamiar Maleki (pictured right), artist Vector Meldrew and Sassan Behnam-Bakhtiar 'We are entering a future I have always dreamt of as an artist where the creators are empowered like never before. 'Art and music have always gone hand in hand. Art inspires music and vice versa, and I am excited to present works and ideas Sassan and I have spent a year working on both in physical and digital form.' Tinie isn't the only musical artist to have ventured into the world of NFTs, with Bros star Luke Goss also having created a collection, entirely backed by NFTs. The Bros drummer, 52, fell in love with painting during the Covid lockdown and his works, Love And Faith, which features 18 pieces of original artwork, will be entirely backed by non-fungible tokens [NFTs] making it the first collection to be released this way. Soon to be auctioned: Although the residency officially launched on June 7, an auction of the art on display is set to take place on July 21 on Nifty Gateway (pictured Tinie, Sassan, Jorja, Suspect and Dumi) An NFT is an unique digital asset that acts as certificates of ownership, such as Bitcoin. NFTs can be used to represent items such as photos, videos, audio, and other types of digital files. Speaking about his upcoming exhibition, Luke told The Daily Star: 'Painting was a new frontier for me as an artist, and part of the fun was breaking new ground.' Of his decision to have his artwork backed by NFTs, the musician added: 'When I first learned about NFTs and how they can establish a stronger connection between the art and the people who appreciate it, I knew that was another pioneering space I had to be involved with.' Proud: Speaking of his exhibition, Luke said: 'Painting was a new frontier for me as an artist, and part of the fun was breaking new ground' (pictured: Luke's 2020 artwork) Discussing how non-fungible tokens could be the future, Ed Rodriguez, CEO of BPN Capital Group - who are managing Luke's collection - said: 'Luke's collection is a prime example of the type of real-world assets that NFTs represent. 'By tokenising this collection, we can democratise ownership of these extremely valuable works of art. 'Pairing their stake with a serigraph of Luke's work makes blockchain and NFTS feel real and tangible.' First time: Luke's Love And Faith collection was entirely backed by non-fungible tokens, making it the first collection to be released this way (pictured: Luke's 2019 artwork) Rose Byrne has been back in her native Australia for some months, with her family in tow. On Saturday, the actress, 41, headed out for a stroll in Sydney with her son Rafa, three, in Sydney. The star looked casually chic in a grey sweatshirt with a red lettering design on the front. Outing: Rose Byrne has been back in her native Australia for some months, with her family in tow. On Saturday, the actress, 41, headed out for a stroll in Sydney with her son Rafa, three, in Sydney. Both pictured She added a pair of black track pants, and white sneakers worn with socks in the same tone. Rose had her brunette hair pulled back off her face and a black cap with an artistic paint design across the top. She appeared to go makeup free, and walked along holding the hand of her son, who carried a stick he'd found. Cool: The star looked casually chic in a grey sweatshirt with a red lettering design on the front It comes after news that the Australian actress has been cast as New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in upcoming film They Are Us. Fans will see a different side of the Bridesmaids star as she plays the political leader in the wake of the tragic 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings. At the time, Ms Ardern was commended for her response to the two consecutive mass shootings. The terrorist attack was carried out by gunman Brenton Tarrant who killed 51 people. Role: It comes after news that the Australian actress has been cast as New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in upcoming film They Are Us The film follows Arden in the wake of the tragic 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings: At the time, Ms Ardern was commended for her response to the two consecutive mass shootings. The terrorist attack was carried out by gunman Brenton Tarrant who killed 51 people The film will be directed by New Zealander Andrew Niccol, who has also worked on award-winning films like The Truman Show and Gattaca. 'They Are Us is not so much about the attack but the response to the attackhow an unprecedented act of hate was overcome by an outpouring of love and support,' Andrew told The Hollywood Reporter. 'The film addresses our common humanity, which is why I think it will speak to people around the world. It is an example of how we should respond when there's an attack on our fellow human beings.' Kayne West has reportedly got 'the spring back in his step' after going public with his new romance with Irina Shayk. The rapper, 44, is 'looking like his old self' now that he's loved-up with the Russian model, 35, however 'is taking things slow' and 'not looking to have more kids'. Kanye shares North, seven, Saint, five, Chicago, three, and Psalm, two, with ex-wife Kim Kardashian, who filed for divorce five months ago, while Irina has daughter Lea, four, with ex, Bradley Cooper. Romance: Kayne West, 44, 'has the spring back in his step' after going public with his new romance with Irina Shayk, 35, but 'isn't looking to have more kids' Earlier this week, the new couple were seen celebrating Kanye's birthday in France in a move which all but confirmed their flourishing union. A source told The Sun: '[Kanye's] big smile is back. He and Irina are just enjoying each other's company, they have a lot in common in terms of their interests and know a lot of the same people.' However the paper adds that the Power hit-maker is not thinking about having anymore kids as he is preoccupied with his own four children, who are 'his world'. A day earlier The Sun revealed Kim, 40, was left 'hurt' by Kanye and Irina's trip to Province, France, where they celebrated his birthday. Taking it slow: When it comes to his new romance with the Russian supermodel, the rapper 'is taking things slow' Family: Kanye shares North, seven, Saint, five, Chicago, three, and Psalm, two, with ex-wife Kim Kardashian, 40 The Skims founder was reportedly hoping her ex-husband would spend his big day with her and the kids, and was left 'blindsided' after Kanye whisked the runway star off to France, which was once his and Kim's 'special place'. MailOnline has contacted representatives for the couple for comment. Kim and Kanye famously went public with their relationship back in 2012 when she sat front row at his Paris Fashion Week show, which Irina walked in. They also planned to tie the knot in France, however made a last-minute decision to move the ceremony to Italy. On Friday, Kanye unfollowed Kim and her famous sisters, Kourtney, 42 and Khloe, 36, on Twitter. Kanye hasn't posted an update to his Twitter since November, but eagle-eyed fans noticed his following count had dipped after the unfollowing spree - which included his wife, who filed for divorce from the rapper four months ago. Shock: His split from Kim has been widely-publicised On June 8, Kim posted a photo of herself, Kanye and three of their children, writing, 'Happy Birthday Love U for Life.' Kanye still follows Kim on Instagram, with her being the only person he follows. Khloe also posted a photo of herself with the former couple on his birthday, with the caption: 'Happy birthday to my brother for life!!! Have the best birthday Ye! Sending you love and endless blessings!!' While Kanye and Irina's new relationship is coming as a surprise to many, insiders are now saying social media mogul Kim has known about their fling for 'weeks,' according to People. Doting parents: Irina has four-year-old daughter Lea with her ex, actor Bradley Cooper (pictured in 2019) 'It doesn't bother Kim that Kanye is dating,' the source said. 'Her only concern is their kids. She wants Kanye to be present and spend as much time with them as possible. The kids love when Kanye is around.' They added: 'Kim doesn't want a new girlfriend to distract Kanye from spending time with the kids.' Going public: Kim and Kanye famously went public with their relationship back in 2012 when she sat front row at his Paris Fashion Week show 2012: Irina walked in Kanye's show at the time, while Kim sat front row Since, there have been various reports suggesting the new couple have been dating for as long as three months, while another report claimed Kim 'already knew' about the romance. While People said Kim's been aware of the relationship for 'weeks,' a TMZ report released earlier in June claimed the pair have been seeing each other since as early as March, and noted how she was seen his custom DMX memorial shirt before it was released. Meanwhile, a source claimed to UsWeekly: 'Kim knew that Kanye and Irina were dating,' adding that the duo have been 'been quietly seeing each other for a couple of months.' Her estranged husband is understood to be dating Bradley Cooper's ex, Irina Shayk. But Kim Kardashian had business on the brain when she took to Instagram on Friday to tease her new Camo Collection for her makeup line, KKW Beauty. The 40-year-old ensured all eyes were on her jaw-dropping figure as she posed for a series of sizzling snaps in a tiny camouflage crop top and matching green stockings. Sizzling! Kim Kardashian put on a VERY busty display and flaunted her curves in a camouflage crop top and stockings, as she teased her new beauty collection on Instagram on Friday In one photo, Kim crouched forward and rested her manicured hand on her knee, showing off her ample cleavage in the skimpy top. Her long brunette hair extensions cascaded in tousled waves, and she smouldered for the camera, drawing attention to her striking facial features. Kim's makeup was ultra glamorous as per usual, consisting of bold brows, a metallic green eyeshadow, false lashes and a slick of matte nude lipstick on her plump pout. Killer curves: In one sizzling snap, the 40-year-old lounged around on the floor, showing off her toned abs in a camouflage midriff, teamed with revealing stockings and thigh-high boots She knows her angles! For another photo, Kim outstretched one manicured hand and shot a sultry gaze at the camera as she posed in a slinky nude bodysuit and thigh-high boots In another sultry snap, Kim lounged around on the floor in a camouflage midriff, teamed with very revealing stockings and thigh-high camouflage boots. While in further shots, the law student posed up a storm in a slinky nude bodysuit and statement thigh-high boots, that accentuated her hourglass silhouette. One particular snap saw Kim outstretching one manicured hand forward as she crouched down and shot the camera a suggestive look. Curves ahead: The law student perfected her poses, this time drawing attention to her hourglass silhouette as she lounged around on the floor in the eye-catching ensemble Very much in business mode, Kim captioned the sultry snaps: 'EARLY-ACCESS STARTS NOW on Instagram for Camo Collection! 'There are so many amazing green and neutral tones to create endless glam looks. I'm so excited about this collection and I can't wait for everyone to try it.' Kim's sizzling post comes amid reports her estranged husband Kanye West has got 'the spring back in his step' after going public with his new romance with Irina. The rapper, 44, is 'looking like his old self' now that he's loved-up with the Russian model, 35, however 'is taking things slow' and 'not looking to have more kids'. Business on the brain: Very much in business mode, the law student and beauty mogul captioned the sultry snaps: 'EARLY-ACCESS STARTS NOW on Instagram for Camo Collection!' Moving on: Kim's sizzling post comes amid reports her estranged husband Kanye West has got 'the spring back in his step' after going public with his new romance with Irina Shayk. Kim and Kanye are pictured in February 2020 Kanye shares North, seven, Saint, five, Chicago, three, and Psalm, two, with Kim, who filed for divorce five months ago, while Irina has daughter Lea, four, with ex, Bradley Cooper. Earlier this week, the new couple were seen celebrating Kanye's birthday in France in a move which all but confirmed their flourishing union. A source told The Sun: '[Kanye's] big smile is back. He and Irina are just enjoying each other's company, they have a lot in common in terms of their interests and know a lot of the same people.' However the paper adds that the Power hit-maker is not thinking about having anymore kids as he is preoccupied with his own four children, who are 'his world'. Reports: The rapper, 44, is 'looking like his old self' now that he's loved-up with the Russian model (pictured), 35, however 'is taking things slow' and 'not looking to have more kids', according to reports In the know: While Kanye and Irina's new relationship is coming as a surprise to many, insiders are now saying Kim has known about their fling for 'weeks,' according to People While Kanye and Irina's new relationship is coming as a surprise to many, insiders are now saying Kim has known about their fling for 'weeks,' according to People. 'It doesn't bother Kim that Kanye is dating,' the source said. 'Her only concern is their kids. She wants Kanye to be present and spend as much time with them as possible. The kids love when Kanye is around.' They added: 'Kim doesn't want a new girlfriend to distract Kanye from spending time with the kids.' They welcomed their son Ace last July. And Bernie Ecclestone, 90, stepped out with his Brazilian wife Fabiana Flosi, 44, and their little one, 11 months, during a family holiday to the Spanish island of Formentera on Saturday. The former Formula 1 boss, who became a father for the fourth time when Ace was born, held hands with Fabiana - who he married in 2012 - as they took a stroll. Family: Bernie Ecclestone, 90, stepped out with his Brazilian wife Fabiana Flosi, 44, and their son Ace, 11 months, during a family holiday to the Spanish island of Formentera on Saturday The grandfather-of-five looked casual in a white shirt and light blue jeans which he teamed with comfy dark grey trainers. Meanwhile Fabiana showed off her legs in black shorts and a palm-tree design top as she held her baby who looked sweet in a sunhat and blue sunglasses. The pair both put safety first and donned yellow face masks for the outing which is mandatory in Spain under current coronavirus regulations. Holiday: The former Formula 1 boss, who became a father for the fourth time when Ace was born, held hands with Fabiana - who he married in 2012 - as they took a stroll The pair headed for a boat ride with a few friends to enjoy the sights on their Spanish holiday. The billionaire businessman is already a father to daughters Deborah, 65, Tamara, 35, and Petra, 31. His eldest, Deborah was born to his first wife Ivy Bamford before he welcomed socialites Tamara and Petra with his second wife Slavica Radic. He married Fabiana in 2012 three years after he divorced Croatian model Slavica. Couple: He married Fabiana in 2012 (pictured together in 2018) three years after he divorced Croatian model Slavica Radic Bernie confirmed he and his wife were expecting a child to Swiss newspaper Blick last April. 'Yes, it is due in the summer,' Mr Ecclestone told the publication. 'Hopefully he'll learn to play backgammon soon!' Afterwards, he told the Daily Mail: 'There's nothing that unusual is there? I haven't had a job for a little while so I have had plenty of time to practise!' Bernie hit back at claims he was too old to become a father after Ace's birth, saying he wants even more children. Father: The billionaire businessman is already a father to daughters Deborah, 65, Tamara, 35, and Petra, 31 (pictured in 2018 with Fabiana and his daughter Tamara and husband Jay Rutland) He told The Sun on Sunday: 'Now I have more time on my hands and I hope I can spend it with my son as he grows up. I don't know if we will stop here. Perhaps he should have a little brother or sister. Discussing his first chats with his now-wife about starting a family when they first met eight years ago, he said: 'Fabiana said she wanted a family, and I told her, "That's no problem for me. Half a dozen kids is great".' The couple met through the World Motor Sport Council, where she regularly attended meetings. They knew each other professionally for a few years before a mutual friend invited Fabiana on a cruise around Croatia with Bernie in 2009. 'Like all parents, we have only one wish: the child must be born healthy,' she said ahead of his birth. 'Hopefully he will never express the intention to do something with Formula 1.' 'Yes, she is thrilled,' Bernie added. 'We're not sure what all the fuss is about! 'I'm very happy and happy really for my wife. She's been looking forward to this happening for quite a few years, so I'm happy she'll have someone after I'm gone. Exes: He met Croatian model Slavica in September 1982 in the pits at Italy's Monza race circuit (pictured with her and their daughters Tamara and Petra in 2006 at the Monaco Grand Prix) 'It's fun, I don't see any dramas, I've got grandchildren and I'm looking forward to having another baby.' Bernie - dubbed 'F1 Supremo' - is a former chief executive of the Formula 1 Group, which manages Formula 1 and part-owns Delta Topco. He amassed an estimated fortune of 2.5billion throughout his time working for Formula 1. The eccentric mogul entered two Grand Prix races as a driver himself in 1958, but failed to qualify for either of them. The former F1 boss later became the manager of drivers Stuart Lewis-Evans and Jochen Rindt before he purchased the Brabham team in 1972, which he went on to lead for 15 years. He married his first wife, Ivy, when he was 21 in 1952. The pair had one daughter, Deborah, before they divorced in the 1960s. He then had a 17-year relationship with Singapore-born Tuana Tan, before he met Croatian model Slavica in September 1982 in the pits at Italy's Monza race circuit. The pair, who had a 28-year age gap upon meeting, married in 1985 and later welcomed daughters Tamara and Petra. Julia Roberts has continued to remain under the radar after arriving in Australia earlier this year with her family. But it seems the Hollywood star has run into a speed bump with her children's education during what is likely an extended stay Down Under, as she prepares to film movies later this year. According to The Daily Telegraph on Saturday, the 53-year-old, who was raised Catholic, trying to enroll her children into exclusive Catholic schools in Sydney's affluent North Shore. Doing her best: Julia Roberts (pictured) is 'pulling some strings' to get her children enrolled into exclusive Catholic schools in Sydney's affluent North Shore, according to a new report The Academy Award winner and her cinematographer husband Daniel Moder are parents to 16-year-old twins - son, Phinnaeus and daughter, Hazel - and youngest son Henry, 13. As term two prepares for its final weeks, the publication reported that the Notting Hill star is said to calling on her friend, Nicole Kidman to help her out. Both Nicole and her sister Antonia Kidman were students of exclusive schools in Sydney's North Shore. Family: The publication reported that Julia is calling on her friend, Nicole Kidman, to help her out. Pictured is Julia with her husband Daniel Moder and their children 16-year-old twins - son, Phinnaeus and daughter, Hazel - and son Henry, 13 Connections: Both Nicole and her sister Antonia Kidman were students of exclusive schools in Sydney's North Shore. Pictured left to right is Nicole with her niece Lucia Hawley, and Nicole's sister Antonia 'If anyone can pull some strings in getting accepted into a top Catholic school in North Sydney you would imagine it's Nicole,' a source told The Daily Telegraph. 'But even mega A-list movie stars have to meet a certain enrolment criteria,' they added. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Julia Roberts' publicity team for comment. 'Grateful beyond measure': Last month, Julia shared an Instagram post urging others to get their Covid vaccines, as she did. She shared a photo of herself cosy blue jacket with pink sunglasses and excitedly told her fans in the caption that she is: 'Fully.VACCINATED!!!' Last month, Julia shared an Instagram post urging others to get their Covid vaccines. She shared a photo of herself cosy blue jacket with pink sunglasses and excitedly told her fans in the caption that she is: 'Fully.VACCINATED!!!' 'Grateful beyond measure,' she continued, 'If you are not vaccinated and have the GOOD FORTUNE to get vaccinated- go, go,go! #weareinthistogether,' she added. Extended stay for work: Julia arrived Down Under back in March and is slated to film two movies alongside big names this year. Pictured is Julia with her husband Daniel Julia arrived Down Under back in March and is slated to film two movies alongside big names this year. One of the projects is political thriller called Gaslit, centered on the infamous Watergate scandal, with Academy Award-winner Sean Penn and Australia's own Joel Edgerton. She will also reunite with Ocean's Eleven co-star George Clooney to film the romantic comedy Ticket to Paradise, which will begin filming in Queensland later in the year. Big Brother Australia contestant Sarah Jane Adams is a favourite to win the show. And her life at home is no less strange than it has been in the house - with the 66-year-old antiques dealer revealing she has to shower outdoors. 'I have an outdoor shower and toilet, my oven is 80 years old, my house is a plastic-free zone I'm very old-fashioned,' she told Stellar on Friday. Outside: Big Brother Australia contestant Sarah Jane Adams (pictured) is a favourite to win the show. And her life at home is no less strange than it has been in the house - with the 66-year-old antiques dealer revealing she has to shower outdoors Sarah Jane says she only recently bought a small TV after going without one for 25 years. She revealed: 'We even had to buy a television in order to watch the show.' The fashionista previously shared her opinion on social media - and she is not a fan, despite having over 200,000 followers. Old school: 'I have an outdoor shower and toilet, my oven is 80 years old, my house is a plastic-free zone I'm very old-fashioned,' she told Stellar on Friday 'Social media is appalling because it is not real,' she told The Daily Telegraph. 'Social media if it is used correctly is a fantastic thing but unfortunately we are so far down this path, it is a terrible thing.' Despite sharing the Big Brother house with the mother of Married At First Sight star Martha Kalifatidis, Mary, she has never seen the show. Tv fan? Sarah Jane says she only recently bought a small TV after going without one for 25 years. She revealed: 'We even had to buy a television in order to watch the show' 'I didn't even know what MAFS is. I am completely bemused that all of this is happening because I am just a regular little weirdo, ' she said. Not only is she a reluctant social media star, Sarah Jane has also authoured the book, 'Life In A Box: Traveller. Antiques Dealer. Mother. Model. Iconoclast', which was released last year. The book deals with the various ways people are forced to 'live in boxes' - and Sarah Jane explains how she defied those expectations by living a colourful life. Has the look: Sarah Jane went viral in 2014 when a photo of her, wearing a red Adidas jacket gifted to her by her daughter, appeared on Ari Seth Cohen's Advanced Style blog In an interview with The Wayward, Sarah Jane admitted she has struggled with her Instagram fame, but is determined to show others that life doesn't have to be 'quietly lived'. Sarah Jane went viral in 2014 when a photo of her wearing a red Adidas jacket gifted to her by her daughter appeared on Ari Seth Cohen's Advanced Style blog. 'I realised that somewhere amongst all that, people were basically attracted to my attitude, and the knowledge that you can be far more disruptive by just quietly living your life,' she said. Antonia Kidman's daughter Lucia Hawley is a chip off the old block in more ways than one. Not only does she bear a striking resemblance to her journalist mother, 50, and her movie star aunt Nicole Kidman, 53, she is joining the family business. In an interview with this week's Stellar Magazine, the 23-year-old reveals she is working in film production. Lookalike: Antonia Kidman's daughter Lucia Hawley is joining the family business, and heading into a career in movie production. Antonia and Lucia are pictured in Stellar Magazine 'I'm working for a production company on a documentary, which is really cool and currently confidential, so I can't discuss too much about that,' she said. 'It's been interesting working in a full-time capacity, compared to studying. And just kind of going, 'OK, I've got to dedicate myself to this because this is the real deal.' 'It's fun and kind of daunting at the same time.' Shoot: The mother and daughter appear in this week's issue of Stellar Magazine Hollywood: Like her movie star aunt Nicole Kidman, 53, (far left) Lucia is already working in the film industry. 'I'm working for a production company on a documentary, which is really cool and currently confidential, so I can't discuss too much about that,' she said Lucia has also recently left home and is living with friends, after graduating from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Antonia proudly shared a photo of Lucia holding her diploma to Instagram just this weekend. 'Congratulations Lou. A big milestone. Were so proud of you,' she captioned the image, in which she and Lucia posed with Antonia's husband Craig Marran. Lucia added: 'It's been interesting working in a full-time capacity, compared to studying. And just kind of going, 'OK, I've got to dedicate myself to this because this is the real deal.' It's fun and kind of daunting at the same time' Going places: Lucia has also recently left home and is living with friends, after graduating from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Arts degree Achievement: Antonia proudly shared a photo of Lucia holding her diploma to Instagram just this weekend. 'Congratulations Lou. A big milestone. Were so proud of you,' she captioned the image, in which she and Lucia posed with Antonia's husband Craig Marran (right) Lucia has also found love, having met boyfriend Henry Poole last year while the family were locked down in the Northern Beaches - and their romance was fated. 'I remember saying that 2020, for me, wasnt that hard because I met my boyfriend. We met in February last year, two weeks before COVID [really took hold in Australia]. 'I was pretty lucky. The timing was impeccable. If it had been two weeks later, the party where I met him would have been cancelled,' she told the magazine. Sweet: Lucia has also found love, having met boyfriend Henry Poole (right) last year while the family were locked down in the Northern Beaches - and their romance was fated Romantic: 'I was pretty lucky. The timing was impeccable. If it had been two weeks later, the party where I met him would have been cancelled,' she told the magazine In February, Antonia stunned her fans when she shared a photo posing alongside Lucia, who she nicknames 'Lou', with the pair looking remarkably alike. In her post, the journalist and lawyer said she shared a 'powerful connection' with her firstborn, but clarified that it wasn't favouritism in any way. 'First born. There's something powerful about the connection with a first child. It's not favoritism or anything of that nature,' Antonia said. Close: In February, Antonia stunned her fans when she shared a photo posing alongside Lucia, who she nicknames 'Lou', with the pair looking remarkably alike Loves her: In her post, the journalist and lawyer said she shared a 'powerful connection' with her firstborn She added: 'Rather, I think it's because there is a period of time where there are no other beings vying for your love and attention and your focus and devotion is entirely to them.' Lucia is one of six children - Antonia shares Lucia, Hamish, 20, James, 18, and Sybella, 14, with her late ex-husband Angus Hawley. The former couple were married for 11 years, but split in 2007. Family: Antonia and her late ex-husband Angus Hawley shared four children together: Lucia, 23, Hamish, 19, James, 17, and Sybella, 13. After their separation, Antonia married Singaporean-based businessman Craig Marran (pictured here) in April 2010, and they went on to have two children together: sons Nicholas, nine, and Alexander, seven Tragic: In April 2015, Angus died in New York from a suspected heart attack at the age of 46. Pictured together in Sydney in 2006 In April 2015, Angus died in New York from a suspected heart attack at the age of 46. After their separation, Antonia married Singaporean-based businessman Craig Marran in April 2010. The pair have two children together - Nicholas, 10, and Alexander, 8. Antonia and her family recently moved back to Sydney, after almost a decade of living in Singapore. Duckie Thot's modelling career has gone from strength to strength ever since she booked her first job with Kanye West in 2016. But it was an Instagram comment from rapper Nicki Minaj - who wrote 'How r u even real' - that got the Ghana-born beauty plenty of attention. The 25-year-old Melbourne-raised star told Stellar on Saturday: 'When I first got that comment and it was circulating around the internet I was freaked out.' Fame: Model Duckie Thot (pictured) reveals how she reacted after Nicki Minaj complimented her on Instagram - with the comment going viral. Pictured in Stellar Magazine She explained that it was her first time dealing with that level of attention on an international scale. 'It felt a bit awkward at the start, but I just try to remind my fans and people out there that obviously I'm a human being,' she added. Duckie launched her modelling career on Australia's Next Top Model in 2013 when she was just 17 years old. After coming third in Australia's Next Top Model, she struggled to find work in the local industry. Worldwide: Nicki Minaj - who wrote 'How r u even real' - got the Ghana-born beauty plenty of attention. Pictured is Nicki Minaj in 2020 Life changing: The model explained that it was her first time dealing with that level of attention on an international scale Following the passing of her sister, Duckie made the life-changing decision leave Melbourne and to make her modelling dreams come true in New York. She is now one of the most in-demand models having walked for fashion houses such as Prabal Gurung, Valentino and Victoria's Secret, and is the face of Rihanna's cosmetics brand Fenty Beauty. Duckie has also featured on magazine covers for Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire and Paper Magazine. Overwhelmed: 'It felt a bit awkward at the start, but I just try to remind my fans and people out there that obviously I'm a human being,' Duckie said She reflected on the changing face of the modelling industry where people of colour are be noticed more and more. 'These are moments that should be celebrated. Because when I first started, that wasnt the case at all,' she said. After leaving Melbourne, she eventually signed with New York Model Management but it was a chance run-in with rapper Kanye West in 2016 that helped propel her career to new heights. Star: She is now one of the most in-demand models having walked for fashion houses such as Prabal Gurung, Valentino and Victoria's Secret, and is the face of Rihanna's cosmetics brand Fenty Beauty She recalled in a past interview with Vogue magazine: 'I left a casting in New York and Kim, from Kanye's team, ran out after me.' 'I didn't even know Kanye was in the same building! I followed her to see what was up and ended up shooting a magazine cover that day,' she said. Duckie then booked the Yeezy spring/summer 2017 show, which was her first runway gig. EastEnders star Max Bowden has asked his fans to donate towards the funeral of Luke Goodings - one of the actor's 'oldest friends' - who passed away on Sunday. Taking to Instagram on Friday, Max, 26, shared a photo of Luke - who he revealed that same day had died of suicide - and wrote: 'Hi all, feel sick I'm having to do this again but want to give our Luke the send-off he deserves.' Also taking to Twitter, Max, who plays Ben Mitchell on the soap, posted a link to Luke's GoFundMe, writing: 'Would really appreciate any donation big or small... 'Lost another one of my oldest friends to suicide. For f**k sake talk to each other. This year has been awful.You're loved. Stick in there. All my love.' Heartbreaking: EastEnders star Max Bowden, 26, has asked his fans to donate towards the funeral of Luke Goodings - one of the Ben Mitchell actor's 'oldest friends' - who passed away on Sunday Max wrote in full: 'Hi all, feel sick I'm having to do this again but want to give our Luke the send-off he deserves. 'We're trying to raise funds for Luke's funeral and I'd really appreciate any donation big or small to help us with the costs. 'I know it's a lot ask in these horrible times we're currently living in but we want him to be remembered right. Please swipe up and donate if you can. 'Sending everybody love and remember you're not alone. Talk if you need to. Luke, we love you.' Max wrote: 'Hi all, feel sick I'm having to do this again but want to give our Luke the send-off he deserves' Tragic: Taking to Twitter on Friday, Max revealed that his friend Luke had taken his own life and encouraged others to 'stick in there' An appeal on Luke's GoFundMe page reads: 'On Sunday 6th June we very sadly lost our Luke Goodings to depression, something none of us foresaw coming. 'It has ripped us apart inside out, and we want to be able to celebrate his life as beautifully as we can. 'In the current state of the world, a funeral is a huge expense and we want to give him the send-off he would have endeavoured to give any of us if he was here. 'We have set up this GoFundMe page to help raise funeral costs, and any expenses after will be given to the charity MIND, who are a beacon of light to those suffering with depression.' The message concluded with a tribute to Luke. So sad: The actor took to his Instagram Story on Sunday to share an emotional tribute to his late pal, pictured, saying: 'I will always love you, my bro' It read: 'Luke was generally the loudest and brightest spark in the room, which makes it all the more confusing how he felt the way he did. 'A fiercely loyal friend, brother and boyfriend, Luke always put everyone else first, even when it got him into trouble. 'We'd really like to give Luke the send off he deserves, but understand how difficult that is to do right now, so we need all the help we can get. 'Any donation no matter how big or small will really help to give this wonderful man a beautiful send off, and put him to rest in perfect peace. Lots of love and thanks from the family: Tracey, Josh, Kirk, Declan, Gianni, Daniela.' Difficult time: It has been a devastating year for Max following the death of his other friend and celebrity agent, Terry Mills, who passed away in February after contracting Covid-19 in Mexico and falling into a coma Max took to his Instagram Story to share an emotional tribute to his late pal on Sunday, saying: 'I will always love you, my bro.' Posting a picture of Luke, Max shared his upset on Sunday as he penned: 'Heart's in bits right now. 'Lukey, will always love you my bro. Rest easy now. Freestyle the s*** out of it up there.' (sic) It has been a devastating year for Max following the death of his other friend and celebrity agent, Terry Mills, in February and his grandfather in September. Cancer survivor Terry, 38, originally from Devon, caught Covid-19 during a business trip to Cancun which later developed into pneumonia. Heartbreaking: Max announced Terry's death on Instagram earlier this year, saying: 'I will love you until my last breath'. It is thought Terry died in hospital in Mexico EastEnders star and close friend Max announced Terry's death on Instagram earlier this year, saying: 'I will love you until my last breath'. It is thought Terry died in hospital in Mexico. The Big Talent Group chief looked after clients including TOWIE'S Yazmin Oukhellou, Gogglebox's Amy Tapper, and Callum Izzard from Ibiza Weekender and was well liked within showbiz circles. Sharing a heartfelt tribute, Max wrote: 'I will love you until my last breath. You took me in when no one else would have me. You looked after me, and protected me when I was at my lowest. 'You nurtured me and helped me see light. You sprayed my feet when they were stinking out the house. Friends: Max penned: 'Thank you for every thing you gave me. My life will never be the same. Sleep well, my wonderful friend (sic).' 'All you did was care about the people you loved. When things got bad, we'd cuddle each other on that sofa in Marylebone like two toddlers, and tell each other we've got this. 'You battled everything, daily, and won. And this time this c*** of a virus got you. But you still fought. I don't know a life without you. 'I don't want a life without you. But I know you'll be with me. You made my family feel like they were the only people in the world. 'I will never forget when you ran down the red carpet at the NTAs to make my Nan feel like a queen. The last messages we sent each other before you fell ill, were that we loved each other. And I always will Tel. 'Thank you for every thing you gave me. My life will never be the same. Sleep well, my wonderful friend (sic).' It is not clear when Terry travelled to Mexico, which had counted more than 1.7 million Covid-19 cases and more than 150,000 deaths at the time. She went official with her boyfriend Jude Taylor late last month. And Emily Atack took to Instagram on Friday to share loved-up snaps beside the entrepreneur with her fans as she marked his 26th birthday. The Celebrity Juice captain, 31, cuddled up to her beau wearing a silky black strapless dress before the pair headed to a rooftop party at The Ned in London. Cute! Emily Atack took to Instagram on Friday to share loved-up snaps beside her boyfriend Jude Taylor with her fans as he marked his 26th birthday Emily and Jude were seen kissing during the lavish bash with friends and family in footage shared to both their Instagram stories. The blonde beauty also delivered Jude his cake on the night, carry it over to him as he waited and his friends sang. Emily looked incredible on the night in the sexy black midi dress and wore her light tresses in soft tousled waves while her beau opted for a jazzy white shirt. Sweet: The Celebrity Juice captain, 31, cuddled up to her beau wearing a silky black strapless dress before the pair headed to a rooftop party at The Ned in London Captioned the snaps of themselves enjoying champagne together, Emily wrote: 'And just like that.. Happy birthday to you @jude.' Emily and Jude were first romantically linked to each other late last month, and were said to have 'hit it off'. The star had been seen leaving Soho House's newest venue 180 The Strand in London with Jude during a night out. Close: Emily and Jude were seen kissing during the lavish bash with friends and family in footage shared to both their Instagram stories And shortly after a source claimed that the duo have 'hit it off' after going on 'dates in recent weeks', adding that they're not 'rushing to make it super serious'. A source told The Sun: 'Emily and Jude know a few of the same people and have hit it off. 'They have been going on dates together in recent weeks and have just enjoyed spending time together. 'Neither of them are rushing to make it super serious, they're just seeing how it goes and having a good time.' Happy! The blonde beauty also delivered Jude his cake on the night, carry it over to him as he waited and his friends sang MailOnline contacted Emily and Jude's representatives for further comment at the time. Jude used to work for Burberry and is now preparing for the launch of his own brand, with his Instagram profile teasing a new venture called 'Picante' for June. He also launched a fashion line with two pals during lockdown, Cure Des Garcons, which put 'popular memes onto designer motifs', reports Forbes. Stylish pair: Emily looked incredible on the night in the sexy black midi dress and wore her light tresses in soft tousled waves while her beau opted for a jazzy white shirt The comedian split from her ex Charlie Edwards five months ago amid claims the Covid pandemic put pressure on the pair's relationship. Emily is said to have split from the model, who is nine years her junior, after her busy work schedule and strict Covid rules made it difficult for them to see each other. It was first revealed that the pair were an item back in October, but the couple were thought to have ended their romance after just three months, according to The Sun. Emily was said to have been 'totally taken with' the tattooed model after they met through mutual friends. Loved-up: The couple looked close as they posed for a selfie leaving the hotel after the party Friends told The Sun at the time that the Inbetweeners star was wooed by Charlie, who also works as a tattoo artist, on Instagram before they started dating. Her romance with Charlie came after reports that Emily was linked to Missguided social media executive Joe Caro, after they were seen on a boozy date in early July. Last summer, Emily admitted the novelty of Zoom dating quickly wore off as she said she struggled to build a meaningful bond without the opportunity to meet in person. Smitten: Emily went Instagram official with entrepreneur boyfriend Jude late last month as she shared the above snap She explained to The Sun: 'I had a couple of Zoom dates and realised I need the tactile vibes. I've got to have the physical connection. I spoke to a couple of pleasant people but Zoom dating ain't for me.' Before Charlie, Emily was dating film producer Rob Jowers but ended things in September 2019. The actress had hopes of a 'happy ending' as their relationship progressed, even flirting with the idea of marriage and kids, but their union ended after six months. Cute! Jude, meanwhile, also shared some sun-soaked snaps with Emily while they enjoyed a date at a rooftop bar near The Shard Following their split the TV presenter took to Twitter to reveal that she is sick of people asking her how she is 'still single' months after her break-up. Insisting that she knows the offenders probably mean well, she penned: 'People constantly say to me 'how are you still single!?' - I think they mean well & that's cool. Emily continued by revealing she was sick of being made to feel like being single was a bad thing, adding: 'Being single shouldn't be seen as negative! 'I became single by choice. Let's stop making women feel like they're failing if they aren't in a relationship!' Emily and Rob split amid claims their romance 'just wasn't right', however according to The Sun the split was mutual and the pair tried to remain friends. Emily has a history of dating hunky celebrities including One Direction's Harry Styles and London-based model Jack Vacher. Kelly Bensimon looked amazing as she posed topless while on a yacht docked in popular summer vacation spot, Montauk. The Real Housewives of New York alum, 53, shared the sexy snap with her 358,000 Instagram followers on Friday. 'Looking forward...' Kelly captioned the photo, which was taken at Gurney's Star Island Resort & Marina in the Hamptons. Sultry: Kelly Bensimon looked sizzling as she posed topless while on a yacht docked in popular summer vacation spot, Montauk The buxom beauty covered her ample assets with her hands as she stood on the deck of the yacht on the sunny day, flaunting her lithely muscled arms. Bensimon only wore a pair of white and black striped shorts with a drawstring waist which she left untied. The shorts showcased the reality star's toned and tanned thighs. Kelly accessorized with several rings, a bracelet as well as a long silver beaded necklace that draped over her taut stomach. Showing some skin: In 2010, she appeared on the cover of Playboy and posed nude in a six-page spread The stunning former model's sun-streaked locks cascaded over her shoulders as she tilted her head to the side. She shielded her eyes with a pair of oversized brown sunglasses. It was not the first time that Bensimon had dared to bare some skin. In 2010, she appeared on the cover of Playboy and posed nude in a six-page spread that was shot by her famed photographer husband, Gilles Bensimon. Kelly told People magazine: 'When Playboy asked me to pose for them, I was incredibly flattered. But it was a big deal for me to actually take off my clothes for the rest of the world.' Speaking out: In 2017, the real estate agent opened up to Page Six about her experience posing for Playboy She continued, 'I think [they] are so excited because they're like, "I cannot believe she took off her clothes." But there's a lot of you [I] hear say, "Oh my God, she's taking off her clothes. How fun." But for me, they're like, "I can't believe Kelly's doing that." I'm 41! I'm 41 and it's all still there. Thank God!' Kelly went on to explain how she told her young daughters about her naked pictorial. 'I told them I didn't want to exploit my body I wanted to celebrate all the years of working out and this healthful lifestyle that I lead.' In 2017, the real estate agent opened up to Page Six about her experience posing for Playboy and shared her thoughts on the magazine resuming publishing nude photos after a brief pause in 2016. She also said that she would like to pose for Playboy again. Sexy: The MBA grad looked flawless in bikini shots that she has posted on Instagram over the last few weeks 'I am 49, and I did the cover 10 years ago. So I feel like I look better now,' she told the media outlet. 'I am glad that they are going back to showing women naked; it was a beautiful layout. And it would be a test to show that you can still look good at any age.' Kelly and Gilles were married in 1997 but the pair split in 2007. They share two daughters, Sea Louise, 23, and Thadeus Ann, 21. Recently, Kelly has been on and off dating entrepreneur Nick Stefanov, 42. Meanwhile Bensimon has been enjoying vacation time in the Hamptons and Palm Beach following a successful year in which the broker reportedly sold $50 million in New York real estate. The MBA grad looked flawless in bikini shots that she has posted on Instagram over the last few weeks. She is seen frolicking in the waves while waving a straw hat and posing coyly in front of a yard with pink flowers. In another sultry snap, she flaunted her cleavage in a white top that she left unbuttoned as she stood on the beach before the setting sun. He's no stranger to taking on work as a presenter.. And Jess Wright has revealed that her brother Mark, 34, is set to host his sister's much-delayed wedding as a master of ceremonies when it finally takes place in September. The former TOWIE star, 35, is set to tie the knot with her businessman fiance William Lee-Kemp, 38, in three months time and revealed on Sunday she's also selected Michelle Keegan, 34, as a bridesmaid. Close: Mark Wright is set to host his sister Jess' wedding as master of ceremonies in September while Michelle Keegan will join the bridal party as a bridesmaid (pictured together) Jess also revealed she has selected fifteen bridesmaids to join her on her trip down the aisle after struggling to choose from a long list of candidates. Speaking to the Mirror, Jess explained: 'I couldn't choose so I thought, sod it, let's have them all. I've chosen my dress now too and hopefully it will look stunning on the day. 'I can't wait to be a bride. Will is absolutely perfect,' she added. Jess also told the publication she'd been working out five days a week ahead of the big day and plans to star a family immediately after the nuptials. 'I couldn't choose so I thought, sod it, let's have them all': Jess has selected 15 bridesmaids and revealed she has been working out five days a week ahead of the big day The announcement comes after Jess and Will jetted off on what would have been their wedding break last month. They were forced to postpone their June dream wedding in Mallorca due to the coronavirus pandemic. Taking to Instagram last month, Jess shared a wedding themed post and joked it wasn't 'the trip we were supposed to be going on'. In keeping with the bridal theme, Jess wore an all-white outfit as she wrapped her arm around her fiance in the sweet post. Loved-up: The announcement comes after Jess and Will jetted off on what would have been their wedding break in Mallorca last month The white crop top highlighted the television personality's toned stomach while a matching sarong showcased Jess' toned legs. Businessman William was also dressed in white and appeared in high spirits despite their wedding setback. Jess captioned the post: 'It's not quite the trip we were supposed to be going on but couldn't be happier right now.' Bride-to-be: Jess captioned the post: ' It's not quite the trip we were supposed to be going on but couldn't be happier right now In an interview with Hello! Magazine she admitted she and William had considered scrapping plans to exchange nuptials in Mallorca and have a smaller ceremony in England, as pandemic regulations affect travel. Noting that she's far from alone in her dilemma, Jessica told the publication: 'I really feel for all brides out there. Every day, we have been back and forth trying to decide what to do I've been driving myself insane with it.' She continued: 'We always wanted to get wed abroad with all our family and friends, but we have explored every option, different dates, different places. A few weeks ago I said to Will: 'Shall we have a smaller wedding here in England?' Of their autumn wedding, she explained: 'It gives more time for things to get back to normal and for all our nearest and dearest to be there. I have definitely relaxed since setting the new date. I can't wait to wear my dress I just want to do it now.' Will popped the question on the snow capped peaks of Courchevel, France, in February 2020 after 13 months of dating. While the couple have holidayed in many exotic locations, Jess explained that Majorca has been like a second home to her as her family have a house on the island. Jess said: 'I've been dreaming of a fairytale wedding since I was little, when I used to dress up in my mum's net curtains. 'Now I can't wait for the moment I've been imagining for so long, walking up the aisle in a fabulous dress to marry Will.' Rapper Polo G's mother and manager, Stacia Mac, claimed that her son was racially profiled and unlawfully arrested after allegedly attacking a Miami police officer on Saturday morning. The 22-year-old rapper was taken into custody in the early hours of the weekend after he and his entourage left an album release party and subsequently got into a confrontation with a cop after their vehicle was stopped. According to TMZ, the performer was booked and charged with several offenses, including battery on a police officer and resisting an officer with violence, among numerous others. Serious situation: Rapper Polo G's mother and manager, Stacia Mac, claimed that her son was racially profiled and unlawfully arrested after allegedly assaulting a Miami police officer on Saturday morning The media outlet also reported that Polo G's bail is currently set at $15,000. Sources from law enforcement told TMZ that the alleged victim of the rapper's attack was assaulted with elbows and suffered numerous lacerations to his face. However, the media outlet was not told about the lead-up and the subsequent reason for the arrest. Polo G's 40-year-old mother later released a video expressing her feelings about the incident and noted that her younger son, who is 16, was not allowed to speak to her. Lead-up: The performer's mother claimed that her son and his entourage were stopped by law enforcement officers while en route to an afterparty following the release of her child's third album Getting physical: A source spoke to TMZ, who reported that the victim of the alleged attack was hit with elbows and suffered numerous lacerations to their face; Polo G is seen performing in 2019 She also captured a large row of police vehicles that had assembled at the scene of the incident, which she described as 'beyond ridiculous.' The rapper's manager alleged that her son's vehicle was stopped en route to an afterparty for 'driving while Black' and that, when she asked the police about the reason for the stop, they threatened to arrest her as well. Mac described the police's response to the incident as a 'waste of taxpayers' money' and that her children were racially profiled simply for being 'Black and successful.' The social media personality encouraged her followers to call the city's cops and demand that Polo G and his brother be immediately released before noting that the experience was a 'mother's nightmare realized.' The rapper's manager alleged that her son's vehicle was stopped en route to an afterparty for 'driving while Black' and that, when she asked the police about the reason for the stop, they threatened to arrest her as well She concluded by calling the officers who were involved in the incident 'racist' and described their response as 'excessive.' The Miami police department told the media outlet that they would release details about the incident in the near future. Early on Saturday morning, Mac took to her Twitter account and noted that Polo G was allegedly riding in his car during the event and that the cops' stoppage of his vehicle was uncalled for. 'None of these charges would be possible if the POLICE did not make contact with my son Polo G!!! He was NOT the driver. He was a PASSENGER in a professionally licensed vehicle with security. He was moving smart and correctly. What more could he have done,' she wrote. Letting everyone know: Mac later took to her Twitter account and alleged that her son was not driving the vehicle that was stopped and that he was accompanied by licensed security figures The Chicago-based performer gained prominence in the rap scene for his 2019 single, Pop Out, which reached the number 11 spot on the Billboard 100 chart. His debut studio album, Die A Legend, was released in June of that year and was met with instant success and positive critical reception. He followed up his first record with his second full-length release, entitled The Goat, which made its debut last May and garnered a similar response from critics. Polo G achieved his first number one hit with his track Rapstar, which was made available to the public this past April. The rapper's most recent record, Hall Of Fame, was released on Friday. I'm A Celebrity is believed to be returning to Australia for the 2021 series, after last year's show was forced to relocate to Wales amid covid-19 travel restrictions. A source told MailOnline that the show's set in Australia is being prepared for the upcoming show, with a crew of 30 staff reportedly clearing debris and fallen trees from the site which had been out of use for a year. It's said that work visas are being prepared for the latest batch of celebrities as they prepare to set up camp down under. It's happening! I'm A Celebrity is believed to be returning to Australia for the 2021 series, after last year's show was forced to relocate to Wales amid covid-19 travel restrictions When contacted by MailOnline a representative for I'm A Celebrity said: 'We'll announce the location for the new series of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! in due course.' It comes after it was reported that last month that I'm A Celebrity bosses needed to decide within the next two weeks whether the show returns to Australia or remains in Wales for a second year. The ITV series filmed in Gwrych Castle last year after the Covid-19 pandemic made it impossible for the show to travel safely to Australia. A source told MailOnline: 'ITV need to decide in the next two weeks whether they go to Australia or Wales this year. It's decision time! Relocation: The ITV series filmed in Gwrych Castle last year after the Covid-19 pandemic made it impossible for the show to travel safely to Australia 'Wales is pencilled as we know but clearly everyone wants to return to Australia. 'However if they choose Australia there is every chance it could be cancelled later down the line because of Covid If they choose Wales, it is guaranteed it will happen.' The source added that if the show does remain in Wales for another series, ITV will have to fork out more cash than they would for Australia. They added: 'It costs MORE to film in Wales than fly to Australia as it's a four month set build. 'That's why they have to make a decision now. Time is running out. And there is no show without them. So it's all pointing to being Wales. Oz is far too risky.' However, it appears that the decision has now been made with preparations for the show to be filmed in its usual location of Murwillumbah, New South Wales. Getting ready: A source told MailOnline that the show's set in Australia is being prepared for the upcoming show, with a crew of 30 staff reportedly clearing debris from the site Meanwhile, a source told the Sun on Sunday: 'Crew have been told to prepare for Australia again, which is music to everyones ears as they were dreading having to do it in Wales again. 'Talent agents are delighted too, as stars are much keener to sign up now its in an exotic location offering viewers some sun amid a cold winter. 'International film production have been entering Australia all year since January, always adhering to strict Covid guidelines, so filming in a remote location should be straightforward' The insider added to the publication that ITV is 'mindful and sensitive' of the 'changing environment' amid the pandemic, with plans put in place to launch the new series in 'Covid safe conditions.'. It comes as hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly recently said that plans to return to Australia for I'm A Celebrity this year are 'still up in the air'. Preparations underway: It's said that work visas are being prepared for the latest batch of celebrities as they prepare to set up camp down under (pictured last year's camp mates) The Geordie duo, both 45, revealed producers are having conversations with Australia 'to see if they'll let us in' for the show which is set to air this autumn, although they added that they would 'happily go back to Wales' for the next series. Speaking on Lorraine, Dec said of the upcoming series: 'It's still all up in the air, people are having conversations with Australia to see if they'll let us in. 'If not, we've got a lovely alternative to go back to Wales, which we had a great time there. Unsure: It comes after hosts Ant and Dec said that plans to return to Australia for I'm A Celebrity this year are 'still up in the air' 'We had a really lovely series and the people of North Wales made us feel very welcome. We'd gladly go back there. But we'll see whether it's Oz or Wales, we're not quite sure yet.' In March, ITV chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall confirmed that bosses are hoping the show will return to the jungle as that is how the show is 'meant to be'. Speaking as the network published its group annual results, she said: 'If we can go back to Australia and this show is meant to be in Australia then that's what we'll do. We have a very good plan if not, as we have already done it once (in the castle).' Prior to the confirmation, hosts Ant and Dec sparked claims that this year's series will be returning to Wales. The presenting duo said they'd be 'very happy' to remain in the UK for filming when the series returns later this year, joking they 'wouldn't miss the jet lag'. 'It's a waiting game': It comes after it was reported last month that I'm A Celebrity will not know if it's able to a return to its usual home in Australia for the upcoming 2021 series until September (Ant and Dec pictured at Gwyrch Castle in 2020) Last year's I'm A Celebrity was relocated to Gwrych Castle in Wales after plans to record the usual show in Australia became impossible due to COVID. Speaking to Digital Spy magazine, Ant said: 'If during coronavirus we have to stay put and do it in Wales again, I'd be very happy. 'We were very welcomed in Wales. There were cardboard cut-outs of me and Dec in the butcher's, and the local school did a tribute. We'd happily go back there. We'd miss the sunshine, mind.' Dec added that he 'wouldn't be disappointed' if filming was once again taking place in Wales later this year, adding: 'The people in Wales were lovely... 'They made us feel very welcome. I had a lovely time. I will miss the sunshine, but I will not miss the jet lag of coming back from Australia.' He is known for his iconic roles in The Mask of Zorro and Once Upon A Time in Mexico. And Antonio Banderas, 60, cut a dapper figure in a navy blue suit and sunglasses as he arrived at the Garcia Y Garcia movie premiere in Spain. The actor looked in his element as he posed up a storm in his tailored suit and unbuttoned white shirt on Saturday at the 24th Malaga Film Festival. Looking good: Antonio Banderas, 60, looked dapper in a navy blue suit and sunglasses as he arrived at the Garcia Y Garcia movie premiere at the Malaga Film Festival in Spain Antonio added a flare of casual to the look, leaving some of his shirt buttons open and donned a pair of sunglasses for the outing. He showed he's still got it in the fashionable suit and wore a pair of all-black platform Converse trainers on the red carpet. The actor was also seen posing for several pictures with presenter and journalist Maria Casado. Maria put on a busty display as she wore a plunging V-neck maxi dress for the event which draped ever so slightly on the ground. Dapper: The actor looked in his element as he posed up a storm in his tailored suit and unbuttoned white shirt on Saturday at the 24th Malaga Film Festival Still got it: The popular Spanish actor opted to keep some of his shirt buttons open as he walked the red carpet at the film launch The pair, whose outfits appeared to tie in with each other, recently hosted the prestigious Goya Awards together in March. They have worked together on several projects, including honouring the Virgin of Hope statue at Archicofradia de la Esperanza in Malaga in December at the height of advent. The actor is loved-up with his girlfriend Nicole Kimpel and they have been dating since his split from his second wife Melanie Griffith in 2014. In June, Antonio revealed he still speaks to his ex-wife Melanie all the time and says she will always be part of his 'family'. Dapper: Shielding his eyes from the sun, Antonio also donned a pair of chic sunglasses for the outing Cool: He showed he's still got it in the fashionable suit and wore a pair of all-black platform Converse trainers on the red carpet Friends: The actor was also seen posing for several pictures with presenter and journalist Maria Casado Although the former couple divorced in 2015, they have remained close and Antonio says Melanie, 63, will always be part of his life because they shared so many 'wonderful years' and have their 'wonderful daughter' Stella, 24, together. 'I think we are both reluctant to bury 20 years of marriage,' he said on El Break de las 7. 'We are human beings, we make mistakes and that is the human condition.' The Zorro actor added, 'You have to leave the egos aside and not want to prove that you are right or find who's guilty of what. 'Because it may be both or neither of you. There is a moment when things are over and you have to accept it. Beautiful: Maria put on a busty display as she wore a plunging V-neck maxi dress for the event which draped ever so slightly on the ground Co-workers: The pair, whose outfits appeared to tie in with each other, recently hosted the prestigious Goya Awards together in March 'The life I had with Melanie was beautiful,' said the actor who fell for the daughter of Tippi Hedren of The Birds fame when they co-starred in the 1996 movie Two Much with Daryl Hannah. 'We had 20 wonderful years during which we gave our best and lived wonderful moments that I will not forget,' added the star who welcomed daughter Stella, now 24, with Melanie in September 1996. 'We had a wonderful daughter that we both love and that is the end result of our relationship, the most beautiful thing we have ever done together.' Sweet: The actor is loved-up with his girlfriend Nicole Kimpel (pictured together in 2020) and they have been dating since his split from his second wife Melanie Griffith in 2014 Exes: In June, Antonio revealed he still speaks to his ex-wife Melanie all the time and says she will always be part of his 'family' (pictured together in 2013) Melanie has two other children, daughter Dakota, 31, with Don Johnson and son Alexander, 35, with Steven Bauer. Antonio - who married the Working Girl star in 1996 - insists he is still very close to his stepchildren and they are still a big part of his life. The Spanish hunk is pleased that he and Melanie have been able to maintain a friendly relationship for the sake of the children, even though they are all adults. He said: 'Our children, all of them, are very grateful we manage to do it all in a civil manner'. Real Housewife of Salt Lake City star Heather Gay has broken her silence on former friend and castmate Jen Shah's tumultuous legal situation. The reality star optimistically said that she thinks Shah 'can redeem herself,' despite her indictment and arrest for her active involvement in a long-running telemarketing scheme. Heather opened up about the situation on the So Bad It's Good With Ryan Bailey podcast, saying that she thinks Jen can 'make things right,' even if she's 'convicted.' Speaking out: RHOSLC' Heather Gay says she thinks castmate Jen Shah 'can redeem herself' even if she's 'convicted' for allegedly spearheading a long-running telemarketing scheme Legal drama: Shah and her longtime assistant Stuart Smith were arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering Despite the seeming demise of their friendship as played out on the hit Bravo show, Gay said that Jen shouldn't be crucified amid the ongoing legal drama. 'I think that good people can do bad things, and she is claiming she is innocent. Even if she gets wrongfully convicted, she can make things right.' She continued: 'She can redeem herself,' later adding that Jen deserves a second chance. 'I guess I am passionate about second chances because when I got divorced, I didn't have a second chance. And that sucks, you know?' On March 30, Shah and one of her many assistants, Stuart Smith, were arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. Jen pled 'not guilty' to the charges and a trial is currently set for October 18. March arrest: Jen was arrested after abruptly exiting the set of the Bravo show which was filming its second season, and a trial is currently set for October 18 Breaking her silence: Jen issued an Instagram statement where she thanked those who had shown her 'loyalty' and used the hashtag: 'Justice for Jen Shah' Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said in a press release that the pair: 'allegedly generated and sold 'lead lists' of innocent individuals for other members of their scheme to repeatedly scam.' The duo and their co-conspirators targeted people mostly over the age of 55 and sold them fictitious business opportunities to steal their money, with schemes dating back as far as 2012. If convicted she and Smith could face a maximum sentence of 30 years for the wire fraud charges, and an additional 20 years for the money laundering charges. Gay continued to say in the interview: 'This is the biggest, hugest thing that has happened to our community, and to our group of friends and to Jen personally and to me personally. I mean, this is big and it's real.' Scamming: The duo and their co-conspirators targeted people mostly over the age of 55 and sold them fictitious business opportunities to steal their money with operations dating back to 2012 Shocking: Gay continued to say in the interview that the scandal was the 'biggest, hugest thing that has happened to our community, and to our group of friends' Jen's exhorbitant seeming-wealth drew questions from fans of the show after she was constantly surrounded by a team of assistants and claimed to run multiple businesses, but was never seen doing any work. She tried to give clarity on her livelihood to Access Hollywood in November 2020.'I own three different marketing companies and we do lead generation, data monetization, customer acquisition,' she said. Shah virtually said that her businesses served targeted ads to consumers and that any time people were clicking through the internet she made money by way of data gathering. The bubble burst in late March when Jen was arrested in Utah as filming for the second season of the hit Bravo show was taking place. It has been said that her future on the show is currently uncertain but that producers want to use as much of the footage as legally allowed. Kym Marsh has announced she's engaged to her beau Scott Ratcliff after he proposed on her birthday. The actress, 44, shared the exciting news with fans in an interview with OK! and said she's 'over the moon' to be marrying the Army Major, 32, after nearly three years together. She said: 'I'm absolutely over the moon - I can't believe it. It's been the best birthday surprise ever. I can't stop smiling!' Wedding bells! Kym Marsh, 44, has announced she's engaged to her beau Scott Ratcliff, 32, after he proposed on her birthday The couple had been dating since July 2018 but have had to endure long stints of separation as Scott serves abroad, with Kym admitting last April that they had at the time been apart for seven months. She previously told The Sun that the Covid lockdown has meant Scott is spending more time at home. Kym said: 'He's actually home. He was due to go to staff college in September but we've ended up spending most of the past year together.' 'I feel so lucky to be in this situation. It has given me the opportunity to have more time with Scott, my son David, my daughters Emilie and Polly and the rest of my family. I'm not taking those things for granted.' Happy news! The actress shared the exciting news with fans in an interview with OK! and said she's 'over the moon' to be marrying the Army Major after nearly three years together Back in December 2018, Kym revealed she and Scott were facing six months apart as the soldier was due to return to Afghanistan for duty in the Parachute Regiment. Despite the long-distance looming, the star was resolute in her belief that their relationship will survive the strain. Kym told The Sun at the Military Awards 2018: 'He is due to go back to Afghanistan next year for six months. It is tough, but I know we can make it work and we will be fine. 'He's just got back from a training exercise in Kenya, so tonight was the first time we have seen each other in weeks.' Kym had split from Matt Baker three months before sparking up a romance with Scott, after a two year romance. Time together: The couple had been dating since July 2018 but have had to endure long stints of separation as Scott serves abroad Over: After breaking onto the pop scene as a member of Hear'Say Kym married EastEnders star Jack Ryder, 36, in 2002, but they divorced in 2009 She was first in a relationship with builder David Cunliffe before her rise to fame in 2001's Popstars, and the couple had a son David, 25, and daughter Emilie, 25, during a five-year relationship. After breaking onto the pop scene as a member of Hear'Say Kym married EastEnders star Jack Ryder, 36, in 2002, but they divorced in 2009 after she admitted having an affair with Hollyoaks star Jamie Lomas, 43. Kym went onto marry Jamie in 2012, and the couple have a eight-year-old daughter Polly. The couple's first child Archie, passed away shortly after his premature birth in 2009. Just over a year after tying the knot, Kym filed for divorce from Jamie in 2013 citing 'unreasonable behaviour. She is also a grandmother, with daughter Emilie welcoming baby son Teddy in May 2019. Cody Simpson jetted to Adelaide with girlfriend Marloes Stevens and mother Angie on Thursday ahead of the Australian Olympic swimming trials. And on Saturday, the former pop star was spotted cheering on other competitors at the event. The 24-year-old cut a casual figure in black jeans and a matching coloured T-shirt as he watched other swimmers compete with Marloes and mum Angie. Showing their support! Cody Simpson, 24, and girlfriend Marloes Stevens cheered on swimmers at the 2021 Olympic Swimming Trials in Adelaide on Saturday He also wore thick framed black glasses and covered his famous face with a mask. Meanwhile, Marloes looked stylish in white trousers and a grey crop top as she watched the Olympic hopefuls alongside her beau. The Australian Olympic swimming trials will be one of the most pivotal moments in Cody's sporting career. Cheering them on: Cody cut a casual figure in black jeans and a matching coloured T-shirt as he watched other swimmers compete with his girlfriend Marloes and mum Angie Stay safe: He also wore thick framed black glasses and covered his famous face with a mask Last week, Cody revealed the Australian swimming moments that inspired him to trade the stage for the pool. One of those inspirations was Grant Hackett's 1500m win at the 2004 Athens Olympics, which the athlete achieved with a partially collapsed lung. 'He's a long-time friend of the family and he just smashed it. That swim just showed how resilient he is,' Cody told The Daily Telegraph. Style: Marloes looked stylish in white pants and a grey crop top as she watched the Olympic hopefuls alongside her beau Pivotal: The Australian Olympic swimming trials will be one of the most pivotal moments in Cody's sporting career Cody also cited Michael Phelps breaking the 50 second record in the 100m butterfly in Rome in 2009 as influential to him. 'That swim was about redemption. There was a fair bit of controversy when Phelps won Olympic gold the year before by one-hundredth of a second... and a lot of people thought that wasn't the right result. 'It was such a super-cool race, and I still watch it,' he added. Inspired: Last week, Cody revealed the Australian swimming moments that inspired him to trade the stage for the pool. One of those inspirations was Grant Hackett's 1500m win at the 2004 Athens Olympics, which the athlete achieved with a partially collapsed lung Angelina Jolie spent a day exploring Brooklyn solo during her recent birthday trip to New York City. The movie star, who turned 46 on June 4, ventured out Thursday to Red Hook, a neighborhood known for its edgy independent art galleries. And Jolie's day in the borough also included a visit to her ex-husband Jonny Lee Miller's Dumbo apartment later that night. Solo trip: Angelina Jolie spent a day exploring Brooklyn solo during her recent birthday trip to New York City before she reportedly reunited with ex-husband Jonny Lee Miller The Oscar winner wore a long sheer white kaftan-style shirtdress with balloon sleeves over a white slip with spaghetti-straps. The shirtdress featured a button-down front and belted at the waist. Jolie paired the breezy shirtdress that flowed to her ankles with a pair of nude pointed-toe flats. She carried a beige and brown leather Louis Vuitton handbag that hung from a long strap on her shoulder. Angelina accessorized simply with a large gold wristwatch and sported a bright red manicure. Ethereal: The Oscar winner wore a long sheer white kaftan-style shirtdress with balloon sleeves over a white slip with spaghetti-straps The raven-haired beauty's long locks tumbled down her back as she walked down the sidewalk on her excursion. Though masks are no longer required in New York City for people who have been fully vaccinated, the Maleficent actress covered her face with a space-themed black mask that depicted an astronaut floating in a star-filled galaxy. Angelina visited a handful of small art galleries while she was in Red Hook. Though all six of the stunning actress's children including sons Maddox, Pax, 17, and Knox, 12, as well as daughters Zahara, 16, Shiloh, 14, and Vivienne, 12, she opted to go on her own to Brooklyn. Old flame: And Jolie's day in the borough also included a visit to her ex-husband Jonny Lee Miller's Dumbo apartment later that night After the sun set, the Salt star was spotted arriving at Miller's apartment building in the trendy Dumbo neighborhood of Brooklyn. In photos obtained by Page Six, she could be seen alone, unaccompanied by a bodyguard, and was carrying a bottle of expensive Peter Michael Wine. The actress appeared to have changed into a white shirt and wide-legged pants ensemble which she wore under a long beige trench coat with tan sandals. She covered her face with a gray mask as she opened the door to the British actor's building. Jolie reportedly spent three hours inside before leaving at 10:30pm. Jolie reportedly spent three hours inside Miller's condo before leaving at 10:30pm. The former couple are pictured here in 1995 Jonny and Angelina fell in love when they starred in the 1995 thriller Hackers. At the time both actors were relatively unknown. After a whirlwind romance, Miller and Jolie, 22 and 20 respectively at the time, decided to get married, 'We both proposed to each other and both had questions to ask,' the Hollywood icon told The Mirror. 'I wondered if we should stay engaged for a while since he was going to be in Britain and I would stay in LA. But we went for a quick wedding.' They wed in a tiny civil ceremony in 1996 attended only by Angelina's mother Marcheline Bertrand and Jonny's best friend. The groom wore black leather and in lieu of a wedding dress, Jolie donned black rubber pants and one of Jonny's white shirts with his name written in her own blood across it. She told the New York Times, 'It's your husband. You're about to marry him. You can sacrifice a little to make it really special.' Movie connection: Jonny and Angelina fell in love when they starred in the 1995 thriller Hackers However she added that Jonny included a couple of traditional touches. Angelina said, 'I had pants with a zipper that goes back to front. He stuck a veil on me at the last second and put a garter on the pants.' However, the marriage was short-lived with the pair separating after only a year. Angelina told The Calgary Sun, 'It's not fair to the other person that I'm so busy with my career and that I'm often distant even when I am with someone. 'Jonny and I never fought and we never hurt each other. I really wanted to be his wife. I really wanted to commit. 'We were living side by side, but we had separate lives. I wanted more for him than I could give. He deserves more than I am prepared to give at this time in my life, but there is a very good possibility that we could get married again some time in the future.' After a whirlwind romance, Miller and Jolie, 22 and 20 respectively at the time, decided to get married. They are seen here in 1999 Jonny went on to marry actress Michele Hicks in 2008. He and Angelina stayed good friends over the years and he attended the premiere of her directorial debut, In The Land of Blood and Honey, in 2011. Angelina was briefly married to actor Billy Bob Thornton before famously dating and later marrying Brad Pitt, with whom she shared her six kids. However, both Jolie and Miller are now single, with his marriage to Hicks, with whom he shares a son, Buster, ending in 2018. The contentious dissolution of Angelina's union with Brad has lasted for years. Jolie, was left 'bitterly disappointed' last month when her ex husband was awarded joint custody of their children following a long and very nasty legal battle. In late May, the court ruled that Brad and Angelina will have shared custody of all their children with the exception of Maddox, who is no longer a minor. According to reports from US Weekly on Tuesday, the actress feels she can 'never forgive' Brad and believes their legal battle is 'far from over'. A source told the publication: 'She will never forgive him... She maintains it's far from over and still believes that justice will prevail.' The line-up for Australia's Got Talent judging panel for 2021 was announced on Sunday. How I Met Your Mother star Neil Patrick Harris and UK pop star Alesha Dixon will join an all-star panel of Australian artists including Kate Ritchie and Shane Jacobson. 'To say I'm a fan of the AGT franchise is an understatement. I've been watching since the very first season,' Neil said. New judes: Neil Patrick Harris and Alesha Dixon (pictured) are announced as new judges on Australia's Got Talent - joining Kate Ritchie and Shane Jacobson in revamped line-up for 2021 'Australia has phenomenal talent across so many disciplines, and I couldn't be more thrilled to join AGT in 2021 to see firsthand what the country's awesome contestants have to offer,' he added. Meanwhile, Alesha is a seasoned talent show judge, having appeared on the British's Got Talent and America's Got Talent. She said: 'I'm super excited to be joining the panel at AGT. I can't wait to see what talent Australia has to give and I'm really looking forward to working with my fellow judges.' Coming soon: Neil is expected to arrive in Australia soon along with husband David Burtka and their two children as filming for the new series is expected to begin at the end of the month Filming for the new series will begin at the end of the month, with production set to take place at the Star Event Centre in Sydney from June 30 to July 6. Neil is expected to arrive in Australia soon along with his husband David Burtka and their two children. Meanwhile, former Australian Idol star Ricki-Lee Coulter will be returning to the show as host. Stepping back into position: Shane Jacobson (pictured) starred on the 2019 season of AGT alongside Lucy Durack, Nicole Scherzinger and Manu Feildel Back to TV: Kate Ritchie's (pictured) new role on AGT marks her return to TV after an eight-year break to focus on her radio career Shane starred on the 2019 season of AGT alongside Lucy Durack, Nicole Scherzinger and Manu Feildel. Kate is best known for playing Sally Fletcher on Channel Seven's Home and Away from 1987 to 2007. Her new role on AGT marks Kate's return to TV after an eight-year break to focus on her radio career. Support local journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution. LITCHFIELD The family of 39-year-old father who was fatally shot this week in front of a local law firm said they are seeking truth and justice as state police have released few details about the killing. State police said Matthew Bromley, a former Torrington resident who had been living in Virginia in recent years, was fatally shot in the head late Monday afternoon outside the Litchfield law firm, Cramer & Anderson, but have not said what led to the homicide. Matt was not a bad person. Matt deserves justice. He was good to his friends and his family. He loved life, said his cousin Ray Parsons, who said Bromleys brother is married to his first cousin. Hes not a very threatening guy, added Parsons, in reference to Bromleys criminal history, which included a conviction for carrying a dangerous weapon charge and jail time. Cramer & Anderson, said one of its partners, attorney Robert Fisher, was involved in the shooting and has been placed on leave. State police identified Fisher as the subject of the investigation and said he remained at the scene Monday evening. Parsons said Bromley, who has two sons, ages 22 and 18, had just returned to Torrington after living in Virginia for the past two years. I can't believe after coming home from Virginia, being down south for two years, the week he comes back to Connecticut, he gets shot, Parsons said. Its heartbreaking. While Parsons said he had lost touch with Bromley while his cousin was living in Virginia, he still has fond memories of him. When we used to hang out, he would help me work on my house, Parsons said. He was great with his hands. Hes the type of guy you could sit by a fire with and talk about life with all night. He was a chill guy. According to Parsons, Bromley worked in the heating and cooling business while in Virginia. He was such a handy guy a good friend, good man, Parsons said. We just want to know what happened. State police have released few details about the shooting, other than to say Bromley was killed and the weapon belonging to a registered owner was seized at the scene. They have not said what motivated the killing. Cramer & Anderson also released a statement, saying the firm had no connection to Bromley. Judicial records show Fisher was not representing anyone in any active civil or criminal cases as of this week. Fisher declined to comment when reached by phone this week. His attorney, Bill Conti, of the Law Offices of Conti, Levy & Salerno in Torrington, also declined to comment. Parsons said the last time he saw Bromley was right before he moved to Virginia. Parsons is making arrangements to hold a vigil in memory of Bromley and a protest to demand justice. We hope we can get some answers for his family and friends that's all we want is the truth and how this happened. His kids and nieces are hurting right now and we need to all work together to get them justice, Bromley said. I'll fight till the end to bring Matt and his family justice. SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham vowed Friday to replenish the state's indebted unemployment insurance trust fund with federal relief funds to avoid future tax increases to businesses and said a $300 weekly federal bonus to unemployment benefits will continue through the expiration date in September. Lujan Grisham held a news conference to announce reform efforts at the Workforce Solutions Department that handles unemployment benefit claims. She hopes to improve the state's ability to field telephone calls for unemployment benefit claims. A companion initiative is designed to counteract fraud that has siphoned off an estimated $133 million from the state unemployment trust. Overpayment of legitimate claims are estimated at over $100 million during the coronavirus pandemic. Lujan Grisham said guidance from the U.S. Treasury allows states to devote new relief funding to rebuilding unemployment trusts and that she absolutely will pursue that. I have zero interest in making it harder for businesses that are working diligently and theyre doing a good job right now, getting jobs out the door, getting people re-employed, Lujan Grisham said. Lujan Grisham's administration is in the process of expanding staffing by 110 positions to a total of 380 staff members at the Workforce Solutions Department. As unemployment claims soared at the outset of the coronavirus epidemic in March 2020, the Workforce Solutions Department shifted staff away from its anti-fraud office in efforts to answer a deluge of unemployment claims and related telephone calls, according to a recent evaluation from the Legislature's budget and accountability office. The governor said New Mexico will now turn for help to federal anti-fraud authorities in attempts to crack down on bogus unemployment claims and cybertheft from the state. In terms of constituent services, additional job positions would allows the Workforce Solutions Department to answer up to 7,000 unique calls each day, according to Friday's announcement. There are currently about 6,000 unique calls each day. Workforce Solutions Secretary Ricky Serna says about 77,000 residents of New Mexico are currently on unemployment. He says the agency has paid out $3.7 billion in benefits over the past 14 months amid economic turmoil linked to the pandemic. The state is commissioning an outside analysis of management, operations and information technology at the labor agency though an Albuquerque-based firm called Abba Technologies in conjunction with Mark Fidel, president of the information technology firm RiskSense. Several states have pulled the plug on the $300 weekly federal supplement over concerns that it may discourage people from returning to work when jobs are available. Lujan Grisham said most people want to return to work but still may have difficulties because of safety concerns, disruptions in child care services and other issues. She said the best way to encourage a return to work is to make sure people make living wages at jobs that are safe. You should not expect me to change that $300 benefit, she said In efforts to modernize unemployment services, the governor said she is tapping the expertise of call center executive and Democratic state Sen. Michael Padilla of Albuquerque for a review and policy recommendations. Padilla said he is contributing his time on a volunteer basis. Daytona Beach, FL (32114) Today Partly to mostly cloudy with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms late at night. Low near 75F. 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 near 75F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription and are still unable to access our content, please link your digital account to your print subscription If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. KAKINADA: In the wake of crackdown on private hospitals treating Covid patients, particularly in East Godavari district, for excess billing, collecting fees from Aarogyasri patients, many patients or their family members are coming forward in large numbers to lodge complaints against the hospitals. In East Godavari alone, fines have been imposed on three hospitals so far. Some hospitals wary of government action are now said to be ready to pay back excess amounts. They are arriving at a compromise with the patients who recovered and had a grouse against them for not following government norms. But, in many cases, there are no proper bills or evidence to prove that the hospitals flouted the government norms. Only a few are able to gather any evidence against the hospitals. So far, complaints were lodged with the officials against three hospitals at Kakinada and one hospital at Rajamahendravaram on charges of excess billing, denial of services and negligence in treatment, etc. At Rajamahendravaram, a patient complained to MP Margani Bharat over excess charges from the patient, though he is an Aarogyasri holder. It was only after the MP intervened that the hospital reached a compromise and sorted out the matter. Under these circumstances, some hospitals are said to be not keen on providing treatment to Covid-19 patients, even as there are reports of an impending third wave. Family members beg doctors to admit patients. After recovery, they are levelling charges against the hospitals. If the hospital really took excess amount or charged Aarogyasri patients, they should be punished. But, hospitals are wary of baseless allegations from the public which may tarnish their image and even direct government fury at them, said a doctor. HYDERABAD: The year 2021 is marked as the international year for elimination of child labour, and June 12 is observed as World Day Against Child Labour. While many eminent personalities delivering strong speeches on this day, on well-decorated podiums, about the social evil called child labour, many children are sweating in some automobile garages, bangle and jewellery workshops or welding shops. Many children are working as domestic workers or babysitters too. Sheik Ayoub, 22-year-old, working in a jewellery workshop at Abids, has been into this trade for the past ten years. I work in a jewellery workshop in Hyderabad, my father sent me to work here. I am West Bengal, he said. Parents in villages of West Bengal cannot take care of their children due to utter poverty. Employers in Hyderabad encourage migrant workers to get children from their villages, by promising better care, and pay them around Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 per year. There are hundreds of children working in the old city, especially in Gulzar Houz and Kali Kaman areas, in bangle and gold jewellery workshops, he said. In Bholakpur Market, which has several scrap depots, children work to segregate scrap material. It is estimated 3.37 lakh children are working in the state of Telangana. Aruna Ravi Kumar, social commentator and author, says, We find children working in the houses of many people who are having responsible positions in the society, including bureaucrats and politicians, as well as anchors, cinema personalities and celebrities. What example are they setting for society? G. Ashok Kumar, former district collector of Nizamabad, said, In 2001, Veilpur was declared a child labour free mandal, followed by surrounding mandals. People participated and owned the movement. Villages came out with signboards no child labour exists in this village, even after 20 years those mandals are child labour free. He said, To make one city or village child labour free, people should be educated and sensitised about this burning issue. People should take ownership of such movements. VISAKHAPATNAM: The Southwest monsoon -2021 has begun with farmer-friendly rainfall across the state. It is a good sign for Kharif agriculture activities, particularly for the dry lands in Rayalaseema region. The Andhra Pradesh State Development Planning Societys rainfall data has shown on Friday that 10 of 13 districts received above normal rainfall till date during this monsoon season, which annually begins on June 1. The SW monsoon has covered the state as per schedule by June 10. It is a good sign for all stakeholders, said S. Stella, director, India Meteorological Department (IMD) Amaravati Centre. Kadapa, Anantapur, Chittoor and Kurnool in Rayalaseema received above 100% rainfall than normal. Kadapa received 100.8mm of rainfall against its normal of 26.1mm (286.2% above normal), highest among other districts. Anantapur received 89.7 mm of rainfall against its normal of 32mm (180.3% above normal), Chittoor received 66.8mm of rainfall against the normal of 32.8mm (103.7% above normal). Meanwhile, Nellore, Prakasam and Visakhapatnam districts received rains below normal. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Krishna district agriculture joint director T. Mohana Rao said The SW monsoon this year indicates a good sign for the Kharif agriculture season. We received nearly 70 percent above normal rainfall in the monsoon season. The favourable rainfall helps farmers for land preparation of paddy and other dry crops. Agriculture wing sources said that the state has nearly 50 lakh farmers, who take up Kharif crops from June to October every year. The total area of Kharif crops in all 13 districts is 37.68 lakh hectares including 15.8 lakh hectares of paddy, 7.5 lakh to 8 lakh hectares of groundnut and 6 lakh hectares of cotton. Two doses of Covishield gives 94% protection against ICU admission and 77% protection against hospitalisation, says a new study carried out on more than 10,000 healthcare workers at Christian Medical College Vellore. There is, however, no head-to-head comparison with Covaxin because too few individuals received the homegrown vaccine. No deaths have been seen in vaccinated healthcare workers but one demise was reported in the unvaccinated group. The only staff member who died since the beginning of the pandemic had multiple co-morbidities and had not taken the vaccine, said the study. The research paper has been released on a preprint server and is yet to be peer-reviewed. Read more: How Kerala attained overutilisation of Covid vaccine Among 7,080 healthcare workers who completed two weeks after two shots, the vaccine protects 77% of them from hospitalisation, 92% from requiring oxygen and 94% from hospital admission. The protective effect of vaccination in preventing infection was 65%. Even with a single shot the protection against hospitalisation, oxygen therapy and ICU admission was 70%, 94% and 95% respectively. The protective effect to prevent the Covid-19 infection was 60% with a single shot. Vaccines are working well! They are good against infection and great against severe disease. Here is the first data from healthcare workers at CMC Vellore, tweeted Gagandeep Kang, Indias foremost vaccine expert and a professor at CMC, who is not associated with the study. The hospital vaccinated 8,991 staff (84.8%) between January 21 and April 30. 2021. A majority (93.4%) received Covishield while the rest got Covaxin. Some of them got only one shot so far because of the increased spacing between the two doses of Covishield. Subsequently, the CMC researchers analysed incidences of symptomatic Covid-19 infections among health care workers between February 21 and May 19. As many as 1,350 staff tested positive and 32 of them developed an infection within two weeks of the second dose. Protection began even after the first dose. Single dose provided 95% protection from ICU admission. However, note that we don't know what proportion of cases were due to B.1.617.2 (delta variant) or B.1.617.1 variant or wild type, said Priya Sampathkumar, chair, infection prevention and control at Mayo Clinic, USA. Our study corroborates these studies that vaccination is protective, although we did not look at the variants responsible for the massive second wave, said team leader Joy Mammen, a professor at CMC. Even as many states chose to restrict movement to reduce stress on the healthcare system, we realize that future waves can at best be prevented or at worst mitigated through aggressive and widespread vaccination. While more than one crore healthcare workers received the first dose of the vaccine, less than 70 lakh received the second dose till Thursday, even though vaccination for the healthcare workers began five months ago as they were the priority group. The Centre has now asked the states to expedite the second dose vaccination for healthcare and frontline workers. Swarthmore, PA (19081) Today Thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 72F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 72F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Editor of Town Talk, News & Press of Delaware County Call me wife, mom, daughter, granny, writer, neighbor, sister, aunt, editor, Godmother, niece, friend, acquaintance, co-worker, cousin, news junkie, diva, funmeister... call me them all, just call, text or e-mail me-- especially when there's "a scoop!" North West Migrants Forum launched the inaugural 'Advancing Race Equality Awards' at an innovative Covid safe ceremony in Derry this week. On Wednesday, June 9, North West Migrants Forum, in association with Belfast Multi-Cultural Association, launched the first ever Advancing Race Equality Awards in Northern Ireland. The Awards showcase the outstanding work being done to tackle racism, advance racial equality and justice across Northern Ireland. The ceremony which was held at the City Hotel Derry, welcomed some of most inclusive organisations and racial equality influencers in northern Ireland to honour 28 individuals and organizations that have taken concrete action to advance racial equality, inclusive behaviours, racial justice, and fairness in all aspects of community and public life. Among those honoured were Blathnaid ODonnell, a Black Lives Matter protestor fined by the PSNI on June 2020 who was recognised for her courage speaking up against systemic racism and PSNI disproportionately policing of the Black Lives Matter protests in Derry and refusing to pay the fine, Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty International, Phoenix law solicitors, Alliance 4 Choice and Committee on The Administration of Justice (CAJ) for their role in advancing racial justice and fairness after the 6th of June 2020 Black Lives Matter Protests. PSNI inspector and president of the National Black Association Andy George received an award for his courage in speaking out against Institutional racism in the PSNI. Eamon McCann and Bernadette McAliskey (below) were honoured with the first ever Racial Equality Lifetime Achievement award recognizing their decades long commitment to human rights, equality, racial justice and their inspirational progressive activism. Cllr Shaun Harkin and Gerry Carroll MLA were also honoured with an Anti-Racist Champion of the Year Award; An award that recognises an individual who has gone above and beyond in the course of their work, service, passion and use their privileges to challenge systemic racism and actively take steps to address racial inequalities in Northern Ireland. Lilian Seenoi- Barr Director of programme at NWMF said: We are thrilled to be working alongside our trusted partners to launch The Advancing Race Equality Awards. The first of its kind to recognise the outstanding work being done within our communities to tackle racial inequalities and advance peace and racial justice in Northern Ireland. "It's been a tough year for so many racialised people, particularly those who were involved with the Black Lives Matter protests on 6th June 2020, so we were excited to host an event that will show our appreciation for our peers and allies and, hopefully give everyone a reason to celebrate what we have achieved so far. "Hate crime and racial attacks continue to increase in our city and region. At the same time the impact of the Coronavirus has amplified structural racial inequalities, in multiple domains including employment, health, education, policing and housing. "With racial equality barely mentioned in the New Decade New Approach programme for government, we want to showcase the outstanding work being done by ordinary people and commend those courageous individuals using their privilege and platforms to speak out against racism and stand up for minority rights in Northern Ireland. Muhammad Atif spokesperson at Belfast Multi-Cultural Association commented: Our organisation stands alongside the many organisations in Northern Ireland who are fighting against racism and making our cities more welcoming and inclusive for everyone. "Together, we stand united against racism and committed to the work that must be done to dismantle the systemic discrimination that is still a lived reality for too many people in Northern Ireland. "The Advancing Race Equality Awards will be held annually to honour people and organizations that set an example through their work contributing to reconciliation, human rights, overcoming of racism and harnessing a truly inclusive society in Northern Ireland. Further details on Awards categories, nomination and the online application can be found on the North West Migrants Forum website. If you would like to provide support for the awards, please contact North West Migrants Forum via email info@nwmf.org.uk A security alert in the Waterside area of Derry has ended after a suspicious object found in the area this morning was examined and declared a hoax. Residents who were forced to evacuate their homes in St Brecan's Park in the Top of the Hill area as police and the bomb squad worked to make the scene safe have returned to them. Those responsible have been condemned. Deputy Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Christopher Jackson, said he was 'disgusted' to learn of people being forced to leave their homes. Cllr Jackson, a Sinn Fein councillor for the area, added: These actions achieve nothing but cause disruption and misery to local families and have no place in our community. Speaking to Derry Now at the scene, SDLP councillor for the area, Sean Mooney, said: I have just taken the opportunity to speak to police and they say some disruption has been caused in the area. The device is supposed to be in a car. The technical team are here now. Councillor Mooney added: I would like to condemn the actions of those who have brought this on the community. The community don't want this any more and I call anyone with information to bring it forward to police. Appealing for information, PSNI Inspector Farren said: "I want to thank the public and, in particular, those impacted by the alert for their cooperation. I also want to appeal to anyone who has information about this incident, or who saw or heard anything suspicious in the area, to call us on 101 and quote reference number 593 of 12/06/21." Inspt Farren said a report could also be made online using the PSNI's non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/ . He added: You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/. Three women are appealing for support for their swimming fundraiser in memory of Foyle Hospice founder Dr Tom McGinley. The hardy trio of Liz Havlin Wilson, Kathy Donaghey and Jane McGinty, are planning to swim ten miles in ten days at ten of their favourite Donegal beaches, including Culdaff, Shrove, Leenan, Ned's Point, Moville, Ludden, Rathmullan, Marble Hill and Portsalon. Jane said: To mark the 30th anniversary of the opening of the Foyle Hospice In Patient Unit, Liz, Kathy and I thought we would undertake a fundraiser this summer, for this fantastic organisation. When Hospice founder, Dr Tom McGinley, who was originally from Gaoth Dobhair, passed away earlier this year, his son Ciaran asked people to complete a memorial ten mile challenge by June 21, to raise much-needed funds for the Foyle Hospice. "Ciaran has said he is 'pushing hard' to reach his 10,000 target and we would love to help him to achieve that. The swimming challenge got underway yesterday. The three friends, who first met while taking part in a ladies try-a-tri event in Derry City in 2017, are undertaking the challenge to raise much-needed funds for hospice which has helped countless families all over the North West. The trio are year-round sea swimmers and have trained hard for their feat of endurance. Kathy said: We would love people to give what they can to this hugely worthy cause. We will list the times and dates of our swims closer to the time so if anyone would like to join us for a section of the swim or to shake buckets on the beach, they would be most welcome. The swim will take in a number of Inishowen beaches including Culdaff and Stroove but will also see us venture further afield to west Donegal to complete the unique challenge. Jane, a lecturer at South West College in Fermanagh and Tyrone, a runner and camper van enthusiast, said completing the challenge would be dependent on the current Covid-19 restrictions being eased. Liz, a mortgage arrears advisor, mother of three and grandmother of three, asked people to make a donation at their Just Giving page: Seas the Day. Journalist and lecturer, Kathy, said she was looking forward to the event as a positive way to celebrate the life and achievements of Dr McGinley, while helping the Foyle Hospice. Child labour robs children of their childhood: Ayushmann Khurrana, Celebrity Advocate for UNICEF India Youth icon and Bollywood star Ayushmann Khurrana is a thought leader who is aiming to bring constructive, positive changes in society with his progressive, conversation starting entertainers. Ayushmann, voted as one of the most influential people of the world by TIME Magazine, has been recently appointed as UNICEFs Celebrity Advocate for their global campaign EVAC (Ending Violence Against Children). On World Day against Child Labour, young Bollywood star Ayushmann Khurrana is highlighting how this practice is a total violation of child rights and must be stopped immediately. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ayushmann Khurrana (@ayushmannk) Ayushmann says, Child labour robs children of their childhood and is a complete violation of their rights. COVID-19 has made children, especially girls and migrant children more vulnerable, exposing them to greater risks. Closure of schools, increased violence at home, death of parents, job loss within families is driving children to child labour. According to the 2011 Census of India, there are 10.1 million economically active children in the age-group of 5 to 14 years (5.6 million boys and 4.5 million girls). Children in the informal unorganized sector, including domestic work, largely remain invisible and are therefore not fully covered in official data. They are employed as they are cheaper to hire and pliable to the demands of the employer and not aware of their rights. The COVID-19 health pandemic and the resulting economic and labour market shock is having a huge impact on peoples lives and livelihoods. Unfortunately, children are often the first to suffer. What began as a health crisis has taken the form of a full-fledged humanitarian/socio economic crisis and an even greater crisis for children. School closure has disproportionately affected children who already experience barriers in accessing education; including children with disabilities, students living in remote locations, children of migrant workers, or those whose families who have lost income because of job loss. Many children do not access to online education or smart phones. Thus, for many, this crisis has brought limited or no education, or falling further behind their peers. Children in such poor and disadvantaged households are now at a greater risk of dropping out of school and being forced into child labour, child marriage, or falling victim to trafficking. Economic downturn due to lockdowns and other COVID preventive measures have led to significant job losses. This, in turn is expected to adversely impact the lives of the most vulnerable children. As parents and caregivers fall sick or die, children are forced to take over part of their roles, including domestic work and earning responsibilities. Child caretakers, especially girls are more exposed to risks of disease contraction by looking after sick relatives and at higher risk of dropping out of school and getting into unpaid child work. Ayushmann and UNICEF have come together to prevent exploitation of children and is urging people to take cognizance of such issues. He says, Join hands to prevent this from happening. Advocate for social protection schemes for the poorest families; Highlight that all children should safely go back to schools when they re-open; Dial ChildLine 1098 if you see any child in distress. Katrina Kaif opens up about post Covid recovery, says she's 'going slow and trusting your body's healing process' Actor Katrina Kaif says returning to her fitness regime after recovering from COVID-19 was a slow and steady process. The 37-year-old Bollywood star had tested positive for the novel coronavirus in April. In an Instagram post on Saturday, Kaif said after testing negative she decided to let her body heal at its own pace. "Back at it, Post covid I've had to be patient with myself in terms of getting back to exercise - you have to go at your own pace and listen to your body, you have good days and then days when you feel exhausted again. Going slow and trusting your body's healing process and giving yourself time. Step by step, she wrote. See the post here: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Katrina Kaif (@katrinakaif) On the work front, Kaif is awaiting the release of Rohit Shetty-directed "Sooryavanshi", opposite Akshay Kumar. She also has the third installment of "Tiger" franchise with Salman Khan, a movie with Sriram Raghavan that would also star Vijay Sethupathi and Gurmmeet Singh's supernatural-comedy "Phone Booth" in the works. Nusrat Jahan flaunts her baby bump in her latest picture, confirms pregnancy rumours For the last few days, Nusrat Jahan has been all over the news. It was being said that the actress is expecting her first child and when her husband was contacted, he made a revelation that they have been separated for a long time. However, it now looks like the pregnancy rumours can be put to rest as Nusrat's picture flaunting the baby bump is out. A picture of the actress and politician with other stars of the Bengali film industry is going viral. In the picture, Nusrat is seen flaunting her baby bump as she poses with Srabanti Chatterjee. It is being said that the actress is in the second trimester and the baby is due in September. See the picture here: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hindustan Times Bangla (@htbangla) Nusrat Jahan had married a businessman Nikhil Jain in 2019 in Turkey. The actress has recently claimed that their marriage is not valid since it was done as per Turkish Marriage Regulations and does not adhere to the Special Marriage Act of India. She also added, "The one who claims to be rich and been used by me has been taking money from my account by accessing my bank accounts illegally and by illegitimate means at odd hours of the night, even post-separation. I have already taken this up with the concerned banking authority and a police complaint shall be filed shortly." Statement by Ambassador Byrne Nason at the UNSC Briefing on Cooperation between the EU and the UN Statement Thank you, Mr President, I would like to welcome High Representative Borrell today and to thank Mr Borrell for his thought-provoking intervention. We are really delighted to have you with us, Mr. Borrell. Mr President, The EUs firm belief in multilateralism and its strong commitment to the UN, are born of its own lived experience of conflict and peacebuilding on the continent of Europe. This is why respect for the principles of the United Nations Charter is actually written into the Treaty on European Union. Today, the UN and the EU work in lockstep as natural partners right around the world to eradicate poverty, protect human rights, and to overcome the global health crisis posed by COVID-19. As a proud member of the EU, Ireland understands the power of cooperation among nations in meeting our common challenges. We believe in it. The harrowing experience of the pandemic has surely taught us one thing: that the power of coordinated action at international and regional level greatly eclipses that of any unilateral response. The EU is the worlds leading development donor, the EU is a key partner of the UN on crisis management. In these roles, the EU demonstrates just how complementary it is with the UN in the way it works and I have to say, more importantly, how it acts. This makes the EU and the UN strong and influential natural partners. The EU has enhanced its capacity to prevent conflict, preserve peace and strengthen international stability and security, in support of the UN. Two new instruments will deliver on that: the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument and the European Peace Facility. The strategic partnership with the UN is a key element for future orientation of the EUs action in Security and Defence. From Kosovo to the Middle East and throughout Africa, EU missions are deployed alongside UN peacekeeping missions or special political missions. Irish experts are seconded to EU missions in Europe, the Caucasus, the Middle East and Africa, while members of the Irish Defence Forces participate in Missions and Operations in Mali, Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the Mediterranean. We are proud, together with our EU partners, to have supported mediation and peace processes in Colombia, Afghanistan, Georgia, the Philippines and Mozambique. As EU Special Envoy for the Peace Process in Colombia, Irelands former Deputy Prime Minister, Eamon Gilmore, has represented the EU while bringing the lessons learned from Irelands own peace process to the table. The EU works closely with many partners around this table in the Security Council in support of international peace and security we work a member of the Middle East Peace Process Quartet; facilitator of the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and as coordinator of the JCPOA. Ireland, as Facilitator for Resolution 2231, will assist this Council in upholding this important, key agreement. Mr President, I believe that this Council should encourage and welcome this cooperation and utilise the EUs support for the UN where we can. We welcome the trilateral cooperation between the UN, the EU and the AU, as well as UN cooperation with the OSCE and ASEAN. These partnerships play important roles in addressing issues that concern all of us: encouraging dialogue, respect for human rights and humanitarian assistance. The partnerships play a role in seeking peaceful solutions to the crises in Myanmar and in Ethiopia; they play roles in support of peaceful, inclusive, democratic and time-bound transitions in Mali and in Chad. Mr President, Despite this good work, of course many challenges remain. We need to make real and tangible progress on delivering on the Women, Peace and Security agenda. We strongly support the really valuable UNEU Spotlight Initiative on eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls. We urge that WPS remain at the core and one of the EU-UN priorities on peace operations and crisis management for the next period. We see that as fundamental. We are committed to ensuring that we address climate related security risks where relevant in our prevention and peacebuilding work across the EU and the UN. Another area we see scope for greater cooperation is in improving mission transitions. Peacekeeping must be linked to peacebuilding in order to disrupt cycles of violence, prevent conflict and to sustain the peace we are trying to instil. Cooperating closely, we can ensure that mission transitions take place in a responsible, coordinated and graduated manner, responsive to the specific needs on the ground. We certainly believe there is scope for enhanced EU-UN coordination on peacebuilding and on the valuable UN Peacebuilding Fund. Finally, Mr President, The multilateral system must deliver in response to COVID-19 by building back better that almost sounds like a cliche but what it means is debt relief, it means equitable access to vaccines, it means access to sustainable financing, it must include green recovery to meet the existential challenge of climate change. On that we are very clear. The EU has a pivotal role to play on all of those issues and more. I know it will continue to show its trademark dedication, generosity and focus in delivering on such critical goals. Thank you. Previous Item | Next Item Google is without any doubt one of the top search engines in the world and it knows that a large number of people rely on its platform to search their queries or to find stuff online. This realization makes Google work harder to bring new changes on its products however sometimes some new changes aren't liked by the public no matter how good intentions the company holds.Something similar happened during mid-June 2020 when Google released a new update for the Chrome 85 . With the update the browser stopped showing the full address of websites in the URL box. This means that any website or webpage that users went onto, they didn't get to see the complete details of the webpage they were on. Users were however able to see the complete web address once they clicked on the URL box.Google Chrome users showed a very big dislike towards this particular feature. Users said that they hate this new feature, one user said that the new feature is like a car that doesn't show you the meter reading once it goes above 40mph. Apart from that with this feature user were not able to tell the difference between two pages of the same website as it showed only the websites name.Users also believe that this feature decreased the possibility of them detecting any malicious behavior on the websiteChrome didn't give a public explanation for this change but earlier this year in a design document, Google's software engineer said that it was a design change which was made because users sometimes full addresses can make it harder for users to see if the current site they are using is safe or not.With all the complaints and criticism on this new feature, Google has finally decided to change things and bring them back to normal.Google have now decided not to cut down the web addresses in the URL box. In a recent update by chromium a web developer announced that the experiment of making cutting down the URL didn't go really well, which is why they have stopped it.The change is now already made in the Chrome 91 and users won't have to do anything extra to view the whole web address. This change surely does solve a big problem for Chrome users.Read next: Google Chrome's updated Send tab to your device feature will make switching from one device to another super easy Take Five - This is your final free article during this 30 day period. Stay in touch with all of the news. Sign up today for complete digital access to The Daily News-Record. ADA [ndash] Jesse G. Denslow, 93, of Ahloso, passed away Saturday, June 26, 2021, in Shawnee. He was born to Leslie Earl Denslow and Poca Vanderpool Denslow in 1927 in Scullin, Oklahoma, "a wide place in the road". He claimed that his secret to long life was that he never drank, never smoked Here are the upcoming Louth Library events: Historian in Residence - Wednesday 16th of June at 7:30pm Join Louth Library Service as our Historian in Residence, Dr Thomas Tormey, gives a talk on Bernard OHanlon and his part in the Battle of Brunswick Street in 1921 as well as tying the event into the national narrative. Bernard OHanlon was from Dundalk, County Louth but died in Dublin in March 1921 during the War of Independence. He was an IRA Volunteer and was attached to the 3rd Battalion, C Company, Dublin Brigade. When auxiliaries attempted to raid the Battalion HQ at 144 Brunswick Street, Dublin which is now Pearse Street Bernard and some other volunteers engaged them in a fire-fight. He was later found dead along with his revolver, at just c. 18 years of age. To sign up for the talk follow the link: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/ bernardohanlontalk Rhyme and Sign Storytelling With Clever Little Handies Tuesday 22nd of June at 11am Rhyme and Sign storytelling session via zoom funded by the Community Resilience Fund. Free for parents with babies and toddlers from newborns up. Numbers are limited so booking is essential. Email libraryhelpdesk@louthcoco.ie to book. Work Matters Event Volunteering a Stepping Stone to Employment Wednesday 23rd of June at 11am Join Volunteer Louth for this virtual workshop exploring the benefits of volunteering for the jobseeker. Places are limited so booking is essential.Email libraryhelpdesk@louthcoco.ie to book. Introduction to Scratch Coding with Aoife - Wednesday 23rd of June at 6:30pm Scratch is a programming language and an online community where children can program and share interactive media such as stories, games, and animation with people from all over the world. As children create with Scratch, they learn to think creatively, work collaboratively, and reason systematically. In this virtual workshop for parents find out the basics on Scratch to support your child in their Scratch experience. Places are limited so booking is essential. Email libraryhelpdesk@louthcoco.ie to book. If you are finishing school after the Leaving Cert or as an early school leaver, it can be difficult to know what your next step should be. However, there are plenty of options out there for you, and its worth taking time to consider all of them before you make up your mind. Some students will exceed their expectations and others will be disappointed with their results. It is important that students do not panic. Regardless of your Leaving Certificate results and CAO points, there is a route for everyone towards their chosen career path. CAO Vacant Places If you do not receive an offer from the CAO, you can check out the list of vacant places on the CAO website under the heading Available/Vacant Places. These are programmes which have not received sufficient applicants to fill the number of places on offer from the college in question. People who have not applied to the CAO may make an application online for a vacant place. If you have applied already, you simply go into your record in the CAO website and place the vacant course at the top of your CAO application list (free of charge). Post-Leaving Certificate Courses (PLC) Students apply directly to PLC courses. Minimum academic qualifications for these courses are normally five passes at Leaving Certificate. These courses are designed as a step towards skilled employment and are closely linked to industry and its needs. A PLC course will provide you with an excellent opportunity to gain entry to a university or an Institute of Technology, as it will allow you to apply again to the CAO the following year, presenting the result of your PLC course as your method of entry. Many students who earn distinctions in their exams can progress on to higher education. Private Colleges There are a number of private or independent colleges, which apart from offering courses through the CAO also offer programmes for which students may apply directly to the college involved. Many of these courses are validated by bodies outside the State, such as universities in the UK. UCAS Clearing Clearing is how UK universities and colleges fill any places they still have on their courses between July and September each year. It's an ideal way for you to find another course, and is similar to the CAOs Vacant Places. Studying abroad More and more Irish students are going abroad to study. Many third level institutions across mainland Europe are struggling to fill their courses. Entry requirements are very reasonable, programmes are taught in English and the fees are surprisingly low. Even as late as August there are still places available on courses in countries such as the Netherlands, France, Sweden, Spain, Italy and Norway. The quality of your education combined with an international experience will impress local and global employers. More information at www.eunicas.ie/ Apprenticeships Students who have reached the age of 16 years and who have, as a minimum obtained grade D in any five subjects in the Junior Certificate, are eligible for an apprenticeship. An Appenticeship comprises on-the-job training with the employer and of-the-job training in a Solas Training Centre or the local Education and Training Board. You can apply directly to local firms for an apprenticeship. Readers Survey As our valued readers, we want to hear from you. Please take a moment to fill out the survey below. - Thank you, Eastern Arizona Courier Click Here Claremont, NH (03743) Today Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. North Andover, MA (01845) Today Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to cloudy skies after midnight. Low 71F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to cloudy skies after midnight. Low 71F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. BMCC to hold a fourth presidential forum A last-minute addition to the finalist pool means Luca Lewis of Whatcom Community College became the fourth candidate for Blue Mountain Community College president. Blue Mountain on Tuesday, June 8, announced the board of education decided to add Lewis to the finalist list after learning on June 7 the selection committee also recommended him. Lewis has spent the past six years as the vice president of student services of Whatcom Community College in Bellingham, Washington. Prior to that, he worked in other administrative positions across Washington, including stints at Edmonds College in Lynnwood and Bellevue College. A BMCC press release highlighted his role in starting the WCC Dismantling Racism and Advocating for Justice Endowed Lecture Series and participating in a nationally recognized documentary. Like the other finalists before him, Lewis will take part in a virtual community forum on Monday, June 14, 5:20 - 6 p.m. Community members can access the forum by visiting bluecc.zoom.us/j/91493173780. Gary Lewis is the author of Bob Nosler Born Ballistic, Fishing Central Oregon and other titles. To contact Gary, visit www.garylewisoutdoors.com. A fresh study from Christian Medical College, Vellore on vaccinated healthcare workers suggests that the risk of infection among fully vaccinated HCWs was significantly lower when compared with unvaccinated HCWs. The data of this study as shared by the researchers states that two doses of Covishield gave the said HCWs 65 per cent protection against infection, 77 per cent against hospitalisation, 92 per cent against the need for oxygen treatment and 94 per cent against the need for ICU care. The paper states "the only staff member who died since the beginning of the pandemic had multiple co-morbidities and had not taken the vaccine". "Out of 10,600 employees in CMC, 8991 staff (84.8 per cent) got the jab between January 21, 2021, and April 30, 2021. A majority (93.4 per cent) received Covishield, and the remainder, Covaxin," said the research team. The vaccination with two doses reduced hospitalisation need for oxygen therapy and ICU admission. The protective effect of vaccination in preventing infection, hospitalization, need for oxygen and ICU admission were 65 per cent, 77 per cent, 92 per cent and 94 per cent respectively. Within the period of February 21 to May 19, approximately 1350 staffs were tested positive on RT-PCR, the median (interquartile range) age was 33 years (27-41) whose female/male ratio was 3:2. The median time from the first dose to the development of infection was 77 (62-89) days which coincided with the second peak in India during April and May 2021. 33 HCWs developed infection within two weeks of the second dose of vaccine. Among fully vaccinated HCWs 679 (9.6 per cent) developed infection 47 days (34-58) after the second dose. The risk of infection among fully vaccinated HCWs was significantly lower when compared with unvaccinated HCWs. However, "subgroup analysis on the efficacy of the two vaccines was not possible due to few HCWs receiving Covaxin." They mentioned that "some HCWs (17 per cent) could not take the second dose, initially due to vaccine shortage and subsequently despite vaccine availability, due to changes in guidelines on the interval between doses." Effingham, IL (62401) Today Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Chief Minister attends British-Irish Council summit in Northern Ireland The Chief Minister Howard Quayle MHK and Minister for Education, Sport and Culture Dr Alex Allinson MHK attended the 35th summit of the British-Irish Council, held in Northern Ireland on Friday. A communique was issued following the summit: The heads of delegation were welcomed by the Northern Ireland Executive First Minister, the Rt Hon Arlene Foster MLA, and the deputy First Minister, Michelle ONeill MLA. Priorities for COVID-19 recovery and latest political developments Ministers discussed the impact of COVID-19 across Member Administrations, and reflected on approaches to recovery that were sustainable and which addressed the potentially long-lasting impacts. The Council discussed areas of coherence across Member Administrations in relation to recovery, and in planning for potential future impacts of COVID-19. Ministers also discussed the latest political developments across their jurisdictions, and noted the recent elections held across a number of administrations. Ministers provided an update and engaged on a number of topics of mutual interest, including the EU-UK relationship. Future of the British-Irish Council Ministers took the opportunity to reflect on the period since the establishment of the British-Irish Council, and how the Council had evolved to adapt to a changed context. Ministers considered a number of potential developments which further develop the role of the Council to respond to new and emerging trends and challenges, continuing its objective of positively strengthening links and relationships between the people of these islands. BIC Secretariat The Council noted the Secretariats 2020/21 End of Year Report and welcomed the publication of the Councils Annual Report for 2020/21. Next summit meeting The Council noted that the next BIC Summit would be hosted by the Welsh Government. Howard Quayle to recieve CBE in Queen's Birthday Honours The Chief Minister Howard Quayle is among three people from the Isle of Man named in the Queen's 2021 Birthday Honours List. The Hon Robert Howard Quayle CBE An MHK for 10 years and as Chief Minister since 2016, Howard Quayle has lead the Island through an exceptionally challenging period. He served the Island by keeping close to, and retaining the confidence of, the UK Government during the BREXIT negotiations. During the response to the COVID-19 pandemic he built consensus within the Council of Ministers, implemented emergency regulations in the early stages, guided the lockdowns when necessary and oversaw the vaccination programme. As Chief Minister he has devoted himself to the tasks in hand and lead from the front throughout his time in office. For services to the people of the Isle of Man, Howard Quayle is made a CBE in The Queens Birthday Honours List, 2021. Mr Christopher Sharpe MBE Mr Chris Sharpe has dedicated his time and expertise to gather, and highlight to the world of ornithology, knowledge of the Islands distinctive birdlife. Over 25 years ago he founded the Manx Bird Atlas charity and 11 years later published, to critical acclaim, the first bird atlas in the world at its level of scientific vigour and detail. After converting the charity to Manx Birdlife, he gave special focus to the Ayres, encouraging the owners of worked out gravel pits to convert them into a bird reserve. The reserve and surrounding area attract migrating and breeding birds including ducks, grebes, gulls and waders, including Arctic Terns breeding at the Point of Ayre. Chris Sharpe is awarded an MBE in The Queens 2021 Birthday Honours List for services to ornithology on the Isle of Man. Mrs Joan Marilyn Cannell BEM Mrs Marilyn Cannell has spent a lifetime supporting music on the Island. In various guises, she has been much involved with the Guild for over 50 years. As well competing as a pianist, she was an official accompanist for years. Even in retirement she continues to compete, winning composition, verse and public speaking classes at the 2019 Guild. Throughout the year, she supports music and drama projects such as the Cloidryn drama group in Ramsey and the Isle of Man Choral Society, and is a willing volunteer at events across the Island. Her talents extend to church organist and preacher, Manx Radio contributor, school governor, and supporter of the Kirk Michael Community Housing Association and Cannan Court home. For her long service to the community of Kirk Michael and the Isle of Man, The Queen has recognised Marilyn Cannell with the award of a British Empire Medal in the Birthday Honours List, 2021. Event marks 60 years since Hailwood's first TT triumph By Chris Cave - Local Democracy Reporter One of the most iconic riders in TT history is being celebrated at a special event at the Grandstand this weekend. Today (Saturday) marks 60 years since Mike Hailwood claimed his maiden victory around the famous Mountain Course. Regarded as one of the greatest racers of all time, he went on to win a total of 14 races at the Isle of Man TT. Fans and bike enthusiasts are able to share stories and view replica machines at the Hailwood Centre, named in his honour, between 12pm and 4pm. Douglas councillor Stephen Pitts said the event is an excellent idea to honour the achievements of a true racing icon. He said: I used to marshal and remember his comeback. He was an excellent rider and I think this will be an excellent event and is well deserved. Hailwoods first win at the TT came in the Lightweight class in 1961, topping the podium 13 more times before his last victory in the 1979 Senior TT. He died in a car crash two years later at the age of 40. No sharing of Isle of Man patient data says Government Patient information from the lsle of Man will not be included in a project by NHS Digital to collect patient data in England for planning and research purposes. Island residents can be reassured that their data is safely ring-fenced from the project, and they do not need to take any action. The Manx Government has confirmed that the GPDPR initiative (general practice data for planning and research) applies to GP practices in England only. The position is highlighted after concerns were raised about the collection of patient data for a central NHS digital database from September 2021, under legislation which allows the UK Secretary of State for Health to do so. Patient data held by GPs in the Isle of Man is managed in the bespoke EMIS healthcare records system, and operates so that only the surgery and the patient can see the information. The system has enabled Patient Access, a free, digital facility which allows people to make GP appointments, order prescriptions, check test results and view their own information via a mobile or home computer. While Patient Access in the Isle of Man mirrors systems in the UK, it is entirely separate. Access to GP records is on an opt-in basis for which the patient gives their explicit consent. Josephine Smith Lively Davis passed away June 27, 2021, at the age of 83 at her home in Decatur, Alabama. A celebration of life will be at Ridout's-Brown Funeral Home on Friday, July 2, 2021. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. to noon. Funeral services will follow in the chapel at noon with Cha Glorieta Adventure Camp counselor Kole Linville, of Kentucky, trains on a zip line on Friday, May 21, 2021, in Glorieta, N.M., before campers arrive. The 3,000-bed camp outside Santa Fe opened up at a third of its normal capacity under pandemic restrictions after being closed last year. Campers and staff will be kept in pods of 10 or less, wear masks outside their sleeping quarters, and eat outdoors to prevent outbreaks. Apple has limited the scope of legal requests in light of a political dust-up. The company told Reuters that it recently capped requests at 25 identifiers each after the Trump-era Justice Department subpoenaed Apple for information on at least two House Democrats. The New York Times reported that the DOJ targeted Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell, plus their aides and family members, in a 2018 bid to find the sources behind stories of Trump associates contacting Russia. The requests were sweeping. Apple said one subpoena from February 2018 demanded 109 identifiers, 73 of them phone numbers and the rest email addresses. The tech firm stressed that it never provided emails or pictures, and that it didn't show the times or recipients for messages. Apple added that it couldn't determine the nature of the investigation from the request. The current Justice Department has promised to investigate the subpoenas and other requests to see if the Trump DOJ had abused its powers. It's not clear how the US government will respond to a ceiling on identifiers. However, the revelations might fuel tech companies' calls for greater transparency on government requests. It can sometimes be difficult to tell when officials are misusing their authority. In theory, more transparency would catch violations sooner and hold governments to account. When Assassin's Creed Valhalla new expansion comes out this summer, it will allow players to relieve the Siege of Paris, Ubisoft announced at its Forward E3 event on Saturday. Historically, the 845 CE event culminated with the Vikings occupying the city and doing what they did best, plundering it for all it was worth. How the event will unfold in Valhalla, we'll see, but Ubisoft promised the DLC will include new weapons, gear and abilities for players to discover. Additionally, The Siege of Paris will see the return of a fan favorite feature: black box infiltration missions. Leaning into the franchise's sandbox roots, these will give you an objective to complete, but how you go about accomplishing it will be up to you. Come this fall, Ubisoft will also release a new Discovery Tour for Assassin's Creed Valhalla. The company said the educational software will be free for all Valhalla owners. The AC team redesigned the experience to allow you to play as people from the era so that you can get an idea of what life was like in the Early Middle Ages. For the first time, Ubisoft also plans to support an AC game beyond its first year of availability. The company said it's working on more expansions it plans to release next year. Enid, OK (73701) Today Mostly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Mostly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. Hyper-populism riding on welfare schemes along with a polarised campaign on religious lines paved the way for the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliances return to power in Assam. As the new government resumes office, it remains to be seen if it will continue its emphasis on polarising issues such as reverification of National Register of Citizens and ban or focus on larger issues like the Covid-19 pandemic, flood and erosion that continue to hamper the states development. The three-phase elections to the Assam legislative assembly returned the incumbent National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to power. The NDA comprising of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and a new partnerthe United Peoples Party Liberal (UPPL) formed by the ex-president of the All-Bodo Students Union (ABSU) Pramod Bodowon 75 seats and comfortably passed the majority number of 64 seats in the house consisting of 126 seats. The UPPL, which won six seats in the assembly elections, had succeeded in winning 12 out of 40 seats in the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) elections held in December 2020 (Sentinel Digital Desk 2021). In this election, the BJP faced challenges from two alliances. The first alliancethe Mahajot or Grand Alliancewas led by the Congress, along with the All-India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI[M]), Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI[ML]) and the newly formed regional front Anchalik Gana Morcha. The Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF) joined this alliance only a month before the elections. The second alliance that entered the election fray consisted of two regional parties, the Asom Jatiya Parishad (AJP) formed by ex-All Assam Students Union (AASU) leader Lurinjyoti Gogoi and the Raijor Dal formed by jailed leader of the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), Akhil Gogoi. Both these regional parties were formed against the backdrop of an anti-CAA (Citizenship [Amendment] Act) agitation that rocked the state in 201920. The regional parties claimed to provide a third front to the voters of Assam. The Mahajot could manage 50 seats while the newly formed parties performance was dismal. Only Raijor Dal President Akhil Gogoi could win from the Sivsagar constituency. The reallocation of taxing rights and a new global minimum tax are major inflexion points in tax reforms. A joint communique issued by the finance ministers and central bank governors of the Group of Seven (G7) countries, after their meeting in London in the first week of June, took most people by surprise. This was mainly because of the strong support they extended to the efforts of the Group of Twenty (G20) and Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. The G20OECDs efforts involve the twofold objective of tackling the tax challenges arising from the globalisation and digitalisation of the economy, and the adoption of a global minimum tax. In practical terms, this would mean a reallocation of taxing rights on a portion of the excess or residual profits of the largest multinational companies in proportion to the distribution of their market activity across different tax jurisdictions and also an initial global minimum tax rate of at least 15% on them. While the first measure will help countries to potentially mop up between $100 billion and $240 billion of annual revenues lost due to the strategic tax planning of multinational companies, the second one will stop the competition between countries in lowering corporate tax rates and finally end this race to the bottom. Overall, these two measures are rather radical steps that would help, as pointed out by the finance minister, to build more stable tax systems to mobilise sufficient revenues for investing in essential public goods and to tackle any crisis, by ensuring a more equitable sharing of the burden of financing governments by both citizens and corporations. 2021-06-12 Maeci On 12 June, at 16:00, live from the Interport of Nola, a webinar will be held on the subject of The Italian System for the Internationalisation of Companies in Campania. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Luigi Di Maio, together with the key players in the public export support system will take stock of the initiatives and tools put into place to support business internationalisation. The event is organised by the Foreign Ministry in partnership with the ICE Agency and CIS-Interporto Campano. After the opening speeches of the institutional session, the event will feature a round table with the main representatives of the national public system and regional support components. The final part of the webinar will showcase several specific training initiatives of direct interest to SMEs and young entrepreneurs, such as Smart Export a digital academy for internationalisation and Riparti con l'Export (Back to Business through Export). The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Luigi Di Maio, will hold the closing address. The event will be streamed live on this page. Programme Reston, VA (Embargoed until 4:30 p.m. EDT, Saturday, June 12, 2021)--Positron emission tomography (PET) using a 68Ga-labeled fibroblast activation protein inhibitor (FAPI) can noninvasively identify and monitor pulmonary fibrosis, according to research presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2021 Annual Meeting. By binding to activated fibroblasts present in affected lungs, FAPI-PET allows for direct imaging of the disease process. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) causes substantial scarring to the lungs, making it difficult for those impacted to breathe. It is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States, with more than 40,000 deaths annually. A major challenge in diagnosis and treatment of IPF is the lack of a specific diagnostic tool that can noninvasively diagnose and assess disease activity, which is crucial for the management of pulmonary fibrosis patients. "CT scans can provide physicians with information on anatomic features and other effects of IPF but not its current state of activity. We sought to identify and image a direct noninvasive biomarker for early detection, disease monitoring and accurate assessment of treatment response," said Carolina de Aguiar Ferreira, PhD, a research associate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Madison, Wisconsin. In the study, researchers targeted the fibroblast activation protein (FAP) that is overexpressed in IPF as a potential biomarker. Two groups of mice--one group with induced pulmonary fibrosis and one control group--were scanned with the FAPI-based PET/CT radiotracer 68Ga-FAPI-46 at multiple time points. Compared to the control group, the mice with induced pulmonary fibrosis had a much higher uptake of the radiotracer, allowing researchers to successfully identify and evaluate areas of IPF. "Further validation of 68Ga-FAPI-46 for the detection and monitoring of pulmonary fibrosis would make this molecular imaging tool the first technique for early, direct, and noninvasive detection of disease. It would also provide an opportunity for molecular imaging to reduce the frequency of lung biopsies, which carry their own inherent risks," noted Ferreira. "This development will demonstrate that functional imaging can play an invaluable role in evaluation of the disease process." Abstract 10. "Targeting Activated Fibroblasts for Non-invasive Detection of Lung Fibrosis," Carolina Ferreira, Zachary Rosenkrans, Ksenija Bernau, Jeanine Batterton, Christopher Massey, Alan McMillan, Nathan Sandbo, Ali Pirasteh and Reinier Hernandez, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, Wisconsin; and Melissa Moore, Frank Valla and Christopher Drake, Sofie Biosciences, Dulles, Virginia. ### All 2021 SNMMI Annual Meeting abstracts can be found online at https:/ / jnm. snmjournals. org/ content/ 62/ supplement_1 . About the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) is an international scientific and medical organization dedicated to advancing nuclear medicine and molecular imaging, vital elements of precision medicine that allow diagnosis and treatment to be tailored to individual patients in order to achieve the best possible outcomes. McDonald's Corp said on Friday that a data breach in South Korea and Taiwan has exposed some customer and employee information, making it the latest global company to be targeted by cybercriminals. San Antonio, youre not alone. Since being christened back on June 13, 1691, San Antonio, Texas, might be the biggest, baddest and most well-known San Antonio, but by no means is it the only San Antonio. While stories of the Spanish colonialism and a rugged frontier make San Antonio, Texas, unique, the name San Antonio most definitely is not. On ExpressNews.com: Finally Fiesta: San Antonio's citywide celebration is back for a summer fling A search of How many cities are named San Antonio reveals more than 300 places around the world share the name, according to geotargit.com. There are seven other places in the United States and U.S. territories that share the name San Antonio. As the naming anniversary of San Antonio approaches, heres a look at three other places named San Antonio. San Antonio, New Mexico San Antonio, New Mexico, is a little more than an 11-hour drive from San Antonio, Texas, about 90 miles south of Albuquerque. The U.S. Census Bureau lists the population at 11. Thats not a typo. And the Census Bureau also says the entire population of San Antonio is in the 70-74-year-old range. The Land of Enchantments San Antonio is known as the gateway to the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, the winter home to thousands of cranes and other migratory birds. Birders from all over the world flock to San Antonio to catch a glimpse of many of the hundreds of species that call the Bosque home. New Mexicos San Antonio also was the birthplace of hotel magnate Conrad Hilton, who was born on Christmas Day in 1887. Hilton went on to buy his first hotel about 300 miles from San Antonio Texas in Cisco. New Mexicans take their chile seriously the state question is red or green? and in San Antonio a battle has been brewing for decades between The Owl Cafe and Buckhorn Tavern for bragging rights to serving the best green chile cheeseburger. San Antonio, Florida Located about 30 miles from Tampa, San Antonio, Florida, is listed among one of the best places to live by bestplaces.net. This San Antonio's history only goes back as far as the early 1880s. Fewer than 1,500 people live in the area near Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater. The cost of living is less there than other metro areas in Florida. The median household income is a whopping $74,034. San Antonio, Texas is $52,455, according to 2019 U.S. Census numbers. While San Antonio, Texas, is excited about Fiesta, the people of San Antonio, Florida, are looking forward to a festival of their own the annual Rattlesnake Festival. According to Facebook, the festival is an educational family event featuring rattlesnake and other wildlife shows, including a turtle race. San Antonio, Northern Mariana Islands Located on the island of Saipan, the towns Facebook page says its close to the southwestern tip of the island. At one time it was a separate village, but today it is part of other nearby villages. Tourism, with tropical vacationers having dozens of lodging choices, is a mainstay of the economy. Ken Branca A Bexar County Sheriff's Office investigator was fired after he used his work-issued phone to record himself sexually assaulting a woman while she was unconscious, according to dismissal records. Daniel Montelongo, a former Criminal Investigator Division investigator, was dismissed on April 22 for poor job performance, conduct unbecoming of an officer, bringing discredit to the department and more, records show. SHREWSBURY, Pa. (AP) On a recent weekend, drivers stopped at a Pennsylvania Welcome Center, just north of the Maryland line, to take a break on their trips. Cars and trucks whizzed by on Interstate 83. Peter and Jackie Speaks, who were on their way home to Harrisburg, said they recognize the challenge the state is facing with its deteriorating roads and bridges. Theyve heard about plans for tolls to pay for work needed, but they dont know if thats the answer. Jackie Speaks motioned to nearby tractor-trailers parked at the rest stop and mentioned how much harder new tolls would be for the industry. President Joe Biden has proposed $621 billion for transportation in his federal infrastructure bill. It includes about $115 billion for road and bridge repairs nationally. Hopefully the (federal) infrastructure bill will be passed, Peter Speaks said. But even thats not enough for the states needs. Pennsylvania faces an $8.1 billion annual shortfall for interstates and bridges, and overall, the state has $9.3 billion in unmet needs across its state-maintained system, which includes highways, bridges, aviation, railroads, transit and ports. Without a significant increase in federal investment, PennDOT says, it has been forced to take money away from regional projects to help the interstate network. The agency doesnt know yet the details on how the infrastructure money would be distributed to Pennsylvania, but any additional federal funds could help our limited state dollars go farther, PennDOT said in a statement. It would help projects that already are in the works in the coming years. Peter Speaks said its going to take funding from both the federal and state governments to meet the needs. He and Jackie Speaks think that increasing fees, such as for license and registration renewals, might be part of the answer. Heres a look at the different ways the state is looking at raising revenue to fund transportation: Bridge tolling Tolling bridges is one of the short-term solutions, which has already been shared with the public. PennDOT has identified nine bridges around the state eight that need to be replaced and one that requires rehabilitation that could be candidates for tolling to help pay for the work. The department would enter into a private-public partnership with a developer, which would arrange for private financing to design, construct, operate and maintain the structures, said Ken McClain, PennDOTs alternative funding director. PennDOT would collect tolls on each of the bridges to pay back the investment over a 30- to 35-year period. Its similar to a mortgage on a house, McClain said. The buyer borrows money and pays it back over time. For commuters with E-Z Pass, it would likely cost $1 or $2 in each direction to cross the bridges. A truck driver would likely pay between $4 and $6. The plan, however, has drawn criticism from commuters, the trucking industry and legislators, saying it would hurt drivers and businesses. The state Senate recently approved a bill that would stop PennDOTs plan to toll bridges. It was introduced by Sen. Wayne Langerholc, R-Cambria County. The answer for transportation funding cannot just be to raise taxes or fees on the back of hardworking commonwealth residents, he said. The Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association is opposed to the plan, said Rebecca Oyler, president and CEO. If a truck crosses a bridge twice a day, the cost adds up over a year. It sets a trucking company back, she said. The state already is the third-most expensive for trucks to operate in, and more tolls would affect the regional economy. It might be more advantageous for a company to relocate to another state. Transportation solutions need to be fair and equitable not burdensome to the trucking industry, she said. Oyler said during a recent meeting that she doesnt have a problem with giving travelers a choice whether to pay a toll to use an express lane. To tax or toll an interstate thats currently free, thats currently a public good that I think we all pay taxes for currently, I dont think that that is fair, especially to those industries like ours that are traveling those roads and bridges that are really going to disproportionately impact them, she said. Howard Cohen, an instructor at Temple University, responded that he thinks it should be discussed whether interstates are a public good. Hes not sure that its good economics or public policy to consider them one. Develop hot lanes on highways If youve traveled to Washington D.C., you might have seen the hot lanes express lanes that allow drivers to get to their destination quicker. PennDOT is looking at this idea for highways clogged with traffic, such as the Schuylkill Expressway, I-81 or I-83. A traditional four-lane highway two lanes in each direction could be widened to six. Drivers would pay a toll to use the new, fast lanes. It could be free for commuters who carpool. Tolling new infrastructure on existing highways would not impact the travelers, as they could still opt to use the free lanes, Oyler said. PennDOT sees this as a mid- to long-term solution. Tolling rush hour on highways Many commuters sit in traffic on congested highways during the morning and afternoon rush. Tolling highways during those high-traffic times looks to influence driver behavior, McClain said. Perhaps drivers will take an alternative route or travel during off-peak hours to avoid the tolls. It would help ease congestion on the highways that need it. Enacting a road user charge One of the long-term options is to charge drivers a fee based on every mile they travel. We feel that the user charge is the only one that can significantly compete with the gas tax in the amount of revenue that it could generate, McClain said. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg has referenced this option several times during speaking engagements, and it marks the first time that the Federal Highway Administration has endorsed it. The federal government might even want to migrate to a mileage-based user fee by the end of the decade. Some states, such as Utah and Oregon, already are piloting road-user charges. Pennsylvania is closely watching that to see how they handle tracking the mileage and invoicing the fees as well as any successes or failures, McClain said. How it might work in Pennsylvania remains to be seen. One way could be through the annual vehicle inspection. Employees at the service station would write down the mileage on the vehicle and send it to PennDOT, which would generate an invoice and send it to the owner, McClain said. Or a GPS on the vehicle could track the miles traveled. Many drivers dont want Big Brother knowing where they are traveling, but the GPS could make the fees more equitable, McClain said. Thats because its unclear whether the Commonwealth could charge drivers for the mileage driven out of state. Or perhaps Pennsylvania could enter into reciprocity agreements on the fees with neighboring states. If the federal government provided some overarching principals and guidelines for the states, it would help. Support for mileage-based fees has grown over the years, according to the Mineta Transportation Institute. In its most recent survey, more than half of Americans supported a green mileage fee, according to a news release. The average fee would be 3 cents per mile. Drivers would pay more or less, depending on how much pollution their vehicle produces. Increasing taxes and fees Another mid- to long-term solution could be increasing taxes and fees. Thats a task that the Transportation Revenue Options Commission is exploring. These could include mileage-based user fees, vehicle registration fee increases, tolling of roads and bridges, and an excise tax on goods that are delivered. What drivers think In the Pittsburgh area, traffic that crosses the I-79 bridges could be tolled to pay for their replacement, widening of the road and reconfiguring the Bridgeville interchange. The project is expected to cost $100 million to $150 million, according to PennDOT. Some say tolls arent the answer for working-class commuters, truck drivers and local businesses, and they hope it doesnt come to fruition. Its just going to hurt everybody, said Chris Sybo, operations manager for Trio Trucking in Sharpsburg borough, Allegheny County. About 87,000 vehicles daily travel on I-79, and about 12 percent is truck traffic, according to PennDOT. Some trucks cross the bridges multiple times a day, Sybo said. Some drivers will avoid the bridges if theyre tolled, causing more congestion on the back roads, said Kevin Super, owner of Super Duper Carpet & Duct Cleaning. The public already is overtaxed, he added. Sybo said he thinks PennDOT needs to tighten its belt. PennDOT has been streamlined over the years, McClain said. It now employs about 11,500 a nearly 50 percent reduction in staff from 30 years ago and uses innovations to implement projects. The agency continues to improve operations to be as efficient as possible, but its not going to be enough to cover the shortfall. Sybo said he knows an easy answer doesnt exist, or it would have been done. A neighbor of his bought a Tesla. Drivers of electric vehicles arent paying their fair share toward the maintenance of the bridges and highways, he said. Lets hope and pray they can come up with a better method, he said. Cinthia Carlos recently stopped at the Pennsylvania Welcome Center along I-83 on her way back to York from Virginia Beach. Carlos said she has no idea how to fix the problem. Good and bad exists in potential solutions. While electric cars will help to save the planet, the shift away from gasoline will mean a loss of jobs, she believes. With a mileage-based fee, she worries that some people will not travel as much, and it will have an impact on tourism. Theyre going to force people to stay home, she said. ___ Online: https://bit.ly/3g2z8hb UPDATE: One person, 25-year-0ld Douglas John Kantor, has died from his injuries in the shooting on Austin's Sixth Street. AUSTIN Police have arrested one man in connection with an early Saturday shooting on Austin's popular Sixth Street that left 14 people injured. A second male suspect remains at large, police said, and authorities are still determining whether both individuals were armed. At least one suspect opened fire overnight Saturday into a crowd of bar-goers in downtown Austin, leaving two in critical condition. No one has died, police said. The incident appeared to be an isolated dispute between two parties. "Most of the victims were innocent bystanders," Interim Chief of Police Joseph Chacon said. "But we're still sorting out all of the victims to see what their involvement is in the case." Several 911 calls came in around 1:30 a.m. from people in the 400 block of East Sixth Street, a crowded bar scene in downtown Austin. Initially, three victims were reported, but it quickly became clear that there were additional people shot, authorities said. Police arrived and started providing emergency medical care, including applying tourniquets and chest seals. "At this moment, we don't have any persons who are deceased," Chacon said. "What became very clear early on in this incident is that our officers responded very quickly. They were able to immediately begin applying life-saving measures for many of these victims." Metro Video The crowds made it difficult for Emergency Medical Services to access the scene, so several officers drove victims to the hospital in their squad cars, he said. Now Playing: Video: OnScene/Metro Video Austin Police are reviewing all videos available and are still investigating motives. "Were going to solve this case, and were not going to spare any resources," Chacon said. Austin Mayor Steve Adler urged witnesses and tipsters to contact police with any information they believe might be relevant. "We are fortunate not to have any fatalities but remain concerned for the two individuals in critical condition," Adler wrote on Twitter. "We are now focused on catching the suspect." The Texas Department of Safety is working with Austin police officers to identify the perpetrator, Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is also assisting, police said. Thank you to APD and first responders for quickly responding to the scene and saving lives, Abbott said. Cecilia and I ask our fellow Texans to join us in prayer for those who were injured. Adler said the "uptick in gun violence" in Austin was part of a disturbing rise in shootings across the country that has erupted as the COVID-19 pandemic wanes. The mayor said the crisis demands a broad, coordinated response from all levels of government. "One thing is clear greater access to firearms does not equal greater public safety," Adler said. We must recommit and double down on efforts locally to reduce violence, reduce the widespread proliferation of guns and save lives, Austin City Council member Greg Casar added. Austin police officers, meanwhile, decried the spike in violence and asked city officials to give the department additional resources and funding. Our patrol officers & detectives stayed extremely busy this morning working one of the worst acts of violence in Downtown Austin, the Austin Police Association tweeted. Austin is no longer the safe, fun and weird city it use to be. Bino Cadenas, a police officer for the city of Austin, said many of his friends had worked the incident overnight and described it as chaotic. The department had activated a city-wide call to respond to the shooting, but staffing levels are at an all time low, he said. We need adequate staffing (100%) for all depts in Public Safety, he tweeted. Scott W. Coleman/Scott W. Coleman for Express-News The Austin City Council voted last year to cut its police budget by one-third amid nationwide calls to defund police departments and reallocate that money to social services. The citys move came as APD faced scrutiny for its use of force against protesters, and after an officer killed an unarmed Black and Latino man in April 2020. State lawmakers have since targeted Austin for slashing the department's budget, approving legislation earlier this year to financially penalize big cities that cut police funds. This session, lawmakers also expanded gun access, passing a so-called constitutional carry law allowing Texans to carry handguns in public without a license. The measure awaits Gov. Greg Abbotts signature. I am angry because the politicians of Texas have failed to keep their constituents safe, said state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, an Austin Democrat. Every day in Texas, 10 people die from gun violence. Yet the Legislature just spent five months making it easier for violent people to get guns. Republicans championing permitless carry have said that the legislation only codifies the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding people, and criminals determined to obtain guns and cause violence will do so regardless of state law. News of the Austin shooting early Saturday shook politicians and gun control activists nationwide, as the country also recognized the five-year anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. On June 12, 2016, a gunman opened fire in the club, killing 49 people and injuring 53 more; at the time, it was the deadliest shooting in the United States. "This morning, Austin has become just the latest American community to wake up ravaged by an act of senseless gun violence," White House spokesperson Ike Hajinazarian said in a statement. "While we pray for the shootings victims and their families and thank first responders for their quick, heroic work we must not lose sight of what this tragedy again makes clear: its long past time for the Senate to pass meaningful gun reform and allow Texans and all Americans to enjoy a night out without the fear of another night of gun violence." Staff writers John Tedesco and Jennifer Radcliffe contributed to this report. The Bexar County District Attorneys Office on Friday filed a motion to voluntarily recuse itself from prosecuting San Antonio lawyer Martin Phipps misdemeanor harassment case, to avoid any appearance of impropriety. Phipps, who is helping represent Bexar County in its ongoing lawsuit against opioid manufacturers and distributors, recently asked a judge to order District Attorney Joe D. Gonzales to recuse his office, alleging a conflict of interest because of the offices own involvement in the litigation. Phipps and his attorney, Michael McCrum, appeared via Zoom in a Friday morning hearing before Judge Carlo Key in County Court-at-Law No. 14. DA Gonzales has decided that out of an abundance of caution and to avoid any appearance of impropriety, the office will be voluntarily recusing from this case, and asks the court to appoint an attorney pro tem for this case, Christian D. Neumann, an assistant district attorney, told the court. The Class B misdemeanor charge accompanied an arrest Feb. 8 by San Antonio Police Department officers after an investigation that Phipps has accused a former law partner of instigating. Phipps was freed on bail and the DAs Office still has not formally filed the charge. The case accuses him of harassing his former employee and ex-wife Brenda Vega, a legal assistant he wed in mid-December. Their marriage ended in annulment a month later. Bexar County Sheriff's Office / Vega told police Phipps confronted her in an aggressive and agitated state, possibly under the influence of drugs, an arrest affidavit stated. The document states that Vega feared for her life, left her personal belongings and flew to Mexico, but that Phipps kept trying to contact her at least 40 times, mostly through text messages. McCrum has disputed the telephone harassment allegations, saying the messages amounted to a husband venting on texts for two days with his wife, and (he) didnt ever contact her again. Key granted the DAs request to pull out of the case and said he would look for an attorney pro tem to prosecute it, setting a hearing in August. Bexar County hired Phipps law firm in 2017 to sue opioid drug manufacturers and distributors that the county alleged were responsible for causing and contributing to local addiction problems. It and another firm filed the lawsuit in 2018. McCrum wanted Gonzales to recuse the DAs office from the criminal case because of entanglements between the DAs Office and Phipps current and former employees, including his former law partner, T.J. Mayes, a prominent San Antonio attorney. Phipps and Mayes had a bitter falling out in January, a meltdown that played out on social media when Mayes quit after working on the lawsuit for a year. Several other employees at Phipps law firm resigned prior to Phipps arrest. Mayes is a former chief of staff to Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff and to Mayor Ron Nirenberg when Nirenberg was a City Council member. ezavala@express-news.net | Twitter: @elizabeth2863 A 35-year-old man fatally shot at a Northwest Side gas station has been identified. Javiel Jesus Gamez died from a gunshot wound to the abdomen during a shooting that occurred around 2 a.m. Tuesday at 5411 Grissom Road, according to the Bexar County Medical Examiners Office. Top hits: Get San Antonio Express-News stories sent directly to your inbox Officers responded to the scene and discovered Gamez in his vehicle with gunshot wounds in his abdomen and leg, San Antonio police said. EMS transported Gamez to University Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, police said. gabriella.ybarra@express-news.net A man was killed in a single-vehicle crash Thursday night in Boerne, the Boerne Police Department said. Police identified the single occupant of the vehicle as Jose Tristan, 40. According to police, 911 dispatch received a call around 10 p.m. regarding a possible intoxicated driver traveling north on South Main Street. Top hits: Get San Antonio Express-News stories sent directly to your inbox Police found Tristan trapped in his vehicle in the 500 block of South Main Street. He had crashed into a bridge railing that crossed over the Cibolo Creek, police said. A Kendall County sheriffs deputy was the first to arrive at the scene and began to administer first aid to Tristan, according to a report. First responders eventually freed him from the vehicle using hydraulic sheers, police said. Tristan was rushed to University Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. The accident is Boernes second fatal car crash this year. Reports of shots fired at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland on Wednesday were not credible or valid, the San Antonio Police Department said Saturday. The base went into lockdown Wednesday after military personnel received numerous reports about potential shots fired at 12:15 p.m. into the base from outside the Valley Hi Gate, Joint Base San Antonio said in a statement. The lockdown was lifted at 3 p.m. that same day. JBSA said the reports had conflicting information. SAPD said details were vague and sparse. On ExpressNews.com: Lackland lifts lockdown put in place after shooters reported Officials could not locate or contact the person who initially reported the gunshots, SAPD said in a report. People in nearby public areas, such as the Oyo Hotel and restaurants, were unaware of gunshots in the area, police said. After searching the area, officers were unable to locate any indication that a shooting had occurred, SAPD said in a statement Saturday. Officers could not find physical evidence of a shooting. No injuries were reported. The Joint Base San Antonio Crisis Action Team and emergency responders worked with SAPD, the Department of Public Safety and the Bexar County Sheriffs Office to search for possible shooters and clear the area Wednesday. Meanwhile, as many as 20,000 trainees, military training instructors and civilians waited inside buildings until the lockdown was lifted. Students and teachers with Lackland ISD had been dismissed before the lockdown, according to Burnie Roper, the school districts superintendent. Staff that were still at the district were in lockdown. JBSA closed its investigation of the incident Friday. liz.hardaway@hearst.com | Twitter: @liz_hardaway Three gunshot victims were transported to the hospital after two separate overnight shootings. The first call came in about 10 p.m. Friday. A resident of the Reserves of Pecan Valley called officers after finding a 22-year-old man covered in blood, according to police. The apartment complex is located in the 4000 block of East Southcross Boulevard on the Southeast Side. The resident told officers he had heard what sounded like a gunshot so went outside. Thats when hefound the man lying near a dumpster with a gunshot wound and calling for help, police said. Emergency medical personnel treated the life-threatening injury before transporting the victim to Brooke Army Medical Center, police said. Officers found shell casings at the scene, but not a firearm. About four hours later, police received several calls for a shooting outside the East Bar in the 800 block of North New Braunfels Avenue on the East Side. Officers arrived at the bar around 2 a.m. Saturday and found two women with gunshot wounds in the road, police said. Both women were transported to SAMMC for treatment. One victim, a 44-year-old woman, was in stable condition. Another victim, a 47-year-old woman, was reported to be in critical condition, police said. Witnesses at the scene provided officers with a vague description of a female suspect. Detectives interviewed several witnesses and tested two people for gunshot residue, police said. Officers found several shell casings in the middle of the road and in a small parking lot nearby, police said. Anyone with information on either incident can call Crime Stoppers at 210-224-7867 or submit an anonymous tip by texting SATIP to 847411. liz.hardaway@hearst.com | Twitter: @liz_hardaway I have a foggy childhood memory of being home sick from school and watching the 1981 movie Skokie. It tells the story of a planned neo-Nazi march through Skokie, Ill., a suburb full of Holocaust survivors, and the Jewish American Civil Liberties Union lawyer, based on David Goldberger, who defended the Nazis on free speech grounds. Little of the film has remained with me except for awe at the ACLUs position. The odiousness of those it defended proved the purity of its devotion to the First Amendment. Ive revered the organization ever since. It would be hard to make a similar movie about Charlottesville, Va., where the ACLU helped an alt-right leader retain a permit to rally downtown in August 2017. In retrospect, part of the reason the Skokie case seemed clear cut, at least to my childhood self, was that the Nazis posed little physical danger to anyone. There were only 20 or so of them, and they were utterly marginal; no leading political figure called them very fine people. The stakes in the Skokie debate were symbolic. In Charlottesville, where a white nationalist riot led to a womans murder, they were life and death. Thinking about the contrast, I can understand why the free speech libertarianism that I grew up with has fallen out of fashion. As the New York Times Michael Powell reported in a recent fascinating article, theres a divide at the ACLU between an old guard committed to an expansive version of free speech and staff members who argue that a rigid view of the First Amendment undermines the fight for racial justice. Powell quoted Goldberger lamenting, Liberals are leaving the First Amendment behind. Goldbergers plaint is overstated. As the ACLUs national legal director, David Cole, wrote in response, the organization continues to defend the speech of people progressives despise, including, in recent years, the National Rifle Association and Americans for Prosperity. Still, its pretty clear theres a generational split over free speech, both in the ACLU and in liberalism writ large. I wonder, however, if this divide could soon fade away, because events in the wider world are conspiring to remind the American left how dependent it is on a robust First Amendment. Civil libertarians have always argued that even if privileged people enjoy more free speech protections in practice, erosions of free speech guarantees will always fall hardest on the most marginalized. This is now happening all over the country. In a number of states, Republicans have responded to last years racial justice uprising by cracking down on demonstrators. As the Times reported in April, during 2021 legislative sessions, lawmakers in 34 states have introduced 81 anti-protest bills. An Indiana bill would bar people convicted of unlawful assembly from state employment. A Minnesota proposal would prohibit people convicted of unlawful protesting from getting student loans, unemployment benefits or housing assistance. Florida passed a law protecting drivers from civil liability if they crash their cars into people protesting in the streets. Meanwhile, the right-wing moral panic about critical race theory has led to a rash of statewide bills barring schools including colleges and universities from teaching what are often called divisive concepts, including the idea that the United States is fundamentally racist or sexist. Some on the left, no doubt, wont see this multi-pronged assault as a reason to uphold neutral free speech principles, because they dont expect such principles to be applied neutrally. Defending the speech of your enemies is obviously no guarantee that any of your enemies will defend yours. Yet as the right-wing attack on left-wing speech accelerates, progressives are likely to discover that the credibility of their defenders matters. In recent years, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education made a name for itself representing people who have run afoul of left-wing orthodoxies on college campuses, filling in what some see as a gap in the ACLUs work. That has left FIRE particularly well positioned to fight bans on critical race theory and other attempts to silence the left. This isnt the first time that the ACLU has been riven over the scope of its commitment to free speech. J. Anthony Lukas wrote about a similar ACLU identity crisis in 1978, spurred partly by the groups defense of the Ku Klux Klan. In a 1994 essay, the ACLU president at the time, Nadine Strossen, took on the accusation that the ACLU is abandoning its traditional commitment to free speech and other classic civil liberties and is becoming a trendy liberal organization primarily concerned with equality and civil rights. So theres nothing new about the left growing weary of sticking up for reactionaries. But in the end, the ACLU has usually, in the teeth of internal conflict, stuck to its mission. Maybe every generation has to learn for itself that censorship isnt a shortcut to justice. Veterinarians and pharmacists may be able to help us with more than our pets and our pills. Perhaps they can also guide America to a society that works better for Americas moms. Women today outnumber men in colleges, in law schools and in medical schools. Yet while women seem better credentialed than men, their careers and incomes have stagnated. Full-time female workers overall get 82 cents for each dollar made by men, and its much worse for those who are well educated. The median pay for female college graduates working full time is only 72 cents for every dollar earned by male equivalents, and the figure has barely budged for 30 years. Women have constituted half of new accountants since the 1980s, but they still make up only 16 percent of equity partners in large accounting firms. Fifteen years after graduating from the University of Michigan Law School, 35 percent of men have made partner but only 18 percent of women. Women continue to feel shortchanged, notes Claudia Goldin, a Harvard economics professor, in a forthcoming book called Career and Family: Womens Century-Long Journey Toward Equity, from which most of the figures here are drawn. They fall behind in their careers while earning less than their husbands and male colleagues. We often assume the fundamental cause of this inequity is old-fashioned discrimination, in the form of chauvinists who pay women less for the same work. It would be simpler if that were true but Goldin cites evidence that while pay discrimination persists, it is not the central problem. Early in careers, women earn almost as much as men, and those who dont have children continue to (mostly) hold their own in the earnings race. Nor is the gap the result primarily of women choosing lower-paid professions, as some claim. That may explain one-third of earnings gaps, not more. The big challenge is that for most women, about 10 years into a career, babies make it much more complicated in jobs indifferent to parenting and that suggests a larger, structural barrier to womens career advancement. Its systemic, Goldin told me. We have to go back to the drawing board and think harder. She argues that without addressing parenting, the solutions bandied about are the economic equivalent of tossing a box of Band-Aids to someone with bubonic plague. When a child is sick, one parent its usually the mom has to extricate from work and rush to the pediatrician. In theory, father and mother could trade off these responsibilities, but then neither would make partner. So in practice the man is often the designated career maximizer, while the woman sacrifices career advancement for the sake of family. Both are deprived, Goldin writes. Men forgo time with family; women forgo career. This made me think of my own family. My wife, Sheryl WuDunn, and I believe deeply in gender equity we wrote a book about it and yet, looking back, I see this was true of us. I was typically the one who flew off to cover coups, leaving Sheryl (who has more graduate degrees than I do) to deal with the kids birthday planning or the bat in the bedroom. But there is hope, and that takes us to veterinarians. It used to be that vets, like top lawyers, financiers and management consultants, often worked long and irregular hours. Dogs triumphed; vet families suffered. But 77 percent of new vets are female, and they have nurtured a system of group and emergency practices that is more family-friendly: If Rover gets sick at night, you take him to a 24-hour emergency clinic. Likewise, the neighborhood pharmacist often toiled long hours and offered personal services. But today you call in a prescription and dont expect to see a particular pharmacist. This allows pharmacists to work much more flexibly, so one-third of female pharmacists in their 30s work fewer than 35 hours a week. By various measures, pharmacy is now one of the most equitable and family-friendly professions in America. And similar flexible practices are reshaping female-dominated fields of medicine such as pediatrics and obstetrics. Could finance or consulting be structured more like this? If a CEO is willing to trust his sick child to an on-call pediatrician, then why not let an on-call CPA handle a weekend accounting question? Im amazed when a lawyer, accountant, consultant or financier makes a case for nonsubstitutability among professionals in his area, but cant answer why delivering a baby isnt the equivalent, Goldin writes. The pandemic was potentially transformative, creating an opportunity for corporations to introduce more flexibility and remote work. Likewise, President Joe Bidens proposals for high-quality day care would be a godsend for parents. Goldin argues that we may be at a turning point, but that will depend on whether men embrace systemic changes that allow the flexibility pioneered by pharmacy and vet practices. The critical step, Goldin advises: Get men on board. And that is why I wrote this column. Rebecca Viagran and Shirley Gonzales walk out of City Hall this week as the longest-serving councilwomen in recent San Antonio history. Viagran and Gonzales representatives of the predominantly Hispanic South and West sides will step down Tuesday as they hit City Councils maximum limit of four two-year terms. Its unclear what their political future holds. In their eight years on council, the two women forged political identities around bringing more public and private dollars to their districts some of the poorest parts of the city, the result of historic discrimination against communities of color leading to high poverty rates and poor public infrastructure. (Gonzales has) been able to broaden the view that if you do well for people in a place like (the West Side), youre really doing well for the city, said Patti Radle, a former West Side councilwoman and outgoing board president of the San Antonio Independent School District. Mayor Ron Nirenberg emphasized his respect for Viagran. Under her leadership, the South Side has risen to become the center of gravity for future economic development in this city, Nirenberg said. Thats where I think you can see the future of this city. On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio could make it harder for big businesses to get city tax subsidies Gonzales and Viagran arent leaving quietly. This week, Gonzales excoriated a North Side councilman for opposing a housing development on the citys majority-Black East Side and accused him of flat-out racism. When another North Side councilman complained that white men would benefit less than women and people of color from city subsidies for small businesses, Viagran shot back that she wished she could give even more. Gonzales has made no secret of her mayoral ambitions though she said she wont challenge Nirenberg, who handily secured a third term in May. If he wins a fourth term, Nirenberg would hold the mayors seat until 2025. Waiting around for four years is a long time in politics, Gonzales said. In the meantime, shes floated possible runs for county judge and county commissioner. Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, whos been in the spot since 2001, has said he wont seek another term next year. Viagran wasnt as forthcoming with her political plans to be expected from a council member whos garnered a reputation for keeping her cards close to the vest. No comment on that, Viagran said coyly when asked about future ambitions. What did they do? Gonzales biggest achievement, observers agreed, was convincing City Hall to adopt an equity lens prioritizing historically underfunded inner-city districts. In 2017, Gonzales argued the city should put more money aside for five urban districts winning $35 million for infrastructure projects. Four years later, the equity approach has spread to all city departments. Kin Man Hui, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer That is to me probably the most progressive movement by this City Council that is about to retire than had ever been done before, said Juan Solis, a former District 5 councilman. It was fully recognizing that all are not equal. But Gonzales anticipates San Antonians wont see the full benefit of the equity budget for decades as long as it took for the citys historic inequities to take hold. Under Viagrans watch, District 3 has drawn some 4,200 new jobs and more than $1 billion in investments, according to the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation. In many cases, businesses received lucrative property tax breaks at the Brooks mixed-use development as well as other subsidies. Her leadership and support of our regional economic development efforts were instrumental in some of our largest and most recent wins, said Jenna Saucedo-Herrera, who heads the foundation. Viagran also is credited for helping secure the UNESCO World Heritage site designation for the San Antonio Missions, making them a destination for international tourists. She sought to beautify and bring upscale development to the areas surrounding the missions though that sometimes brought her into conflict with nearby business owners. Viagrans work on the Missions in part made her an ideal candidate to take over a pair of key leadership positions overseeing the $450 million overhaul of Alamo Plaza, Nirenberg said. On ExpressNews.com: A sense of history: 4D theater, civil rights display at Woolworth Building to bring Alamo to life Together, they backed a reset of the makeover earlier this year when it was stalled over a controversial idea to move the Cenotaph, a 1930s-era monument depicting the Alamo defenders. She, politically, is able to bring people together from different sides of the political spectrum, Nirenberg said. Like it or not, that is one of the challenges of the Alamo project, is getting people with wildly different backgrounds to agree on the importance of the accurate and historical preservation of the plaza and the buildings on it. As one-third of a rare female majority on the council only the second in the citys history Viagran and Gonzales pushed for policies to close the gender wage gap in the private sector as well as the citys own ranks. Gonzales, alongside Councilman Manny Pelaez, spearheaded the citys five-year plan to tackle rampant domestic violence. Still, Gonzales sensed different treatment from her male colleagues. She pointed to a program in her district to paint houses in need of a touch-up. That program ballooned into a vehicle for all kinds of housing repairs and was duplicated in other council districts. District 1 Councilman Roberto Trevino eventually had the idea of repairing roofs for homes that desperately needed it which became the Under One Roof program, which he often touts. Kin Man Hui, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer But Gonzales felt Trevino never gave her credit for building the foundation for him. It always pissed me off about the men not acknowledging the work that the women had done right, she said. While Trevino said he respects his colleague, he credited his Under One Roof program to resident Miguel Calzada, who almost lost his house because of a roof leak. There wasnt a program to help at the time, so they created one, Trevino said. I could not have done it without the community, city staff, my staff, and all of my council colleagues, he added. They inherited a mess Both Viagran and Gonzales have drawn heat for backing policies that displaced residents or, critics said, prioritized housing for wealthier residents over poorer households. I dont think weve seen economic prosperity based on the policies that they helped to support, said Graciela Sanchez, director of the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center. Anxiety over rising property values and the specter of gentrification likely propelled Teri Castillo, a substitute teacher and political organizer, to win the open District 5 seat held by Gonzales, who backed Castillos opponent. Castillo campaigned on a message of protecting the districts cultural identity and not catering to developers. In the District 3 race, voters were satisfied enough to keep the Southeast Side seat in the Viagran family. For the next two years, Viagrans sister, Phyllis, will serve the area. On ExpressNews.com: Runoff wins add to San Antonio City Councils progressive tilt In her first term, Viagran voted for an apartment development that pushed out more than 100 low-income families from the Mission Trails mobile home park on the citys South Side. Later, the development got nearly $2 million in city subsidies for 360 units none of which were considered affordable. Viagran defends the vote to this day, arguing that she worked to provide financial help to the displaced residents. But she acknowledged the incident planted the seed for a greater reckoning over the potential negative effects city policies could have on less fortunate residents. Kin Man Hui, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer Viagran and Gonzales each sat on arms of the San Antonio Housing Trust initially intended to give sometimes century-long property tax breaks to housing developers to build affordable apartments. In recent years, the entities have drawn criticism from housing advocates who said many of the apartments rates are out-of-reach for the citys poorest residents. A city-commissioned report found the nonprofit operated for years with little oversight and little expertise on how to create affordable housing. People like Rebecca Viagran and Shirley Gonzales are happy to go along with it because theyre told, This is going to benefit your district; this is going to make it nice and shiny and beautiful, said Sofia Lopez, a former San Antonio Housing Authority commissioner. Thats not the fault of Viagran and Gonzales, Nirenberg said. San Antonios housing bureaucracy over the years has grown overly complex with little coordination between the citys various housing organizations a problem officials are trying to correct. For their part, Viagran and Gonzales stand by their decisions. The city is in dire need of housing, no matter the price range, they argue and some apartment complexes have revitalized once blighted parts of town. Did some of them spread economic development? Maybe, Viagran said. Did some not? Maybe, but we were still providing the housing. Now, activists are fretting about the planned renovation of the long empty Lone Star Brewery and the potential rise in nearby property values that could force longtime residents out of their homes. Gonzales voted for a $24 million subsidy package to help finance the project a proposed mixed-use development with housing, restaurants and offices. I wouldve expected a councilperson to handle that proposed development and the $24 million giveaway with more sensitivity for her constituents today versus the ones that she, I think, hopes are moving into that area, Lopez said. To Gonzales, the developments are a way to relieve the citys entrenched economic segregation and keep well-off households in the neighborhood. The West Side had more mixed-income areas in the mid-20th century before decades of flight to the suburbs, she said. Theres no reason why we also cant have luxury spaces, Gonzales said. On ExpressNews.com: City Council approves $24 million worth of subsidies for former Lone Star Brewerys redevelopment She downplayed concerns of any immediate effect on property values stemming from the development. Gonzales expects construction to take years. In that time, the city can help homeowners secure tax exemptions. Having a blighted, abandoned property is much more concerning for the constituents than the rising property values, Gonzales said. For now, Gonzales has the West Side pawnshop she owns to run and three young children to raise while she weighs any future political moves. Early Thursday afternoon, Viagran, was mum on whether she had lined up another gig. Later that afternoon, Texas A&M University-San Antonio officials announced they had hired Viagran in a newly created role as director of workforce development and community partnerships. jfechter@express-news.net | Twitter: @JFReports Two months ago, the notion of Texas building a wall along the Mexican border was practically a nonstarter among Republican state leaders. A bill to revive former President Donald Trumps flagging effort was quashed in the Texas House, never discussed in the Senate and left out of Gov. Greg Abbotts policy priorities for the legislative session. With well over 100,000 illegal immigrants crossing the open Texas border last month, I dont understand how this isnt a top priority, state Rep. Bryan Slaton, a freshman Republican from Royse City, lamented to a conservative news outlet in April, saying House leaders had refused to give his border wall bill a hearing. Now the proposal is front and center for the party. Abbott vowed Thursday to pick up where Trump left off, even if the logistics remain elusive. The governor said he would provide a full plan next week. The announcement has raised immediate questions about how the governor would pay for and carry out a task that the former federal administration had struggled to complete. On Friday, the Biden administration revealed that Trump had spent up to $46 million a mile on some segments of the wall. IN-DEPTH: How Gov. Abbotts three-pronged border plan escalates clash with Biden The Trump administration finished about 450 miles of construction, almost all of it repairs to existing barriers. Most of that work was done outside of Texas, where crossings are more difficult given the remote terrain. Abbott said in a radio interview Friday he envisions at least some of the money would be crowdsourced, a strategy used during the Trump years that became mired in allegations of fraud. The Legislature has already approved a record $1.1 billion in funding for border security over the next two fiscal years to cover the costs of state trooper patrols. The only available state dollars are about $11 billion in the rainy day fund, or nearly $16 billion in federal stimulus that is set to be allocated this fall in a special legislative session. The federal funds, however, have a number of strings attached to them, and its unclear whether the House and Senate would agree to use those dollars for the wall. Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University, said the payoff for Abbott may be more in selling the idea than completing it. Its hard to see what the governor is intending here in policy terms, he said, noting that the governor is preparing for what could be a difficult primary challenge from Republicans as he seeks re-election next year. One of his opponents, former state Sen. Don Huffines, has already pledged to finish building the border wall. It may be about politics, at least as much as it is about public policy, Jillson said. Another fight over land along the Rio Grande? Much of the land along the border in Texas is privately owned. That means the state would have to either buy it or seize it via eminent domain something the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas argued the state doesnt have the authority to do. The ACLU represents three South Texas landowners whose land the Trump administration sought to take to build the wall. The Trump administration sparked more than 100 such legal battles in Texas as it sought to acquire land for the border wall. These properties are extremely significant to people theyre often family homes or peoples livelihoods and theyre tired of fighting, said David Donatti, an ACLU attorney. Even the threat of this construction is sort of another blow to border communities who have been under assault for many years, despite being very safe. TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox In the radio interview, Abbott said there would be "two layers" to his project, including a barrier on the "immediate border," using state and private land. He said after his announcement he had met with hundreds of private landowners with property along the border, and that many of them were eager to "get this done." I asked for a show of hands, and there were too many hands for me to be able to count, he said, without clarifying what he had asked specifically. Donatti noted that the federal government not the state controls national lands and relationships with neighbors, including Mexico, meaning it regulates any activity on the Rio Grande. He said the Trump administration was able to waive federal environmental and other rules that the state of Texas wont be able to avoid likely running up the costs and slowing progress significantly. And the U.S. Supreme Court has been clear that the federal government supersedes state governments on matters of immigration. If you have the Biden administration saying this is not the policy solution and you have Texas counteracting that, under our federal system, the federal government wins, Donatti said. That interplay will be important to watch. Editor's Note: This story has been updated to clarify Abbott's remarks about border landowners. Cayla Harris contributed to this report. jeremy.blackman@chron.com ben.wermund@chron.com ATHENS, Greece (AP) Greeces prime minister said Friday that his government is willing to back the European Unions positive agenda for relations with Turkey, signaling a further easing of tension between the neighboring countries. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is due to meet Monday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Brussels. Counting the dead is an onerous and necessary task. And, at the end, theres still the living to be reckoned with. As we struggle to assess the true impact of the pandemic in terms of deaths and chronic illnesses, one could be forgiven for overlooking an area of concern: childrens mental health. Dealing with death on such a vast scale is bad enough. Theres also, however, the isolation that these kids have suffered through the lack of contact with their friends and classmates. And, of course, The Big Bad: the fear that this virus will come for them or their parents next.From the father of a six-year-old boy comes this: There was a recent scare with my father-in-law (living 500km away) having a fever for a few days. While waiting for the test results, we were wondering if one of us should drive there and take care of him. My son overheard us and started crying that neither of us should go because he didnt want us to catch corona. It took a lot of convincing to tell him that we were only planning and nothing was sure yet.Another 12-year-old boy, according to his mother, comes and hugs her whenever she sits quietly by herself. Who died, Mama, is his inevitable question. He has become insecure and clingy, his mother says. An eight-year-old girl living in Mumbai has, according to her mother, become obsessed with death. Her grandfather succumbed to COVID-related complications recently, and, since then, the little girl has been drawing images of the old man, bedridden, mask in place.Paranoia, insecurity, confusion and the after-effects of prolonged isolation: these are common ground amid these disparate stories. In bittersweet movies like Life is Beautiful and Jojo Rabbit, there is an element of fabulism in the way information is withheld and/or manipulated to protect the psyches of young children. Today, in the internet era, this is no longer a realistic option. Children above the ages of 12 or so, especially those with ready access to the internet, form their own conclusions, and parents have to find a way to communicate without being patronising.For Anil, a parent from Ludhiana, this meant explaining to his nine-year-old son why people shouldnt be celebrating Holi this year. We watched some YouTube videos together that explained what coronavirus was, how it spreads, its impact on the world. He was initially upset, but he understood why people couldnt celebrate as usual this year. One America-based NRI mom spoke about how her 13-year-old daughter was keeping track of COVID-19 fatalities, especially after things started getting really bad in the US. Instead of stopping her, I asked her to update me. And I chose to stay away from the news. It gave her a sense of control and a sense of contribution to the family in the pandemic.Another mother, who lives in Bengaluru, spoke about the questions her children a daughter in standard four and a son in standard five posed to her: What is this virus? How will it affect the body? Why do I have to wear a mask? When can I go outside? When can I go to school? Even though the children were familiar with the concepts of death and bereavement, the stress got to them after a while. In the middle of a long stretch of life under lockdown, they began to cry. I had to make up stories, take them to the terrace to show them the stars, the moon, and reassure them. Had to tell them again and again, we are safe, we are together now, and lets make the most of it, she says.Managing a childs fears while making sure their development as secure adults isnt stalled thats the tightrope parents are currently walking. Theres the very real fear that, with some children, the impact on their mental health could well be long-term. And, while there are limits to what parents can do to limit the damage, most people I spoke to agreed that being rigorously honest was crucial, even if the truth feels too much to stomach sometimes.You have to treat them like equals and not little people that you own, said an Indian-American parent. NRI parents spend too much time cultivating obedience and respect for the elderly, etc, in their children, often at the expense of their own interests. Ive told my kids that they dont have to hug elders or touch their feet and so on if they dont feel safe.As we wait for the COVID dominos to stop falling, wed do well to remember that our children are inheriting a world ravaged, its fundamentals called into question. The least we can do is to make sure they have all the help they need, as they set about negotiating the much-loathed new normal. Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release SubCategory Select Sub-Category Shah Rukh Khan and Tom Hiddleston have been making headlines for mentioning each other in their social media posts. While Tom mentioned SRK in a promotional video while he was asked about Bollywood, the B-town superstar sent good wishes to Tom through his social media for his film. Tom plays the semi-villain character of Loki in Marvel films. In a recent interview with a leading news channel of India he revealed his fondness for King Khan and his film Devdas. Talking about it, he said, "I remember it was quite a long time ago now. I remember going to see Devdas. I mean that's quite an old film." He added: "I remember I going to see that at my local cinema, and it was such an extraordinary film. I would say I have never seen anything like that. So, yeah I remember that very much." Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 11, 2021) - NEO Battery Materials Ltd. (TSXV: NBM) (OTC: NBMFF) ("NEO" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding ("MOU") with South Korean silicon powder manufacturer, Korea Metal Silicon Co., Ltd ("KMS"), to pursue strategic opportunities for the advancement of low-cost, scalable silicon anodes through leveraging the developments in silicon technologies from both parties. Under the terms of the MOU, NEO will closely engage with KMS to collaborate with the intent of pursuing solutions to remove the cost bottleneck associated with nanosilicon powders and to develop manufacturing capabilities to mass produce low-cost nanosilicon powders at a scalable and commercially viable level for NEO's proprietary silicon anodes. The agreement would help accelerate NEO's commercialization plans of its silicon anode technology. Korea Metal Silicon Co. has developed their unique, lean manufacturing process for over 15 years to provide cost-effective silicon powders that ranges from nanosilicon for lithium-ion batteries to polysilicon for semiconductors and solar-powered equipment. KMS has been building a record of securing commercial supply contracts for its silicon powders for over 20 companies located in South Korea and Japan. Additionally, KMS is engaged in multiple joint development agreements with established South Korean and Japanese companies to develop its silicon manufacturing process. "We are very pleased to have entered into this MOU with NEO," said Jong Oh Choi, CEO of Korea Metal Silicon. "It is a demonstration of the versatility of our nanosilicon powder and our proprietary manufacturing process which is both scalable and commercially viable. This relationship opens the door to bring cost-effective silicon anodes to the electric vehicle market." "KMS's refined and scalable technology will expedite the development of our silicon anode technology, which will allow us to reach the next stage of innovations and enable commercialization in a shorter timeframe," said Spencer Huh, CEO of NEO. "Leveraging the unique technologies of both parties will lead to synergies that will improve battery performance and sustainability and fulfill dire industry needs." Golden Silica Mining Work Initiation NEO is pleased to announce the commencement of the mapping and sampling program on its two wholly owned silica projects south of Golden, British Columbia. The program should take two to three weeks with the samples sent to Bureau Veritas Minerals where they will be analyzed to confirm the percentage of silicon in the quartzite samples. The samples will be analyzed by 32 element inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy to confirm the purity of the silicon analysis. While the field program is in process, other possible sources will be examined and staked. Based on the results of the mapping and analyses, the Company will examine the possibilities of using ground geophysics to map the strike of the quartzite units where they are covered by overburden. NEO has also engaged with Proactiveinvestors North America Inc. ("Proactive") to provide investor relations services through increased market awareness, investor portal, and digital marketing services to the Company. The agreement is for a 13-month term for a fee of $22,500. Proactive is one of the fastest growing financial media portals in the world, providing breaking news, commentary and analysis on publicly-listed and pre-IPO businesses. About Korea Metal Silicon Co., Ltd. Korea Metal Silicon Co., Ltd. is a manufacturer and supplier of MG-Si powder, which is the raw material of polysilicon, special alloy, and organic silicon. The company leverages a proprietary cost-effective process to produce a wide range of silicon powder materials. KMS is devoted to continuous research to increase the product competitiveness and to supply customers with superior silicon products. About NEO Battery Materials Ltd. NEO Battery Materials Ltd. is a Vancouver-based resource company focused on battery metals exploration in North America. The Company is focusing on developing silicon anodes through nanocoating an ion-conductive elastomer layer, which provides improvements in capacity and efficiency over lithium-ion batteries using graphite in their anode materials. The Company intends to become a silicon anode materials supplier to the electric vehicle industry. 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. 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 This news release includes certain forward-looking statements as well as management's objectives, strategies, beliefs and intentions. Forward looking statements are frequently identified by such words as "may", "will", "plan", "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "intend" and similar words referring to future events and results. Forward-looking statements are based on the current opinions and expectations of management. All forward-looking information is inherently uncertain and subject to a variety of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, including the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development, fluctuating commodity prices, the effectiveness and feasibility of technologies which have not yet been tested or proven on a commercial scale, competitive risks and the availability of financing, as described in more detail in our recent securities filings available at www.sedar.com. Actual events or results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements and we caution against placing undue reliance thereon. We assume no obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements except as required by applicable law. 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/87368 Beijing, China--(Newsfile Corp. - June 11, 2021) - On June 4th, the first day of the Bitcoin 2021 conference, Jack Dorsey, Michael Saylor and other big names gathered in Miami to share their views on the application of Bitcoin and the computing power industry and future development. Figure 1 To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7987/87378_d5a740d364197918_001full.jpg Figure 2 To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7987/87378_d5a740d364197918_002full.jpg SAI's North America market advisor Larry Li was invited to attend and delivered a speech in the morning. He said, "Through clean energy to empower the computing power track, use computing power to improve social efficiency, and use technology to achieve a green circular economy are the new ecology of the future integration of energy technology and finance. This new ecological model is sustainable, available and innovative, which is the origin of the name of SAI." The following is the speech delivered by Larry Li: Use clean energy to empower the entire computing track Figure 3 To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7987/87378_d5a740d364197918_003full.jpg Hello everyone, I'm Larry, the Northern America advisor of SAI. SAI was established in 2019 and is positioned as a clean energy and computing operator who uses clean energy to empower high-performance chips. First of all, I would like to thank the organizer for the invitation and letting me have this opportunity to share my views on the impact of clean energy on the field of Bitcoin mining. Looking at the entire bitcoin industry track, it can be divided into two tracks, one is the trading track, and the other is the mining track. On the trading track, there is a relatively high degree of attention to exchanges, and the key word is compliance. The successful IPO of Coinbase as a compliant exchange is of extraordinary significance to our industry. On the mining track, the key word nowadays is clean energy. Clean computing power provided by clean energy is in line with the direction of social ESG development and greatly improves economic benefits. Many companies have already taken action, such as ArgoBlockchain and Square. First of all, I would like to introduce SAI to you. We have been committed to solving the energy cost problem of computing since our establishment. Our mission is to allow everyone to use cleaner computing power, electricity and heating services based on Sustainable, Available and Innovative technologies. Tesla is the world's first vertically integrated renewable energy company, from electricity production to storage to consumption. When Elon Musk defined Tesla, he used a very simple structure, which is "clean energy + cars". At present, Tesla's market capitalization ranking has entered the top ten, and it is also the only company in the top ten market capitalization list with clean energy as the core concept. The core structure of SAI is "clean energy + chips", dedicated to solving the energy cost problem of computing and making computing power clean, sustainable, and cost-effective. SAI is committed to become the world's first horizontally integrated clean energy technology company, from computing to electricity, and to heating, which is empowered by clean energy to serve customers around the world. SAI has four main business segments in terms of clean energy: SAIHEAT , SAIWATT , SAIBYTE , and SAICHIP. Figure 4 To view an enhanced version of Figure 4, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7987/87378_d5a740d364197918_004full.jpg SAIHEAT, by providing the server with "water cooling + waste heat utilization" technology, we collect the waste heat generated by computing and reuse it, which can greatly reduce the electricity cost, and replace the traditional heat source to provide clean heat services at the same time. SAIHEAT is based on chip energy technology to realize waste heat recovery and energy secondary utilization, open up computing power, electricity, and heating links to reduce costs and improve energy efficiency. The traditional heating system has been transformed and added a SAIHEAT series chip waste heat heating cabinet. Thus, it can solve many problems such as the replacement of the traditional heating system heat source and the high heating energy cost of heating enterprises. Taking a planting base in western China as an example, the local heating area is 16,000 square meters, and the cost of SAI's transformation is about 15 million yuan. We can actually save nearly 30 million yuan per year. Within half a year, the technology has been put into operation in multiple locations, with a total heating area of more than 10 million square meters, reducing the heating cost by 35% and 67% of the initial power investment. SAIWATT is to utilize more efficient clean generators and storage transmission technologies to develop clean power consumption scenarios such as hydropower, waste gas power, photovoltaic power, etc., as a computing energy supply to achieve peaking and consumption in the clean power market. After more than two years of development and preliminary accumulation, SAI has reserved more than 2 million kw of abundant low-cost clean energy resources. SAIBYTE, establish a "computing power cloud service + Energy Internet of Things" network system to provide more cost-effective, clean and sustainable computing power, which can boost economic growth through cloud computing and internet energy. SAICHIP, SAI researches and develops high-performance chips made of new material and technology. We are aiming to break through the limitations of manufacturing processes on chip performance and the production capacity on the growth of computing power. At present, SAI mainly provides SAIP.LUS and SAI.RUN services to customers. SAI.PLUS provides more cost-effective computing power hosting and leasing services. We can realize one-stop full-process configuration and management of BTC mining assets. We have a wealth of computing power and energy asset-side resources, and have excellent management capabilities. We can help customers purchase high-quality computing power assets in a short time, and provide lower-cost management operation and maintenance services to increase customers' revenue. In the future, self-built clean and sustainable computing power service, that is SAI.RUN, will also be launched. The customers we serve are mainly Chinese and overseas large funds. Use computing power to improve the efficiency of the entire society Figure 5 To view an enhanced version of Figure 5, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7987/87378_d5a740d364197918_005full.jpg Why did we choose to enter the energy track of the computing industry? Twenty-five years ago, the American scholar Nicholas Negroponte asserted in his book "Being Digital" that "Computing is no longer just about computing, it will determine our survival." Through our own in-depth research and analysis, SAI has proved that it actually matches an evolutionary logic. Looking back at the development history of the three industrial revolutions, you will find that the energy efficiency of the entire society is getting higher and higher. In this process, the energy efficiency improvement process in the carbon-based world (that is, the physical world of human real life) can be understood as the improvement of atomic energy efficiency. For example, sending our paper letters from one city to another requires energy to move atoms, and the cost may be quite high. But in the silicon-based world, more value can be delivered through electronic mobility, such as WeChat and WhatsApp, which are fast, efficient, and low-cost ways of delivering information. Similarly, the transfer of value in the silicon-based world can also become more efficient through the global network of digital finance and crypto assets. What are the core costs of computing? Miners are very familiar with these costs, which are chip and energy costs. If you stretch the timeline, you will find that energy costs will account for a greater proportion. Logically speaking, computing can be understood as a process of entropy reduction from a physical point of view, that is, to turn disordered data into order. Therefore, there must be energy input to complete this activity. In other words, there is basically a one-to-one correspondence of how many chips are needed and how much energy is consumed and how much computing requirements. Thus, we will see that whether it is traditional computing, such as Amazon or advanced computing like Bitcoin mining, computing is based on energy and requires a large amount of energy. Therefore, solving energy costs is becoming more and more important to the computing industry. Combined with our accumulated experience in the energy industry and our knowledge of Bitcoin mining market, we have summarized our own development strategy. First, looking at the current market situation, it can be divided into two dimensions: value chain and industrial chain. On the side of the value chain, we divide computing into two categories: traditional computing and advanced computing. According to public data, traditional computing is expected to grow to a market size of almost $1.56 trillion by 2025, while advanced computing may grow to over $3.12 trillion. The traditional IDC industry contributes about $10.9 billion in electricity bills every year. While Bitcoin, Ethereum and other mining and crypto supercomputing contribute nearly $6.2 billion in electricity bills every year. According to the data, computing types such as Bitcoin and crypto supercomputing have taken a short period of about ten years, and have reached one-half of the scale of traditional computing, and the growth rate may further accelerate. In terms of industrial chain, the focus on computing energy had been relatively low before. According to incomplete global statistics in 2020, about 5% of the total global electricity generation in 2020 was used for computing. However, according to official forecasts, 15% to 25% of global electricity generation by 2030 will be used for computing. In other words, among all the global electricity generation, the computing industrial electricity consumption will rank in the top two in the proportion of the entire electricity industry. The electricity consumption of the computing industry will increase, which is also in line with the evolution of the entire society. Because of the common mission of carbon neutrality, traditional industries are now paying attention to the replacement of fossil energy and the promotion of clean energy. In the computing industry, more and more people are also concerned about whether the computing power uses clean energy, and whether the process of generating computing power is clean and sustainable, and whether it meets the requirements of environmental friendliness and sustainability. Therefore, we will see that in the energy link of the computing industry chain, on the production side, wind power, hydropower, and photovoltaic power will gradually replace thermal power. On the consumer side, water cooling, energy storage, electricity consumption, and electricity adjustment are getting more and more attention. The second link in the industry chain is infrastructure, that is, data centers. According to incomplete statistics, the load of traditional computing in China is about 23 million kilowatts. According to the crypto computing power of the entire network, the advanced computing load is about 10 million kilowatts. The demographic dividend of traditional computing has gradually disappeared, and advanced computing is still growing, and there is an exponential growth trend. In the chip sector, the ASIC field has a significant lead. The mining machines of big companies such as BITMAIN use the most advanced chip manufacturing process. For CPU and GPU, due to the influence of factors such as the international situation and production capacity, development will have some limitations. In the algorithm link, advanced computing still has the leading advantage of continuous iteration based on the scale of data. In addition, in the user link, advanced computing has a lot of room for growth at the user level. After all, there is a huge demographic dividend. Use technology to realize low energy consumption and green ecology Figure 6 To view an enhanced version of Figure 6, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7987/87378_d5a740d364197918_006full.jpg This is the computing and energy center of SAI. Through our clean energy-based SAI computing and energy center, combined with water-cooled waste heat utilization technology and power absorption technology. We reduce computing power costs by about 30% for computing power customers. Meanwhile, we reduce the cost of heating power, and save electricity investment. This allows SAI to reduce the costs of our three-party partners in computing power, electricity, and heating, and our profit margin has greatly increased at the same time. In the future, SAI will establish such computing and energy centers around the world to provide services to more customers. Finally, I would like to introduce the original intention of SAI. SAI represents "Sustainable, Available, Innovative". SAI hopes to use our own efforts to reduce computing power, electricity and heating costs through technology, which are the core costs of the silicon-based world operation. We aim to provide sustainable computing power and heat services based on clean energy to form a green circular economy and truly realize the vision of Make World Better. Media contact Contact: Sai Sai Company Name: Beijing SAI Technology Co., Ltd. Website: https://sai.tech/ Email: service@sai.tech To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/87378 This is a news report from chinadaily.com.cn. BEIJING, June 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As the Communist Party of China celebrates its 100th birthday this year, a young American communist is traveling around China to find out how the CPC works. Many of the people Ian Goodrum talked to on his journey mentioned the country's people-first philosophy, which has played a key role in the CPC's century-long march to success and greatness. "Since its founding, the CPC has been representing the interests of the people," said Chen Shuguang, a professor from the Party School of the CPC Central Committee. President Xi Jinping has said the goal of the CPC is to meet people's aspiration for a better life. With this goal in mind, the CPC always stays in tune with the people's most urgent needs. Most recently, in the COVID-19 fight, China has put people's lives and health before anything else. "'The people' we say here has a very broad meaning. It includes everyone, especially the vulnerable like senior citizens, children and the poor," said Tao Wenzhao, deputy dean of the School of Marxism Studies at Renmin University of China. Tao also compared the people-first concept to Western notions of "freedom". "It seems some countries give consideration to people's 'freedom', and treat everyone as equals when it comes to anti-virus polices," Tao said. "But in fact, the rich people have much more options while the poor, though enjoying 'freedom' as it seems, fall into a helpless situation since they have neither money nor power." As part of its efforts to treat all fairly and equitably, China provides COVID-19 patients with free treatment. All COVID-19 patients, confirmed or suspected, receive subsidies from state finance for any medical bills not covered by basic medical insurance, serious disease insurance or the medical assistance fund. Additionally, China gives COVID-19 vaccines to all citizens free of charge. A grassroots Party chief also mentioned what the experts focused on. When asked why the CPC remains resilient after 100 years, Liu Yuguo, Party chief and head of Dongliuzhuang village in Beijing's Tongzhou district, said: "Because the CPC always puts people first." This concept has been seen throughout the CPC's history. Isabel Crook, 105, has witnessed much of that history personally. As one of China's oldest foreign friends, Isabel has spent most of her life in China. One example her son Michael recalled was in the assignment of living quarters of a newly-built building. CPC members were called on to choose rooms with northern exposure, meaning less warmth or light. "So the Party was not fighting for privilege. Quite the reverse, it was offering, it was taking the hardship," Michael said. Throughout the Party's history, members have stepped up to fight the difficult battles before anyone else. Whether repelling invasion, alleviating poverty or facing down natural disasters, Party members are the first to rise to the challenge. The CPC is driven by its original values, not by personal gain or profit. That's one key to its continued success. Goodrum learned this and more during his travels. Check out this video for more details: https://youtu.be/6ZeEoh6bwTE Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1531297/Ian_Goodrum_traveling_China.jpg On June 10, the Fifth Forum on Laozi Culture was held at Hangu Gate in Lingbao City, Henan Province, China, the place where Laozi wrote Tao Te Ching This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210612005028/en/ (Photo: Business Wire) At 8 o'clock in the morning on the 10th day of June, the guests invited to the forum arrived in the Gate Tower Square at the Hangu Gate, with bamboo slips of Tao Te Ching in their hands. The actors in ancient costumes playing the roles of Junxi, an officer at the frontier pass, and of soldiers, opened the gate to the pass and greeted the guest. The guests entered the Hangu Gate and climbed a height to gain a view of distant places, looking back on the story of Laozi writing Tao Te Ching here, and they marked the occasion by writing signatures one after another on the wall, visited the library of Tao Te Ching, experiencing on site the classic charms of the "famous name, famous pass, and famous works." Then, as the dance "Purple Mist from the East" and the feature film "Tao Te Ching Going from the Yellow River to the World" were performed, the forum was officially started, with 200 students, together with the guests, reciting classic chapters of Tao Te Ching At the forum, such experts and scholars as Chen Guying, Wang Zhongjiang, and Zhan Shichuang made wonderful speeches on the topics of "important contribution and far-reaching influence of Laozi culture on Chinese philosophy and eastern wisdom", having jointly presented a cultural feast of Laozi Culture, Chinese Philosophy and Eastern Wisdom through a dialogue between China and the world. As an international cultural event, the forum on Laozi culture has been successfully held four times before. The fifth forum was on the theme of "Laozi Culture Chinese Philosophy Eastern Wisdom" Laozi, surnamed Li, firstnamed Er, styled Dan, was born in the late Spring and Autumn Period. As an ideologist, philosopher, litterateur and historian, he is the founder and main representative of the Chinese Taoist school. According to Historical Records by Sima Qian, Laozi wrote the Tao Te Ching at Hangu Gate in Lingbao City, Henan Province. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210612005028/en/ Contacts: Ms. Bai Yang Tel: +86133-3385-6762 AutoRABIT, a Pleasanton CA-based provider of Salesforce release management platform for regulated industries, raised $14M in funding. The $14.5M in new funding is a combination of equity from Full In Partners and debt from Bridge Bank. The company intends to use the funds to further accelerate go-to-market as well as new product development that enable Salesforce customers to accelerate development while enhancing security and compliance. Led by Vishnu Datla, Founder and CEO, AutoRABIT is a provider of Salesforce release management platform for regulated industries, which is used by top development organizations at Anthem, Wells Fargo, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, Intuit, and many others. The companys DevSecOps Platform enables Salesforce development teams to improve the quality of their releases at scale through a suite of CI/CD tools that enable teams to configure, build, test, and manage development environments and deployments. The platform also supports data protection and optimization through a suite of Salesforce DataOps tools that enable development teams to retrieve insights from their own data while ensuring backup and protection. The company recently acquired CodeScan, a premier player in code quality, compliance and security analysis for the Salesforce developer community, to add a code security layer to the existing platform. FinSMEs 12/06/2021 CyGenica, a Pune, India and Cork, Ireland-based biotechnology company, raised a $1.4m seed funding round. The round was led by SOSV, Voyager Health-Tech fund, David Rowan, founder of Voyagers.io, and angel investors Sharaf Yamani, and Sami Mikati. The company intends to utilize the funds to accelerate the development of its drug delivery technology. Led by Dr Nusrat Sanghamitra, Co-founder and CEO, CyGenica provides proprietary technology, which enables safe, targeted and affordable intercellular drug delivery. The technology functions like a universal USB drive. It acts as a nanomachine which can deliver multitudes of cargoes carrying molecular information such as drugs and genetic therapeutics in an efficient, targeted manner without any toxicity and minimum immunogenicity. The company intends to become a key partner of biopharmaceutical companies in the advancement of therapeutics for cancer and rare diseases to improve patients health and quality of life. FinSMEs 12/06/2021 Platinum Equity entered into a definitive agreement with China Tianying to acquire the entire business of Urbaser Group. Urbaser will be an addition to Platinums portfolio of the operating companies headquartered in Europe, fully in accordance with the Platinums strategy to continue investing in this region. Led by Jose Maria Lopez Pinol, CEO, Urbaser is a global environmental management company focused on sustainability and innovation, serving over 70 million people in 25 countries with 50,000 employees. It is currently responsible for cleaning over 8 million kilometers of streets in cities around the world and maintaining 25 million square meters of green space. It operates 133 waste treatment facilities for a total of 20 million tons treated, generates 1,500 GWh of electrical energy from waste and avoided the emission of almost 2 million tons of CO2 equivalent last year. Founded in 1990 and headquartered in Madrid, Spain, Urbaser is active in 3 business lines urban services (waste collection, street cleaning and water management), municipal waste treatment and industrial waste treatment concentrated mainly in Spain, Chile, Argentina and France. FinSMEs 12/06/2021 Tampa, FL (33646) Today A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 72F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Steven Keltner, PA, has practiced in one of Indianas medically underserved and busiest emergency departments for 20 years. He served 10 years as an adjunct faculty member in the Health Sciences Department at of one Indianas premier private universities and 12 years on its Board of Visitors. Paxton, IL (60957) Today Scattered thunderstorms this evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms this evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%. JACKSON COUNTY, Miss. (WALA) -- Skeletal remains found in a swampy part of Ward Bayou in Vancleave, Miss., have been identified 30 years later as belonging to a missing Pennsylvania woman, according to authorities in Jackson County. Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell announced that the woman has been identified as Kimberly Ann Funk, who was born in 1969 in Sharon, Penn. She was identified thanks to DNA evidence and the persistence of cold case investigators, the sheriff's office said. The remains were found on Feb. 1, 1991. Investigators believe the body was there in the swampy woods for up to three weeks before being discovered. Authorities, unable to identify her at the time, referred to the woman only as Jane Doe. Although the case was ruled a homicide, it eventually also became a cold case with no leads. It was in 2012 when Pascagoula Police investigator Darren Versiga, former Jackson County coroner Vicki Broadus and sheriffs investigators began looking at the countys unsolved deaths. A clay model of Jane Doe was sent to the University of North Texas, where the most updated DNA extraction and processing was being conducted. The remains of Jane Doe were transferred to the Mississippi Crime Lab, still unidentified. Investigators say that in 2019 an anonymous donor helped the Mississippi Crime Lab to finance new, updated DNA testing through Othram Inc., based in The Woodlands, Texas. Researchers were able to build a family tree using DNA that could potentially help identify the Vancleave Jane Doe. In March this year, Othram identified a possible brother of the victim in Pennsylvania. Cold case investigators talked with him, and he confirmed that he had a sister named Kimberly, missing since 1990. DNA swabs were collected from him and sent to Othram for comparison. Within two weeks, tests confirmed the DNA a match. Jane Doe was then known to be Kimberly Ann Funk. With her brothers help, investigators learned Funk arrived on the Mississippi Gulf Coast from Houston, Texas, between April and June of 1990. The cold case investigative team is still working to piece together a timeline of her life between April 1990 and the time she was found in February 1991. Anyone with information that could help investigators is asked to contact Jackson County Sheriffs Office at 228-769-3063. Anonymous tips can also be made to Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers or by calling 877-787-5898. Gov. Roy Cooper listens as Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, answers a question during a briefing at the Emergency Operations Center in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper signed an executive order on Wednesday preventing landlords from evicting tenants who are unable to pay their rent.(Ethan Hyman/The News & Observer via AP) Two Minutes After The Kiss: Azman's Debut Fragrance Fragrance Reviews The more we live, the more we know that life is all about special moments, and the more moments like these we collect, the more fulfilled we feel. Fragrance is also a moment in time; something to be experienced within the limits of time and space. Having this idea in mind, Husen Khan launched his own perfume brand in 2016, called Azman. In Arabic, the word Azman means Hours, or Moments. Azman's creator, Husen Khan, was born to an Indian mother (of Afghan and Portuguese descent) and an Indian father born in a remote village close to Goa. Husen had a humble upbringing in Mumbai. So when the destination of Dubai and advertising turned things around for him, he developed an insatiable appetite for luxury, art, fashion, culture and travel. His lust helped him formulate great concepts and win multiple international advertising awards. His career took off and so did he. Traveling to New York, London, Tokyo, Paris, Brussels, Zurich, Milan, and Prague, Husen explored the gilded halls frequented by the high-heeled and learned that theres absolutely no substitute for class. Its during this period of feeding his soul that he formed a great affinity with perfume. He poured himself into its science and sought out the industry game-changers he most admired. Roja Dove, Ben Gorham, Victor Wong and Meo Fusciuni amongst others. Finally, a chance dinner with Frederick Malle saw Husen pack off to Grasse, France, to deepen his knowledge and immerse himself into the art of perfume-making. As the Artistic Director of Azman, Husen now seeks to unfurl his vision by creating new-age scents that will enchant, disarm and convert even the uninitiated. The purpose of Azman is to mix Arabian and French perfumery traditions, aiming for a novel approach in the use of oud and other precious materials from around the world. Alongside award-winning perfumers, Azman's goal is to invent scents which are timeless, meaningful and eternal. The first one, very recently launched, is called Two Minutes After The Kiss, and it was composed by Italian perfumer Cristiano Canali. First of all, I have to give you a full disclosure on this review: I received a sample from Azman, containing Two Minutes After The Kiss, and I was already prepared and predisposed to love it, simply because it was created by a perfumer I admire. I have never smelled anything less than perfect from the hands of Cristiano Canali. So, the expectation was high. Let's keep in mind that he is the author of Masque's Romanza, (the best narcissus fragrance I have smelled to date,) the highly acclaimed Rubini's Fundamental, and the spectacular honey scent for Zoologist, Bee (nominated for an Art & Olfaction Award), among others. He is also one of the finest, most refined, and kindest people you can possibly meet in the niche perfume industry. For Two Minutes After The Kiss, I had the previous knowledge that this was an oud scent, and I had never smelled a Canalli based in oud. Usually, Cristiano's work is much more about tenderness and vintage accords, not so much orientals or animalic woods. This enlarged my curiosity, so when I smelled it, somehow, it corresponded to what I had envisioned it to be. But better. Let me tell you about the notes: Two Minutes After the Kiss: Top notes: Turkish rose, Jamaican Pepper, Omani Frankincense, Guatemala Cardamom Heart Notes: Turkish Rose Absolute, Laos Oud, Indonesian Patchouli, Somalian Myrrh, French Beeswax, Selectone Base Notes: Indian Sandalwood, Haitian Vetiver, Dark Leather accord, Laos Oud, Spanish Labdanum, Musk, Ambrocenide Two Minutes After the Kiss is a structure that we know all too well from Arabian perfumes based on rose and oud, especially if you think of the spectacular renderings from Ajmal, for example. This combination rarely fails, and here it seems to have been put together with great attention to detail and quality. What I'm saying is that this perfume is not surprising; however, it pleases for its flawless composition and the special care for wearability. This oud is recognizable as such, but it doesn't come with the more difficult facets of animalics. The rose feels tender and sweet, but robust enough to deal with the more assertive woody accords. All the spices added don't interfere much with the main dance, they are delicate touches. What comes as an important note is the incense, which brings coldness and dynamics. Leather is also a prominent note as background for the love scene between rose and oud. To boost the power of all this romance, I smell an addition of Ambrocenide, a molecule that works very well with oud, to enhance its power, adding substantivity and touches of amber and ambergris. In fact, rose and oud are eternal lovers. This pair of notes is just magical, so it's interesting how the name of the scent connects to this timeless love affair. Like when two predestined lovers meet, and after the first kiss, they already feel that they will be together forever. The relationship seems simple and logical, but as we know, for every attraction, many invisible forces are working, like the minute drops of every ingredient that makes another impeccable Canali composition. Oh, and let me tell you also, that the more the scent lingers on skin, the sexier it gets. Two Minutes After The Kiss is available from Azman's Official Website as a 55ml bottle of 25% concentration, for the price of 700 AED (approx. $190 USD.) Keep the conversation about local news & events going by joining us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Recent updates from The News-Post and also from News-Post staff members are compiled below. News Poised for growth, La Marque creates new commercial zones jenniferreynolds / JENNIFER REYNOLDS/The Daily News Sherri Linscomb-Woodard, owner of Tyger Realty LLC, 1308 Cedar Drive in La Marque, moved her business from Dickinson to La Marque to be a part of the economic development of her hometown. STUART VILLANUEVA/The Daily News file photo Work continues on a 180,000-square-foot Amazon warehouse facility being built along Interstate 45 in La Marque on Friday, May 7, 2021. LA MARQUE City leaders are adopting new commercial zones aimed at regulating and easing development along main corridors as major companies such as Amazon Logistics invest in the growing area. Officials are embracing increasing business interest in La Marque, which is poised to benefit both from Houstons population growth and Galveston tourism, they said. At the same time, a new zoning law, which the city council earlier this month took first steps toward approving, attempts to preserve the history and character of the city, officials said. The updated zoning rules are in response to increasing interest from developers in land along the Interstate 45 corridor, Mayor Keith Bell said. We are getting ready for the economic development that will be coming our way sooner rather than later, Bell said. Major developers, they like clarity. They can adjust to anything except confusion. Its an exciting time for the city, said Page Michel, president and CEO of the Texas City-La Marque Chamber of Commerce. La Marque has wide tracts of undeveloped land along I-45 and development is pushing south from Houston, she said. The citys position between Houston and Galveston is a good one, Michel said. When you combine residential population with visitor traffic, thats a recipe for success, she said. La Marque has been creating buzz this year with announcements about development. Officials have promised a big announcement coming about development at the Gulf Greyhound Park, 1000 FM 2004. The park closed in June 2020, opening up a prime parcel fronting I-45. In January, e-commerce giant Amazon Logistics announced it would build an 180,000-square-foot warehouse this year at 4975 I-45. All the activity is attracting businesses large and small. Jersey Mikes Subs opened at 6608 I-45 in April, for example. Sherri Lindscomb- Woodard moved her company, Tyger Realty, from Dickinson to La Marque earlier this year. The La Marque native lives in Dickinson now but wanted to be part of the citys growth, she said. Its going to get there with correct leadership and community involvement, Lindscomb-Woodard said. Weve got to all do our part. It was important to be a part of the citys new growth and play a part in developing La Marques business environment, she said. DEVELOPMENT BLUEPRINT To Bell, its an indication that La Marque is active and poised for development, he said. That means the city needs to pave the way for clearer building and zoning regulations, he said. What youre seeing the council deal with currently is a zoning change that would make these major thoroughfares and make development in these major thoroughfares crystal clear, Bell said. Its giving them a blueprint to development. The new rules create commercial corridor zoning along I-45, FM 1763 and FM 1764, said Derra Purnell, director of legal and development services with the city. What we did was try to give developers more flexibility in exchange for more requirements, Purnell said. For example, developers can build higher buildings than typical, but theyll have to set those high structures farther back from the front of the lot and incorporate more green space, she said. The commercial corridor zones also create requirements for more landscaping or sidewalk connections and are meant to level the playing field between small and large developers, Purnell said. ROOFTOPS DRIVING RETAIL And city leaders are convinced development is coming. La Marque has grown from 14,500 residents in 2010 to 17,300 in 2019, a 19 percent increase, according to U.S. Census estimates. And residential developments are coming to La Marque, such as a 246-home Trails at Woodhaven Lakes near FM 1765 and Delany Road, city spokeswoman Colleen Martin said. Retailers want to see rooftops, Martin said. Our residential growth is whats driving retail growth. As this development happens, the city will need to balance between the benefits of the growth and protecting historic parts of La Marque, Purnell said. Not all cities have that view, but La Marques culture appreciates the past, Purnell said. We definitely want to preserve that. We have a little bit of an old Southern feel. Thats why requirements such as larger buffers between residences and requirements for green space are important, she said. Our new zoning regulations, if they pass on second readings, try to say to developers we want you here but this what we expect, Purnell said. BIG RAIN CLOUD The big obstacle to overcome is persistent and disruptive construction along I-45, Michel said. The Texas Department of Transportation is in the middle of a major I-45 expansion thats moving southward in stages. The project is necessary, but the construction deters some businesses from signing agreements or buying property out of concern it will disrupt business, she said. The big rain cloud hanging over everything is the TxDOT construction, Michel said. But leaders see this as an opportunity for La Marque to take advantage of growth in the greater Houston area. The citys proactive approach gives officials a chance to tailor it to what La Marque wants, Bell said. Were looking to develop our city in a planned way and an intentional way, Bell said. Galveston, TX (77553) Today A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy skies. Low around 80F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy skies. Low around 80F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Oregon is about 90,000 people short of its goal to get at least one shot of vaccine into the arms of the state's eligible adults in order to lift most COVID-19 restrictions by June 25, state officials said Friday. We are so close to fully reopening our economy," Gov. Kate Brown said during an afternoon press conference. Brown has said when 70% of eligible adults are vaccinated statewide, she will lift mask, social distance, restaurant occupancy, audience size and other limits in all 36 counties. The official mark as of noon Friday: 67%. After a spring that saw Oregon residents racing to get vaccinated, the pace has slowed to the point that supply far outstrips demand. The Oregon Health Authority reported Friday that 15,761 doses of COVID vaccines per day were being administered. That is down from an early April peak that saw more than 50,000 shots administered on some days. To date, 2,303,485 people in Oregon have had at least one dose. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Albany Democrat-Herald. Like most states, Oregon is left with a remaining eligible population who either haven't found the time and opportunity for vaccination, or are hesitant for personal reasons. Here is a local, state and national update on the COVID-19 caseload and vaccinations based on reports Friday from the Oregon Health Authority and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: A longtime local volunteer and former Veteran of the Year in Linn County, Harlan Neal, died on Wednesday. A memorial service will be held next week at the veterans memorial he helped build. Neal, 84, was a retired Army infantryman and light weapons specialist. Stationed at Fort Wainwright in Alaska during the Cold War 1950s, Neal was an accomplished member of the Armys competitive rifle shooting squad. He won several medals for sharpshooter competitions. Locally, hes best known as the man who installed over 20,000 bricks at the Linn County Veterans Memorial at Timber Linn Memorial Park in Albany. In addition to the dark granite memorial walls that display the names of fallen heroes in modern wars, the memorial contains red brick walls with the names of honored veterans on them. They are purchased by locals who want to honor the service of their family members or even just their military heroes and installed twice a year in the lead-in to Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Neal was out there just a week and a half ago, installing dozens more bricks to be added to the running total of thousands. All the proceeds go to maintaining the park and funding new elements, like the 10-wall expansion of that brick-laying thats planned for the future. Neals wife, Inez, even manages the flowerbeds there. 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. Thank you for reading! We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content. Ulaanbaatar, April 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mongolian President Battulga Khaltmaa issued an emergency directive to disband the Mongolian Peoples Party (MPP), in order to safeguard the sovereignty and democracy of the country. The action came after the MPP gave itself unconstitutional authority to change election rules for the June 9 presidential election that would exclude President Battulga from the ballot. In his announcement, President Battulga said the MPP threatens the country's democratic foundations by creating a parallel military structure alongside its party. This endangers the fundamental rights and interests of our citizens and constitution. The law explicitly states that any political party that takes any militarized form shall be disbanded. MPP Forms Military Union Former Prime Minister, and current MPP Chairman, Khurelsukh Ukhnaa, has created a parallel military structure alongside the Party called the Mongolian Military Union and has arranged for the organization to have a branch at each Military Staff of local administrations leading to growing concerns the Party is at risk of and preparing to execute military actions. Bold Luvsanvandan, former Minister of Defense and current Advisor to the President on National Security, made the following statement: MPPs parallel militarized structure headed by MPP Chairman Khurelsukh Ukhnaa is a blatant violation of Mongolias Constitution. The military union should be immediately disbanded and banned. Not only will it undermine the civilian oversight over the Mongolian military, but will lead to the creation of quasi-fascist regime. Leader of Mongolias Anti-Democratic Forces The effort to rig the June 9 elections is led by former Prime Minister Batbold Sukhbaatar of the MPP, which ruled Mongolia under a Communist dictatorship until the 1990 democratic revolution and is now attempting to seize power, once again, and reinstall one-party rule. This stealth attack on the countrys institutions follows active efforts by the MPP to subvert the Constitutional Court, deter the functioning of the National Security Council, rubber-stamp the rigging of the June 9 elections and protect Batbold from prosecution for corruption. Batbold, was recently charged with receiving hundreds of millions of dollars from kickbacks and fraudulent and illegal transactions in deals involving the nations two largest mines. The investigation was launched by the Metropolitan Prosecutors Office and Independent Authority Against Corruption of Mongolia that now spans in five jurisdictions from the U.K., Hong Kong, BVI, Singapore and the United States. Uyanga Gantumur, former Member of Parliament and a member of the Democratic Party, made the following statement: President Battulga has sworn to defend the Constitution, sovereignty and democracy of Mongolia. The decision to dissolve the MPP was not easy, but necessary, to protect the country from the anti-democratic forces organized by former Prime Minister Batbold Sukhbaatar and their foreign collaborators. President Battulga urges public officers to honor the Constitution and comply with the laws when executing their jobs, and pledged to defend free and fair elections in the face of MPP actions to prevent them. President Battulga and the Democratic Party Battulga Khaltmaa became the fifth President of Mongolia on July 10, 2017. Before this, President Battulga served for almost two decades as a Member of Parliament in the State Great Khural and held cabinet positions as the Minister of Roads, Transportation, Construction and Urban Development and later as the Minister of Industry and Agriculture. He was one of the leaders of the Democratic Union Coalition, which later became the foundation of the modern day Democratic Party of Mongolia. The Democratic Union Coalition was instrumental in ushering a peaceful democratic transition to a multi-party democratic system in Mongolia after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1990. For the original news story, please visit https://www.prdistribution.com/news/mongolian-president-takes-emergency-action-to-protect-sovereignty-and-democracy.html Attachment Lowell, MA, June 10, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NetNumber announced today Virgin Mobile Middle East and Africa (VMMEA) has expanded its deployment of the NetNumber TITAN platform as it continues to deliver a world-class user experience to customers across the region. NetNumber delivers a portfolio of services and capabilities that span a range of network types from 2G-3G-4G-5G-future G delivered on the industrys most robust intergenerational signaling platforms. VMMEA is the regions leading Mobile Virtual Network Operator, recognized for championing innovative technology and delivering consistent excellence in customer care. NetNumber is working with VMMEA to deploy a world-class signaling infrastructure based on the TITAN platform with applications supporting signaling and routing, security, and subscriber data management in support of the operators digital transformation. The future of the telecommunications industry is about meeting the needs of consumers, said Salvatore Traina, Group CTO, VMMEA. The NetNumber TITAN platform enables us to add new capabilities to meet our customers changing requirements and provide an unmatched consumer experience. We continue to work with NetNumber because they continue to innovate best-in-class next generation signaling solutions that support our drive to lead the digital transformation in the region. The NetNumber TITAN platform is an integrated, fully NFV-compliant solution for 2G-4G networks. It uniquely delivers centralized provisioning and management combined with a powerful customer-defined service creation capability through open APIs that enable all signal processing to happen at the optimal location in an operators network. TITAN can be deployed in a wide range of ways including, cloud-hosted (AWS), NFV-compliant, cloud-native and commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware, providing optimal flexibility. It is transforming how operators deliver new services to their customers while significantly simplifying the network core and reducing operating costs. NetNumber TITAN enables operators like VMMEA to modernize their infrastructuremoving from legacy to next-generation technologiesfor the delivery of new digital services as customer requirements evolve and grow, explained Matt Rosenberg, NetNumber Chief Revenue Officer. As operators are ready to transition to 5G and beyond, NetNumber platforms enable a seamless transition with no network disruption. Weve had a long-term relationship with VMMEA in Saudi Arabia, and recently signed an agreement with Virgin Mobile in Kuwait. We are excited to work with VMMEA to deploy a future-proof infrastructure that protects TCO and supports their digital transformation. Read more about how NetNumber is helping VMMEA achieve digital transformation at Technology Magazine - June Edition English Estonian AS Pro Kapital Grupp corrects the content of the stock exchange announcement in the previously published stock exchange announcement Audited Annual Report 2020. Due to human error, the section Differences between comparative information of unaudited financial results for the year ended 31 December 2020 presented in this report and interim financial results of 2020, which were published on 26 February was referring to the unaudited financial results and notes published in the first quarter 2021 report. Therefore, the Company republishes the entire text of the stock exchange announcement together with the annual report. On 11 June 2021, the Supervisory Council of AS Pro Kapital Grupp has approved the companys 2020 audited annual report. Prior period errors When determining the fair value of investment property, double counting of assets or liabilities that are separately recognised in the balance sheet should be avoided. When making the adjustment to the fair value of investment property in the balance sheet as at 31 December 2019, the Management did not take into account the fact that a receivable had already been recognised for a portion of the future cash flows. The carrying amount of the T1 Mall of Tallinn investment property is therefore 108.6 million euros as at 31 December 2019, restated by 2.3 million euros already recognised in the balance sheet. The following table summarises the impact of the prior period error on the financial statements of the Group. Consolidated statement of profit and loss and other comprehensive income in thousands of euros 2019 (Restated) 2019 Other operating expenses -26 602 -24 341 Including net result from fair value adjustments from investment property -26 497 -24 236 Operating profit/ loss -17 439 -15 178 Profit/ loss before income tax -31 454 -29 193 Profit/ loss from continuing operations -31 433 -29 172 Total comprehensive loss for the year -31 433 -29 172 Attributable to: Owners of the Company -29 078 -26 981 Non-controlling interests -2 355 -2 191 Earnings per share Basic (euros per share) -0.51 -0.48 Diluted (euros per share) -0.51 -0.48 Consolidated statement of financial position in thousands of euros 31.12.2019 (Restated) 31.12.2019 Non-current assets Investment property 145 104 147 365 Total non-current assets 155 438 157 699 TOTAL ASSETS 208 560 210 821 Equity attributable to owners of the Company Profit/ loss for the financial year -29 078 -26 981 Total equity attributable to owners of the Company 69 042 71 139 Non-controlling interest 263 427 TOTAL EQUITY 69 305 71 566 TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY 208 560 210 821 Differences between audited financial results for the year ended 31 December 2020 and interim financial results of 2020, which were published on 26 February 2021 Consolidated statement of comprehensive income in thousands of euros 2020 12M (Audited) 2020 12M Administrative expenses -6 154 -5 587 Other expenses -43 586 -41 978 Including net result from fair value adjustments from investment property -43 128 -41 902 Operating profit/ loss -43 108 -40 933 Profit/ loss before income tax -59 102 -56 927 Profit/ loss for the period -59 456 -57 281 Attributable to: Equity holders of the parent -55 678 -53 648 Non-controlling interest -3 778 -3 633 Items that will not be reclassified subsequently to profit or loss Net change in properties revaluation reserve -278 0 Total comprehensive income/ loss for the year -59 734 -57 281 Attributable to: Equity holders of the parent -55 956 -53 648 Non-controlling interest -3 778 -3 633 Earnings per share for the period (EUR) -0.98 -0.95 In the course of auditing process, the amendments have been made to administrative expenses and other expenses in relation to the subsidiary AS Tallinna Moekombinaat. Administrative costs increased by 567 thousand euros (Note 25) due to recording additional credit losses for expected rental revenues. Changes in other expenses are related to the fair value adjustment by 1 226 thousand euros (Note 26) and recording penalties of 382 thousand euros which have been accounted for off balance sheet and were recognised due to adjusting event (Notes 26, 31). Non-controlling interest has changed accordingly. Net change in properties revaluation reserve has decreased by 278 thousand euros and is related to the German hotel fair value (Note 12). Total effect of changes in the statement of comprehensive income is 2 453 thousand euros additional loss for the period. Consolidated statement of financial position In thousands of euros 31.12.2020 (Audited) 31.12.2020 Non-current assets Non-current receivables 3 517 4 085 Property, plant and equipment 6 745 7 023 Investment property 98 512 101 998 Total non-current assets 109 506 113 838 TOTAL ASSETS 179 048 183 380 Current liabilities Current debt 107 581 79 939 Current payables 22 211 21 829 Total current liabilities 138 575 110 551 Non-current liabilities Long-term debt 27 255 54 897 Total non-current liabilities 30 902 58 544 TOTAL LIABILITIES 169 477 169 095 Equity attributable to owners of the Company Revaluation reserve 2 984 3 262 Retained earnings 47 647 49 744 Profit/ loss for the period -55 678 -53 648 Total equity attributable to owners of the Company 13 086 17 491 Non-controlling interest -3 515 -3 206 TOTAL EQUITY 9 571 14 285 TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY 179 048 183 380 In the course of auditing process, the amendments have been made to non-current assets, liabilities and equity. Non-current receivables decreased by 567 thousand euros due to recording additional credit losses on expected rental revenues (Note 11). PPE and revaluation reserve have been influenced by change in fair value of the German hotel in amount of 278 thousand euros (Note 12). The value of investment property has decreased by 3 486 thousand euros, of which 2 261 thousand euros is the effect from 2019 as described above and the rest from 2020 for similar adjustment (Note 13). Current payables have increased by penalties in amount of 382 thousand euros which have been accounted for off-balance sheet and recorded due to adjusting event (Note 15). Long-term debt has decreased and current debt has increased as per reclassification of secured bonds balance sheet value because of the event of not meeting financial covenants (Notes 18, 34). Total effect of net changes in the statement of financial position is a decrease of 4 332 thousand euros of which 2 261 is related to restatement in 2019. The audited annual report of AS Pro Kapital Grupp for the financial year of 2020 is available at the headquarter of the company, located at Sojakooli 11, Tallinn. The report can also be found on the company's webpage www.prokapital.com . Angelika Annus CFO AS Pro Kapital Grupp Phone: +372 614 4920 prokapital@prokapital.ee Attachment SAN FRANCISCO, June 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hagens Berman urges Danimer Scientific, Inc. (NYSE: DNMR) investors with significant losses to submit your losses now. Class Period: Oct. 5, 2020 - May 3, 2021 Lead Plaintiff Deadline: July 13, 2021 Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/DNMR Contact An Attorney Now: DNMR@hbsslaw.com 844-916-0895 Danimer Scientific, Inc. (NYSE: DNMR) Securities Fraud Action: The complaint alleges that Danimer made misrepresentations and omissions concerning its production of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) a biodegradeable alternative to petrochemical-based plastics, which the company sells under its proprietary Nodax brand. The truth began to emerge on Mar. 20, 2021, when the Wall Street Journal reported that many claims about Nodax are exaggerated and misleading. One quoted plastics expert labeled Danimers claims about Nodaxs biodegradability as not accurate and as greenwashing. Next, on Apr. 22, 2021, analyst Spruce Point published a scathing report noting: red flags; inconsistencies in Danimers claims about the size of its operations and Nodaxs makeup and degradability; and the companys expected profitability. Then, on May 4, 2021, Spruce Point published another report after acquiring documents from Kentuckys Department of Environmental Protection and accused Danimer of wildly overstating production figures, pricing, and financial projections. Most recently, on May 21, 2021, news outlets reported that the Kentucky Department of Financial Institutions had opened a formal inquiry into Danimer and Spruce Points claims. Were focused on investors losses and proving Danimer misled investors by greenwashing and misstating its true performance metrics, said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation. If you are a Danimer investor and have significant losses, or have knowledge that may assist the firms investigation, click here to discuss your legal rights with Hagens Berman. Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Danimer should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email DNMR@hbsslaw.com. SAN FRANCISCO, June 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hagens Berman urges Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE: EBS) investors with $100k or more losses to submit your losses now. Class Period: Apr. 24, 2020 - Apr. 16, 2021 Lead Plaintiff Deadline: June 18, 2021 Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/ebs Contact an Attorney Now: EBS@hbsslaw.com 844-916-0895 Emergent BioSolutions (NYSE: EBS) Securities Fraud Class Action: Throughout the class period, Defendants touted Emergents deals to produce J&Js and AstraZenecas vaccine candidates and its proven manufacturing capabilities in place at its Baltimore, Maryland facility. In truth, the company concealed a multitude of manufacturing issues at its Baltimore facility. On Mar. 31, 2021, media reports revealed the company mixed up ingredients for J&Js and AstraZenecas vaccines, contaminating up to 15 million J&J vaccine doses. This news caused Emergent shares to decline. Shortly before this disclosure, Emergents CEO sold $10 million of his shares. On Apr. 6, 2021, the New York Times reported that audits found that Emergent had not followed basic industry standards at its Baltimore facility. An audit performed by AstraZenica highlighted viral cross-contamination risks. The NYT further reported that beginning in Oct. 2020, Emergent discarded five lots of the AstraZenica vaccine and one lot of the J&J vaccine because of contamination or spoliation. Finally, on April 19, 2021, the company revealed that, at the FDAs request, Emergent had halted manufacturing at its Bayview facility pending completion of the FDAs inspection. Were focused on investors losses and proving Emergent lied about its vaccine production capabilities, said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation. If you are an Emergent investor and have significant losses, or have knowledge that may assist the firms investigation, click here to discuss your legal rights with Hagens Berman. Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Emergent should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email EBS@hbsslaw.com. Gloucester, MA (01930) Today Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to cloudy skies after midnight. Low 68F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to cloudy skies after midnight. Low 68F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. NAPPANEE [mdash] Gilbert Lee Miller, 85, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, June 30, at his home. He was born Sept. 5, 1935, in Elkhart County to Moses J. and Maude Ellen (Hochstetler) Miller. He married Mary Kathryn Barkman on April 8, 1956, and they were married for 65 years. Mary surviv 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 StarKist Co. to Relocate Headquarters from Pittsburgh to Fairfax County Leading U.S. seafood and chicken producer to invest $3.6 million in new operation and create 83 jobs RICHMONDGovernor Ralph Northam today announced that StarKist Co., a leading seafood and chicken producer in the United States, will invest $3.6 million to relocate its corporate and administrative headquarters operations from Pittsburgh to Fairfax County. The company will occupy approximately 24,000 square feet at 1875 Explorer Street in Reston. Virginia successfully competed with Maryland for the project, which will create 83 new jobs. Virginia is home to a diverse ecosystem of more than 800 corporate headquarters representing a broad cross section of industries, said Governor Northam. We are thrilled to welcome StarKist Co. to Fairfax County, which consistently attracts top talent and is well connected to key customer markets and major metro areas throughout the United States and beyond. The Commonwealth looks forward to a long and fruitful partnership with this popular American household brand. Founded in 1917, StarKist Co. was the first brand to introduce single-serve pouch products, which include Tuna Creations, Salmon Creations, and Chicken Creations. StarKists charismatic brand icon, Charlie the Tuna, swam into the hearts of tuna fans in 1961 and is still a fan favorite today. StarKist Co. is a direct wholly owned subsidiary of Dongwon Industries Co., Ltd. Adding StarKist Co. to our roster of corporate headquarters is a wonderful testament to the Commonwealths ability to provide a world-class workforce, reliable infrastructure, and much sought after quality of life, said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball. StarKist will be a great addition to the many global brands that call Fairfax County home. StarKist is proud to make Reston, Virginia our official global headquarters starting in April 2022, said Andrew Choe, President and CEO of StarKist Co. We would like to thank Governor Northam and the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority for their ongoing support throughout this process. I believe the move to Virginia will provide an outstanding work environment for our employees, as well as an opportunity to expand the StarKist business in the years ahead. The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority to secure the project for Virginia and will support StarKists job creation through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program (VJIP), which provides consultative services and funding to companies creating new jobs in order to support employee recruitment and training activities. As a business incentive supporting economic development, VJIP reduces the human resource costs of new and expanding companies. VJIP is state-funded, demonstrating Virginias commitment to enhancing job opportunities for citizens. Commercial real estate firm K&L Gates and West, Lane & Schlager assisted StarKist with its move to Fairfax County. I am so pleased to thank StarKist for choosing Fairfax County for its new headquarters, said Victor Hoskins, President and CEO of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority. This is a testament to the growing attractiveness of Northern Virginia to a wide variety of industry sectors and companies that know we have the assets and talent base to succeed here. I am very pleased to welcome StarKist, a 100-year-old staple of the American economy, to Reston and appreciate the companys decision to relocate its corporate and administrative headquarters to Northern Virginia, said Senator Janet Howell. Everyone knows StarKist Americas favorite tunaand we love the products. I have no doubt that StarKist will bring something quite special to the Reston area, and look forward to watching them take full advantage of what Fairfax Countys vibrant economy has to offer. # # # Virginia Posts Record Revenue Increase as Collections Rise 66.2 Percent in May Governor Northam announces appointment of Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Finance RICHMONDGovernor Ralph Northam today announced that total General Fund revenues rose 66.2 percent in May, the largest monthly revenue increase in more than 50 years. Over 85 percent of the growth in May can be attributed to a return to normal tax filing dates for estimated payments and a shorter extension this year for individual final payments. Governor Northam also announced the appointment of Joe Flores as Secretary of Finance and Carter Hutchinson as Deputy Secretary of Finance. May is typically a significant month for revenue collections. In addition to regular collections of withholding and sales taxes, estimated and final payments for individuals are normally due May 1, however, last year the filing date was extended to June 1. This year, the due date for final payments was moved to May 17 to align with the federal due date. To accurately assess growth, data for the entire quarter of April through June will be needed. Virginias economy is roaring back to life thanks to hard work following the science and one of the strongest pandemic responses in the country, said Governor Northam. New COVID-19 cases are at record lows, our vaccination rates are among the nations highest, and Virginians are heading back to workand these record revenue gains are the result. Our responsible governance is paying off, and we will keep this up as we approach a new budget year and face major decisions about how to best use federal funding from the American Rescue Plan. We have a strong team with the right experienceJoe Flores is a highly-qualified, dedicated public servant with a deep understanding of the state budget and a strong background in fiscal policy, and I am confident our economic momentum will continue. Flores has served as Deputy Secretary of Finance in the Northam Administration since January 2018, where he has helped lead initiatives like Medicaid expansion and spearheaded how the Commonwealth uses and distributes federal stimulus funds during the pandemic. Hutchinson has served as Deputy Policy Director in the Northam Administration since January 2018. We have a great deal of important work ahead of us in the coming months to manage the Commonwealths finances as we emerge from the pandemic and rebuild our economy, Flores said. I am grateful to Governor Northam for this opportunity and look forward to continuing to serve alongside our strong team in the Finance secretariat, including Deputy Secretary June Jennings and the leadership and staff at our agencies. On a fiscal year-to-date basis, total revenue collections advanced 17.8 percent, above the annual forecast of 2.7 percent growth. Collections in June must total $0.3 billion to attain the revenue forecast in Chapter 552, compared with June collections in the two years prior to the pandemic of about $2.4 billion. Collections of payroll withholding taxes grew 13.8 percent in May. Collections of sales and use taxes, reflecting April sales, grew 37.5 percent in May. It has been a tremendous honor to serve the Commonwealth and the Northam Administration, and I have complete confidence that Virginias finances will be in good hands with Joe Flores at the helm, said Secretary of Finance Aubrey Layne. May is a significant month for collections for non-withholding, with final payments for tax year 2020 and the first estimated payment for tax year 2021 both due at the beginning of the month. Last year, the filing date was extended to June 1 for both payments, and this year to May 17 for only the final payment, so the effect on the timing of collections is unclear. On a year-to-date basis, collections of payroll withholding taxes62 percent of General Fund revenuesincreased 4.4 percent, ahead of the annual forecast of 2.7 percent growth. Sales and use tax collections advanced 11.1 percent on a fiscal year-to-date basis, ahead of the annual forecast of 4.7 percent growth. On a fiscal year-to-date basis, total revenue collections grew 17.8 percent in May ahead of the annual forecast of 2.7 percent growth. The full report is available here. # # # The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it will reconsider the previous administrations decision to retain the particulate matter (PM) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) (earlier post), which were last strengthened in 2012. EPA is reconsidering the December 2020 decision because it says that available scientific evidence and technical information indicate that the current standards may not be adequate to protect public health and welfare, as required by the Clean Air Act. EPA sets both an annual and a 24-hour standard for fine particles (PM 2.5 ). These standards work together to protect the public from harmful health effects from both long- and short-term fine particle exposures. The current annual standard (in place since 2012) is 12.0 g/m 3 . An area meets the standard if the three-year average of its annual average PM 2.5 concentration is less than or equal to the level of the standard. The current 24-hour standard is 35 g/m3 (in place since 2006). An area meets the 24-hour standard if the 98th percentile of the yearly distribution of 24-hour PM 2.5 concentrations, averaged over three years, is less than or equal to 35 g/m3. Scientific evidence shows that long- and short-term exposures to fine particles (PM 2.5 ) can harm peoples health, leading to heart attacks, asthma attacks, and premature death. A number of recent studies have examined relationships between COVID and air pollutants, including PM, and potential health implications. While some PM is emitted directly from sources such as construction sites, unpaved roads, fields, smokestacks or fires, most particles form in the atmosphere as a result of complex reactions of chemicals such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which are pollutants emitted from power plants, industrial facilities and vehicles. EPAs 2020 Policy Assessment concluded that the scientific evidence and information support revising the level of the annual standard for the PM NAAQS to below the current level of 12 micrograms per cubic meter while retaining the 24-hour standard. The agency also received numerous petitions for reconsideration as well as lawsuits challenging the December 2020 final action. EPA will develop a supplement to the 2019 Final Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) that will take into account the most up-to-date science, including new studies in the emerging area of COVID-related research. This supplement will be reviewed at a public meeting by the chartered Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC), supported by a particulate matter review panel of scientific experts on the health and welfare impacts of PM. The CASAC and the PM panel will also review a revised policy assessment and formulate advice to the Administrator. As with all reviews, the public will have opportunities to comment on these documents during the CASAC review process, as well as to provide input during the rulemaking through the public comment process and public hearings on any proposed decision. EPA expects to issue a proposed rulemaking in Summer 2022 and a final rule in Spring 2023. In accordance with Executive Orders and guidance, the agency will be considering environmental justice during the rulemaking process. Norway-based battery cell maker FREYR AS and Alussa Energy Acquisition Corp., disclosed that FREYR is in negotiations with a major multinational industrial conglomerate (the JV Partner) potentially to develop battery production facilities in North America. This development was noted by FREYR Battery in its 9 June 2021 filing of a third amendment to the registration statement on Form S-4 with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. FREYR and the JV Partner have entered negotiations regarding a draft non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a potential joint venture to be formed with the purpose of preparing a project to build battery production and potentially related facilities in North America at a targeted scale at least 50 GWh in annualized battery cell production by 2030 (the Venture). The draft MoU provides a framework for FREYRs cooperation and that FREYR and the JV Partner will work to enter into certain additional arrangements regarding the consummation of a joint venture to use US-developed solutions from 24M Technologies, Inc. (24M) at a battery manufacturing facility in North America. The use of 24M process technology in the Venture would require a modification to FREYRs existing 24M license agreement. It is a natural step for FREYR to include North America in our long-term plans for expanding our production of clean, low-cost and low-carbon battery cells. This ambition was clearly validated by the US Department of Energys call this week for immediate actions to scale up the US supply chain for battery materials and technologies. FREYR has strong US bonds through our technology partner 24M and the upcoming business combination with Alussa Energy and NYSE listing which is supported by some of the leading institutional investors including Fidelity Management & Research, Franklin Templeton, Sylebra Capital and Van Eck Associates. We are excited to be part of the gathering momentum in North America for battery-led green growth and decarbonization of transportation and energy systems. Tom Einar Jensen, the CEO of FREYR As part of these negotiations, FREYR and the JV Partner exchanged draft terms outlining the key commercial points of the potential joint venture in May 2021. However, many key terms of the Venture, including economic and investment terms, have not been agreed to in principal. There is no guarantee that the draft MoU, if entered into, will lead to entry into binding documentation with respect to the Venture, its terms or consummation of the Venture. On 29 January 2021, FREYR announced that it will become a publicly listed company through a business combination with Alussa Energy, raising approximately $850 million in equity proceeds to accelerate the development of up to 43 GWh clean battery cell manufacturing capacity in Norway. Subject to closing conditions being met, the combined company will be named FREYR Battery (Pubco) and its common stock is expected to start trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol FREY upon closing, expected in the second quarter of 2021. On 16 February 2021, the extraordinary general meeting of FREYR approved the business combination. Alussa Energy expects its Special Meeting to approve the business combination to take place on 25 June 2021. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 that reportedly entered mass production last week was rumored to launch in July, but a new report claims the smartphone will launch on August 27 with the Galaxy Z Flip3. Word comes from tipster Jon Prosser, who also claimed that Samsung will launch the Galaxy Watch4 and Watch Active4 before the two smartphones - on August 11. But Prosser says these are not the announcement dates. It is when Samsung will actually start shipping the devices to the customers. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 render (Image source: Ben Geskin) While there's no word yet from Samsung about these products, Max Weinbach from Android Police has posted a cryptic tweet, suggesting the South Korean conglomerate will release the Galaxy Z Fold3, Galaxy Z Flip3, Galaxy Watch4, and Galaxy Watch Active4 on August 3. Back in March, reliable tipster Ice universe had said that Galaxy Watch4 and Galaxy Watch Active4 will arrive in Q2 2021, meaning sometime between April and June, but new information suggests that's not happening. Source 1, 2, 3 The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Trail of Black Hawk, by Paul G. Tomlinson This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org . If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook. Title: The Trail of Black Hawk Author: Paul G. Tomlinson Release Date: June 12, 2021 [eBook #65601] Language: English Character set encoding: UTF-8 Produced by: Richard Tonsing, Louise Davies, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net *** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TRAIL OF BLACK HAWK *** Transcribers Note: The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain. THE TRAIL OF BLACK HAWK By EVERETT T. TOMLINSON SCOUTING ON THE OLD FRONTIER STORIES OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION SCOUTING WITH MAD ANTHONY THE MYSTERIOUS RIFLEMAN SCOUTING ON THE BORDER THE PURSUIT OF THE APACHE CHIEF THE TRAIL OF THE MOHAWK CHIEF YOUNG PEOPLES HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION PLACES YOUNG AMERICANS WANT TO KNOW FIGHTERS YOUNG AMERICANS WANT TO KNOW THE STORY OF GENERAL PERSHING The kind of a horse Ive always wanted to own ... he thought. [Page 152] GREAT INDIAN CHIEFS SERIES THE TRAIL OF BLACK HAWK BY PAUL G. TOMLINSON Author of To the Land of the Caribou, In Camp on Bass Island, etc. ILLUSTRATED NEW YORK AND LONDON D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 1924 Copyright, 1915, By D. APPLETON AND COMPANY Printed in the United States of America v PREFACE The adventures and experiences of the hardy settlers on the continually advancing frontier have provided a fascinating but comparatively unknown chapter in the history of our country. Romance, bitter prejudice, distorted tales, and traditions more or less trustworthy, have combined to create a strong interest in the Indians. So much, however, has been written of a sensational and improbable nature that the result has not always been desirable. Just as there were good Indians and bad Indians, so the stories of Indians have ofttimes created impressions that were erroneous or even false. The appeal of Indian life and of Indian wars, however, is perpetually strong. Who these early inhabitants of America were, what they did, how they lived and how they fought their battles, why they were engaged in conflicts with the early settlers and our troops, are essential parts of our history. The names of King Philip, Massasoit, Brandt, Tecumseh, Pontiac, Red Jacket, Black Hawk, Keokuk, Ouray, Sitting Bull and others are perhaps well known, but just what is behind the names is not so commonly understood. viAnd yet all this is a legitimate part of our history, which every American, and particularly every young American ought to know and wants to know. Even if it is impossible for him properly to understand the vanishing race he ought not to be ignorant of, nor forget, the struggle of those early days. Black Hawks War occurred in 1832. Against the encroachments of the whites and their undeniable injustice, the Indians opposed their own methods of making war. The extermination of families, the lack of mercy, even the blood-thirstiness of the redmen were among their customary methods of making war and were universally recognized as such by their enemies of their own color. Black Hawk assuredly was a patriot, courageously fighting the battles of his own people. This story is an attempt to follow facts and events of that struggle as they occurred. The author has followed the suggestions of many librarians and teachers and has cast his narrative into the form of a story. In the main part the story is true and the aim of its writer has been to present a picture of the struggle of the settlers with the Indians, the work of our army and the daring of Black Hawk and his braves. The justice or injustice of the conflict will be understood by those who may follow the fortunes of the courageous chieftain. At all events the young readers ought to appreciate more fully the value and the cost of the land, the privileges and the homes they now possess. The character of Black Hawk is unique. He was a natural leader, overcoming opposition in the tribes he led, as well as bravely facing his foes. viiThe events incorporated in this tale are based upon facts. The license of a storyteller has been freely used, but the basis of the book is true. The final defeat of Black Hawk, his visit at the capital of the nation and in some of the largest cites, the impression upon the old warrior in his receptions by the whites of the East, all are elements in his life which must be known in order to appreciate correctly the character of this famous Indian chief. To those who are interested the following bibliography may be suggestive: Armstrong, The Sauks and the Black Hawk War, 1887. Beckwith, H. W., Illinois and Indiana Indians, 1884. Blanchard, Rufus, History of Illinois. Carpenter, R. V., The Indian Statue, near Oregon, Illinois. Chetlain, A. L., The Black Hawk War of 1832. Davison, Alexander & Stuve, B., Black Hawk War. Goodrich, S. I., Lives of Celebrated American Indians. McIntosh, John, Speech of Black Hawk when he surrendered himself to the agent at Prairie Du Chien. Moses, John, Black Hawk War. Parrish, Randall, The Struggle with Black Hawk. Paterson, J. B., Autobiography of Black Hawk. Snyder, J. F., The Burial and Resurrection of Black Hawk. Stevens, F. E., The Black Hawk War, including a Review of Black Hawks Life. Steward, J. F., Sac and Fox Trail. Thwaites, R. G., The Black Hawk War. viiiIf his young readers shall be sufficiently interested in this story of Black Hawk to follow the struggles by which America was won as they are recorded in our historical works, the writer will feel that his purpose in part at least has been accomplished. Paul G. Tomlinson. Elizabeth, New Jersey. ix CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. Black Hawk Takes the Trail 1 II. Pursued 13 III. A Devastated Home 24 IV. A Hidden Retreat 36 V. A Needed Rest 46 VI. A New Danger 58 VII. A Narrow Escape 69 VIII. An Indian Legend 81 IX. In Camp 92 X. On the March 104 XI. The Flag of Truce 118 XII. The Rout 128 XIII. The Whinny of a Horse 138 XIV. The Swallow 150 XV. An Invitation 163 XVI. A Scouting Party 173 XVII. A Perilous Undertaking 185 XVIII. Between the Lines 195 x XIX. A Lively Skirmish 206 XX. A Midnight Ride 216 XXI. The Fight on the Pekatonika 227 XXII. Apple River Fort 239 XXIII. Across Country 251 XXIV. Kelloggs Grove 262 XXV. On the Trail 274 XXVI. Through the Swamps 285 XXVII. Wisconsin Heights 297 XXVIII. The Trail Leads Westward 308 XXIX. Bad Axe 320 XXX. Conclusion 333 THE TRAIL OF BLACK HAWK 1 CHAPTER I BLACK HAWK TAKES THE TRAIL Black Hawk is on the trail again. Joseph Hall was the speaker. With his parents, two sisters and a brother he lived on the American frontier in Illinois. In these days a reference to that part of the country as the frontier would cause a smile to appear on the faces of those who might hear such a statement, but in the year 1832, when the scene of this story is laid, Illinois was very far west. On Indian Creek, near its junction with Fox River, in a little clearing in the forest, the Hall family dwelt and made a hard living from the soil and from the game they might secure with the rifle. Ten years before this time they had forced their way westward from eastern Pennsylvania and had hewn a home for themselves out of 2the wilderness. At that time Joseph and his younger brother Robert were only nine and seven years old, respectively. Brought up in the woods and on the prairies they had learned the wisdom of the forest, the secrets of the trees, the flowers and the streams; they knew the habits of the wild animals and the favorite pools of the fish. Thorough woodsmen they were both of them, sound in mind and strong in body. Fatigue was almost unknown to these boys, and to endure hardships was a part of their everyday life. It was now spring. The sun was warm and the trees were bursting with new life as the days grew longer and summer approached. The time had come when the crops must be planted and it was in this occupation that the two boys were engaged when Joseph made his remark concerning Black Hawk. A space several acres in extent, had been cleared in the heart of the forest and here it was that the Hall family eked out a scanty existence. At one end of the clearing stood their home. A rough log cabin was all it was, but it was home and consequently was very dear to the Halls. In the rear the clearing ran down to 3the edge of the woods and as much as possible of this land was under cultivation. Year by year the clearing had been enlarged until now it occupied a considerable extent. Joseph and Robert were busy at the opposite end from the place where their home stood. Black Hawk on the trail again! exclaimed Robert in response to his brothers remark. Exactly. Who told you? Deerfoot. I saw him early this morning down by the river. Deerfoot was a Pottowattomie Indian, friendly to the white settlers and to the Halls in particular. He had taught Joseph and Robert much of what they knew of woodcraft and that he was a skillful teacher was attested by the prowess the two boys had acquired. Is it serious? demanded Robert anxiously. He had been removing weeds from the newly sprouted cornfield and he leaned on his hoe as he waited for his brothers reply. Deerfoot says it is, replied Joseph. He says that Black Hawk is very angry and means business this time. But whats it all about? Robert insisted. 4The same old trouble. Black Hawk doesnt want to leave this side of the Mississippi and doesnt intend to either, if he can help it. He signed a treaty nearly thirty years ago saying he would go, didnt he? I know it, said Joseph. According to Deerfoot, though, Black Hawk thinks he was deceived at that time and that the treaty doesnt bind him. I think that if he had been made to leave at the time he signed that treaty down at St. Louis, everything would have been all right. They told him, however, that he could stay on until this country was thrown open for settlement and now that they want him to go he refuses. At least thats what father thinks. Is he going to fight? exclaimed Robert. Deerfoot says so. He told me wed better get to some safe place, too. Did you tell father that? I did, but he laughed at me. You know how he is; he said he wasnt afraid of all the Indians in North America. Thats foolish, I think. So do I, agreed Joseph. Black Hawk and his warriors may be right around here now as far as we know. Theyll start by making war 5on the settlers, too; you know they always do that. They blame the settlers for taking their land away from them. How about Keokuk? demanded Robert. He is the head of the Sac tribe, while Black Hawk is only a smaller chief. What is Keokuk going to do? He is already across the Mississippi, I understand. He evidently was willing to go, or at least he thought that would be the wisest thing to do. He is not a fighter like Black Hawk. I should say not, exclaimed Robert. Old Black Hawk has been fighting nearly all his life, I guess. Ever since he was fifteen years old, so Deerfoot told me this morning. He is about sixty-five now, so you see he has been on the warpath off and on for fifty years. He must be a great old warrior if all Deerfoot told me is true. What did he tell you? Well, continued Joseph, he said that when Black Hawk was only fifteen he started fighting and that before he was seventeen he led a war party against an Osage camp and brought back several scalps. When he was nineteen he 6led another fight against the Osages and killed six people with his own hands. A few years later in another battle he killed nine men single-handed. In the war of 1812 he sided with the British and was a terror along the border settlements. Hes a real old warrior, from all accounts. He must be, exclaimed Robert. He doesnt think for a minute that he can whip the United States, though, does he? How many warriors has he, anyway? About five hundred or more, according to Deerfoot. He expects, however, that the Winnebagos, Pottowattomies, and Kickapoos will go in with him, and if they do they can make it pretty hot for a while around here. Deerfoot wont fight, will he? No, indeed, said Joseph. At least he said he wouldnt fight with Black Hawk. He doesnt think that those other three tribes will join him, either. He thinks Black Hawk will find only his own men with him when the time comes. When is the time coming? It has already come. Black Hawk is on the trail with a party now, and is going to make 7war on the settlers. He expects it will take the Whites some time to organize and by that time he himself will have large reinforcements from the other tribes. Well, said Robert, if he intends to make war on the settlers what is there to prevent him from picking out the Hall family to start with? Nothing in the world. Thats just what I said to father, but he told me to pay no attention to such nonsense. I thought we ought to have guns out in the field here, but he said not. Just the same, I sneaked both yours and mine out of the house and hid them in that bush over there. Maybe father isnt worried, but I am. Well, Im worried, too, agreed Robert. I dont think Im a coward by any means, but it seems to me it is a silly thing to do to stay right on here as if there was no danger at all, when at any moment we may be attacked by a band of hostile Indians. Still, said Joseph, we have no special reason for thinking that we are to be the first ones attacked. Perhaps if some other family is murdered, father may realize that it is serious and move on to some safe place for a while. Yes, and he may wait too long. 8You cant tell father there is any danger, though. I know it, agreed Robert. He holds all Indians in contempt and thinks theyre all bad. Why, he hardly treats even Deerfoot like a human being. Deerfoot knows it, too. I dont think he likes father, and if it wasnt for the rest of us he wouldnt be half so friendly. He likes us all right, and hes been awfully good to you and me. He certainly has, exclaimed Joseph eagerly. Personally, I think hed warn us if he knew that Black Hawk and his band were coming this way. But he might not know it. I know, protested Robert, but you must remember that in this case it is Indian against Indian. The Sac tribe is just as clever as the Pottowattomie, and old Black Hawk is no fool. You dont suppose hed go around telling everybody just where he intended to strike first, do you? Perhaps not. Perhaps not, exclaimed Robert. You mean certainly not, I guess. If I intended to 9attack you, you dont think for an instant that Id go around telling everybody, do you? If I did, some one would be sure to tell you, and what chance then would I have of being successful? Youd make a great chief, Bob, said Joseph laughingly. Not at all, protested Robert. Im just stating what seems to me to be common-sense. Youre right, of course, agreed Joseph quickly, becoming serious once more. I think were in a dangerous position and I wish we were out of it. Does mother know? Father wouldnt let me tell her. He said it would only worry her and the girls, and there was no use in it. Well talk to him tonight, both of us. It wont do any good, Im afraid. You know how stubborn he is. He thinks theres no danger, and no one can change his mind by talking to him. Well, said Robert, I hope hes right. But if hes wrong I hope hell find it out and change his mind before it is too late. Anyway, exclaimed Joseph, it wont do us 10any good to stand here and talk about it and it wont help the corn to grow, either. Lets forget it, if we can. The two young pioneers lapsed into silence and soon the only sound heard in the cornfield was the click of their hoes as they dug the weeds out of the soil and cleared a space for the tender shoots to gain the light and air. The thought uppermost in the mind of each boy, however, was of Black Hawk and his band of marauding warriors. It is hard for us to understand in these days what a peril and a menace to frontier life these hostile Indians were. Every little while word would come of some family wiped out by the uprising of a nearby tribe and no one could tell at just what moment these onslaughts might come. Everyone went armed, not only for the sake of the game which provided much of the food on which the pioneers lived, but also as a guard against any surprise attack of warlike redmen. It is needless to state the country abounded in crack shots, as the most skillful in the use of the rifle were termed. Ammunition was scarce and no one could afford to waste powder or 11bullets. Consequently they made every shot count and it was wonderful to see the skill some of our early settlers acquired with the rifle. In this sport, or rather in this serious business, no one in the region surpassed Joseph Hall and his brother Robert. Through the warm spring afternoon the two brothers toiled on in the cornfield. Their hands were busy with the hoe and their minds with thoughts of Black Hawk and his warriors. The shadows grew longer, and when at last dusk crept over the land they made ready to cease work for the day. As they were preparing to stop, the call of a quail sounded from the woods close to the place where the two boys were standing. Both boys were immediately alert. A moment later the call was repeated. Deerfoot, exclaimed Joseph in a low voice. The two brothers hastened in the direction from which the call had been heard and a moment later discovered their Indian friend hiding behind a thick bush, waiting for them. He was nearly exhausted and had evidently traveled far and fast. What is it, Deerfoot? exclaimed Joseph eagerly. What is the trouble? 12The Indian was panting and a brief time elapsed before he could speak. Finally he regained his breath. Black Hawk, he come! gasped Deerfoot, and he pointed toward the opposite end of the clearing. Hardly had he uttered these words when from the direction of the Halls cabin came the blood-curdling sound of the Indian war whoop. 13 CHAPTER II PURSUED Both boys immediately darted toward the bush where their rifles were hidden. Silently and swiftly they ran and then at their highest speed returned to the spot where Deerfoot lay crouched upon the ground. The air now resounded with the terrible war cry of the marauding Indians and shots rang out through the evening air. Come on, Bob, exclaimed Joseph, as he swiftly started forward. He had taken only a few steps, however, when he felt himself gripped strongly by his arm and held back. No be a fool, muttered Deerfoot. Black Hawk have fifty braves. You be killed unless stay here. But my family, my mother and sisters, 14pleaded Joseph. They will be killed unless I go to help them. They be killed anyway, said Deerfoot stoically. No use you be killed, too. With one hand he held Joseph in a grip of iron, while with the other he maintained a firm hold on Robert. Both boys struggled to free themselves but to no avail. Their Indian ally held them fast, while all the time in a low voice he talked to his young friends. Black Hawk come with big band, he explained. Me run ten mile to warn Halls. Black Hawk say he kill your father. He say your father bad to Indian. No use you be killed, too. Soon they look for you. You better run. Deerfoot take you away safe. No! No! protested Joseph and Robert in one breath. Let go of me, Deerfoot! exclaimed Joseph. Do you think I can leave, while my family are being murdered? Let me go, I say! Deerfoot no let go, replied the Indian calmly. The air now was resounding with the cries of the bloodthirsty redmen. If the wild shouts provided a just basis by which to estimate the 15numbers in the attacking party then it must be as large as Deerfoot had declared it to be, the boys concluded. In their hearts both boys were already convinced that whatever they might do would be of no avail. At the same time it is not easy to watch an attack upon ones family, and both boys would rather have lost their own lives than to sit quietly by without making an effort to aid. Every time the war whoop sounded a shudder ran through them and they begged Deerfoot for a chance to try to protect or avenge their father, mother and sisters. Both boys knew well that when an Indian makes war he spares no one from the head of the family down to the baby in the cradle. They already were convinced that soon they would be the only survivors in what had but recently been a family of six. Suddenly Robert wrenched himself free from Deerfoots hold and sprang to his feet. Night was rapidly coming on and objects at a distance were hard to distinguish. Through the gathering dusk he could see his home in the distance. It had been set on fire and around and around it the red marauders were dancing, sending 16forth their fiendish shouts of victory. Undoubtedly everyone in the house was now dead and soon only the charred remains of what had once been their home would remain. An ungovernable feeling of rage surged up in Roberts breast and he vowed vengeance. He raised his rifle to his shoulder and took careful aim. Never in his life had he been more self-controlled in his actions than he was at that moment. The roof of the cabin suddenly burst into flame and lighted up the awful scene being enacted nearby. As he pulled the trigger one of the Indians suddenly leaped high into the air and fell headlong upon his face and lay still. Roberts aim had been true. As if by magic the war dance of Black Hawks band abruptly ceased. Comrades rushed to the side of the fallen brave and tried to lift him to his feet. Their efforts, however, were without avail; the warrior was dead. As soon as the others became aware of the fall of their comrade they immediately turned to see from which direction the fatal shot had come. As often happens at sundown there was no breeze stirring. Rising among the trees over the spot where Robert and his two companions 17were standing, appeared the smoke from the young frontiersmans gun. The sharp-eyed Sac Indians immediately spied this and with a shout of rage a score or more of them started at full speed in the direction of the tell-tale smoke. When Robert had fired his rifle, Deerfoot realized that their position was now disclosed and he instantly released his hold on Joseph. There was no advantage to be gained by any further attempt to hide. Joseph gained his feet just as the hostile Indians spied the smoke from his brothers gun, and hastily taking aim he fired at the approaching warriors. The fact that one of them stopped suddenly and clutched his shoulder proved that Joseph as well as Robert was skillful in the use of a rifle. Fools! exclaimed Deerfoot in the ears of the two boys. But, Deerfoot began Robert, at the same time hastening to reload his gun. Come! exclaimed Deerfoot, breaking in upon him. Come, if you no wish to die. Without a word he turned and sped into the forest, the two boys closely following him. Less than a quarter of a mile behind them they could 18hear the war cry of the enraged redmen, hot upon their trail. This was no time to think of family or anything else except self preservation. Both boys realized that this was to be a race with a prize of life or death at the finish, and this knowledge provided them with additional strength. With Deerfoot in the lead, they fled silently and swiftly through the fast gathering darkness of the forest. If they could outstrip their pursuers and keep out of their way until darkness fell, then their chances of escape would be redoubled. They were fully aware of this fact and they knew also that the foes at their heels knew it, too. Deerfoot set a heart-breaking pace and if the two brothers had not been in excellent condition they never could have hoped to maintain the speed with which they were running. Neither boy had any idea of the direction in which they were fleeing. They followed their leader blindly, trusting implicitly in him to save them. Their entire attention was centered in Deerfoot and they paid no attention to any task other than that of doing their utmost to keep pace with their leader. 19Behind them resounded the shouts of their pursuers and the fugitives seemed to acquire renewed speed every time they heard the blood-curdling cries. At length, however, they began to weaken. No one was able to maintain such a pace very much farther. At least that is what both Robert and Joseph were thinking. They still had their rifles, and they were determined to hold them at any cost. The guns were heavy, however, and undoubtedly prevented the boys from maintaining their speed. The darkness increased and Deerfoot began steadily to draw away from his two young friends. Born and reared in the woods, and lightly dressed, he proved more than a match for the fast tiring brothers. They struggled desperately to keep up but they both realized that before long they would be compelled to stop. And ever nearer sounded the war whoop of the Sacs. I cant go much farther, Deerfoot, panted Joseph. Nor I, gasped Robert. At the word the flying Indian slackened his pace and waited for the boys to catch up. 20Only little more, he exclaimed, no stop now. All die if stop now. But where are you taking us? exclaimed Joseph. Follow Deerfoot, he show you, and once again the fleet-footed Indian sped down the darkening aisles of the forest. Night was now so near at hand that it was with difficulty that the two boys kept their guide in sight. They made one last effort, however, and exerting all the strength and will power they possessed they managed to follow where Deerfoot led. Suddenly the Indian stopped. Black Hawk no see trail now, he exclaimed. We hide here. He darted behind a huge tree as he spoke, the boys instantly following his example. Where are we going to hide? demanded Joseph. Follow Deerfoot, and as he spoke the Indian began to climb the nearest tree. Seemingly he went directly up the side of the tree and there were no branches to which he might cling for a considerable distance above the ground. Steps in tree, announced Deerfoot, stopping 21when he had gone a few feet. You find um easy. Follow Deerfoot. Standing where Deerfoot had stood Joseph ran his hands over the hark of the huge oak tree. Sure enough, steps large enough and deep enough to render climbing comparatively safe had been cut into the side of the tree. They were just about as far apart as the rungs of a ladder and having once started on the strange stairway it was very easy to continue. Joseph and Robert speedily discovered this condition and soon were following Deerfoot as he directed them and were moving nearly as rapidly as the Indian himself. In a very brief time all three had reached the first huge branches of the oak. Here a small platform had been built, consisting of only two or three planks, but they were so arranged that when the three fugitives lay down there was sufficient room for them all. These planks had been cunningly concealed by branches and moss, though naturally the boys did not know this in the darkness. It was about all they could do to make out the indistinct outlines of the nearby trees. The description of their activities required 22more time than Deerfoot and his two companions consumed in their efforts to gain this place of refuge. In a very short time they were lying prone on the platform and peering eagerly down into the depths of the forest. They had moved cautiously and silently and well it was that they had made no noise. Scarcely were they settled in the place before shadowy forms began to flit past them in the dim light below. No war whoops now were heard. The redmen were on the trail to avenge their dead comrade and the one who had been wounded, and now that night had fallen they had no desire to disclose their position. Joseph and Robert could not repress an involuntary shudder as they watched their pursuers speed past them. At the same time they had a feeling of satisfaction as they thought that they had thus far outwitted their foes and for the present at least were comparatively safe. Twenty-seven warriors passed beneath the platform in the old oak tree, according to Josephs count. Certainly there were enough of them to overcome any resistance the three fugitives could furnish. Night came on, but not for a moment was the vigilance of any one on the 23platform relaxed. Hour after hour dragged by and soon the dawn would appear. Robert understood as well as Joseph and Deerfoot, that when morning came their position would no longer be safe. With the coming of the morning light the hostile Indians would surely discover their trail and follow it to the base of the large oak tree. If they were to escape, now was the time to do so. Come, said Deerfoot in a low voice. He cautiously arose and started to make his way down the strange stairway. Joseph and Robert followed closely behind. Slowly and as quietly as possible they descended the tree and soon their feet were on solid ground once more. There they stood for a moment, and then, with Deerfoot in the lead, they started to retrace their course of the night before. They had covered a hundred yards or more when suddenly from a bush almost directly in front of them came the sharp bark of a rifle. A bullet whistled over their heads. 24 CHAPTER III A DEVASTATED HOME All three immediately dropped on their hands and knees. Rifles in hand they scurried for the nearest shelter and awaited developments. A puff of smoke floated upward from the bush whence the shot had come, as the three fugitives stretched themselves prone behind the trunk of a large fallen tree. After many moments of waiting Deerfoot cautiously raised his head. He dropped back again quickly, however, as a rifle ball splintered the bark scarcely ten inches from him. Evidently their enemy was keeping a sharp lookout. Apparently there was only one Indian in the bush, but neither of the two young pioneers nor their red ally cared to take any chances with him. For some moments there was absolute silence in that part of the 25forest where this little drama was being enacted. Suddenly Deerfoot stirred. He evidently had some scheme he wished to put into execution. Give Deerfoot hat, he whispered to Joseph, who lay next to him. Without hesitation Joseph did as he was told. Deerfoot pulled a strip of bark from the fallen tree and placed the hat upon one end of it, while he held to the other. Cautiously and slowly he raised the hat until it showed above their shelter. Immediately it was fired upon. Deerfoot turned to his young friends and smiled grimly. I do that again, he whispered. When he fire, white boys jump to feet and fire too. We take him by surprise. A fine idea, exclaimed Joseph eagerly. Are you all ready, Bob? All ready, replied Robert quietly. Just give me the signal. The two boys crouched, guns in hand, ready to spring to their feet instantly. Deerfoot also prepared to do his part. He lay on his back and slowly raised the hat; it was a nervous moment for the three people behind the fallen 26tree trunk. They did not know whether or not their foe would be deceived by their strategy and they could not be sure that only one hostile redman lurked in the nearby bush. Day had now come, however, and it was high time for them to move on. In a short time that portion of Black Hawks band which had pursued them the night before might once more appear and then their escape would be hopeless. So gradually did Deerfoot raise the hat that it scarcely seemed to move. Little by little, however, it was elevated on the stick until it showed above the fallen log. Joseph and Robert waited with every muscle tense, ready to spring to their feet the instant their enemy should fire. If Deerfoots strategy succeeded and if there was only one Indian who barred their way the three fugitives would soon be able to resume their journey. After what seemed to the two young pioneers to be a very long time the hat appeared above the log. Now was the important moment, and of the three persons hiding behind the fallen tree, two of them at least were very nervous. The success or failure of their scheme would now be determined in a very short time. 27When at least two inches of the hat was exposed to view, Deerfoot waited. Nothing happened, however. He raised the hat a bit higher. Still there was no result. Perhaps their foe suspected a plot and was determined not to be caught. That such could be the case seemed most improbable, however. Deerfoot raised the hat still a little higher and moved it slightly to one side, as if its owner was trying to conceal himself behind something. Bang! A shot suddenly struck the hat squarely in the center and splintered the stick, tearing it from Deerfoots hand. Now, Bob, exclaimed Joseph, springing to his feet. Both boys immediately jumped up and taking quick aim fired into the bush whence the bullets had come. Then they once more dodged behind the sheltering log. A shrill cry at that moment startled them, however, and looking up they saw Deerfoot, knife in hand, charging the spot where their enemy was located. He uttered the war whoop of the Pottowattomies and it was this that the boys had heard. We mustnt let him go alone, cried Robert, and as he spoke the two young woodsmen dashed 28forward to lend what assistance they could to their ally. There was nothing for them to do, however, when they reached the bush. Stretched upon the ground lay the Indian who had so nearly succeeded in shooting and perhaps killing one of the three. Hideous he looked in his gaudy war paint, smeared as he was with it from head to foot. One glance was sufficient to convince the two brothers that their foe was dead, and it was hard for them to repress a shudder, as they looked at the cruel face on the ground before them, and realized what might have been their fate had they fallen into the hands of such an enemy. Deerfoot, you mustnt do that! exclaimed Joseph suddenly. Knife in hand Deerfoot was busily engaged in scalping his fallen foe. As Joseph spoke, their Indian ally muttered something, but did not stop the work in which he was engaged. Deerfoot began Joseph again, when Robert interrupted him. Let him alone, Joe, he cautioned in a low voice. It is his custom to do that and he wont like it if we stop him. 29I guess youre right, agreed Joseph. I cant look at him, though, and he turned his back on the revolting scene being enacted on the ground at his feet. The two young pioneers withdrew a short distance and waited for Deerfoot to join them. That was a lucky shot that one of us made, remarked Joseph. I should say so, agreed Robert, who was busily engaged in reloading his gun. I wonder which one of us hit him. I know I didnt see him when I fired, said Joseph. I just aimed at the bush and trusted to luck. The same thing I did, exclaimed Joseph. Well, as long as we were successful it doesnt make much difference who it was that hit him, I guess, said Robert. At this moment Deerfoot came to the place where the boys were standing. Joseph could not help noticing the fresh scalp dangling at the belt of the Indian and he felt a chill run up and down his spine at the sight. As Robert had said, however, Deerfoot had only done what was customary with his people and as he knew no better, he was not to be blamed. 30Come, said Deerfoot. Black Hawk soon find trail. Maybe he hear shots too. We better go. Where are we going? demanded Joseph. Follow Deerfoot, replied the Indian calmly. I want to go home, exclaimed Joseph. So do I, echoed Robert. I want to know what has happened to our family. No go home, protested Deerfoot. All family dead. You know that. That may be true, said Joseph, but I want to see with my own eyes. Do you think I could just go away now and never know for sure that all my family were dead? Even if they have been killed, and Im afraid thats what has happened, I want to go back. I want to give them a decent burial at least. Thats just the way I feel, exclaimed Robert. You may be killed, too, protested Deerfoot. Ill take that chance, insisted Joseph. You dont have to go with us if you dont want to, you know. At any rate I think that would be the last place they would think of looking for us. They wont think that well dare go back there. 31Thats right, Joe, exclaimed his brother. Are you going with us, Deerfoot? Deerfoot go where you go, said the Indian shortly. Without another word they set out. Deerfoot led the way as usual, with the two brothers following close behind him. Extreme caution was used, as they did not know when the hostile band of Indians might suddenly loom up in their path. They had covered not more than a mile when Deerfoot suddenly held up his hand and the boys instantly came to a full stop. There house, said Deerfoot, pointing ahead of him as he spoke. Sure enough. Through the trees the young brothers could see a clearing which they immediately recognized as theirs. They saw no house, however. Steadily they crept nearer to the edge of the forest and a heart-rending scene lay spread before their eyes. What had once been a sturdy little cabin was now a mass of blackened embers from which a thin spiral of smoke was still curling. Do you suppose its safe to go closer? asked Robert in a sorrow-stricken voice. Out into the clearing, I mean. 32I dont know whether it is or not, replied Joseph. But I do know that I am going anyway. The two brothers stepped out from the shelter of the trees and approached their ruined home. They held their guns ready for immediate use, however, and they were alert to any danger which might arise. Deerfoot walked at their side. Me keep guard, he said. No stay long though, please. No, not long, Deerfoot, promised Joseph. The Indian took up his post in the tiny orchard that the Hall family had nursed so carefully, while the two boys went forward to examine the ruins. The devastation had been complete. The smouldering pile of charred ruins alone bore witness to the fact that a house had once stood on the site. The two young brothers were too completely overcome to speak for several moments. All they could do was to stand and look sorrowfully at the ruins of what had once been their home. We cant do much here, I guess, said Joseph at length. 33No, replied Robert, choking back a sob. It looks as though Black Hawk and his band have made a good job of it. In those ruins, went on Joseph bitterly, undoubtedly lie the bodies of our father and mother and our two sisters. Just think of it; at this time yesterday they were alive and happy. Now they are all dead, burned up by the flames of their own home and no doubt their scalps have been taken, just as Deerfoot took the scalp of that Indian in the woods this morning. Well, exclaimed Robert, one thing is sure and that is that I shall never rest until I have avenged their deaths. From now on I swear enmity to Black Hawk and all his tribe. Ill have revenge or die in the attempt. That much Im certain of. Look there! said Joseph. They didnt even spare Shep. A few feet away lay the body of a collie dog, a bullet through his brain. Shep, the playmate and faithful friend of the Hall family, one that had shared their fortunes uncomplainingly, whether they were good or bad, had also fallen a victim to the blood lust of the hostile redmen. 34Well avenge Shep too, exclaimed Robert earnestly. Come on, Joe! We cant do any good here and we are probably in danger too. Lets find Deerfoot and get out of here as fast as we can. Where are we going to go? I havent an idea. I havent thought that far. All I know is I want to get away from here. The other settlers ought to be warned too before the same thing happens to them that has happened to our family. All right, agreed Joseph. Lets find Deerfoot and go somewhere. I dont care much where it is either. When he saw the two brothers approaching to meet him Deerfoot hastened toward them. Must hurry, he exclaimed. I think Black Hawk come soon. Not even asking where he intended to go, Joseph and Robert followed Deerfoot and in a half-dazed condition walked beside him. To be made orphans as suddenly and as unexpectedly as these two boys had been, would be a shock to anyone and both young frontiersmen felt their loss keenly. 35They made their way across the clearing and were just about to enter the woods when from behind them came the sharp bark of a rifle. A bullet sang above their heads and buried itself in a nearby tree. 36 CHAPTER IV A HIDDEN RETREAT Neither Joseph nor Robert nor Deerfoot stopped to see who it was that had fired at them. Without a word they plunged quickly in among the trees and once again started on a race for their lives. From behind them came the faint sounds of the war whoops, which only served to increase the speed of the three fugitives. They had baffled and eluded their pursuers the night previous, but could they do it again? That was the thought uppermost in the minds of the three hunted men who were once more closely pressed by their enemies. Certainly they intended to do their utmost. No sounds reached them from behind now, but this did not mean that their foes had given up the chase. The two brothers and their Indian 37friend realized that this time it was to be a race to a finish. Black Hawk and his band had been foiled once and consequently it would be all the harder to escape them the second time. The three fugitives knew that their enemies would keep up the pursuit until the race was definitely settled. On and on Deerfoot led the way until they emerged from the woods onto the open prairie. There was an open space, at least a mile wide here, bordered on both sides by the forest and directly out upon this Deerfoot sped. Theyll see us here surely, Deerfoot, panted Joseph. Well be in plain sight and they can easily shoot us down. Follow Deerfoot, came the short, sharp reply, and neither Joseph nor his brother offered any more objections. Deerfoot did not go far from the shelter of the trees, however. He ran perhaps twenty-five or thirty yards from the border of the forest and then turned abruptly to his left. The ground was hard here and the trail as a consequence difficult to follow. Deerfoot kept on in this new course perhaps fifty yards more and then made another sharp turn to his left. This 38brought them back toward the woods once more. Both boys now saw Deerfoots plan. He was doubling on his tracks. The ground on the prairie was hard and along the surface of the earth ran a vein of solid rock. It would be almost impossible to follow a trail there, at least with any degree of speed, and Deerfoot had counted upon that as an aid. He hoped to gain a few precious moments by his strategy. Safe within the shelter of the forest, once more the wily Pottowattomie called a halt. The three fugitives crouched behind the shelter of a bush and gazed eagerly out across the prairie. They were all out of wind and a chance to regain their lost breath was heartily welcomed. Think weve thrown them off the trail? whispered Joseph. No for long, replied Deerfoot quietly. As he spoke an Indian bounded out of the woods, closely followed by several more. They all stopped and looked about them in a puzzled manner, and as more of their companions at that time joined them, a hasty consultation was held. They gesticulated and pointed in all directions, evidently at a loss what to do next. 39One of them pointed to the woods beyond the prairie, but evidently the others did not think their quarry could have gained enough ground to have reached that shelter. Come, said Deerfoot, slinking away. They find our trail soon. No. Lets not waste any time, agreed Robert, and once more the flight was resumed. Soon they came to a brook. Into this Deerfoot plunged without any hesitation and began making his way down stream as fast as he was able. The two brothers followed closely behind, and, imitating their guide, they jumped from rock to rock when such a course was possible, and at other times they waded in the shallow waters of the stream. This was another trick to throw their pursuers off the trail. Evidently Deerfoot was using all his skill and cunning. Down the stream they went for at least a third of a mile before Deerfoot decided to try the solid earth again. At a small rocky beach they left the brook and struck out through the woods once more. A short time later he once more entered the brook and went ashore on the opposite side. He was doubling on their tracks continually, and certainly no one but a 40skilled Indian could follow the course he was leading. After a further flight they came to Fox River. Along its shores were marshes overhung with willows. From underneath one of these Deerfoot drew a canoe, skillfully hidden in the rushes, and a few moments later the three fugitives were seated in this frail craft, paddling swiftly down the stream. We fool them, I think, said Deerfoot grimly. We fool Black Hawk, all right. He no catch us now. I hope youre right, exclaimed Joseph fervently. I know I should hate to have him catch us. Ive gotten so I dont much care what happens, said Robert, speaking with difficulty. Why, whats the matter? inquired his brother. Im so tired and so hungry, I feel as if it didnt make much difference what becomes of us. Our family is all gone and whats the use? Dont talk like that, protested Joseph. Werent you the one who was swearing vengeance only a couple of hours ago? I know it, admitted Robert mournfully. 41Just think, though, we didnt have any sleep last night and we have had no food since yesterday sometime. I cant keep this up much longer. Deerfoot know where food is, exclaimed the Indian. We be there soon. Also can sleep too. He had but little sympathy with Roberts complaints. It was a part of his training, and was bred in the blood of every Indian youth, to endure what came and not grumble. Whether he encountered good or bad fortune his attitude was the same and he always looked with contempt at what he considered the weakness of the white people if they complained of their sufferings or misfortunes. He was intensely fond of both Joseph and Robert, however, and he did not hold them personally responsible for what he regarded as a grave fault. In his heart he blamed their race. Thank goodness, ejaculated Robert in response to Deerfoots statement. Food and sleep are the two things I want most of all right now. I need them too, said Joseph. I think, however, that our hardships have just begun. 42That is, if we meant what we said this morning about avenging our family. I know I meant it anyway. So did I, exclaimed Robert. I didnt mean to be a baby just now and it wont happen again. Here, Deerfoot, let me paddle. No. Deerfoot paddle, replied the Indian quietly. His manner immediately changed toward Robert, however, as he saw a revival of spirit in the boy. It was never his custom openly to rebuke either of his young friends. He set an example and took it for granted that the brothers would follow it. He was immensely proud of his young pupils, for it was in this light that he regarded them, and stoical as he was he could not always hide his feelings. Down the narrow stream they went about two miles. Here the channel became lost in a huge swamp, a place that had always been a mystery and an attraction to the two brothers. They had never explored the swamp to any extent, however, for they invariably lost their bearings when they entered it and experienced difficulty in finding their way out. The channel of Fox River was easily discerned and not hard 43to follow, but Deerfoot soon left the channel and bore off to his left. The reeds and rushes grew high in the swamp. Great overhanging trees shut out the sun and made the place dark and gloomy. Here and there muskrat houses appeared and more than once these ratlike denizens of the marshes could be seen hastening to cover at the approach of the canoe. Everything was so still that it had a pronounced effect on the three men in the canoe, as they wound their way in and out along the narrow waterways. Deerfoot seemed perfectly sure of his course and did not once hesitate as he skillfully maneuvered the frail craft through the swamp. In absolute silence they progressed, the hoarse croak of a heron disturbed by their approach being the only sound to break the stillness. The narrow channel suddenly turned sharply to the right and a small lagoon appeared before the eyes of the three fugitives. In the center of the little lake was an island about a hundred feet square and heavily wooded. There place, said Deerfoot calmly. Can we land there? questioned Robert doubtfully. It looks pretty swampy to me. 44No swamp in middle, replied the Indian. A few powerful strokes of the paddle brought them to the shore of the tiny island. Beneath the low hanging branches of a great willow tree they glided and a moment later stepped ashore. Deerfoot carefully drew the canoe out of the water and concealed it behind the screen of a heavy growth of bushes. The ground was wet and marshy near the shore, but a few yards farther inland it rose abruptly, affording a firm, dry footing. Robert and Joseph followed Deerfoot as he led the way to the very center of the island. Here was a log hut, only a few feet high and carefully hidden by vines which had grown until they entirely covered the building. A narrow window afforded fresh air and a scanty supply of light. The Indian stooped and unfastened the low door. Then on his hands and knees he crawled inside, closely followed by the two young pioneers. To say they were surprised to find this retreat would be stating the case mildly. Never a word had Deerfoot ever spoken of this island or the hut upon it and neither of the boys had ever suspected that such a place was 45located within only a few miles of their own home. Just think how many times we have passed this place and yet weve never known a thing about it, remarked Joseph. Well, I should say so, exclaimed Robert. They were seated on the hard earthen floor of the tiny house, interestedly examining every detail of their shelter and hiding place. Roberts fatigue and hunger had entirely given way to his interest in his new surroundings. When Deerfoot produced dried venison and corn from a stone closet in one corner, however, these two feelings soon returned. Food, said the Indian shortly, offering the provender to the two young brothers. Then sleep. No second invitation was needed. The two boys grasped the food like starving men and soon ate all that had been given them. Deerfoot offered them no more and they both knew better than to ask for it. If the Indian had wished them to have more he would have given it to them. A moment later, the food gone, they stretched themselves at full length on the ground, and immediately fell fast asleep. 46 CHAPTER V A NEEDED REST How long he slept neither boy knew. Robert was the first to awaken and for some moments he could not remember where he was. The last two days had been so crowded with events that it had all seemed a confused and horrible dream to the young frontiersman. He rubbed his eyes and sat up, bewildered by his strange surroundings. For some time he sat still, trying to recall where he was and what had brought him to this place. He looked about him and the sight of his brother Joseph stretched upon the ground by his side suddenly brought a remembrance of his recent experiences to his mind. He stretched himself and yawned audibly. At the sound Joseph stirred and opened his eyes. 47Hello, Bob, he said drowsily. Where are we? Thats just what I was trying to think a moment ago, replied Robert. I know now though. Were on Deerfoots island in the middle of the swamp. Sure enough, exclaimed Joseph, sitting up. Wheres Deerfoot? Ive no idea. I just woke up. What time is it? I dont know. Its broad daylight outside though. It must be afternoon then, said Joseph. We arrived here sometime in the forenoon, I think. Yes, I know we did. I dont think its afternoon though. Why not? Because I feel very much rested. I think it must be tomorrow morning, if you understand what I mean by that remark. You mean weve slept nearly all day, and all night, too, I suppose. Yes, said Robert. Thats exactly what I mean. Impossible. 48Not at all. That would only bring us up to our average anyway. Joseph made his way to the window and looked out. Perhaps youre right, he agreed. It does look sort of like early morning outside. Dont you think we ought to find Deerfoot? We might look for him anyway. Lets go out. They crawled out through the low door and after scanning the landscape for possible signs of an enemy both stood up. Deerfoot was nowhere to be seen. Lets look for the canoe, suggested Robert. If that is gone, Deerfoot is with it somewhere. They walked quickly to the place where the canoe had been hidden, but it was not to be found. Where do you suppose he has gone? demanded Joseph. Ive no idea. Scouting, I guess. I hope nothing happens to him, exclaimed Joseph. Suppose he should be killed. Wed be left in a nice fix; on an island in the middle of a swamp we know nothing about, and with no boat to take us off. 49Dont worry about anything happening to Deerfoot, said Robert confidently. Hell be back here safe and sound before long. I hope youre right. Lets go back to the hut and wait there. A few moments later the boys seated themselves in front of the little log cabin. They sat where the sun would shine directly upon them, for the early morning air was cold. They took especial care, however, to select a place where they would not be exposed to the view of any chance passerby. They knew enough about Indians to realize that one can never be too careful when attempting to remain hidden from them. An Indian will see the smoke of a camp fire for miles distant; the slightest noise will alarm him, and a trail is an open book for him to read. Do you suppose Black Hawk and his band could trace us here? I doubt it, said Joseph in response to his brothers query. They might have followed our trail up to the spot where we took the canoe. I dont see how any human being could track us to this island though. If we are discovered it will only be by luck. 50Though hidden from the sight of passersby, the two boys were in a position where they could see all that occurred on the lagoon. As his brother finished speaking Robert half rose to his feet. Look! he exclaimed. Its Deerfoot, said Joseph, gazing in the direction Robert indicated. Across the lagoon sped the canoe, propelled by the expert paddle of the Pottowattomie. A moment later Deerfoot landed, drew the canoe ashore and approached the cabin door where the boys were seated. In one hand he held a string of perch and in the other he carried a duck. What the two brothers both noticed at once, however, was the fact that from his belt now dangled two scalps where the day previous there had been but one. Neither boy dared ask an explanation, however, for they knew that if Deerfoot cared to tell of his exploit he would do so voluntarily. Questions would have no effect upon him other than to make him angry, for curiosity as to other peoples affairs was always regarded by an Indian as very bad breeding. 51Boys sleep long, said Deerfoot, when he had come to the place where they were seated. Yes, Deerfoot, agreed Joseph. We were very tired. Me catch fish and duck, said the Indian. So we see, laughed Joseph. How did you do it? Fish with hook. Duck with snare. How you spose? I didnt know, replied Joseph meekly. He considered Deerfoots reply a rebuke, for evidently the Indian took it for granted that he should know how the game had been captured. The Pottowattomie did not care for useless questions. Did you see anything of Black Hawk? asked Robert. No see him, replied Deerfoot, who at once began the work of cleaning the fish he had caught. Robert asked no more questions and as Deerfoot did not offer to tell how he had captured the second scalp, the matter was evidently closed, at least for the present. Both boys were burning with curiosity, but to no purpose. Some day perhaps, if Deerfoot felt so inclined, he would tell them all about his 52exploit, but this he apparently did not consider the proper time to do so. How long do you expect to stay here, Deerfoot? inquired Joseph after several moments of silence. The Indian was cleaning the last fish and he made no reply until he had finished. The task did not consume much time, however, for the Pottowattomie was an expert in this art. He laid the fish upon a flat stone with the others, wiped his knife clean and then answered Josephs question. We leave tonight, he said. Where are we going? demanded Joseph and Robert in one breath. Dixons Ferry. Dixons Ferry! exclaimed Joseph. Why, thats a long distance from here. I know, agreed Deerfoot. We go there. Soldiers there, too. Is that so? cried Joseph in surprise. You mean soldiers sent against Black Hawk? Yes, said the Indian. Governor Reynolds send soldiers. How do you know all this? inquired Robert doubtfully. Me know, replied Deerfoot shortly. He 53did not like to have his statements questioned, and immediately lapsed into silence. He ignored any further remarks on the subject made by either of the brothers, and busied himself in his preparations for the meal. He quickly brought dried birch logs from inside the cabin and a moment later had a cheerful fire blazing. The wood he used did not smoke, so that any danger on that score was removed. As soon as the fire was well under way he seized the captured duck, holding it by its head with one hand and by its feet with the other. A moment later all of its feathers were singed off by the fire and he soon had the wild fowl skillfully prepared for cooking. Before long a splendid bed of coals had collected and in these Deerfoot placed the fish. The duck he spitted on a sharp stick and soon the savory smell of cooking food reminded the young pioneers how hungry they were. When the perch were done they were rolled in corn meal and quickly disappeared down the throats of the three fugitives. When the duck was eaten and the fire extinguished they settled back against the side of the cabin, feeling very much 54at peace with the world, in spite of their precarious position. Not dark for long while, said Deerfoot. Boys better sleep. What? exclaimed Joseph. You dont think we can sleep all the time, do you? I feel as if I never wanted to sleep again. You feel different tomorrow maybe. That may be so, but I cant sleep now, thats sure. How do you feel, Bob? Entirely slept out, replied Robert, his remark followed by a yawn, however. All three lapsed into silence while they scanned the surrounding landscape and wished for the coming of night. The quiet of the swamp was undisturbed save for the occasional call of a wild fowl or a splash caused by the jump of a fish. The wind blowing gently through the trees and rushes furnished a drowsy hum as a background to the other noises. As far as one could judge from appearances in the swamp, all the world was at peace. Little would anyone suspect that the three men on the tiny island had been forced to seek that refuge because of hostile Indians. 55Where is Black Hawks village? asked Joseph suddenly. Where Rock River meet Mississippi, replied Deerfoot. That was his village. Why do you say was? White people take it away from him, said Deerfoot. Is that why hes fighting? inquired Joseph. If they stole his village, then I dont blame him. Dont forget this though, exclaimed Robert hotly. The Whites may have cheated the Indians lots of times, but just the same the Sacs signed a treaty to move across the Mississippi, and they have refused to go. At any rate nothing can excuse their killing our family. We did nothing to Black Hawk or any of his people and I intend to get even if I can. How can the country ever expect to be settled if the people are liable to be murdered at any moment? Thats true, agreed Joseph. Its hard to blame Black Hawk from his point of view though. He probably thinks hes entitled to all this land and that every white settler is a thief who is trying to steal from him. 56Black Hawk isnt the head of his tribe anyway, continued Robert. Keokuk is the big chief, isnt he, Deerfoot? That right, grunted the Indian. Black Hawk the war chief. He fighter. All Pottowattomies are fighters, arent they? said Robert, at the same time covertly nudging Joseph as he spoke. Deerfoot merely grunted but his eyes shone at this remark of his young white friend, and unconsciously he felt for the two scalps at his belt. They were not there, however, but stretched on frames, were drying in the sun before the cabin. They presented a gruesome sight but one from which the brothers found difficulty in keeping their gaze. Both boys smiled at the pride exhibited by Deerfoot in response to Roberts insinuation as to the prowess of the Pottowattomies. For some time they lazily discussed Black Hawk and his deeds. Finally Deerfoot stretched himself at full length on the ground and straightway fell asleep. In spite of their long rest the two brothers soon followed his example; they had been more tired than they realized and were 57soon in the land of dreams. They were awakened by Deerfoot shaking them gently by the shoulder. When they opened their eyes it was dusk. Come, urged Deerfoot. Time to go. 58 CHAPTER VI A NEW DANGER Deerfoot offered the two boys dried venison and some cakes made of corn meal. The three fugitives partook heartily of this simple repast and then prepared to continue their flight. Silently and with extreme caution they made their way to the place where the canoe lay hidden and a few moments later all three embarked. The night was dark, but this fact did not seem to trouble Deerfoot. He wielded the paddle and with strong, sure strokes propelled the light canoe swiftly over the waters of the lagoon. In a short time they were once more among the rushes and through the narrow waterways Deerfoot paddled the frail craft as confidently as a man might walk down the street of some familiar town. Joseph and Robert crouched 59low in the canoe, made no sound, but constantly marveled at the skill of their Indian friend, who so easily found his way in the marshes. Presently they emerged from the swamp into the main channel of the river. As close to the shore as possible Deerfoot steered his course and now did scarcely more than guide the canoe; he allowed the current to carry them along. Although it was somewhat sluggish here, the Indian seemed to be content with the speed they were making. So quietly did the canoe drift down the stream and so dark was the night that an observer from the shore might easily have mistaken the ghostlike object for a floating log. The motion of the canoe was so soothing and all about them everything seemed so quiet and peaceful that the two brothers almost forgot the danger they were in, and had nearly fallen asleep again when the grating of the bow on a sandy beach quickly aroused them. Out here, whispered Deerfoot. A moment later the canoe had been hauled ashore and hidden, and without further delay Joseph and Robert followed their Indian guide as he struck out through the woods. 60On the river the night had seemed dark, but in the woods it was pitchy black. The great overhanging trees shut out whatever feeble light the stars might give, so that the forest was inky dark. As a consequence progress was very slow. Deerfoot did not even for a moment relax his caution; the three fugitives proceeded one behind the other and so close that they could almost touch one another. Speed was sacrificed to quietness and as a consequence it required the better part of an hour to traverse this strip of woods, though it was only a half-mile wide. At last they emerged from the shelter of the forest onto the prairie. Far ahead of them it stretched like the waters of a huge lake, apparently boundless in its extent. Bushes formed the only cover on this vast expanse of level country and both Joseph and Robert could not help wondering what they should do if their enemies should discover them while they were crossing this plain. There was no choice, however, if they wished to reach Dixons Ferry, and the chance must be taken. Soon their progress was more rapid. Swiftly they walked and as the moon broke from behind 61a cloud its rays made the three figures look like ghosts, as, bending low, they hurried forward on their perilous journey. Mile after mile they covered and scarcely a word had been spoken since they left Deerfoots hut on the island in the swamp. Finally, however, the Indian called a halt. We rest here, he exclaimed, pointing to a clump of bushes nearby as he spoke. Good, said Joseph heartily. That was a fast pace, Deerfoot. Huh, grunted the Indian. Must hurry. Are we going to travel all day, too? inquired Robert. He had sunk to the ground as soon as their march had ceased, and now, stripped of his gun, he lay at full length upon the earth. No, said Deerfoot in response to Roberts question. We stay Scotts today. Scotts! exclaimed Robert. Where is that? On prairie, replied Deerfoot. You know Scotts. I do, said Joseph, turning to his brother as he spoke. Dont you remember that family that stopped at our house about five or six 62years ago, Bob? They had come from Virginia and we heard later that they had settled out on the prairie here. You must remember them. I sort of recall something about them, agreed Robert. How far from here is their house, Deerfoot? Six miles. Well reach there early in the morning then, wont we? Daylight, said Deerfoot. We stay here half-hour, then go on again. When ought we to reach Dixons Ferry? asked Joseph. Tomorrow, mebbe. Mebbe next day, grunted Deerfoot, and rolling over on his back the Indian immediately fell asleep. Look at that, exclaimed Joseph. He is just like a dog and can go to sleep whenever he feels like it. I wish I could do it. Its all practice, said Robert. Deerfoot has been trained to it all his life and thats why he can do it now. Well, you and I had better try to rest, too, said Joseph, as he stretched himself on the ground beside Deerfoot. 63Suppose we all go to sleep and no one wakes up in a half an hour? Dont worry about that. Deerfoot will wake up all right. The brothers lapsed into silence but they did not sleep. They had had more rest than Deerfoot recently and were not in such need of sleep as was their guide. In addition, the ground was hard and lumpy, and no matter which way they adjusted themselves it seemed as if some particularly hard bump was immediately underneath them. The ground was hard and the grass was dry, for but little rain had fallen recently, and this fact only served to make their beds more uncomfortable. They obtained some rest, however, and were ready to start again when Deerfoot gave the word. He opened his eyes presently and sat up. A moment later he sprang to his feet, while the two brothers quickly followed his example. Wind blow now, grunted Deerfoot. It is freshening, agreed Joseph. Its right in our faces too. It was at least two hours before the dawn when they once more resumed their march. The wind blowing over the prairie was cool in 64their faces and sweet with the odor of grass and the earth. Soon they would come to the Scotts home where they were confident that they would be heartily welcomed and furnished with a sumptuous meal. Perhaps the Scotts would join them in their flight to Dixons Ferry; at any rate they could be warned of the presence of warlike Indians in the vicinity. These and similar thoughts occupied the minds of the two brothers as they hurried on their way. They had covered perhaps five of the six miles when Deerfoot suddenly stopped. He bent slightly forward as if he was listening to something, and imitating him Joseph and Robert both listened intently. No sound came to them, however, but evidently the case was different with Deerfoot. For some moments he remained in a listening attitude, and then turned to his young friends. War whoop, he said quietly. What! exclaimed Joseph and Robert together. War whoop, repeated Deerfoot. Black Hawk kill Scotts. Are you sure? demanded Joseph. Are you sure you hear war whoops? 65Ugh, grunted Deerfoot. This is terrible! cried Joseph. It seems as if we ought to have warned them. What shall we do? How could we have warned them? demanded Robert. Wed have been killed ourselves if we had tried to get here any sooner. But what shall we do? I dont know. Ask Deerfoot. The first faint streaks of dawn were now lighting up the sky. Little by little objects began to be distinguishable and as Joseph turned to Deerfoot for an answer to his question, the Indian pointed to something he saw in the distance. Both boys instantly gazed in the direction he indicated. What is it? demanded Joseph in a low voice. Smoke. Sure enough, cried Robert. I see it. They are burning the Scotts house just as they burned ours. Theyre probably all dead by now. Deerfoot was evidently uneasy. He shifted from one foot to the other and glanced about him as if he was undecided what to do next. 66The three fugitives simply stood and gazed at the distant column of smoke. You can smell the smoke now, exclaimed Robert suddenly. Yes, agreed Joseph. The wind is coming this way. So fire, said Deerfoot. What do you mean by that? asked Joseph. Fire come this way, too. How will it? Prairie burn, said Deerfoot quietly. Do you think the prairie will catch on fire? demanded Joseph in alarm. Do you think it is dry enough? The two young pioneers gazed anxiously across the level plain to the place where the fire was raging. They knew the horrors of a prairie fire and they had no desire to be caught in the midst of one. Sure prairie dry, grunted Deerfoot. Wed better leave here as fast as we can then, hadnt we? exclaimed Joseph, now fully alarmed. As he spoke they could see the fire suddenly spring up all about the former home of the Scotts. Fanned by the ever freshening breeze it made its way swiftly along the ground 67and gathering power as it ran, leaped into flame and started on its mad career. Come, said Deerfoot, and he turned about and ran. The smell of smoke was now strong in their nostrils and this new foe, much more deadly than the former ones, inspired the fugitives with a fear that seemed almost to put wings on their feet. A deer suddenly passed them, wide-eyed and snorting with fright; close behind it sped two gray wolves, the fact that the deer was their quarry apparently being forgotten in the fear of a common peril. To escape by running around the fire was out of the question. It not only traveled straight ahead, but as it came it continually widened its scope, the wall of flame and smoke growing broader and broader with every moment that passed. The three men ran as they never had run before. Behind them roared the racing fire, the noise striking terror to the heart of every living thing within hearing distance. Side by side ran men and animals, their ancient enmities forgotten, everyone aware of the fact that a foe more powerful than any of them was at their backs. Water was what they all sought, 68and unless they could reach it before the fire did they were lost. Neither Joseph nor Robert knew of any water nearer than the stream they had left the evening before. It was out of the question to think of gaining that. Perhaps Deerfoot knew of some lake or pond on the prairie. At any rate he could not stop to say so now, and meanwhile the fire raged behind them, ever nearer and constantly increasing in fury. 69 CHAPTER VII A NARROW ESCAPE The heat from the fire now reached the fleeing men. All the animals had far outdistanced them in their flight and these three were left behind to continue the race. There was no doubt that the fire was gaining on them rapidly. The air about them was full of smoke which choked and at times nearly strangled the three fugitives. As far as either Joseph or Robert could see, there was no place of refuge ahead of them and both boys were now fully convinced that escape was well nigh impossible. They were determined to die fighting, however, and to keep going until the very last. Joseph glanced behind him as he ran. As he caught a glimpse of the great wall of smoke and flame he could not help thinking, even in this 70moment of extreme peril, of the pictures he used to see in the fairy books. The prairie fire he likened to the great dragons that always guarded the ancient treasures. Flame and smoke always issued from their mouths and nostrils, and so tortured was the boys mind that he suddenly gained the impression that he was being pursued by one of these dragons. Could he escape the ravenous beast? That was the question. Like a race horse, the fire galloped forward over the prairie. The air was now filled with sparks, while the roar of the seething conflagration grew ever louder in the ears of the fleeing men. Ahead of them, perhaps a quarter of a mile, appeared a row of bushes, and toward this spot Deerfoot seemed to be making his way. Just why he did this neither Robert nor Joseph knew, but they followed blindly the lead of their guide. Robert was wondering if by any miracle they could escape the awful peril now almost at their heels. Joseph was bent on escaping the dragon roaring behind them, and somehow he felt that if they could reach the clump of bushes they would be safe. Why he felt this way he could 71not have explained. They were now within two hundred yards of the bushes, while the fire was not more than twice that distance behind them. The three fugitives were almost exhausted and the fire traveled with at least double the speed that they could make. Consequently the race was an even one. Neither boy had discarded his rifle. It was almost second nature for a frontiersman to cling to his gun and these two boys were no exception to the rule. Grimly they hung on to their rifles, and stumbling now and then, they still plunged blindly forward. Nearer and nearer they came to the bushes; closer and closer swept the fire. Can we reach the bushes? thought Robert, and Can we escape the dragon? Joseph kept repeating again and again to himself. A hundred yards in back of them roared the flames. Scarcely forty yards ahead were the bushes. They were almost enveloped by the smoke and sparks now and it was hard to see clearly. Robert obtained a glimpse of what he took to be a gully just the other side of the bushes. To Josephs distorted vision appeared a moat with a castle on the opposite side; a guard stood at the portcullis ready to let it fall. 72Could he slip through before the dragon seized him? Just in front of the two brothers was Deerfoot. By words, lost in the roar of the fire, and by gestures he urged the boys on. Their eyes smarted from the smoke and their hearts and lungs seemed to have reached the bursting point, so great was the strain placed upon them. Blindly they staggered forward, their rifles still clutched firmly in their hands. They could see the bushes dimly, only a few steps in front of them now, while the fire seemed almost at their side. Neither boy knew just why he was striving so hard to reach this row of bushes. What protection could they afford? They were determined to reach this spot, however, and with one last supreme effort they forced their lagging feet forward. They could feel the bushes brush their clothes as they came among them, and then the earth seemed suddenly to give way under their feet and they plunged forward headlong. After a space of time that might have been minutes, or days for that matter, as far as he at the moment was able to estimate passing 73time, Joseph opened his eyes, for he had lost consciousness when he fell. He was lying flat on his back while Deerfoot and Robert splashed water in his face. Where is the dragon? he exclaimed, trying to rise. What dragon? asked Robert, smiling at his brothers remark. Why, the dragon that chased us of course. You mean the fire, I guess. It was a fire after all, wasnt it? exclaimed Joseph dazedly. Somehow I got the idea into my head that it was a dragon. I guess I was out of my head. Well, that fire was much worse than a dragon or any other animal that ever lived, said Robert feelingly. I tell you we had a narrow escape. Where are we anyway? Get up and look for yourself, if you feel strong enough. Slowly and with difficulty Joseph raised himself to his feet. Glancing about him he discovered that they were resting near the bank of a small stream on both sides of which the ground rose abruptly ten or twelve feet. So this was 74the place to which Deerfoot had led them. How lucky it was that their Indian friend had been familiar enough with the country to know of this place of refuge. As if in a dream Joseph passed his hand across his forehead. It was wet and glancing at his fingers he discovered that they were covered with blood. What happened to me? he demanded. You cut your head on a sharp stone when you fell, explained Robert. Its only a scalp wound though and will soon heal up. Where is the fire? It jumped this gully, just after we jumped into it, laughed Robert. You can hear it roaring on across the prairie now. Wheres my gun? exclaimed Joseph suddenly. There, said Robert, pointing to Deerfoot. Your gun landed in the water and Deerfoot rescued it for you. The Indian was busily engaged in cleaning and drying Josephs rifle, but as Robert spoke he looked up from his task. Gun go off, he said quietly. What do you mean? cried Joseph. See, said Deerfoot, at the same time pointing to his left sleeve. The Indians hunting 75shirt showed a ragged hole, while on it were spots of blood. You mean it went off and hit you? exclaimed Robert. I didnt know that, Deerfoot. Why didnt you tell me? Ugh, grunted the Indian in his non-committal manner. Let me see it, demanded Joseph in alarm as he grasped Deerfoot by the arm and pulled up his sleeve. The bullet had grazed the flesh of the forearm, breaking the skin, but doing no serious hurt. Whew! gasped Joseph. Its a lucky thing it didnt kill you, Deerfoot. Certainly it isnt my fault that youre alive now. Why arent you angry with me? No your fault, replied the Indian, gazing into the eyes of his young white friend. Deerfoot, like the rest of his race, disliked to display his emotions if it could be avoided; but the Pottowattomie often had a hard task to conceal his affection for the two young brothers. What would we ever do if we lost you? cried Joseph. Youre all we have left now, Deerfoot. The Indians eyes grew moist at this remark 76and he turned quickly away. He washed Josephs cut and his own wound and then bound a strip of Josephs shirt around the cut in his head. He then scrambled up the side of the gully to gaze out over the prairie. What are we going to do now? inquired Joseph a few moments later when Deerfoot had returned to the spot where the two boys were seated. We stay here today. Go on tonight, replied Deerfoot. Isnt it safe to travel in the daylight? No, answered Deerfoot. Anyway, prairie too hot. Thats true, exclaimed Robert. I never thought of that. The grass and bushes in the path of the fire must still be smouldering. Wed probably burn holes in our moccasins if we started now. Mine cant stand much either, said Joseph, ruefully looking at his feet. Weve given them some hard usage lately. I should say so. Deerfoot completed the task of cleaning Josephs gun, and then holding it under his arm he sauntered off along the bank of the stream. 77Be back soon, he called as he disappeared from view around a projecting corner of the bank. The two boys now left alone, sat on the ground and discussed their experiences and what was ahead of them. I wish we were at Dixons Ferry, exclaimed Robert fervently. No more than I do, said Joseph. I must confess, continued Robert, that I dont like this business of traveling all night and never knowing when an Indian may jump out from behind some tree and tomahawk me. Well, said Joseph, when we reach Dixons Ferry well be all right. I wonder how many troops are there and what they intend to do? Ive no idea. Well know when we get there. If that ever happens. Youre getting as bad as I am, laughed Robert. Lets not be so discouraged. Deerfoot will bring us through all right. Do you think he knows what is going on at Dixons Ferry? I dont know. He wouldnt tell us if he did. Evidently the Indians must have been causing trouble for some time, remarked Joseph. 78Otherwise the governor wouldnt have sent soldiers after them as soon as this. Thats right, I guess, Robert agreed. Probably that band which attacked us was only a detachment of the main body. It was undoubtedly the same one that burned the Scotts home and started this fire, too. Probably it was. If we ever reach Dixons Ferry well know it all. Do you suppose theyll let us enlist? They will if they have any volunteers. Theyll have a hard time keeping me out, thats sure. I wish began Joseph when the sound of a rifle shot suddenly cut him short. Both boys sprang to their feet in alarm. The report came from the direction in which Deerfoot had gone and instantly the two boys minds were filled with visions of dreadful things happening to their friend. Bring your rifle and come along, cried Joseph as he began to run along the bank of the stream. Robert was with him in an instant. Hold back here, Joe, he urged. Let me go ahead; Ive got the gun. Take it slow, too. Cautiously they approached the bend in the 79river, Robert slightly in the lead. He was holding his rifle ready for instant use and both boys were prepared for any emergency. As they turned in their course they spied Deerfoot. He was approaching them, holding his rifle in one hand and an enormous jack rabbit in the other. He could not repress a grin of amusement as he saw the hostile attitude of his two young friends. We thought youd been attacked, exclaimed Joseph heaving a great sigh of relief. Me shoot rabbit, replied Deerfoot. So we see, remarked Joseph. Dont you think, though, that somebody might have heard the shot and that it may get us into trouble? Nobody to hear shot, said Deerfoot. Nobody on prairie after fire. I guess thats true enough, laughed Robert. Im glad to see that old rabbit, too. I suppose he was hiding from the fire as well as we were. Yes, said Deerfoot. He hid. Me find him though. The two brothers set to work collecting such wood as they could find in the gully and that had escaped the flames; Deerfoot at the same time was busily engaged in skinning the rabbit. 80In a short time a fire had been kindled and the odor of roast rabbit filled the air. The meat was delicious, somewhat similar to chicken in flavor, and soon only bones remained to testify that a rabbit had once been near that spot. Frequently Deerfoot scanned the horizon with a watchful eye and the day was spent in talk and rest. As darkness once more stole over the land, Deerfoot gave the word and again the three fugitives set out on their tramp to Dixons Ferry. 81 CHAPTER VIII AN INDIAN LEGEND Two days later they reached their destination. The journey had been a hard one and it was with a great feeling of relief that the three wearied travelers entered the small settlement on Rock River at Dixons Ferry. On their way they had endured many hardships. Driving rainstorms on the prairies had drenched them to the skin and often they had been forced to flounder their way through deep marshes and swamps. They had crossed the old Sac trail to Canada on their journey. This tribe, years before, had made its way into Illinois and Wisconsin through the lower Michigan peninsula, its original home being north of the Great Lakes. Deerfoot explained this fact to his young friends, who evinced much interest at the sight 82of the old Indian highway. From Black Hawks village on the Mississippi it ran east to the Illinois River which it crossed several miles north of Hennepin where the river turns almost at right angles. Thence it led along the river to the shores of Lake Michigan and then continued northward into Canada. At Dixons Ferry there was much bustle and excitement. Over three hundred men were gathered there under the command of Majors Isaiah Stillman and David Bailey. All volunteers they were and made a reckless, dare-devil force. They had been resting several days and were all impatient at the delay. They were equipped with an abundance of ammunition and supplies, and could see no reason why they should not be allowed to start at once in pursuit of Black Hawk and his band of warriors. The two brothers and their Pottowattomie ally were enthusiastically received by these men, especially so when Joseph told of the massacre of his family, and how eager they were to avenge it. Fresh clothes had been at once provided for the new members of the battalion, for they had lost no time in enlisting. 83A tent was assigned to them and a hearty meal provided. I dont like this delay, exclaimed one of the volunteers, Walter Hood by name, to Joseph and Robert. They were seated just outside of the tent occupied by the two brothers and Deerfoot. The Indian had gone off somewhere and Hood, an old trapper, had stopped to chat with the boys. No sir, he repeated. I dont like this delay. I want to be on the trail of them redskins and git the job over with. Whats the reason for the delay? inquired Joseph. Were waiting for more soldiers, thats what it is. Theres a whole lot of them on their way here now, and they ought to reach here at almost any minute. I wish we could go along without em. How many soldiers are on their way here, Mr. Hood? asked Robert. Sixteen hundred or so, but dont you call me Mister Hood. My name is Walt. That is what Ive been called all my life and I dont intend to change now. All right, laughed Robert. Id be very glad to call you Walt. 84And you, too, exclaimed the old trapper turning to Joseph. I dont want no funny business from you either. I swear, agreed Joseph solemnly, at the same time raising his right hand. Tell us about these troops though, he added. Well, said Walt, theres about sixteen hundred of them as I told you. Of that number nearly thirteen hundred is on horseback. Governor Reynolds is with the troops, who are commanded by Generals Atkinson and Whiteside. All this news I got from a messenger who arrived here this morning. Where are they coming from? asked Joseph. From Fort Armstrong. Thats down on the Mississippi you know, right close to Black Hawks village and right near Rock Island, too. Well have about two thousand men in a few days then, wont we? exclaimed Joseph. I dont believe Black Hawk has half that many, do you? I dont think so, agreed Walt. Thats why I want to get started now and not wait for the others. Weve got enough men here now 85to lick all the Indians in North America as it is. Thats the way my father used to talk, remarked Robert quietly. It is a mistake to think that way in my opinion. Please dont ever say such a thing before Deerfoot, anyway, urged Joseph. He is one of the finest men that ever lived and I wouldnt offend him for anything in the world. Ill remember that, Walt promised. All Indians arent bad anyway, he added so seriously that both boys laughed. Did you ever know any well? asked Robert. Yes, indeed. I trapped all one winter with an Ojibway up in Canada. He was a fine fellow and amusing, too. At night we used to sit around our fire and smoke and once in a while I could get him to talk. He knew all the Indian stories and legends from start to finish and they were mighty interesting, too. Tell us some of them, urged Joseph eagerly. Well, now, said Walt slowly. I dont know as I can remember them. Certainly I cant tell em the way he did. That doesnt make any difference, exclaimed Joseph. Tell them as best you can 86and that will be good enough for us. Isnt that so, Bob? I should say so, agreed Robert heartily. I love those Indian legends. All right then, said Walt. Ill try my best. Did you ever hear the legend of The Lone Lightning? Never, cried both boys. Tell us that one, urged Joseph eagerly. The old trapper filled his pipe deliberately. When it was lighted and he had settled himself comfortably against the trunk of a tree and taken a few big puffs, he began his story. Once upon a time there was a little orphan boy. He lived with his uncle who treated him very badly and gave him but little to eat. As a result the boy pined away and was thin and slight and never grew much. This treatment went on for a long time and finally the uncle pretended to be greatly ashamed of the way he had abused his nephew. He commenced to feed the boy all he could eat in order to fatten him and to make up for the hard usage he had received. The uncles real plan, however, was to kill the boy by overfeeding him. He told his wife to give the boy plenty of 87bears meat, especially the fat, as that was supposed to be the best part. They used to force food on the boy and one day they nearly choked him to death by trying to cram it down his throat. The boy finally escaped from the lodge, however, and fled into the woods. He did not know his way about and soon got lost. Night fell and the boy was afraid. He climbed high into the branches of a tall pine tree so that the wild animals could not reach him and while up there he fell asleep. While he was asleep he had a dream. A person appeared to him from the sky and said, My poor little lad, I pity you, and the bad usage you have received from your uncle has led me to visit you; follow me, and step in my tracks. Immediately the boy awoke and he rose up and followed his guide, mounting higher and higher into the air until finally he reached the sky. Here he was given twelve arrows and told to go to the northern skies where there was a great many manitous or spirits whom he must try to ambush and kill. So the lad set out and finally came to that part of the sky. He shot eleven of his twelve arrows in an attempt to kill the manitous, but 88he was unsuccessful. Every time he shot an arrow there was a long and solitary streak of lightning in the sky; then all became clear again and not a cloud or spot could be seen. The boy now had but one arrow left and he held this a long time while he searched all about to spy the manitous he was after. This was not an easy task, however, for these manitous were very cunning and could change their form instantly. They feared the boys arrows, for they were magic, and had been given to him by a good spirit. They had power to kill the manitous if only they were aimed right. Finally the boy discovered the chief of the manitous. He drew his last arrow, aimed it carefully and let it fly. He had directed his aim straight at the heart of his enemy, but before the arrow could reach him the manitou changed himself into a rock. Into this rock the last magic arrow plunged deep and stuck fast. Now your gifts are all expended, cried the enraged manitou, and I will make an example of your audacity and pride of heart for lifting your bow against me. So saying he suddenly changed the boy into the Nazliek-a-wa-wa-sun, 89or Lone Lightning which anyone can see in the northern sky even to this day. The old trapper ceased speaking and relighted his pipe which had gone out during the course of his tale. Both boys remained silent for some minutes. That was a strange legend, remarked Joseph at last. I should say so, echoed Robert. I liked it though. I like all these stories of Indians and what they believed. So do I, exclaimed Walt. Indians are a simple-minded people in a great many ways. Their legends mean a lot to them, too. Tell me, said Joseph. What do they mean by Lone Lightning? The northern lights, I suppose, answered Walt. At least that is what I have always taken that story to mean. If youve ever seen them you know how on clear, cold nights they flash out all over the heavens. You see the boys last arrow remained stuck in the rock, so that the light from it will always be there. The other eleven just vanished into space, I suppose. By manitou you mean a spirit, dont you? inquired Robert. 90Yes, said Walt. Thats just what I mean. You see there are good spirits and evil spirits and those up in the north were evil. The Great Manitou is the Great Spirit whom all the Indians worship. He is chief of all the manitous. You know lots more legends, dont you? asked Joseph eagerly. Why, yes, replied Walt, I do know a good many. Well, were always willing to listen to them, said Joseph. I could hear another right now, suggested Robert hopefully. Would you mind very much telling us one, Walt? Not at all, except for the fact that from the looks of things I think perhaps our reinforcements are arriving. Something is happening all right! exclaimed Joseph excitedly. All three immediately sprang to their feet and hurried to the western side of the camp whither everyone else seemed to be bound. Everybody was excitedly calling to everybody else and all were in high spirits at the arrival of the troops. Perhaps we can get started now, said Walt 91hopefully as he hurried along beside the two boys. Our waiting days are about over, I guess, and within twenty-four hours I think well be on on our way up the old Rock River. Black Hawk had better move on before we get very far, too, I can tell you. Everybody in the settlement was gathered together in one spot, the center of attention being a mud-spattered messenger who was talking to Major Stillman. The boys could not hear what he said but as they came closer to the crowd the messenger turned and pointed. Over the crest of a nearby hill suddenly appeared a man on horseback. Then another came into view, then another, and still another until the whole hill was covered by the band of approaching horsemen. 92 CHAPTER IX IN CAMP Just look at them! exclaimed Joseph. There must be a thousand of them. Sixteen hundred you said, didnt you, Walt? inquired Robert turning to their friend as he spoke. Not mounted, I think, replied the trapper. I guess the rest are coming up the river in boats and wont be here for some time. Well, with this crowd we ought to be able to subdue Black Hawk all right, exclaimed Joseph eagerly. Do you suppose well have to wait for the rest of the troops? I hope not, said Walt. Here it is the twelfth of May already and we should have had the whole thing over with by this time, in my opinion. As the three volunteers stood talking the 93horsemen rode into camp. General Whiteside was in command and it was soon learned that, as Walt had said, the remainder of the force was coming up the river under the lead of General Atkinson. General Whiteside had previously been in command of frontier rangers and had earned the reputation of being a splendid Indian fighter. Any regulars with you? inquired Walt of one of the men who had just arrived. No, replied the men, were all volunteers. General Atkinson is following with them. He has about four hundred regular infantry and some three hundred volunteer footmen. He is coming up the river by boat with cannon, provision and most of the baggage. When did they start? asked Robert. Three days ago; the same time we did. From Fort Armstrong? Robert inquired. Yes, said the soldier. The people on the river are having a bad time of it, too, Im afraid. The water is very high and it will be hard work to make their way against the current. There are so many rapids, too. Did you find the traveling bad? Walt asked. Yes, quite bad. We came slowly, too, and 94made a stop at the Prophets town as well. It was absolutely deserted. Who is the Prophet? questioned Robert. His name is Wabokieshiek, explained Walt. He is the man who has been urging Black Hawk on all this time. You know all Indians are superstitious and these medicine men and prophets exert great influence. The Prophet has been encouraging Black Hawk to make war you mean? inquired Joseph. Yes, Walt answered, thats just what he has been doing. As I understand it he has promised Black Hawk large reinforcements from the Winnebagos, Pottowattomies and Kickapoos and that when he has all their help he will surely beat the whites. The Prophet probably lied, Robert exclaimed. Of course he did, agreed Walt. I dont think that those other tribes will help the Sacs one bit. Certainly they wont if they learn how many men we have here. I know one Pottowattomie who wont join him anyway, said Robert. Who is that? 95Deerfoot. By the way, where is he? exclaimed Joseph suddenly. I havent seen him in a long time. Perhaps he has already joined Black Hawk, said Walt, and he laughed in an insinuating manner as he spoke. Dont you say that! cried Joseph hotly. Deerfoot is the best friend that Bob and I have left on earth and I dont want him slandered. No, sir! chimed in Robert. If ever there was a man more faithful than Deerfoot, Ive never seen him or heard of him. You may take our word for it that he can always be counted on. He certainly has two loyal supporters all right, laughed Walt. If you boys are so sure hes all right, I guess Ill have to believe you. Youd better, exclaimed Joseph. Now lets go look for him, he added. Their soldier friend had disappeared. His horse needed care and he had gone to report at headquarters and receive his orders. General Whitesides division had but a scanty store of supplies and were forced to depend upon those which had been collected at Dixons Ferry. 96Fortunately they were believed to be fully adequate. There is a lot of feeling among our men about joining General Whiteside, you know, said Walt as the three volunteers walked along. You mean among those who were here before he arrived? Joseph asked. Yes, I dont care much about it either. We want to fight in our own way, and, personally, I dont see why we should be tied down to the regular levies. I had hoped wed go o Becky McCreary is a member of the Southern Arizona Genealogy Society. Contact her at rebeccamccreary764@gmail.com or visit the societys website at azsags.org, where her columns are archived. The articles may not be reprinted without written permission of the author. Haiti - FLASH : Dominican geologist Osiris de Leon denies Haitis assertions As part of the latent conflict between the two countries of the island around the ongoing construction of an irrigation canal in Haiti, which will capture water from the Massacre River once completed, the Dominican geologist Osiris de Leon, former scientific advisor to the executive branch of geosciences, seismicity and disaster prevention, denied the version presented by the Haitian Government according to which the Dominican Republic has four catchment works on the Massacre River, to justify the construction of their irrigation canal. Osiris de Leon specifies "The Dominican Republic does not have a catchment infrastructure on the Massacre River. It has catchment works on the eastern basin of the Massacre River, which is different" specifying that the Dominican Republic has the right to use the eastern basin of the Massacre River without needing to consult Haiti just as Haiti has the right to use the basin on the west side of the Massacre River without needing to consult the Dominican Republic. While In addition, he explained that the border river called Rio Dajabon in the Dominican Republic and Massacre river in Haiti, has a flow that varies on average between 2 to 3 m3 per second, which makes it impossible for the Dominican Republic to allow Haiti to use between 1.5 to 2m3 per second without threatening to dry up the river. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33945-haiti-flash-canal-on-the-massacre-river-in-haiti-dominican-president-abinader-raises-the-tone.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33854-haiti-flash-president-abinader-announces-the-construction-of-a-dam-on-the-artibonite-river-in-dominican-soil.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33823-haiti-agriculture-diversion-of-the-massacre-river-in-search-of-a-solution-with-the-dr.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33596-haiti-flash-conflict-with-the-dr-over-a-canal-diverting-the-massacre-river-to-haiti.html SL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Zapping... Artibonite : the "Canal du Vent" Gang Leader shot down Thursday June 10 Alexandre Pierre Paul aka "Canal du Vent" a dreaded Gang Leader who terrorized Arbonite was shot dead by unidentified individuals circulating in a vehicle... Is the border fence good for Haiti ? According to President Abinader the perimeter fence that will be erected at the border will help Haiti to collect more customs taxes and indicated that there was mutual collaboration against organized crime and the issue of immigration. In addition, he stressed that for the first time the Haitian diplomatic missions in the country gave Haitian identity cards to their citizens. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33190-haiti-dr-the-dominican-fence-at-the-border-will-cost-more-than-$100-million.html Gangs : MSF treated at least 80 gunshot wounds Following the street violence that took place in early June in Martissant between rival gangs, the Medecin Sans Frontiere (MSF) emergency center received up to 42 patients with gunshot wounds in two days. In its trauma hospital in Tabarre, MSF teams also treated 38 patients with gunshot wounds. MSPP : Donation of an oxygen generator to Saint-Luc Hospital The Haitian State, via the Ministry of Public Health, has donated an oxygen generator to Saint-Luc Hospital, which will improve the capacity of this private hospital center, which has been working since the start of the pandemic in Haiti in the care of Covid-19 cases. MTPTC : 10 new interns Nader Joaseus Minister of Public Works Transport and Communications (MTPTC), accompanied by its Director General Wilson Edouard received on June 10, 10 new interns from various public and private universities including higher teaching establishments recognized by the State. These successful young graduates benefit from the Youth Employment Initiation Program (PIJE) initiated by the Government, which aims to promote academic excellence and facilitate their integration into the job market. Food aid for displaced people in Martissant Friday, June 11, two helicopter rotations brought food in support of the displaced populations of Martissant. The World Food Program (WFP - Haiti) will provide 10 tons of food aid to 1,500 people for 15 days See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33947-haiti-armed-clashes-more-than-1-500-displaced-people-humanitarian-assistance-is-organized.html HL/ HaitiLibre Login or sign up to follow actresses, movies & dramas and get specific updates and news Login Sign Up Email Password Password Username Your E-mail will only be used to retrieve a lost password. Stay logged in Help Published on 2021/06/11 | Source New character posters added for the upcoming Korean movie "Shark: The Beginning" (2021) Advertisement 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 Variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. Mary Lou Montgomery, retired as editor of the Hannibal (Mo.) Courier-Post in 2014. She researches and writes narrative-style stories about the people who served as building blocks for this regions foundation. Books available on Amazon.com by this author: "The Notorious Madam Shaw," "Pioneers in Medicine from Northeast Missouri," and "The Historic Murphy House, Hannibal, Mo., Circa 1870." She can be reached at Montgomery.editor@yahoo.com Her collective works can be found at www.maryloumontgomery.com We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Submit The Boat restaurant/bar on Junction Highway, with its riverfront deck, was closed by the owner recently due to lack of kitchen and other staff; but he plans a soft re-opening soon since a number of former employees are returning. Many local businesses are displaying Help Wanted signs, wanting to increase their staffs. Rep. Moffitt aims to increase pay for caregivers of people with disabilities North Carolina Health News In 2004, two weeks after her high school graduation, Brittany Stone was driving to pick up her younger sister from vacation Bible school during a storm. She hit a pothole and lost control of her vehicle. In the accident, she suffered a traumatic brain injury. Seventeen years later, Stone has landed a place at Whittecar Group Home in Raleigh, where she and five other residents get the help they need to live their lives. For the most part residents at the group home can take care of their basic needs, but Stone, for example, has trouble washing her back and hair because of tremors. She uses a walker to get around, but she does chores around the house. She cant drive or run to the store independently. The people who help the six residents live their lives start at a salary of $11.50 an hour. For Lutheran Services Carolina, the agency that runs Whittecar, it has been challenging to hire employees to help those with conditions similar to Stones. This year, with the pandemic, has been a particular challenge, especially since there needs to be a staff member at the house 24 hours a day. Rholanda Artis, the program director for Whittecar, said the low wages turned away some potential employees. We had a job fair back in March, Artis said. She said they had six job candidates. It went okay, but the pay they just didnt want the pay. When we said $11.50, and that was because of their experience, some had no experience, some had experience, and when I went up to $13.00, they said, I just cant make a living off that, Artis said. Starbucks pays better Across North Carolina, the average hourly pay of direct care workers is roughly $5 an hour lower than retail jobs at corporations such as Target, Walmart, Starbucks and Costco, according to Karen McLeod, head of Benchmarks, an umbrella advocacy group for organizations that provide care for children and families. With an average pay rate of $10.31/hour for direct care workers, it is challenging to hire and retain staff. House Bill 665 addresses the staffing crisis impacting care for individuals with disabilities, and House Bill 914 focuses on increasing the pay for long-term care workers. Both bills passed through the House Health committee Tuesday with overwhelming support, which bodes well for facilities like Whittecar. Rep. Tim Moffitt (R-Hendersonville), the primary sponsor for HB 914, has a personal connection to that bill. Moffitts younger brother has severe autism, he told the committee, and Moffitt is the direct caregiver for his brother during homestays for about 60 days each year. Its an important role. Its a role that I treasure. Its an appropriate role for an older brother, and we wouldnt have it any other way, Moffitt said. For a long time, Moffitt said he didnt know how much his brothers care providers received. When I found out what the wages were, candidly, I was embarrassed, Moffitt said. These direct care workers are so valued in our lives. We havent really appropriately valued them from a compensation standpoint. So Im on a mission. Im on a mission to make sure that we have enough resources to appropriate to that group of direct care providers to where they can take care of those that are most vulnerable in our society. Thats their role. Its our role as policymakers to make it happen. The Support Our Direct Care Workforce bill, would provide a Medicaid rate increase for the agencies that employ these direct care workers in a variety of settings: Workers who support people with disabilities on the Community Alternatives Programs for Children and for Adults; Workers supporting Medicaid recipients on the states Innovations Waiver program; Workers providing care for traumatic brain injury survivors; Personal care services providers; Workers at intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ICF/IIDs), including ICF/IID-level group homes; Home health providers; Nursing home employees; Workers at a variety of residential behavioral health facilities. The lowest payer Adam Sholar from the North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association said that about two-thirds of all nursing home residents in the state receive Medicaid reimbursement. He also explained that Medicaid reimburses for care at the lowest rate of any other payer. He argued its the main factor contributing to nursing shortages in the state and he said hed like to see more funding from Medicaid. Medicaids low rate really constrains what were able to pay in wages, Sholar said. He said that in the cost report data submitted to federal agencies, he can see that many facilities operated at a net loss in recent years. Medicaid reimbursement is set by the state, and state dollars pay for a third of costs, with federal matching dollars making up the difference. Were doing as much as we can to increase wages to try to attract more caregivers into the profession, he said. Its the Medicaid piece of that we need to see meaningful movement from. We need increased funding from the Medicaid program. McLeod said about 92 organizations have banded together to push for passage of HB 914, ranging from providers of direct care to people with disabilities to mental health agencies to advocacy groups. We brought all the industries together, McLeod said. Whats been happening prior to this, is each of our industries would go after money specifically for our independent agency. We reached out to all the different industries and said, were just robbing Peter to pay Paul, we all share the same workers and will have a much greater voice, and people will understand how important this need is in the crisis were in if we do a collective bill. With support from the 92 agencies and the movement of the bill to the Senate, some challenges that Artis and others at other residential facilities face will be mitigated. Here, its home Reps. Gale Adcock (D-Cary) and Hugh Blackwell (R-Valdese) both expressed concern about how the money in the bill would be appropriated. One mechanism is through putting the measure in its entirety into the state budget, which has yet to be written. Another way to push for the pay increases would be to pass HB 914 and HB 665 as standalone bills. I dont like being even remotely a harbinger of doom, but we lost this last time, he said, referring to the state budget in 2019 that contained increases for direct care workers. That budget was vetoed by Gov. Roy Cooper in a disagreement with the legislature over Medicaid expansion. We need to be sure we dont lose it again, if theres consensus on this, and were going to do it, seems to me the sooner we do it the better. If we tie something thats critical like this to that budget, we could be tying it to an anchor and dropping it off the boat, Adcock said after the meeting. Thats not what we want to do. Thats not what they want either. For Artis and other employees at Whittecar, increasing wages could mean less overtime and more staff and could alleviate stress for their workers who sometimes need to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. Despite the challenges of the work, Artis said the residents are like family. Her co-worker Shari Webb sat on a couch next to Stone, the two of them giggling as Webb elbowed Stone in the ribs. Ive lived in Greensboro, Stone said, referring to one of her previous homes. Its a lot nicer [here.] Were here because we love what we do, Artis said. Thats what we want to promote here, and thats what we want to bring in is someone thats going to treat them the same way that we treat them. Though both HB 914 and HB 665 had an easy path through the House committee Tuesday, the future of long-term care facility worker pay and retention remains to be determined by the full House of Representatives and the Senate in the coming weeks. * * * * * NC Health News editor Rose Hoban contributed to this story. North Carolina Health News is an independent, non-partisan, not-for-profit, statewide news organization dedicated to covering all things health care in North Carolina. Free access for current print subscribers As a home delivery subscriber, you get free unlimited digital access to premium content on HenryHerald.com, including local news, local sports, obituaries, legal notices, local features, and the e-edition. All you need is your print subscription account number and your last name. Don't know your subscription number? Email access@henryherald.com with your delivery address. Activate your account now. Huntington, WV (25701) Today Partly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms becoming likely overnight. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms becoming likely overnight. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Note: We've recently updated our online systems. If you can't login please try resetting your password. You must login with an email address. If you don't have an email associated with your account email customercare@heraldandnews.com for help creating one. 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Sunil Ghanavat, HJS- State Coordinator for Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh An appeal made to all devout Hindu activists to undertake a drive demanding imposition of ban on conversions in this country ! Mumbai : Swatantryaveer Savarkar had said that Conversion of religion leads to conversion of nation. ISIS wants to convert Bharat into an Islamic State while Christians want to convert Bharat into Christianity. Buddhists want a new nation then who is being converted? We can observe from our past history and current situation that only Hindus are being converted. 15 lakh Hindus are converted every year in this country. Today, Hindus have become a minority population in 9 States of Bharat. Partition of United Bharat started from the year 1876 and various countries like Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh were created. The root cause of all the partitions has been an increasing population of fanatics. A separate region or country is demanded when the population of fanatics increases. Pope John Paul had made a statement that he wanted to convert all of Asia into Christianity. North-East Bharat has been now totally converted to Christianity. The Christians are demanding a separate State which is quite harmful for the security of this country, stated Shri. Sunil Ghanavat, the State Coordinator of Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) for Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh while addressing in an online program held on Jamboo Talks on you-tube channel. Shri. Nidhish Goyal hosted the program. Shri. Sunil Ghanavat explained the plot of conversion and the terrible condition of Hindus due to conversions even in the period of Corona pandemic. He made an appeal on the occasion that all pro-Hindu organizations should undertake a drive for prevention of conversions throughout the country and passing of Act imposing ban on conversions. The program was attended by 920 devout Hindus. Important points presented by Shri. Sunil Ghanavat during the interview Hindus are misled by Christians in the name of propagation of Dharma ! Christian missionaries pressurized the then Government during Indira Gandhis regime after the word secular was added to the Constitution and forced to allow propagation of their religion. Under the guise of propagation of religion, Christian missionaries started misleading and converting poor, uneducated innocent Hindus. A French missionary Fr. Robert Neville took up the name as Tattvabodh Swami and told Hindus that Jesus was the fifth Veda after the 4 Vedas of Hindus. A concept of Christian Krushna is also told to Hindus to delude them. It is a conspiracy and people should not fall prey to such bluffs and lies but should have faith in Hindu Deities. After conversion, the converted person is asked to write on a Rs. 100/- stamped paper that he is converting by own choice. Thus, the Christian missionaries try to make it legal for getting protection under law. Christians are converting Hindus even during the Corona pandemic ! One lakh Hindus have been converted by Christian missionaries even during the period of Corona pandemic. The above information was given by CEO David Reeves of Unfolding World. In Chhattisgarh, patients are being converted at Covid Centres. Funds are received by different voluntary organizations from other countries for conversion. Indian Medical Associations President Dr. John Rose Jayalal has openly claimed that Corona cases have gone down in Bharat by praying to Jesus. In rural areas, nurses have been caught when they were trying to convert while treating Corona patients. The Chief Minister of Jharkhand has stated during the Corona pandemic that rural native people were not Hindus and their religion was different. The Chief Minister has also demanded that the religion of such rural native should be noted in a separate column in the census carried out in future. Indifference exhibited by police towards Christians illegally converting people ! Propagation of religion doesnt mean forceful conversion of people. Stringent action should be taken against such people. This opinion was given by the Justice from a Court in Madhya Pradesh. No action is taken against Christians even though there is provision in law for the same. There is scope to think whether the administrative officers are conniving with Christians. Action has to be taken under Drugs and Medicines Act against those who make unscientific claims of curing patients; but no action is taken against those even when they openly claim that your doctor cannot treat you; so, we will pray to Jesus. Andha-shraddha Nirmulan Kayda (Law against superstitions) was passed in Maharashtra only to eliminate religious customs and traditions followed in Hindu Dharma; but these members of ANiS and atheists dont say a word against claims made of curing patients in churches at Dapodi in Pune, at Vasai etc. There is legal protection for preventing conversion; however, police and government administration need to strictly implement it. Discriminatory treatment given to converted Christians by the original Christians ! People getting converted are given money before conversion; but nobody pays attention to them later when they have problems. Converted Christians are called as Dalit Christian, backward Christian etc and the original Christians give them discriminatory treatment. Secularists make noise when pro-Hindu organizations re-convert such converted people back to their original Dharma. Where are they hiding when conversions take place? Many converted people want to come back to their original Dharma. Law against conversions should be immediately implemented in this country ! There is an immediate need to implement law against conversions in this country. Pro-Hindu organizations should start a drive for the same. Christian missionaries should not be granted tourist VISA. Inquiry should be conducted into sources of income of those people who are working for conversion. Christians should not be allowed to go to villages under the guise of offering service. It should be made mandatory for Christians distributing handbills to get prior approval of the Government. Nuns should not be given jobs in hospitals; because they are converting people on a large scale in hospitals. People should raise objections to conversions taking place under the pretext of Prayer-meetings etc. Vaccination for Bangladeshi-Rohingya intruders, while opposition to Pakistan displaced Hindus; what kind of secularism is this ? Jay Ahuja, Nimittekam, Rajasthan Many Bangladeshi and Rohingya Muslims, which intruded in the country were vaccinated in Rajasthan. Then why the displaced Hindus from Pakistan are not vaccinated ? Is their life worthless ? What Secularism is this ? It is unfortunate that they have to go to Court to get justice, said Mr. Jay Ahuja. He was speaking at an online special webinar on Hindu-Muslim Discrimination by Secularists in Coronavirus Vaccination organised by Hindu Janajagruti Samiti. The programme was viewed live on Samitis website Hindujagruti.org, YouTube and Twitter by 4234 people. Declaring Haj pilgrims as Front Line Workers is minority appeasement of Kerala Govt The Left Government in Kerala has declared Haj pilgrims as Front Line Workers; however, no vaccine has been provided to students studying abroad. Billions of rupees were donated to the Kerala Government by the temples during the coronavirus pandemic. Many temples started Covid Centres; however, is there a single example of Haj funding being given for Coronavirus fight ? In such a situation, charging Hindus for vaccination and free vaccination of Haj pilgrims is Muslim appeasement for garnering power, and for this, the communists will go to any level, said the President of Annapurna Foundation in Kerala, Mr. Binil Somasundaram. Coronavirus has no bias for caste or religion, then why bias on the basis of religion in vaccination? State Coordinator of Hindu Janajagruti Samiti for Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, Mr. Anand Jakhotia said, The coronavirus does not identify caste-religion, so why discriminate on the basis of religion in vaccination ? If Delhi Chief Minister goes to the house of a Muslim doctor who was a coronavirus warrior and pays Rs 1 crore after his death, then why this honour is not given to hundreds of Hindu doctors who have made similar sacrifice ? At least a sense of humanity must be maintained in this pandemic. If Hindus are being mistreated in the pandemic, how would they be treated at other times ? Hindus have to awaken and demand Hindu Rashtra to get justice. Adv. Motisingh Rajpurohit, practising in the Rajasthan High Court, said the establishment of the Minorities Commission was a violation of the basic tenets of the Constitution. Every animal has the right to live. Discrimination by the Government on the basis of religion is a violation of the Constitution. For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, WITI-TV. Im sure, it would be bad news to shut the government down. Probably. Its the same old, same old every year - special sessions, more money paid to legislators. Im not so sure - everything is always so divided. Vote View Results President Joe Biden might have persuaded some of the world's largest economies to hike taxes on corporations, but the U.S. Congress could be a far tougher sell. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday that leaders of the Group of Seven which also includes the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Germany, Italy and Japan agreed with Biden on placing a global minimum tax of at least 15% on large companies. The G-7 leaders, participating in a three-day summit in England, affirmed their finance ministers who earlier this month endorsed the global tax minimum. America is rallying the world to make big multinational corporations pay their fair share so we can invest in our middle class at home, Jake Sullivan, the president's national security adviser, said Friday on Twitter. A minimum tax is supposed to halt an international race to the bottom for corporate taxation that has led multinational businesses to book their profits in countries with low tax rates. This enables them to avoid taxes and encourages countries to slash rates. The minimum rate would make it tougher for companies to avoid taxes, and could possibly supplant a digital services tax that many European nations are imposing on U.S. tech firms that pay at low rates. Biden administration officials believe the use of overseas tax havens has discouraged companies from investing domestically, at a cost to the middle class. The president hopes a G-7 endorsement can serve as a springboard for getting buy-in from the larger Group of 20 complement of nations. The agreement is not a finished deal, as the terms would need to be agreed upon by countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and implemented by each of them. The president needs other countries to back a global minimum tax to ensure that his own plans for an enhanced one in the U.S. don't hurt American businesses. It has the potential to stop the race to the bottom," said Thornton Matheson, a senior fellow at the Tax Policy Center. "It would be a huge sea change in the way things have been going in corporate taxes for the last three decades. The idea of an enhanced global minimum tax is also an integral part of Biden's domestic agenda, but it faces resistance in Congress. The president has proposed using a global minimum tax to help fund his sweeping infrastructure plan. His budget proposal estimates it could raise nearly $534 billion over 10 years, but Republicans say the tax code changes would make the United States less competitive in a global economy. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen framed the agreement as a matter of basic fairness after the finance ministers' meeting. We need to have stable tax systems that raise sufficient revenue to invest in essential public goods and respond to crises and ensure that all citizens and corporations fairly share the burden of financing government, she said. Texas Rep. Kevin Brady, top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, said GOP lawmakers would fight tooth and nail against the tax. Republicans view lower taxes as encouraging companies to invest and hire, putting little stock in Biden's argument that improved infrastructure and better-educated workers would help increase growth. It is an economic surrender," Brady said Friday. President Biden has managed to do the impossible -- he has made it better to be a foreign company and a foreign worker than an American company and an American worker. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has repeatedly said his party will oppose any measures that undo the 2017 tax cuts signed into law by President Donald Trump. The 2017 overhaul did create a new way to tax companies' foreign profits with what is known as global intangible low-taxed income. Congressional Democrats said that framework encouraged firms to invest in foreign countries, instead of at home. Biden has proposed raising that rate to 21% among other changes to the code. The administration views the G-7's 15% as a floor rather than a ceiling for rates. But the G-7's plan varies from what Biden has proposed and there are details to be finalized, with tax experts noting that there appear to be gaps in rates and the treatment of assets such as buildings and equipment. Democrats want to dig into the fine print of any agreement before giving their full-throated approval of what comes out of the G-7, which means that Biden will have to keep making the sale to U.S. voters and their representatives. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden of Oregon favors the general idea of a global minimum tax. But Wyden said in a statement with House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal of Massachusetts that they need to dig into the agreement to see if Americans would really benefit. We are optimistic that a strong multilateral agreement can be reached to harmonize our international tax rules, end the race to the bottom and put a stop to digital services taxes, the two Democratic lawmakers said. "We look forward to working with the administration and evaluating the outcome of these negotiations for American workers, businesses and taxpayers. God help us, its Republican primary season in Texas. That was clear on Thursday, when Gov. Greg Abbott held a border security summit in Del Rio. While securing the border is the federal governments responsibility, Texas will not sit idly by as this crisis grows, Abbott said, explaining that he intends to arrest more individuals crossing the border and form an interstate compact with Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey to tackle the migrant crisis. He continued: I will announce next week the plan for the state of Texas to begin building the border wall in the state of Texas. Abbott went on to refer to border barriers a term that doesnt suggest a physical, contiguous wall of the sort that Donald Trump so often called for, first as a candidate and then as a one-term president. And Abbott said hell give more information on his plan in the coming days. In other words, Texans arent necessarily confronting the prospect of a costly and controversial border wall being built in the state; were just living with the reality of a governor who posits such things, for seemingly political reasons. Since the Texas Legislature held its regular biennial session this year, Abbott could easily have designated border security as one of his emergency items for the session; he didnt. Nor did he urge lawmakers to allocate funding for a border wall specifically as they may well have done, given how many other partisan priorities sailed through the Legislature this session. In light of that, Abbotts call for a border wall in Texas seems like a direct response to that exact same idea being put forward by former state Sen. Don Huffines, a Republican who declared last month that he would challenge Abbott in next years GOP primary. Huffines has said that, as governor, he would immediately authorize construction on a border wall. We will build our own wall without the federal government, and were not going to ask their permission to do it, Huffines said. It will be a Texas wall. And we wont stop building until its complete. Huffines took Abbotts announcement as a tacit acknowledgment of the challenge his own campaign represents. I would like to thank all talk, no action Greg Abbott for joining my campaign by admitting that as governor hes had the power for the last seven years to close down the Texas border, and has refused to do so, Huffines said in a statement responding to the news. His significant shift in tone today is a result of the massive momentum our campaign is receiving. Massive momentum is a bit of an overstatement. But you dont necessarily need Big Mo to win a statewide Republican primary in Texas or to spook an incumbent like Abbott, apparently. Democrats, it should be said, still seem to be finding their way when it comes to dealing with border security. In March, President Joe Biden asked Vice President Kamala Harris to lead the administrations response to the situation along the southern border, and to work with leaders in the Northern Triangle nations of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador to address its underlying causes, such as poverty and gang violence. To that end, she traveled to Central America this week. But Harris has yet to visit the Rio Grande Valley, or any other sector of the border in Texas a decision that is puzzling, on its face. In an interview with NBCs Lester Holt Monday, she said that she intends to visit the border at some point, but bridled when Holt pressed the question. This whole thing about the border, weve been to the border. Weve been to the border, she said. You havent been to the border, Holt observed. And I havent been to Europe either, Harris said, with a dismissive laugh. And I mean, I dont understand the point youre trying to make. In fact, trips to the Texas border are illuminating, although many politicians of both parties approach them as mere photo ops. Even if you only spend a day in McAllen, you can get a sense of how law enforcement agencies and local charities in that small city have been strained by the influx of new arrivals, many of them unaccompanied minors or family groups. You can see the Rio Grande flowing through Anzalduas Park in Mission, and the people picnicking along its banks, and understand why Texans keep insisting you shouldnt try to build a wall in that sector of the border, at least. In fairness, Harris might not realize any of that. Because she has yet to visit. I expect, at some time, she may go to the border, said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, when the question came up at a daily briefing. Well have to live with the suspense. And in the meantime, we can expect Republican leaders in the state to continue grandstanding about border security, as well as threatening to build a wall that most Texans dont want. To be clear, walls work where they work: In densely populated border cities, strategic fencing may help direct traffic to ports of entry and away from commercial districts. That being the case, such fencing already exists in places such as El Paso; much of it was built years ago, before our political debates became so inane and fractious. Abbott, who was first elected governor in 2014, surely knows all of that but why would it concern him, when Democrats havent even mustered a gubernatorial candidate yet? The exact date for the primary elections wont be set until after the Legislature redraws political boundaries through redistricting. In other words, were probably looking at about a year of this nonsense from Republican leaders such as Abbott, who could have chosen to focus on our electrical grid, coastal protection, public schools or other mainstream priorities. Instead the talk again has turned to the border where Trump vowed to build a great wall in announcing his campaign for president in June 2015. At least Abbott isnt telling us that Mexico will pay for it. erica.grieder@chron.com Mark Winema / Getty Images/Mark Wineman / Getty Images Houston police are investigating a fatal shooting after a person was found dead Friday evening in east Houston. The body was found around 6:10 p.m. in the 200 block of Pennsylvania Street near Clinton Drive, according to police. Jay R. Jordan / Jay Jordan, Staff A father apparently accidentally shot his 9-year-old son Friday night as the two sat in an SUV in the Fifth Ward area, authorities said. It was about 11 p.m. when the dad was trying to put his gun in its holster and it accidently fired, shooting the boy in the chest, police said. The pair had been sitting in a truck at Lyons and Hershe. After several minutes of repeatedly standing on her tiptoes outside Marshall Middle School on the last day of classes Friday afternoon, Chloe Torres finally spotted her sixth-grade daughter Catalina Harris. That is when Harris noticed the balloons in her mothers hand, a moment made all the more embarrassing when Torres tied them to her backpack. Cant believe shes already getting that big, Torres said, describing the moment as bittersweet. The bitter is her growing up. Shell be going to college soon. And the sweet is just also her growing up. Parents, students and staff across Greater Houston marked the end of the longest school year in recent history Friday, with the last of the regions public school districts still in session bidding farewell to children for an abbreviated but much-needed summer. As they reminisced on a COVID-wracked year marked by innumerable challenges, all welcomed the final bell Friday afternoon. While some boogied and bounced out the door, others dwelled on a year that pushed school employees to their limits and sidetracked countless students education. Dont get me wrong, were exhausted, said Channelview Early Childhood Center Principal Emily Laird, who bid adieu to about 300 pre-kindergartners and kindergartners Friday. But our hearts are full and were excited we finished on such a high note. Families across Greater Houston have grown accustomed to a routine school calendar, with classes starting in mid- to late August and ending before Memorial Day. This year, however, the pandemic jumbled those schedules. While most districts resumed classes in August, others pushed their return date past Labor Day as they angled for more time to evaluate the public health picture. As a result, several districts extended their school year through Friday, including Houston and Channelview ISDs, Goose Creek CISD, Stafford MSD and YES Prep Public Schools. For worn-out students and staff, Fridays dismissal could not come soon enough. Second-grader Rhys Sivers-McGee, who attends HISDs Condit Elementary School in Bellaire, was so ready for summer that he tried to skip his last day of classes. To his credit, Rhys mother, Sarah Sivers-McGee, said he came prepared with a good excuse for staying home: his dog needed him. I think he was just over it taking so long, Sarah Sivers-McGee said. I was like, Youre going to get movies and pizza. Why would you want to stay home? Law Elementary School fifth-grade teacher Chinasa Nnamani awoke with a bit more energy Friday morning. Before heading into work on the citys south side, Nnamani posted a 30-second TikTok of herself getting down to Chalie Boys I Look Good, with the caption Last day of school vibes. Nnamani described Friday as a bittersweet culmination to a trying year, particularly for teachers struggling to lead in-person and virtual classes at the same time. Many educators reported working harder than ever, yet many struggling students fell even further behind than normal. There was not a day where the load was light or you felt comfortable, said Nnamani, a seventh-year science teacher. As a veteran teacher, you usually feel comfortable on days when you know exactly what youre going to teach. But this school year, every day was heavy. As the 2020-21 school year closes, the full impact of the pandemic on students remains unclear. While most children took state standardized tests this spring state officials estimate about 85 percent of eligible students participated those results likely will not become public until August. Educators across Texas are bracing for big declines in test scores, with students from lower-income families expected to see the biggest declines. Education leaders also report increases in mental health and behavioral issues among students, though a precise accounting is difficult to measure. School staff had assessed most children in-person by January, when nearly 60 percent of students were back on campus, but a remaining slice of kids remained in online-only classes through the end of the school year. Edwin Moscoso, a rising sophomore at HISDs Northside High School, said a lack of stable Internet connection at home made classes difficult at first. By the second semester, however, he found ways to complete his online work. It was great. I really like it, Moscoso said, adding that hes a little excited to return to campus next year. Texas school leaders will begin the 2021-22 school year with a big influx of cash, as $18 billion in federal stimulus money starts to flow into districts. However, districts across Houston have yet to solidify plans for the funds. Martha Ventura, the mother of a fifth-grader at Condit Elementary, said she hopes HISD maintains many of the remediation efforts in place through the end of this school year. Ventura said her daughter failed reading while attending online-only classes, but turned her grades around after returning to campus in April and getting more one-on-one support from teachers. It was so much easier for her to be in-person, because she could ask questions better and be there with her teachers, Ventura said. She only got back on track because they pulled her aside for help. Before educators looked too far ahead Friday, many took time to celebrate students and honor staff. At Channelview Early Childhood Center, employees received pool-friendly inflatable koozies stuffed with soda cans, each saying, Thanks for keeping us afloat this year! In Houstons Greater Fifth Ward, Wheatley High School Principal Joseph Williams hosted a field day for ninth through 11th graders and a graduation rehearsal for seniors. Its been a really trying year, with everything that has gone on from the pandemic to the winter storm, Williams said. Im really proud of everyone. jacob.carpenter@chron.com alejandro.serrano@chron.com Police surveillance at protests are not unheard of, with body camera-wearing officers on the ground and helicopters above, but recent court documents shed light on the extent of how authorities keep tabs on some protesters. The arrest of a 25-year-old demonstrator accused of moving a barricade at a pro-Palestine protest on May 22 indicates that the Houston Police Department has ordered its ranks to watch certain participants, according to court documents. One member of the Public Assembly Unit under the Criminal Intelligence Division umbrella was asked during the protests last month to photograph the demonstrator. The documents do not specify if the official was uniformed or not. On HoustonChronicle.com: 'A wake-up call for all humanity': Hundreds march to support Palestinian uprising in Middle East The official noted in a sworn statement used to charge the man, Obinna Dennar, with two counts of interference with public duties that he immediately recognized him from about 20 other Houston demonstrations in the past year, according to court documents. He snapped photos of him that day and at another protest the next. The officer took note of what vehicle Dennar got into and the license plate for that car. The photos were referenced in the charging papers and compared to officers body-worn camera footage from the incident. Dennar, 25, was arrested Thursday on a warrant for the misdemeanor charges, both of which stem from the protest that brought thousands of people to Galleria-area streets, court records show. He made bond from the Harris County Jail later on Thursday, as about a dozen people waited outside for an organizer from the same protest to be released on bond. The man who left the jail with the group declined to comment and organizers would not identify him. Dennar did not respond to repeated calls for comment. John Cannon, HPD spokesman, said photographs are not standard at public assemblies. But they are utilized to capture those engaged in unlawful behavior, Cannon continued. Members of the Pro-Palestinian Youth Movement addressed the arrest in a statement Friday and said police targeted the jailed protester at other gatherings, including a demonstration on June 5 outside Boeings Clear Lake facility. From explicitly targeting the Black protester, to taking unsolicited pictures of protesters and their license plates, to messaging protesters online and approaching them in public spaces, the Houston Police Department continues its legacy of surveillance and repression, the statement read. Police identified Dennar in the documents as a march leader. Brian Klosterboer, staff attorney for ACLU of Texas, noted that police can photograph people in public spaces and vice versa. But who they choose to photograph and how often could be problematic. MORE FROM NICOLE HENSLEY: Houston's murder rate continues uptick as cases near 200 mark The fact that Dennar was recognized from other protests and photographed is concerning, he continued. The government cant discriminate based on viewpoint, Klosterboer said. If it seems like police are monitoring and targeting certain individuals who they believe to be more active in protests or have certain opinions, and theyre charging them with these type of crimes it could present First Amendment concerns. Police have said that their response to demonstrations is overt in nature and not covert, according to city documents. The statement on how the department handles surveillance at public gatherings was included in public comment for next years budget. There is nothing to be tracked, the document reads. Doug Griffith, head of the Houston Police Officers Union, said photographing protests such as a broad aerial photo is at times permissible by standard operating procedure for certain divisions, such as the criminal intelligence division. We would hope that everybody would be protesting peacefully, Griffith said. Unfortunately, youll have one or two agitators who make it difficult for those out there trying to get their message across. The charges two counts of interference with public duties stemming from the May protest were Dennars first known arrest. According to court documents, Dennar and several hundred more demonstrators descended last month on Westheimer and Post Oak. Vehicle traffic at the busy intersection continued despite the protest. At some point, a sergeant who tried to keep people on the sidewalk encountered Dennar, records show. The sergeant said he saw Dennar move a barricade, walk onto the street and tell other protesters to follow him. He put the barricade back and Dennar twice tried to move it again. Other officers attempted to detain (Dennar) but the defendant ran into the intersection, court records show. More demonstrators joined Dennar in the street even as another officer ran after him. The officer grabbed his shirt and the two fell to the ground. The officer handcuffed Dennar and moved him to a parking lot. The move to detain Dennar caught the attention of other protesters. MORE FROM NICOLE HENSLEY: Body-worn footage released in police shooting as part of city's reform policies A large group of protesters were in the same parking lot chanting for the police to let the defendant go, records continued. Officers released the defendant to prevent the protesters from becoming violent. Among the chants were Let him go and We wont leave until hes out! Records show the official was asked to photograph Dennar after his release at the protest. Prosecutors on June 4 accepted the charges and Dennar was arrested about a week later during a traffic stop. The documents point to Dennar moving the barricades as the root of the charges. The rally on May 22 coincided with the first full day of a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza. Before the truce, news reports show that Israel carried out hundreds of airstrikes, while Hamas and other militants fired more than 4,000 rockets at Israel. Some 254 people were killed in Gaza and 13 in Israel before a cease-fire took effect on May 21. Protests in Houston kicked up in May 2020 with the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer. The gatherings which led to several hundred arrests continued through June. The Harris County District Attorneys Office ultimately dismissed nearly 800 charges mostly obstructing a highway and trespassing against 654 protesters. nicole.hensley@chron.com At the start of the school year, Lizbeth Contreras Tovar struggled to focus. The 18-year-old could not ask teachers a quick question while learning remotely, as she would in the classroom, she recently recounted. And with the new year came more adversity for the Wheatley High School senior. Her father, who helped watch Tovars toddler, died during a trip to Mexico from health issues in early January, a day after he had wished his daughter a Happy New Year. About a week later, Tovars grandmother died of health issues, too. On Saturday, Tovars triumph will be realized when she walks across a stage in a cap and gown to officially graduate high school. Shes among more than 11,000 Houston ISD seniors graduating this year in ceremonies throughout the weekend. I feel happy because I know if my dad were around he would be proud of me for receiving my diploma, said Tovar, who plans to study cosmetology at community college. It hasnt been anything easy, but we have to keep on going. We have family. I know its not easy when something like this happens, but life goes on. She added: I have my family, my mother and my baby and I know thats why Im going to continue. Tovars difficulties offer a reminder of the anguish some students have endured during the coronavirus pandemic thats killed thousands and disrupted daily life. Outgoing Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan recognized Tovars perseverance by awarding the grad, and 10 others, a $2,500 scholarship. You will have a future client right here, Lathan told her when presenting the over-sized check. I want to make sure that I can come see you in a couple of years. Before heading off to cosmetology school, Tovar will join thousands of other graduating students at ceremonies scheduled to occur at Barnett, Butler and Delmar stadiums. This will be a celebration of our students hard work for keeping on top of their studies while navigating a public health crisis, Lathan said in a statement. They may become known as the pandemic class, but they are so much more. They are resilient, they are creative and they are HISD strong. Lakeith Coleman, another graduating senior, said COVID disruptions made it a long, challenging journey to Saturday. He fell behind when he could not do work well on a computer. At one point he thought he would not graduate. I just kept on trying and working hard, said Coleman, who added he was the first in his family to graduate. It feels great. While Tovar said she was happy, she also could not help but think of the person who wont be able to attend her ceremony. The last time Tovar spoke with her father, she estimates, was on New Years Day. He asked about how she had spent New Years Eve and Valerie, his 2-year-old granddaughter. By then he already felt ill. He had yet to be admitted to the hospital, Tovar said, but he couldnt talk much as he experienced shortness of breath and he had not been doing much during the vacation. A day before graduation, on Tovars mind was a wish to have her dad with her for her big moment. Instead she planned to wear a necklace with her name on it, a gift from him, when she walks across the stage. alejandro.serrano@chron.com Harris County Flood Control District Executive Director Russ Poppe submitted a letter of resignation to Commissioners Court on Friday, saying he plans to step down July 2. Poppe, 45, said the demands of the job, which have grown significantly since Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and the passage of the historic $2.5 billion flood bond program the following year, had grown too great. While I greatly appreciate your continued support for making Harris County more resilient with natural disaster, the growing expectations associated with these efforts have adversely affected the quality of my personal life to a point I can no longer sustain, Poppe wrote. His departure comes at a precarious time for the agency, which is attempting to close a $700 million funding gap in its flood bond program. Poppe is due to present a plan to Commissioners Court June 29 to ensure all planned projects can be completed. Poppe, who has worked as an engineer for Harris County since 2005, became head of the flood control district five years ago. For years, the agency had a $120 million annual budget that remained static even as the county grew rapidly. Harvey shook county leaders from that sense of complacency. Commissioners Court in 2018, led by County Judge Ed Emmett, proposed a $2.5 billion bond program to make up for past under-funding of flood control projects. Poppe joined court members on a barnstorming tour of community centers, churches and school cafeterias to campaign for the bond, the largest in county history. He excelled at communicating complex engineering concepts to the public, which helped convince skeptical voters that better flood protection was worth a tax increase. The bond passed with 86 percent support. Almost overnight, the districts annual budget quintupled. Poppe and his deputies hired dozens of additional engineers and contractors who sometimes had to share offices at the cramped district headquarters in northwest Houston. With the need for better protection so great, Poppe became an ambassador of sorts for Harris County, traveling to Austin and Washington to explain where help was needed and why lawmakers should pay for it. Lina Hidalgo unexpectedly defeated Emmett three months later, and Democrats took control of Commissioners Court for the first time in a generation. While the new court replaced many Emmett appointees, members left in place the leadership of the flood control and emergency management departments. The relationship between flood control leaders and the Democrats grew strained at times, however. Hidalgo appeared to question whether Poppes team had fully embraced the courts worst-first model for bond projects, which considers social factors such as poverty in determine the order in which projects are started. The discovery of a $1.4 billion funding gap in the bond program added to the discontent. Flood control and budget officials had badly miscalculated how much aid Harris County would receive from the federal government. Worse, the flood control district had purposefully under-funded projects in poor watersheds since they were the most likely to receive federal funds. The goal was to stretch each local bond dollar the furthest by maximizing federal aid, a key goal of the bond program. But when it backfired, the Democratic court members were furious. Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis noted that the bond program requires flood control funds to be spent equitably. At other moments, though, flood control leaders and their bosses were in lockstep. Just last week, Poppe and Hidalgo stood side by side at a news conference to explain how frustrated they were that Harris County had received not a dime of $1 billion in federal flood mitigation aid the Texas General Land Office awarded to local governments. A Chronicle investigation found that some of the criteria the GLO used to spend the money discriminated against populous areas. zach.despart@chron.com Vaccination mandates Regarding Hospital made the right call on demanding staff get vaccinations, (A3, June 9): I applaud the (former) health care workers refusing vaccination and, in effect, quitting their employment to do so. I cannot believe Houston Methodist is the only health care system requiring mandatory participation. I would like to see all employers mandating worker vaccination and placing a sticker attesting to the same on their front doors, as it would enable me to determine who to do business with. I can see no constitutional right to infect others. I think a person refusing vaccination eliminates their ability to claim health care as part of their profession. I eagerly await Memorial Hermann to announce its plans to safeguard patient health and require across the board vaccination. Bill Philbin, Houston To the hospital officials and their staff who can find no common ground to find a way around their standoff over vaccinations, I offer this tried and true Texasism that seems fitting, Bless their hearts. Seems today, dug-in is the only acceptable approach. Jim Proctor, Livingston All you have to do is follow the rules Regarding Straight talk on the voting rights debate, (A13, June 7): Texas has bent over backwards to make it easy to vote, there is no excuse for anybody not being able to get out to vote. There is more than a week to early vote. All you do is have to follow the rules, which I know some people dont like to have to do! Mike Burkett, Cypress What could possible go wrong? Regarding Bill would create a Texas CDC here, (A1, June 10): A Texas CDC? Really? Given TCEQs success with environmental quality and ERCOTs success with electric reliability Im greatly encouraged with Texas again choosing to go it alone with a Texas CDC. What could possibly go wrong? Chuck Rinehart, College Station We need a wake up call Regarding After democracy dies, well wonder why we failed, (A15, June 6): How often must we continue to turn a blind eye to the wake-up call before it is too late? I firmly believe that Leonard Pitts Jr.s column should be included in the Houston Chronoicle again in bold print in a prominent section of the editorial page so that it cannot be missed by anyone who reads your paper. M.B. Galiano, Houston Houston, MO (65483) Today Isolated thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Isolated thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content. 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Imperial Valley News Center Hospital Pharmacist Sentenced to Federal Prison for Attempt to Spoil Hundreds of COVID Vaccine Doses Milwaukee, Wisconsin - A Wisconsin man was sentenced Tuesday to three years in prison for tampering with COVID-19 vaccine doses at the hospital where he worked. Steven R. Brandenburg, 46, of Grafton, pleaded guilty on Feb. 9, to two counts of attempting to tamper with consumer products with reckless disregard for the risk that another person would be placed in danger of death or bodily injury. According to court documents, Brandenburg purposefully removed a box of COVID-19 vaccine vials manufactured by Moderna which must be stored at specific cold temperatures to remain viable from a hospital refrigeration unit during two successive overnight shifts in late December 2020. According to his plea agreement, Brandenburg stated that he was skeptical of vaccines in general, and the Moderna vaccine specifically, and had communicated his beliefs about vaccines to his co-workers. Brandenburg acknowledged that after leaving the vaccines out for several hours each night, he returned the vaccines to the refrigerator to be used in the hospitals vaccine clinic the following day. Before the full extent of Brandenburgs conduct was discovered, 57 people received doses of the vaccine from these vials. The purposeful attempt to spoil vaccine doses during a national public health emergency is a serious crime, said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton of the Justice Departments Civil Division. The Department of Justice will continue working with its law enforcement partners to safeguard these life-saving vaccines. Ensuring access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines is critical to the well-being of everyone in our communities, said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard G. Frohling for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. The Department of Justice is committed to working with its federal, state, and local partners to hold individuals who seek to tamper with these vaccines fully accountable. Todays sentence was the direct result of that shared commitment and the underlying hard work and collaborative efforts of all involved in the investigation and prosecution of Mr. Brandenburg. The FDA has ensured that the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine meets the agencys rigorous standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality, said Assistant Commissioner for Criminal Investigations Catherine A. Hermsen of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Those who knowingly tamper with this vaccine place American patients health at risk. Todays announcement should serve as a reminder that this kind of illicit tampering activity will not be tolerated. The FBI, together with our local law enforcement and private sector partners, are committed to upholding laws designed to protect our health care system from harm, said Special Agent in Charge Robert Hughes of the FBIs Milwaukee Field Office. By illegally tampering with these doses, Brandenburg threatened the health and safety of an entire community. Todays sentencing sends a clear message to individuals who intentionally violate these laws that they will be vigorously prosecuted. In addition to the term of imprisonment, the U.S. District Judge Brett Ludwig ordered Brandenburg to serve three years of supervised release and to pay approximately $83,800 in restitution to the hospital. This matter was investigated by the FDAs Office of Criminal Investigations, the Milwaukee Field Office of the FBI, and the Village of Grafton Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin C. Knight of the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, and Senior Litigation Counsel Ross S. Goldstein and Trial Attorney Rachel Baron of the Civil Divisions Consumer Protection Branch prosecuted the case. Imperial Valley News Center Clinical Researchers Plead Guilty in Connection with Scheme to Falsify Drug Trial Data Miami, Florida - A Florida nurse practitioner and a Florida woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to their participation in a conspiracy to falsify clinical trial data. According to court documents, Eduardo Navarro, 52, of Miami, and Nayade Varona, 50, of Port St. Lucie, worked at a clinical research site called Tellus Clinical Research. Navarro was a sub-investigator, and Varona was an assistant study coordinator. As part of their plea agreements, Navarro and Varona admitted that they agreed with one another and others to falsify data in medical records in connection with two clinical trials intended to evaluate a treatment for irritable bowel syndrome. Among other things, Navarro and Varona falsified data to make it appear as though subjects were participating in the trials when, in truth, they were not. The falsification of clinical trial data puts the health and safety of the public at risk, said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton of the Justice Departments Civil Division. The Justice Department will continue to work with its partners at the Food and Drug Administration to investigate and prosecute anyone who engages in this conduct. Public health and safety must always take precedence over profit when new pharmaceutical drugs are being tested, said Acting U.S. Attorney Juan Antonio Gonzalez for the Southern District of Florida. Medical researchers needlessly endanger the public by manipulating clinical data and falsifying records. Such conduct is illegal and will be prosecuted. FDAs evaluation of a new drug begins with an analysis of reliable and accurate data from clinical trials, said Assistant Commissioner for Criminal Investigations Catherine A. Hermsen of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Office of Criminal Investigations. Compromised clinical trial data could impact the agencys decisions about the safety and effectiveness of the drug under review. We will continue to investigate and bring to justice those whose actions may subvert the FDA approval process and endanger the public health. Navarro and Varona both pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Jose E. Martinez of the Southern District of Florida to conspiracy to defraud the United States and to commit an offense against the United States. Both face a maximum penalty of five years in prison and are scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 11. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The FDA's Office of Criminal Investigations is investigating the case. Trial Attorneys Lauren M. Elfner and Joshua D. Rothman of the Civil Division's Consumer Protection Branch are prosecuting the case. The U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of Florida provided critical assistance. This week, Bezos made a big announcement: On July 20, he plans to fly to space aboard the New Shepard, the rocket ship built by his company, Blue Origin, in its debut crewed flight. Also scheduled to be in the capsule with him for the 11-minute, suborbital journey: his brother, Mark Bezos, along with a private passenger who will have won an upcoming auction for the privilege, and possibly up to three others (given that the capsule can hold six). There's no pilot aboard; the entire journey will be computer-controlled. "Ever since I was 5 years old, I've dreamed of traveling to space," Bezos, 57, said in an Instagram post on June 7. "On July 20th, I will take that journey with my brother. The greatest adventure, with my best friend." The trip is short, but it's a legitimate flight across the Karman line, about 62 miles above the earth, generally considered the border between space and Earth. I'm embedding a video of the voyage of the last test flight at the end of this article; that will give you an indication. I suspect the video will be helpful, given that a lot of people haven't followed Bezos and Blue Origin all that closely. In truth, the company flew under the radar its first few years, until Bezos started buying massive amounts of property in West Texas to serve as the base for Blue Origin. Since then, Bezos has been overshadowed in the public eye as a space titan by Elon Musk and SpaceX, and to a lesser extent by Richard Branson and Virgin Galactic. But by announcing that he, personally, will be aboard the New Shepard capsule next month, Bezos really accomplishes two things. First, as he put it in his Instagram video, he'll fulfill a lifelong dream. Heck, he owns the company; he might well fly more than once. Second, perhaps much more important, is that by going to space as the world's richest person and one of its most famous, Bezos is now shining a light on the entire idea of space travel the likes of which many readers won't have seen in their lifetimes. That might do more than many others to inspire people to follow in his footsteps. Think back to the event that sparked Bezos's interest in space travel at 5 years old. It illustrates the point: the experience of watching the lunar landing with his family on their old black-and-white television. A few other breadcrumbs, many of which were hardly noticed at the time: His high school girlfriend, Ursula Werner, told reporters more than 20 years ago that the entire reason Bezos had set his sights on becoming wealthy as a young man was that "there was no way to get what he wanted without it: ... to get to outer space." Go back to a speech he gave at his high school graduation (he was the valedictorian), in which he focused on his belief that humans needed to preserve the earth and explore the stars. What was his last line? "Space, the final frontier. Meet me there." Heck, it's why your Amazon Echo, if you have one, operates like the voice-activated computer on Star Trek. (Bezos has been a lifelong fan.) And it's also why Bezos, despite founding, building, and leading one of the most successful companies in the history of the world for 27 years, describes Blue Origin as "the most important work that I'm doing." Now, the story of Bezos's obsession with space travel and the idea of human beings living beyond the earth might not be a surprise to you. But it will be something that millions of people are only just learning about. That's why his Instagram announcement amounts to the life-changing culmination of an ambition that most never understood, or even noticed. I think a lot of people are like Bezos in that respect. They have deep, powerful, inner motivations driving all that they do, but that others don't know much about. However, they're eager to share if asked. If you can identify what they are, and show how you can achieve their hidden goals, it means people will be more likely to do what you want or need them to. Like a lot of things in life, it seems inevitable in retrospect: In a few weeks, Bezos will step down as CEO of Amazon, assume the new role of executive chairman, and spend more time on his projects like Blue Origin. Imagine how useful it would be to notice and predict similar trajectories--and similar motivations--in the lives of other people that you deal with? Motivation isn't born out of a dollar sign, and passion doesn't arrive after getting a raise. The truth is, most people aren't driven by money. If you are looking for ways to motivate your team, you must learn to look elsewhere. By getting clear on what my team's personal needs are, I have found that I can discover different ways to motivate them and identify alternative opportunities to impact their lives. By doing so, it allows for a greater level of commitment, intention, and passion to be poured into day-to-day work. One of the biggest gifts you can give your employees: a trusting and productive team. Here's how I spark exponential motivation among my team. 1. Encourage their external goals. Many of my employees have a side hustle or side projects. Some businesses frown upon this, going as far as to have employees sign contracts prohibiting external work, but I don't ask them to stop. Instead, I encourage them to continue following their curiosity and take it upon myself to find ways to help them. I show up and ask how I can help them reach their goals. I approach the conversation with the same enthusiasm for their internal career growth or side hustle. If I told them to stop, they would lose motivation to do great work. Think about it. If you force someone to do something they don't want to do, you aren't building trust. But by recognizing these are individuals who have goals in life outside of your office building, you can build a stronger relationship and more respect as a leader. Rest assured, when you need something in the future, they will show up for you. 2. Develop other leaders. Strong leaders create other leaders -- they shouldn't create minions who follow them into battle. Allow others to make the conscious choice to choose to work for you because you treat them so well they wouldn't want it any other way. Empower your employees to lead, be it leading themselves, a smaller team, or a large project within the company. This empowerment generates organic motivation that has legs to grow. 3. Consider the life cycles of your employees. As a leader, you have to be someone who sees people over the long term. Similar to how you view a product life cycle, consider the life cycle of each employee and adjust your actions and the root of the motivation accordingly. Although it may be tempting to think in the moment of what your business needs, look at where your employees fit within the life of their career to know where to drive motivation. Someone going through the early stages of parenthood might be motivated by more time off to be with family or daycare perks. On the flip side, a fresh graduate showing up for day one at the office might be motivated by the opportunity for a promotion, to travel for business, or to lead a project. When you know where your employees are in their careers, it's easier to pinpoint what will inspire them to do great work. I've learned to understand my employees' short- and long-term goals and even bucket-list dreams. One of my top-performing employees has a bucket-list goal to take her grandmother to Ireland. It is my goal to use the proceeds of my personal profit to fulfill this for her. On, Saturday 12 June, Queen Elizabeth II will mark her official birthday. While the Queen receives plenty of messages of goodwill from well-wishers across the globe, for some, her birthday can be a source of confusion. This is due to the fact that the monarchs birthday is celebrated on her actual date of birth in April, and also later on in the summer with a grand parade by Buckingham Palace. However, this year the Trooping the Colour parade will not be going ahead in a traditional manner. So why does the Queen celebrate two birthdays every year? Heres everything you need to know: Read more: When is the Queens actual birthday? The Queen was born on 21 April 1926. She was delivered at 2.40am by Caesarean section, at her maternal grandparents house in Mayfair. 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Show all 38 1 /38 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Beaming in blue The Queen is pictured in an azure coat with a zig-zag buttoning detail as she attends the opening of the National Cyber Security Centre in London on 14 February 2017. Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Going bold for Easter The Queen leaves the Easter Sunday service at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on 5 April 2015, wearing a sky blue coat and matching hat. Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments All smiles in lilac Queen Elizabeth II was all smiles as she attended the Braemar Gathering on 3 September 2016, wearing a purple ensemble adorned with vertical and diagonal line detailing. Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Colourful Christmas Magenta was the colour of choice for the monarch on Christmas Day in 2014, as she attended the Christmas Day Service with the royal family at Sandringham Church. Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Bringing a burst of colour to the racecourse Among a sea of grey suits, the Queen stood out at the Royal Ascot on 17 June 2016, wearing a salmon pink coat and feathered hat. Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Royally radiant While Christmas is usually associated with red and green, in 2017 the Queen attended Christmas Day Church Service at the Church of St Mary Magdalene in an eye-catching shade of bright orange. Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Summer fashion done right Queen Elizabeth II fully embraced the arrival of summer on 23 May 2017, when she attended a garden party at Buckingham Palace in sunflower yellow. Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Regal elegance at its finest The monarch donned a very regal look while attending the State Opening of parliament at the Palace of Westminster on 25 May 2010, matching her crown with a gold patterned dress, pearl jewellery and a small gold handbag. Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Finding the silver lining The Queen is pictured in a silver, floral ensemble at the Serena Hotel in Kampala, Uganda, as she attended the Queen's Banquet for Commonwealth Heads of Government on 23 November 2007. Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments A queen from head to toe On 14 July 2000, Queen Elizabeth II wore her full regalia for the Service of the Order of St Michael and St George at St Paul's Cathedral. AFP/Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Green with delight The Queen appeared to be in high spirits as she attended the Braemar Gathering in Braemar, Scotland on 1 September 2007, donning an emerald green ensemble. Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Paying tribute to Ireland On 17 May 2011, Queen Elizabeth II became the first monarch to visit Dublin, Ireland since 1911. The Queen honoured the country by wearing a seafoam shade of green. Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Colour co-ordinating On 18 October 2014, the Queen attended the BQIPCO British Champions Day at the Ascot Racecourse, dressed in an outfit which combined dark blue with a lighter shade. 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Regal purple The monarch donned the regal colour purple while making an appearance at the newly-opened James Armstrong Richardson International airport in Winnipeg, Canada on 3 July 2010. Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments A joyous, canine enounter Two of the Queen's apparent greatest interests are wearing colourful outfits and corgis. Her passions were combined on 1 May 2012, when she encountered a group of corgis at Sherborne Abbey in Sherborne, England dressed in a fuchsia ensemble. Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Never letting the rain dampen her spirits Over the years, the Queen has been spotted matching her umbrellas with her outfits on several occasions. On 10 May 2016, the monarch was photographed at a royal garden party at Buckingham Palace, pairing her bubblegum pink ensemble with a clear and pink umbrella. Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments A very merry Christmas Another day, another matching umbrella. The Queen opted for a red coat with fur trimming on Christmas Day in 2015. Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments A floral summer ensemble The Queen got into the spirit of summer during a visit to Winnipeg, Canada on 3 July 2010, wearing a pink and yellow patterned, floral dress and a bright pink hat. The appearance of several corgis at the event likely put her in high spirits. Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Subtle yet stylish While less colourful than the Queen's usual outfits, this ensemble was still a bold choice for the monarch as she visited the British Garden at Hanover Square in New York City on 6 July 2010. Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments A royal occasion In celebration of the Queen's 92nd birthday, the monarch attended a special performance at the Royal Albert Hall in her honour. The Queen wore a mid-length dress designed with a gold floral pattern. Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Multicoloured to the max On 24 May 2010, the Queen attended a VIP preview of the Chelsea Flower Show at Royal Hospital Chelsea. Her outfit seemed to match the flowers she was perusing, combining a multitude of vibrant colours. Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Minty fresh The Queen donned a shade of mint green as she attended the service of Holy Communion at the inauguration of the 7th General Synod of the Church of England on 14 November 2000. AFP/Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Positively periwinkle The Queen cut a chic figure as she left Westminster Abbey following a service to mark the centenary of Australia's constitution on 7 July 2000, wearing a sky blue overcoat and a dark blue hat. AFP/Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Royal blue A colour fit for a Queen, the monarch donned royal blue during a visit to the newly opened National Tennis Centre in Roehampton, London on 29 March 2007. AFP/Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments A colour fit for a queen The Queen's outfit colour choice was perfectly apt for the Commissioning Ceremony of HMS Queen Elizabeth on 7 December 2017. Her daughter Anne, Princess Royal, followed behind. Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Bold in red The Queen donned scarlet red as she welcomed the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani, to her Windsor residence on 26 October 2010 during a state visit. Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments In pink at the polo Queen Elizabeth II was beaming in pink on 16 June 2013, pictured attending the Cartier Queen's Cup Final at Guards Polo Club in Egham, England. Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Portant rose en France A portrait of the Queen was taken during her third official visit to France on 11 June 1992. In the picture, the monarch wore grey gloves with a pink coat, hat and pearl jewellery. AFP/Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments A colourful celebration In celebration of the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on 29 April 2011, the Queen wore a shade of bright yellow to the nuptials. Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Dazzlingly bright On the final day of a four-day state visit to Germany on 26 June 2015, the Queen was pictured wearing a lemon yellow coat and matching hat. Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Never one to blend into the crowd While visiting the Lexicon shopping centre in Bracknell on 19 October 2018, the Queen opted for a vibrant shade of turquoise for her outfit. Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Grass green The monarch appeared to match the greenery of her surroundings as she arrived at the Epsom Festival at Epsom Downs racecourse on 4 June 2005. Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Taking florals to the next level During a visit to Nicosia, Cyprus on 19 October 1993, the Queen embraced florals to the nth degree, wearing a blue, three quarter length-sleeved patterned dress, a matching floral embellished hat and carrying a beautiful bouquet of flowers. AFP/Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Commanding the room Sat upon the golden Sovereign's Throne, the Queen delivered a speech at the State Opening of parliament in the House of Lords on 21 June 2017 wearing a bright blue coat and a yellow and blue patterned floral dress. Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Chic in burgundy The monarch opted for a burgundy look while attending the 2018 Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey on 12 March 2018. Chris Jackson/Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Glittering in gold On 19 November 2012, the Queen attended the Royal Variety performance at the Royal Albert Hall in an ornate gold and silver striped wrap gown. Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments A poignant celebration Queen Elizabeth II combined Olympic blue and turquoise for the ensemble she chose to wear for the commemoration of the centenary of the RAF with on 10 July 2018. Getty Images 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments An enduring love of colour The Queen has clearly always had an eye for bright colours. Here the monarch appears at Epsom Downs Racecourse in 1960, dressed in a canary yellow outfit. Getty Images How does the Queen celebrate her birthday? The Queen usually celebrates her birthday privately, the royal familys official website states. However, the occasion is also marked with a series of gun salutes a 41-gun salute in Hyde Park, a 21-gun salute in Windsor Great Park and a 62-gun salute at the Tower of London. While the gun salutes usually occur on the day of the monarchs birthday, last year, due to the ongoing coronavirus lockdown, the salute did not take place. Why does the Queen have a second birthday? The tradition of the British monarch celebrating two birthdays stems back to 1748, during the reign of King George II. As the kings birthday fell in late autumn, the weather wasnt suitable for a large, public celebration in honour of his birthday. Therefore, the monarchs official birthday celebrations were combined with the Trooping the Colour parade in summer, a ceremony which had previously been a predominantly military affair. When is the Queens second birthday? The Queens second birthday, described as being her official birthday, usually takes place on the second Saturday of June. The Queen used to mark her official birthday on the second Thursday of June, the same day her father, King George VI, used to celebrate his birthday during his reign. However, this tradition was changed in 1959, seven years after the Queen ascended to the throne. How does the Queen celebrate her official birthday? The main event of the Queens official birthday in June is the Trooping the Colour parade. However, last year the ceremony did not take place in its traditional form due to the pandemic and was instead took place in a much smaller version. The Trooping the Colour procession, which usually consists of more than 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians, traditionally moves from Buckingham Palace down The Mall towards the Horse Guards Parade. Happy Birthday sung to Queen after Easter Sunday service Members of the royal family ride either on horseback or in carriages as part of the proceedings. The parade ends with a fly-past by the RAF, which the Queen watches with the royal family from the Buckingham Palace balcony. Greece on Monday designated neighboring Turkey as a safe country in which to seek international protection for the majority of asylum-seekers departing its shores for Greece. A joint decree from the Greek foreign and migration ministries said the designation applies to asylum-seekers from Syria, Afghanistan Pakistan, Bangladesh and Somalia It said Turkey meets all criteria to examine asylum requests from these nationals, as there "they are not in any danger ... due to their race, religion, citizenship, political beliefs or membership in some particular social group, and can seek asylum in Turkey instead of in Greece. That, in theory, could reduce migration flows to European Union member Greece, as it would allow it to return asylum-seekers from these countries to Turkey which itself has a huge migrant and refugee population. Nevertheless, despite pressure from the EU and Athens Ankara has shown little appetite for taking back migrants who reached Greece from its territory, despite a 2016 Turkish-EU agreement that was meant to stem illegal migration into the 27-nation bloc. Greek officials said Athens has so far this year asked Turkey to take back 1,453 people, without success. Nevertheless, Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi described Monday's decision as an important step in tackling illegal migration flows" which, he said, would force Turkey to crack down on illegal migration and smuggling networks. Mitarachi added that the decision is fully in line with international law and enhances Greeces legal arsenal against (asylum) requests by citizens of ... Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Somalia, who objectively have no reason not to consider Turkey a safe country. Greece and Turkey are historic regional rivals, and military tensions rose dangerously last year over marine boundaries. Athens accuses Ankara of using migration as a weapon, pointing to the Turkish government's failed bid last year, before the military tension, to wave thousands of migrants and refugees towards Greece. Several human rights groups have accused Greece of illegally deporting some migrants to Turkey without letting them apply for asylum. Athens denies that. Although a record 1 million people entered Greece through Turkey in 2015 mostly seeking to move on to wealthier EU countries flows have since been greatly reduced. So far this year, just over 3,000 people have reached Greece from Turkey, mostly by sea in flimsy craft. According to the U.N. refugee agency, 47% were Afghans, 15% were Syrians and 9% were Somalis. ___ Follow APs global migration coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/migration Freeze-dried mouse sperm stored on board the International Space Station (ISS) for almost six years did not undergo any DNA damage and continued to produce healthy space pups, a new study has found. According to the scientists, the findings shed more light on whether mammals, including humans, can reproduce in space. Combined with experiments on the ground exposing mice sperm to X rays, the research, published Friday in the journal Science Advances, found that mammalian sperm cells could be preserved aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for roughly 200 years. While researchers have long known that exposure to radiation in outer space could damage the DNA in cells and result in mutations that could be passed down to offspring, a lack of freezers onboard the ISS has prevented long-term research on living cells. Until now even the current Nasa cancer risk model for space radiation has been built based on data from the survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings, not from real experiments in space, said the team including Sayaka Wakayama from the University of Yamanashi in Japan. In order to overcome these limitations, the researchers freeze-dried sperm samples from 12 mice and sealed them within small, lightweight capsules, which they transported to the ISS by rocket, without the need for a freezer. Due to the complex mixture of many different types of radiations in space, they say experiments assessing DNA damage on Earth alone cannot capture the true realities of conditions beyond our atmosphere. There are many different types of radiation flying around in space, unlike on the ground. For example, there are heavy ions, protons, and electromagnetic waves from solar flares, Wakayama told The Independent. It is difficult to irradiate and reproduce all of these types of radiation at the same time on the ground, so I think that DNA damage in biological samples can only be measured in space, he explained. The scientists periodically tested small portions of the sample, returning some to Earth after 9 months and leaving two other batches aboard the ISS for 2 years and 9 months and for 5 years and 10 months respectively. When the researchers tested the samples using tools which measured how much radiation they had absorbed, and performed tests to assess DNA damage in the cell nuclei, they found that long-term stints aboard the ISS did not result in DNA damage to the freeze-dried sperm. The total amount of space radiation absorbed by the ISS, as measured by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), was 0.41 milli Gray (mGy) per day, Wakayama told The Independent. In comparison, the typical radiation dose used for treating cancers such as solid epithelial tumours ranges from 60 to 80Gy. The results of X-ray irradiation experiments on the ground showed that freeze-dried sperm can withstand up to 30 Gy. Freeze-dried sperm can [still] produce the next generation when irradiated with up to 30 Gy of X-rays, Wakayama added. The rehydrated sperm cells, when injected into fresh ovary cells and transferred to female mice, resulted in the birth of healthy space pups, the study noted. Although there are differences between DNA damage from X-rays and space radiation, it can roughly predict that freeze dried sperm can be preserved on the ISS for over 200 years, the scientists wrote in the study. According to the scientists, a total of 168 pups were born from sperm stored in space for 6 years, all of which had normal appearance and no abnormalities in their gene activity patterns, compared to control mice born from sperm preserved on Earth. They believe more research from similar onboard experiments can shed more light on radiation effects and tolerance of life forms during long-duration stays in space. A neo-Nazi who became the leader of two terrorist groups has been convicted of terror offences. Andrew Dymock founded the System Resistance Network (SRN) months after National Action was banned in December 2016. He was expelled from SRN by fellow fascists after an internal row about satanism and then set up the Sonnenkrieg Division. Both groups were proscribed as terrorist organisations in February 2020, but Dymock was prosecuted for activity that came before the ban. The 24-year-old was convicted of 12 terror offences including encouraging and funding terrorism, and three hate crimes targeting race and sexuality on Friday. The Old Bailey heard how Dymock had Nazi flags and memorabilia, and once carved a swastika into his then-girlfriends buttock. Prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward said he operated websites and social media accounts that preached zero-tolerance to non-whites, Jewish and Muslim communities. She said SRN described homosexuality as a disease, adding: Its clarion call was for the expulsion of minorities and a white revolution. Its online campaign, comprising virulently racist, antisemitic and homophobic propaganda, sought to stir up a race war against ethnic minorities and others that it perceived as race traitors. Ms Ledward told jurors Dymock was not being prosecuted for his beliefs, but for his encouragement of terrorist activity and violence. Dymock denied all charges and claimed he was set up. After the verdicts were given, he asked to say goodbye to his parents and told jurors: Thank you for killing me. Judge Mark Dennis QC remanded him in custody ahead of a sentencing hearing on 24 June. The counter-extremist group Hope Not Hate called Dymock dangerous and devious. Andrew Dymock was convicted of 15 terror and hate crime offences (Counter Terrorism Policing North East) He tried at every angle to wriggle out of the responsibility for his involvement in some of the most vile and sickening Nazi propaganda we have ever seen, said head of intelligence Matthew Collins. The verdict today is welcome, and it is now vital that a sentence that meets the nature of the crimes committed is handed down. Dymock, whose parents are academics, set up SRN while studying politics at Aberystwyth University in Wales in 2017. Ms Ledward said it was one of a small number of groups that filled a dubious gap left following the proscription of neo-Nazi terrorist group National Action after it was banned in December 2016. A recruitment page on SRNs website set out requirements that members had to be white, located in the UK and physically fit. Dymock claimed to be bisexual at his trial but SRN explicitly barred members of the LGBT community while labelling them sexual degenerates. In an October 2017 post on the fascist Iron March internet forum, Dymock said he wanted to build a group of loyal men, true to the cause of National Socialism and establishing the Fascist state through revolution. The post said SRN was only looking for the truly dedicated and motivated soldiers to carry the flame with their comrades and ignite the fire that will burn the rats and rot out. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 17 June 2021 Members of the Tootsie Rollers jazz band pose on the third day of the Royal Ascot horse racing meet AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 16 June 2021 A woman and child examine life-size sculptures of a herd of Asian elephants set up by the Elephant Family and The Real Elephant Collective to help educate the public on the elephants and the ways in which humans can better protect the planets biodiversity, in Green Park, central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 June 2021 Hydrotherapists with Dixie, a seven-year-old Dachshund who is being treated for back problems common with the breed, in the hydrotherapy pool during a facility at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home's in Battersea, London, to view their new hydrotherapy centre PA UK news in pictures 14 June 2021 Scotland's David Marshall in the net after Czech Republic's Patrik Schick scored their second goal at Hampden Park Reuters UK news in pictures 13 June 2021 Raheem Sterling celebrates with Harry Kane after scoring Englands first goal of the Euro 2021 tournament in a match against Croatia at Wembley Reuters UK news in pictures 12 June 2021 Oxfam campaigners wearing costumes depicting G7 leaders pose for photographers on Swanpool Beach near Falmouth, Cornwall EPA UK news in pictures 11 June 2021 Members of the Vaxinol team, who are commercial, industrial and residential cleaners specialising in disinfection and decontamination, use electrostatic spray systems to deep clean the Only Fools Bar in Liverpool PA UK news in pictures 10 June 2021 A woman walks her dogs as the incoming tide begins to wash away the heads of G7 leaders drawn in the sand by activists on the beach at Newquay, Cornwall AP UK news in pictures 9 June 2021 Adam Chamberlain, 45, general manager of Big Tree pub in Sheffield, has put up over 500 flags, taking 36 hours, in preparation for Euro 2020, which kicks off this weekend Tom Maddick / SWNS UK news in pictures 8 June 2021 REUTERS UK news in pictures 7 June 2021 A pedestrian wearing a face covering walks over Westminster Bridge near the Houses of Parliament in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 6 June 2021 Isobel Salamon, founder of the Edinburgh Cinema Club, poses alongside the Leith Trainspotting murals in Quality Yard, Leith, Edinburgh, for the programme launch of the Cinescapes Festival which starts on July 4 with a Trainspotting 1 and 2 double bill PA UK news in pictures 5 June 2021 A long exposure photograph captures the rotation of the earth as the stars blur into circles over Knowlton church ruins in Dorset Nick Lucas/SWNS UK news in pictures 4 June 2021 Balloonists take flight during the opening of the Midlands Air Festival in Alcester, Warwickshire PA UK news in pictures 3 June 2021 Members of the Household Cavalry during the Major General's annual inspection of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment in Hyde Park, London PA UK news in pictures 2 June 2021 Hannah Vitos of the Blenheim Art Foundation, poses for a photograph next to artist Ai Weiwei's Gilded Cage (2017) sculpture in the grounds of Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, Britain Reuters UK news in pictures 1 June 2021 People swim in the Sky Pool, a transparent swimming pool bridge across two exclusive residential blocks standing next to the US Embassy in Nine Elms, in London, Tuesday, June 1, 2021 AP UK news in pictures 31 May 2021 People enjoy the hot weather at Brighton beach Reuters UK news in pictures 30 May 2021 People venture into the sea as they enjoy themselves during a hot day on Brighton Beach AP UK news in pictures 29 May 2021 Swimmers at the Stonehaven Open Air Pool in Aberdeenshire, which reopens after lockdown restrictions were eased PA UK news in pictures 28 May 2021 Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he meets Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban at Downing Street in London REUTERS UK news in pictures 27 May 2021 White Pelicans in the sunshine in St James's Park, London PA UK news in pictures 26 May 2021 Boats are seen at Southsea Moorings in Portsmouth Reuters UK news in pictures 25 May 2021 York Glaziers Trust employees Kieran Muir (left) and Emily Price (right) remove a stained glass window panel at the start of a new five year, 5m project to conserve York Minsters South East Transept and its medieval St Cuthbert Window PA UK news in pictures 24 May 2021 Dark rain clouds above an oast house at Bewl Water reservoir near Lamberhurst in Kent during one of the rainiest Mays on record, with the UK seeing 131 per cent of the usual months rainfall already PA UK news in pictures 23 May 2021 The Premier League trophy with the Manchester City club colour ribbons on, at Etihad Stadium, prior to the last Premier League match of the season. City will finally pick up the trophy after they won the league on 11 May Getty UK news in pictures 22 May 2021 Gary Kenny lifts the Buildbase FA Vase Trophy after Warrington Rylands won the FA Vase Final against Binfield at Wembley Stadium Getty UK news in pictures 21 May 2021 A family buffeted by the wind whilst crossing the the Millennium Bridge in London, with wind and rain forecast to ravage the UK on the first Friday that people have been allowed to meet in large groups outside in England PA UK news in pictures 20 May 2021 Devon And Cornwall Police Demonstrate Their Skills For Policing The G7 Summit Getty Images UK news in pictures 18 May 2021 An employee stands before a costume for the Queen of Hearts by Bob Crowley on display at the Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London PA UK news in pictures 17 May 2021 Passengers prepare to board an easyJet flight to Faro, Portugal, at Gatwick Airport after the ban on international leisure travel for people in England was lifted following the further easing of lockdown restrictions in England PA UK news in pictures 16 May 2021 Emergency workers at the scene of a suspected gas explosion, in which a young child was killed and two people were seriously injured, on Mallowdale Ave Heysham which caused 2 houses to collapse and badly damaged another PA UK news in pictures 15 May 2021 Pro-Palestinian activists and supporters let off smoke flares, wave flags and carry placards during a demonstration in support of the Palestinian cause as violence escalates in the ongoing conflict with Israel, in central London AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 14 May 2021 Member of staffs tighten screws and paint a Marlin skeleton, before it goes on display at the Natural History Museum in London, as the museum prepares to reopen to the public on 17 May, following the further easing of lockdown restrictions in England PA UK news in pictures 13 May 2021 A worshipper at the Baitul Futuh Mosque in Mordon, south London, ahead of Eid al-Fitr. The celebration marks the end of the Muslim month of fasting, called Ramadan. PA UK news in pictures 12 May 2021 A couple have wedding photos taken in Westminster, London Getty UK news in pictures 11 May 2021 The sun rises on Coquet Island, off Amble on the Northumberland coast, where as many as 35000 seabirds cram onto this tiny island to breed PA UK news in pictures 10 May 2021 Newly elected for a second term Mayor of London Sadiq Khan during his signing in ceremony at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre on Londons Southbank PA UK news in pictures 9 May 2021 People mill around St. Michael's tower on top of Glastonbury Tor as it is seen through blooming yellow rapeseed on a day of mixed weather in Glastonbury, Somerset PA UK news in pictures 8 May 2021 Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford elbow bumps newly elected MS Labour candidates Elizabeth Buffy Williams, Rhondda, left, and Sarah Murphy, Bridgend & Porthcawl Labour, right, as they meet in Porthcawl, Wales PA UK news in pictures 6 May 2021 A group of five Sisters from Carmelite Monastery in Dysart cast their vote in the Scottish Parliamentary election at Dysart Community Hall, West Port, Dysart PA UK news in pictures 5 May 2021 Leader of the Labour Party Sir Keir Starmer (centre) with West Midlands Metro Mayor candidate Liam Byrne (far right) and Labour Deputy Leader, Angela Rayner (far left) during a visit to Birmingham, whilst on the election campaign trail PA UK news in pictures 4 May 2021 Artists Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey stand within 100 oak saplings which form part of a living art installation entitled Beuys' Acorns by the UK-based artist duo, outside the Tate Modern in London PA UK news in pictures 3 May 2021 Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie feeds the Gentoo penguins during a visit to Edinburgh Zoo on the campaign trail for the forthcoming Scottish Parliamentary Election on May 6 PA UK news in pictures 2 May 2021 Chelsea players celebrate their fourth goal during the Womens Champions League semi-final second leg against Bayern Munich, at Kingsmeadow Stadium in south west London. The Blues won the game 4-1, (and the tie 5-3 on aggregate) sending them through to their first Champions League final AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 1 May 2020 Demonstrators during a march through London during a 'Kill the Bill' protest Angela Christofilou UK news in pictures 30 April 2021 Shoppers queue outside Primark in Belfast as shops reopen and hospitality is able to open outdoors in Northern Ireland where lockdown restrictions have begun to gradually ease PA UK news in pictures 29 April 2021 Specialist operators at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, near Telford, Shropshire, clean the Hawker Hunter aircraft displayed within the museum's National Cold War Exhibition, during annual high-level aircraft cleaning and maintenance PA UK news in pictures 28 April 2021 Millions of tulips in flower near Kings Lynn in Norfolk, as Belmont Nurseries, the UK's largest commercial grower of outdoor tulips, offers socially-distanced visits to its tulip fields at Hillington to raise funds for local charity The Norfolk Hospice Tapping House PA UK news in pictures 27 April 2021 Paula Laughton checks one of the newly installed Lego models in the new Lego Mythica land at Legoland Windsor Resort PA The SRN website included violent and racist propaganda posters, and carried articles with headlines such as Join your local Nazis, The truth about the Holocaust and Homosexuality, the eternal social menace, jurors were told. One of Dymocks articles, from October 2017, said the only guilt felt about the Holocaust should be that we did not finish the job. Jurors were shown other material written by Dymock that included slurs towards black people, Muslims, gay people and other groups. The charges against Dymock included encouraging terrorism with the entire content of the SRN website, as well as with articles including one calling for a glorious race war where white people would wake up and bring slaughter to Europa, cleansing it of the unclean filth that pollutes her lands. Other charges related to propaganda posters he created, including some calling for terror attacks and for people to rape police officers. Dymock was expelled from SRN in late February 2018 over his satanist beliefs and vowed to set up his own group, which emerged as Sonnenkrieg Division (SKD). When banning both organisations last year, the government said SRN had operated as an alias of National Action after members split the group into factions to dodge the ban. SKD operated as the UK arm of the American terrorist group Atomwaffen Division, which has been linked to several murders. Dymock was arrested at Gatwick Airport in June 2018 as he was on his way to board a flight to the US - allegedly for a trip where he would meet US neo-Nazi James Mason. Police who searched his luggage found extreme right-wing literature including Masons Siege essays, which have inspired numerous violent neo-Nazi groups, SKD flags and clothing bearing neo-Nazi logos. Dymock denied all offences and told police he researched different ideologies while studying international politics and strategic studies. The defendant claimed he had copies of Mein Kampf to help him with his university dissertation. The court heard that during interviews, he told officers that any far-right imagery he had was because he liked the art and that the swastika was a religious symbol. Dymock, of Bath, was convicted of five counts of encouraging terrorism, four of disseminating terrorist publications, two of terrorist fundraising and one of possessing a document useful to a terrorist in 2017 and 2018. He was also found guilty of stirring up racial hatred and hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation and possessing racially inflammatory material. Additional reporting by PA Police records of Priti Patels contact with senior officers over an Extinction Rebellion protest were lost because of an IT glitch, a court has heard. Defence lawyers representing protesters charged over the blockade of a Rupert Murdoch-owned printing works in September argue they cannot have a fair trial because the extent of alleged political interference is unknown. St Albans Magistrates Court heard that the home secretary was alerted to the protest in Broxbourne by contacts in the media. It was told that she called Hertfordshire Police chief constable Charlie Hall several times during the protest, and sent a text message to the operations gold commander, Matt Nicholls, the following afternoon. In a statement read to a hearing on Friday, Mr Hall said he was woken up by the first call from the home secretary at 11.40pm on 4 September. He said he did not make any note of the conversation or record it, and then had further contact with Ms Patel in the hours of darkness updating her on the protest. Mr Hall said: My phone has updated itself since that time and removed any messages or all records from this period. Mr Nicholls said in a statement read to the court that he had received a text from Ms Patel during the afternoon of 5 September. He said it was a supportive message thanking police for their work, adding: These texts to my work phone have been deleted a number of work phones were erroneously reset to factory settings after an IT glitch. Barrister Raj Chada said the defence would be asking how phone records belonging to two senior officers and relating to the very issue at the heart of this case came to be deleted. We say in light of that the defendants cannot receive a fair trial, he added. It is only when the extent of the political interference is determined that this court can scrutinise the effect. Later in the hearing, District Judge Sally Fudge said she had seen screenshots of text messages between some police officers and the home secretary but did not make clear where the records were from. She ruled that the messages did not have to be disclosed to the defence and were not reasonably capable of undermining the prosecution case. The judge said the messages included exchanges between Ms Patel and Mr Hall at around 4.30am, 8.20am and 11.20am on 5 September, and on the morning of 6 September. Septembers blockade was at the Newsprinters site owned by Rupert Murdochs News UK (PA) She told the court she had also seen WhatsApp messages exchanged between the home secretary and Martin Hewitt, chair of the National Police Chiefs Council, on 5 September that would also not be disclosed. District Judge Fudge said she was awaiting further records and would make another ruling on Monday. Prosecutor Nigel Ogborne said the prosecutions view was that none of the material received satisfied the disclosure test. Mr Chada read parts of a policing review of the operation to remove protesters from the Broxbourne blockade, which also noted contact with the home secretary. He argued the document indicated significant contact and significant pressure on police. The court heard that the section of the report on recommendations concluded that the operational commander took the correct approach to the Extinction Rebellion demonstration despite significant political pressure. It said there had been contact from the Home Office via the chief constable, who had attended policing headquarters as the protest continued through the night. Political contact from government ministers needs to be carefully considered in future to avoid decision-making falling outside our recognised command structures, the report added. The defence argues that the alleged interference would contradict the fundamental principle of operational independence for police in the UK, which the government has previously committed to protecting. Police officers who have given evidence to the court deny that their decisions were influenced. Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Show all 46 1 /46 Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Canary Wharf A protester gives a thumbs up as he stalls a DLR train at Canary Wharf station in London Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London City of London Protesters hold up traffic on Upper Thames Street in the City of London Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Canary Wharf Protesters hold a banner as they hold up a DLR train at Canary Wharf station in London Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Officers remove plants that were placed in the occupation of Waterloo Bridge PA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Police officers arrive at Oxford Circus as they prepare to remove protesters during the fifth day of a coordinated protest by the Extinction Rebellion group, April 19 Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge An activist waters the plants at the occupation on Waterloo Bridge PA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Heathrow airport Undeterred by over 400 arrests, climate change activists continued their demonstration into a fifth day in London with a small protest at the country's main Heathrow Airport, along with the ongoing protest camps at other iconic locations around the British capital Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Protesters with the words 'glued on' written on their hands hold hands as police officers arrive at Oxford Circus Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Officers circle the lorry that serves as the central stage to the Waterloo Bridge occupation, repeating their tactic from a earlier at the Oxford Circus occupation Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Oxford Circus reopens after being closed for days due to occupation AFP/Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Officers prepare to move in on the occupation of Waterloo Bridge PA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Activists relax on a sofa at the occupation on Waterloo Bridge AFP/Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus British actress Emma Thompson talks to members of the media from atop the pink boat after police officers surrounded the boat being used as a stage as climate change activists occupy the road junction at Oxford Circus in central London during the fifth day of environmental protesst by the Extinction Rebellion group AFP Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge An Extinction Rebellion demonstrator is carried away by police on Waterloo Bridge PA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Activists on Waterloo Bridge have made a garden for their occupation site, April 20 Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Demonstrators began blocking off a bridge and major central road junctions on April 15 at the start of a civil disobedience campaign calling for governments to declare an ecological emergency over climate change, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2025, halt biodiversity loss and be led by new "citizens' assemblies on climate and ecological justice" Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Emma Thompson joins the Extinction Rebellion protest at Oxford Circus. Thompson spoke from the pink boat at the centre of the occupation AFP/Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Heathrow airport Extinction Rebellion protesters sit outside Heathrow Airport on April 19 Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Heathrow airport Climate protestors hold a demo outside Heathrow Airport Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Police officers detain a climate change activist at Waterloo Bridge Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Marble Arch Protesters prepare for another day at Marble Arch as the Extinction Rebellion protests enter their fifth day Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus British actress Emma Thompson gives an address from the stage atop the pink boat AFP/Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Actress Emma Thompson takes a photo with a Extinction Rebellion demonstrator PA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Climate change activists blockade Oxford Circus on the third day of an environmental protest by the Extinction Rebellion group AFP/Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Climate change activists stand atop a bus shelter as they take part in a blockade of Waterloo Bridge AFP/Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Canary Wharf Police is seen as climate change activists demonstrate during the Extinction Rebellion protest, at Canary Wharf DLR station in London Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Police speak to climate change activists blockading Waterloo bridge AFP/Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge EPA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Climate change activists, one (right) with her hand glued to the underside of a truck parked across Waterloo Bridge AFP/Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Environmental campaigners protest in the centre of Oxford Circus Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Jeremy Corbyn's Home Climate change activists from Extinction Rebellion protest sit after glueing themselves to the front fence of Britain's opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn's house Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Marble Arch Dozens of tents have been pitched at Marble Arch in a large scale occupation Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Canary Wharf station Police remove climate activists who glued themselves on top of a train at Canary Wharf station EPA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Police forces carry a protester AP Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Canary Wharf station A climate change protestor who glued his hand to a window halts a DLR train AFP/Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge PA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge EPA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge EPA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus PA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Pedestrians and a cyclist pass graffiti drawn by protestors who blocked Waterloo Bridge AP Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Climate change protestors practice yoga on Waterloo Bridge AFP/Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge A climate change activist gestures while being detained by police officers Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Protestors sit on the road AP Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge PA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus AP The evidence emerged during the trial of the second group of defendants who have been charged with obstructing a highway at the Broxbourne protest. Caspar Hughes, 49, of Exeter, Elise Yarde, 32, of Walthamstow, Amir Jones, 39, of London, Laura Frandsen, 30, of London, Charlotte Kirin, 51, of Bury St Edmunds, and Hazel Steson, 56, of Bury St Edmonds, deny all charges. The first group of six demonstrators were convicted in May and two others pleaded guilty before trial. The blockade was at the Newsprinters site in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, owned by Rupert Murdoch's News UK. About 50 protestors used vans and bamboo structures outside the gates to the plant where The Sun and The Times, the Daily Mail, the Daily Telegraph and Evening Standard were printed. They stopped three and a half million national newspapers from being distributed across the country. A second blockade of the companys printing works in Knowsley, near Liverpool, took place on the same day. Protesters previously told St Albans Magistrates Court the action aimed to highlight the medias failure to report the seriousness of climate change. Ms Patel publicly condemned the demonstration at the time, calling it an attack on our free press and completely unacceptable, and dozens of activists have since been prosecuted. The government is now backing a controversial suite of strengthened protest laws that are a direct response to Extinction Rebellions tactics. The Queen hosted G7 world leaders at an evening reception when a day of political talks gave way to the soft diplomacy of the monarchy. Three generations of the royal family were present for the event staged at the Eden Project in Cornwall for presidents and prime ministers and their partners. The Queen was joined by the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. William and Kate are taking part in their first G7 events another milestone in their progression as senior royals. The monarchy does not wield power but has influence and uses what is known as soft diplomacy to help the UK renew and strengthen friendships with its allies and partners around the world. Ahead of the arrival of the royal family, many of the G7 leaders, some with spouses, walked through the flora and fauna at the visitor attraction on their way to the reception. Prime minister Boris Johnson and wife Carrie were waiting to greet the royal party when they arrived. The Queen walked just ahead of Charles and Camilla and they were followed a few paces behind by William and Kate. After a brief exchange of words between Mr Johnson and the Queen, she led the way into the reception and was followed by the senior royals. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 8 June 2021 POOL/AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures GettyImages-1233613088.jpg POOL/AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 22 June 2021 Actor Isaac Hampstead Wright sits on the newly unveiled Game of Throne's "Iron Throne" statue, in Leicester Square, in London, Tuesday, June 22, 2021. The statue is the tenth to join the trail and commemorates 10 years since the TV show first aired, as well as in anticipation for HBO's release of House of the Dragon set to be released in 2022 AP UK news in pictures 19 June 2021 England appeal LBW during day four of their Womens International Test match against India at the Bristol County Ground PA UK news in pictures 18 June 2021 Scotland fans let off flares in Leicester Square after Scotland's Euro 2020 match against England ended in a 0-0 draw Getty UK news in pictures 17 June 2021 Members of the Tootsie Rollers jazz band pose on the third day of the Royal Ascot horse racing meet AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 16 June 2021 A woman and child examine life-size sculptures of a herd of Asian elephants set up by the Elephant Family and The Real Elephant Collective to help educate the public on the elephants and the ways in which humans can better protect the planets biodiversity, in Green Park, central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 June 2021 Hydrotherapists with Dixie, a seven-year-old Dachshund who is being treated for back problems common with the breed, in the hydrotherapy pool during a facility at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home's in Battersea, London, to view their new hydrotherapy centre PA UK news in pictures 14 June 2021 Scotland's David Marshall in the net after Czech Republic's Patrik Schick scored their second goal at Hampden Park Reuters UK news in pictures 13 June 2021 Raheem Sterling celebrates with Harry Kane after scoring Englands first goal of the Euro 2021 tournament in a match against Croatia at Wembley Reuters UK news in pictures 12 June 2021 Oxfam campaigners wearing costumes depicting G7 leaders pose for photographers on Swanpool Beach near Falmouth, Cornwall EPA UK news in pictures 11 June 2021 Members of the Vaxinol team, who are commercial, industrial and residential cleaners specialising in disinfection and decontamination, use electrostatic spray systems to deep clean the Only Fools Bar in Liverpool PA UK news in pictures 10 June 2021 A woman walks her dogs as the incoming tide begins to wash away the heads of G7 leaders drawn in the sand by activists on the beach at Newquay, Cornwall AP UK news in pictures 9 June 2021 Adam Chamberlain, 45, general manager of Big Tree pub in Sheffield, has put up over 500 flags, taking 36 hours, in preparation for Euro 2020, which kicks off this weekend Tom Maddick / SWNS UK news in pictures 8 June 2021 REUTERS UK news in pictures 7 June 2021 A pedestrian wearing a face covering walks over Westminster Bridge near the Houses of Parliament in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 6 June 2021 Isobel Salamon, founder of the Edinburgh Cinema Club, poses alongside the Leith Trainspotting murals in Quality Yard, Leith, Edinburgh, for the programme launch of the Cinescapes Festival which starts on July 4 with a Trainspotting 1 and 2 double bill PA UK news in pictures 5 June 2021 A long exposure photograph captures the rotation of the earth as the stars blur into circles over Knowlton church ruins in Dorset Nick Lucas/SWNS UK news in pictures 4 June 2021 Balloonists take flight during the opening of the Midlands Air Festival in Alcester, Warwickshire PA UK news in pictures 3 June 2021 Members of the Household Cavalry during the Major General's annual inspection of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment in Hyde Park, London PA UK news in pictures 2 June 2021 Hannah Vitos of the Blenheim Art Foundation, poses for a photograph next to artist Ai Weiwei's Gilded Cage (2017) sculpture in the grounds of Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, Britain Reuters UK news in pictures 1 June 2021 People swim in the Sky Pool, a transparent swimming pool bridge across two exclusive residential blocks standing next to the US Embassy in Nine Elms, in London, Tuesday, June 1, 2021 AP UK news in pictures 31 May 2021 People enjoy the hot weather at Brighton beach Reuters UK news in pictures 30 May 2021 People venture into the sea as they enjoy themselves during a hot day on Brighton Beach AP UK news in pictures 29 May 2021 Swimmers at the Stonehaven Open Air Pool in Aberdeenshire, which reopens after lockdown restrictions were eased PA UK news in pictures 28 May 2021 Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he meets Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban at Downing Street in London REUTERS UK news in pictures 27 May 2021 White Pelicans in the sunshine in St James's Park, London PA UK news in pictures 26 May 2021 Boats are seen at Southsea Moorings in Portsmouth Reuters UK news in pictures 25 May 2021 York Glaziers Trust employees Kieran Muir (left) and Emily Price (right) remove a stained glass window panel at the start of a new five year, 5m project to conserve York Minsters South East Transept and its medieval St Cuthbert Window PA UK news in pictures 24 May 2021 Dark rain clouds above an oast house at Bewl Water reservoir near Lamberhurst in Kent during one of the rainiest Mays on record, with the UK seeing 131 per cent of the usual months rainfall already PA UK news in pictures 23 May 2021 The Premier League trophy with the Manchester City club colour ribbons on, at Etihad Stadium, prior to the last Premier League match of the season. City will finally pick up the trophy after they won the league on 11 May Getty UK news in pictures 22 May 2021 Gary Kenny lifts the Buildbase FA Vase Trophy after Warrington Rylands won the FA Vase Final against Binfield at Wembley Stadium Getty UK news in pictures 21 May 2021 A family buffeted by the wind whilst crossing the the Millennium Bridge in London, with wind and rain forecast to ravage the UK on the first Friday that people have been allowed to meet in large groups outside in England PA UK news in pictures 20 May 2021 Devon And Cornwall Police Demonstrate Their Skills For Policing The G7 Summit Getty Images UK news in pictures 18 May 2021 An employee stands before a costume for the Queen of Hearts by Bob Crowley on display at the Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London PA UK news in pictures 17 May 2021 Passengers prepare to board an easyJet flight to Faro, Portugal, at Gatwick Airport after the ban on international leisure travel for people in England was lifted following the further easing of lockdown restrictions in England PA UK news in pictures 16 May 2021 Emergency workers at the scene of a suspected gas explosion, in which a young child was killed and two people were seriously injured, on Mallowdale Ave Heysham which caused 2 houses to collapse and badly damaged another PA UK news in pictures 15 May 2021 Pro-Palestinian activists and supporters let off smoke flares, wave flags and carry placards during a demonstration in support of the Palestinian cause as violence escalates in the ongoing conflict with Israel, in central London AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 14 May 2021 Member of staffs tighten screws and paint a Marlin skeleton, before it goes on display at the Natural History Museum in London, as the museum prepares to reopen to the public on 17 May, following the further easing of lockdown restrictions in England PA UK news in pictures 13 May 2021 A worshipper at the Baitul Futuh Mosque in Mordon, south London, ahead of Eid al-Fitr. The celebration marks the end of the Muslim month of fasting, called Ramadan. PA UK news in pictures 12 May 2021 A couple have wedding photos taken in Westminster, London Getty UK news in pictures 11 May 2021 The sun rises on Coquet Island, off Amble on the Northumberland coast, where as many as 35000 seabirds cram onto this tiny island to breed PA UK news in pictures 10 May 2021 Newly elected for a second term Mayor of London Sadiq Khan during his signing in ceremony at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre on Londons Southbank PA UK news in pictures 9 May 2021 People mill around St. Michael's tower on top of Glastonbury Tor as it is seen through blooming yellow rapeseed on a day of mixed weather in Glastonbury, Somerset PA UK news in pictures 8 May 2021 Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford elbow bumps newly elected MS Labour candidates Elizabeth Buffy Williams, Rhondda, left, and Sarah Murphy, Bridgend & Porthcawl Labour, right, as they meet in Porthcawl, Wales PA UK news in pictures 6 May 2021 A group of five Sisters from Carmelite Monastery in Dysart cast their vote in the Scottish Parliamentary election at Dysart Community Hall, West Port, Dysart PA UK news in pictures 5 May 2021 Leader of the Labour Party Sir Keir Starmer (centre) with West Midlands Metro Mayor candidate Liam Byrne (far right) and Labour Deputy Leader, Angela Rayner (far left) during a visit to Birmingham, whilst on the election campaign trail PA UK news in pictures 4 May 2021 Artists Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey stand within 100 oak saplings which form part of a living art installation entitled Beuys' Acorns by the UK-based artist duo, outside the Tate Modern in London PA UK news in pictures 3 May 2021 Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie feeds the Gentoo penguins during a visit to Edinburgh Zoo on the campaign trail for the forthcoming Scottish Parliamentary Election on May 6 PA UK news in pictures 2 May 2021 Chelsea players celebrate their fourth goal during the Womens Champions League semi-final second leg against Bayern Munich, at Kingsmeadow Stadium in south west London. The Blues won the game 4-1, (and the tie 5-3 on aggregate) sending them through to their first Champions League final AFP/Getty Last to arrive after the royal family was US president Joe Biden with First Lady Jill Biden. After the 40-minute reception, they moved to an area to take a socially distanced group photo, and after taking their seats and posing for a few moments, the Queen said: Are you supposed to be looking as if you're enjoying yourself? The leaders around the Queen laughed and Mr Johnson said emphatically, yes. Mr Johnson, who is hosting the summit in Cornwall, added: We have been enjoying ourselves in spite of appearances. Ms Merkel walked over to the Queen and thanked her for posing for the picture, saying: Thank you for doing that for us. PA Assisted dying campaigner Noel Conway has died at the age of 71 after removing his ventilator. Mr Conway, who had motor neurone disease (MND), died on Wednesday at his home in Shropshire. In a statement released by campaign organisation Dignity in Dying following his death, Mr Conway said that he had made a conscious and deliberate effort to die after his quality of life dipped into the negative. He said: When you read this I will be dead. Not because I have suffered a tragic accident or died suffering from a long-standing or painful disease. No, it will be because I have made a conscious and deliberate effort to end my own life. I suffer from MND and was diagnosed over six years ago knowing that at some stage I would reach a point when my muscles would have deteriorated to such an extent that I could not function effectively. Over the past two months it has become increasingly evident to me that the balance of fulfilment in life, or if you like, my quality of life, has dipped into the negative... My voice has depleted to the extent that many people cannot now tell what I say and my eyesight recently deteriorated. Im already a paraplegic and I cannot use my hands or fingers but I am aware that my neck muscles are weakening as are my mouth and speech muscles. I recognise that the time has come to take the decision now to do something about this. The retired lecturer, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2014 and said he felt entombed by his illness, lost his appeal against the UKs ban on assisted dying in 2018. After losing his legal challenge, Mr Conway urged MPs to make assisted suicide legal. He said: Dying people like me cannot wait years for another case to be heard. All I want is the option to die peacefully, with dignity, on my own terms, and I know that the majority of the public are behind me. It is downright cruel to continue to deny me and other terminally ill people this right. In his statement this week, he said he recognised that it may take him up to eight hours to die after removing his ventilator, which he said was far removed from the swift end-of-life process as practiced in countries such as Switzerland. His wife, Mrs Conway said, that although he had been in control of his death, the uncertainty over how long it would take led to them experiencing considerable anxiety. She said his carers ensured Noel had a painless and dignified death, demonstrating empathy and concern for us all. Mrs Conway said: Ultimately, Noel wanted the choice of an assisted death, and I hope his campaigning will bring this option closer to becoming a reality for other terminally ill people in this country. Sarah Wootton, chief executive of Dignity in Dying, said: Noel will be sorely missed by all of us at Dignity in Dying and we extend our sincere condolences to Carol, their family and friends. We are indebted to Noel, an inimitable and award-winning campaigner who helped put assisted dying firmly on the political agenda in this country. Noel fought in the courts, lobbied parliamentarians and spoke powerfully to the media about his suffering under the UKs blanket ban on assisted dying, all the while knowing any change would most likely come too late for him. Noel will be remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather, friend, lecturer, mentor and for playing an instrumental role in bringing us closer to having a safe, compassionate assisted dying law in this country. Dominic Raab has told the EU not to be bloody-minded about implementing the Brexit deal for Northern Ireland, ramping up tensions ahead of crucial talks. In a defiant message, the foreign secretary said the bitter stand-off was putting the unity of the country at risk, vowing: We will not allow the integrity of the UK to be threatened. The criticism came as Boris Johnson faced an onslaught of pressure to end his refusal to impose agreed checks and restrictions on trade across the Irish Sea, in face-to-face talks with EU leaders. He is meeting Emmanuel Macron, the French President, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission President, at the G7 summit in Cornwall where the controversy will be raised. On the summit eve, Mr Macron branded the UKs attempt to reopen the Northern Ireland Protocol, a legal treaty signed in 2019, as not serious, saying: Nothing is renegotiable. The EU has warned it is ready to start a trade war if the UK defies unilaterally an agreed ban on chilled meats being exported from Great Britain across the Irish Sea, from July. But Mr Raab said the Protocol was designed to ensure all communities in Northern Ireland are protected, insisting the EU must respect both sides of that pact. They can be more pragmatic about the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol in a way that is win-win or they can be bloody-minded and purist about it, he told BBC Radio 4. In which case I am afraid we will not allow the integrity of the UK to be threatened. In the interview, Mr Raab faced the suggestion that the UKs clout on the world stage is weakening, because people dont trust the word of the British government. They make a treaty on Brexit and N Ireland, now they want to break it. They say theyll give international aid at a certain level, then they change their mind, the foreign secretary was told. But he rejected the charge, insisting: When I go outside of Brussels, probably not even outside of Europe, no one talks to us in those terms. As he travelled around the world, the UKs respect for international law was recognised, Mr Raab claimed, pointing to its strong stance on the Belaruss s seizing of a dissident journalist. The answer is for the Northern Ireland protocol in its entirety, in its letter and its spirit, to be properly implemented that is all we asked for, Mr Raab said. The threat to the Northern Ireland Protocol, also the Good Friday Agreement, is coming from the one-sided approach that the EU has taken, and I think thats a reasonable argument. Downing Street has made clear it will shelve the agreed ban on chilled meat exports if necessary, saying: All options are on the table. The wife of a US diplomat could face a virtual trial over the death of teenage motorcyclist Harry Dunn, the foreign secretary has suggested. Washington is continuing to block the extradition of Anne Sacoolas after the fatal road incident in August 2019 outside a US military base in Northamptonshire, but Dominic Raab pointed to the possibility of a different breakthrough. It comes after Boris Johnson said the US president, Joe Biden, was actively engaged and extremely sympathetic about the case, following their face-to-face meeting at the G7 summit in Cornwall. Mr Raab said: The US has not agreed to the extradition, but the path is clear for the legal authorities in the UK to approach Anne Sacoolass lawyers without any problem from the US government to see whether some kind of virtual trial or process could allow some accountability and some solace and some justice for the Dunn family. I would like to see some accountability. I think the family deserve no less, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme. Mr Dunn died, aged 19, when Ms Sacoolass car crashed into his motorbike outside RAF Croughton, the US base where she worked. There was an outcry when she was allowed to leave the UK nine days after the death, when diplomatic immunity was asserted on her behalf. Ms Sacoolas, who has since been charged with causing death by dangerous driving, has refused to return to the UK, but has suggested she is willing to serve a civil penalty in her home country. Speaking after the two leaders discussed the issue, Mr Dunns mother, Charlotte Charles, expressed gratitude that it was being taken so seriously as to be raised on the eve of the G7 meeting with so many worldwide crises going on. We very much hope that President Biden takes a different view to the previous administration, given his deeply personal connection to the case, having suffered loss in similar circumstances, she said. Mr Bidens first wife and daughter were killed in a road crash in 1972, while his sons, Beau and Hunter, survived. The Dunn family has challenged the diplomatic immunity asserted on Ms Sacoolass behalf, in a case that is expected to go before the Court of Appeal next year. Ms Charles and Mr Dunns father, Tim Dunn, have also brought a civil claim against Ms Sacoolas and her husband in the US state of Virginia. After discussing the controversy with Mr Biden, Mr Johnson said: As you know, he has his own personal reasons for feeling very deeply about the issue. And he was extremely sympathetic, but this is not something that either government can control very easily because there are legal processes that are still going on. Boris Johnson looks set to delay the final lifting of coronavirus lockdown restrictions in England following another sharp rise in cases of the Delta variant. Ministers are considering putting back the relaxing of controls planned for June 21 for up to four weeks as they race to roll out the vaccine to younger age groups. A final decision is expected to be taken on Sunday ahead of a formal announcement by the Prime Minister at a news conference on Monday. It comes amid repeated warnings from some scientists that the rapid spread of the Delta variant first identified in India could lead to a substantial third wave if controls are lifted. Mr Johnson has previously said it was still too early to say whether the lockdown easing should go ahead, saying: On Monday ... well have a look at where we are. I think what everybody can see very clearly is that cases are going up, and in some cases hospitalisations are going up. What we need to assess is the extent to which the vaccine rollout, which has been phenomenal, has built up protection in the population in order for us to go ahead to the next stage. And so thats what well be looking at. On Saturday, Foreign Office minister James Cleverly refused to confirm the delay, but said: We always knew there would be a chance of mutations and variants - thats why this unlocking process was a progressive one and thats why we have had these decision points laid out. Thats why the Government, the Prime Minister and our scientific advisers will be assessing the data and making decisions for the announcement on Monday. We will make decisions with regard to lockdown based on the most up-to-date information. It comes after the British Medical Association (BMA) lent its voice to calls to scrap the 21 June date first floated back in February over concerns about the impact of the now dominant Delta variant, estimated by Public Health England to be 60 per cent more transmissible than the Kent variant responsible for the UKs devastating wave of infections in January. With the variant first identified in India now accounting for 96 per cent of new cases, Public Health England data showed on Friday that 42,323 cases had now been recorded in the UK up 29,892 from the previous week. BMA council chairman Dr Chaand Nagpaul said the figures showed more time is needed to get the vaccine to more people, saying: With only 54.2 per cent of the adult population currently fully vaccinated and many younger people not yet eligible, there is a huge risk that prematurely relaxing all restrictions will undo the excellent work of the vaccine programme and lead to a surge of infections. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 17 June 2021 Members of the Tootsie Rollers jazz band pose on the third day of the Royal Ascot horse racing meet AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 16 June 2021 A woman and child examine life-size sculptures of a herd of Asian elephants set up by the Elephant Family and The Real Elephant Collective to help educate the public on the elephants and the ways in which humans can better protect the planets biodiversity, in Green Park, central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 June 2021 Hydrotherapists with Dixie, a seven-year-old Dachshund who is being treated for back problems common with the breed, in the hydrotherapy pool during a facility at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home's in Battersea, London, to view their new hydrotherapy centre PA UK news in pictures 14 June 2021 Scotland's David Marshall in the net after Czech Republic's Patrik Schick scored their second goal at Hampden Park Reuters UK news in pictures 13 June 2021 Raheem Sterling celebrates with Harry Kane after scoring Englands first goal of the Euro 2021 tournament in a match against Croatia at Wembley Reuters UK news in pictures 12 June 2021 Oxfam campaigners wearing costumes depicting G7 leaders pose for photographers on Swanpool Beach near Falmouth, Cornwall EPA UK news in pictures 11 June 2021 Members of the Vaxinol team, who are commercial, industrial and residential cleaners specialising in disinfection and decontamination, use electrostatic spray systems to deep clean the Only Fools Bar in Liverpool PA UK news in pictures 10 June 2021 A woman walks her dogs as the incoming tide begins to wash away the heads of G7 leaders drawn in the sand by activists on the beach at Newquay, Cornwall AP UK news in pictures 9 June 2021 Adam Chamberlain, 45, general manager of Big Tree pub in Sheffield, has put up over 500 flags, taking 36 hours, in preparation for Euro 2020, which kicks off this weekend Tom Maddick / SWNS UK news in pictures 8 June 2021 REUTERS UK news in pictures 7 June 2021 A pedestrian wearing a face covering walks over Westminster Bridge near the Houses of Parliament in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 6 June 2021 Isobel Salamon, founder of the Edinburgh Cinema Club, poses alongside the Leith Trainspotting murals in Quality Yard, Leith, Edinburgh, for the programme launch of the Cinescapes Festival which starts on July 4 with a Trainspotting 1 and 2 double bill PA UK news in pictures 5 June 2021 A long exposure photograph captures the rotation of the earth as the stars blur into circles over Knowlton church ruins in Dorset Nick Lucas/SWNS UK news in pictures 4 June 2021 Balloonists take flight during the opening of the Midlands Air Festival in Alcester, Warwickshire PA UK news in pictures 3 June 2021 Members of the Household Cavalry during the Major General's annual inspection of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment in Hyde Park, London PA UK news in pictures 2 June 2021 Hannah Vitos of the Blenheim Art Foundation, poses for a photograph next to artist Ai Weiwei's Gilded Cage (2017) sculpture in the grounds of Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, Britain Reuters UK news in pictures 1 June 2021 People swim in the Sky Pool, a transparent swimming pool bridge across two exclusive residential blocks standing next to the US Embassy in Nine Elms, in London, Tuesday, June 1, 2021 AP UK news in pictures 31 May 2021 People enjoy the hot weather at Brighton beach Reuters UK news in pictures 30 May 2021 People venture into the sea as they enjoy themselves during a hot day on Brighton Beach AP UK news in pictures 29 May 2021 Swimmers at the Stonehaven Open Air Pool in Aberdeenshire, which reopens after lockdown restrictions were eased PA UK news in pictures 28 May 2021 Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he meets Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban at Downing Street in London REUTERS UK news in pictures 27 May 2021 White Pelicans in the sunshine in St James's Park, London PA UK news in pictures 26 May 2021 Boats are seen at Southsea Moorings in Portsmouth Reuters UK news in pictures 25 May 2021 York Glaziers Trust employees Kieran Muir (left) and Emily Price (right) remove a stained glass window panel at the start of a new five year, 5m project to conserve York Minsters South East Transept and its medieval St Cuthbert Window PA UK news in pictures 24 May 2021 Dark rain clouds above an oast house at Bewl Water reservoir near Lamberhurst in Kent during one of the rainiest Mays on record, with the UK seeing 131 per cent of the usual months rainfall already PA UK news in pictures 23 May 2021 The Premier League trophy with the Manchester City club colour ribbons on, at Etihad Stadium, prior to the last Premier League match of the season. City will finally pick up the trophy after they won the league on 11 May Getty UK news in pictures 22 May 2021 Gary Kenny lifts the Buildbase FA Vase Trophy after Warrington Rylands won the FA Vase Final against Binfield at Wembley Stadium Getty UK news in pictures 21 May 2021 A family buffeted by the wind whilst crossing the the Millennium Bridge in London, with wind and rain forecast to ravage the UK on the first Friday that people have been allowed to meet in large groups outside in England PA UK news in pictures 20 May 2021 Devon And Cornwall Police Demonstrate Their Skills For Policing The G7 Summit Getty Images UK news in pictures 18 May 2021 An employee stands before a costume for the Queen of Hearts by Bob Crowley on display at the Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London PA UK news in pictures 17 May 2021 Passengers prepare to board an easyJet flight to Faro, Portugal, at Gatwick Airport after the ban on international leisure travel for people in England was lifted following the further easing of lockdown restrictions in England PA UK news in pictures 16 May 2021 Emergency workers at the scene of a suspected gas explosion, in which a young child was killed and two people were seriously injured, on Mallowdale Ave Heysham which caused 2 houses to collapse and badly damaged another PA UK news in pictures 15 May 2021 Pro-Palestinian activists and supporters let off smoke flares, wave flags and carry placards during a demonstration in support of the Palestinian cause as violence escalates in the ongoing conflict with Israel, in central London AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 14 May 2021 Member of staffs tighten screws and paint a Marlin skeleton, before it goes on display at the Natural History Museum in London, as the museum prepares to reopen to the public on 17 May, following the further easing of lockdown restrictions in England PA UK news in pictures 13 May 2021 A worshipper at the Baitul Futuh Mosque in Mordon, south London, ahead of Eid al-Fitr. The celebration marks the end of the Muslim month of fasting, called Ramadan. PA UK news in pictures 12 May 2021 A couple have wedding photos taken in Westminster, London Getty UK news in pictures 11 May 2021 The sun rises on Coquet Island, off Amble on the Northumberland coast, where as many as 35000 seabirds cram onto this tiny island to breed PA UK news in pictures 10 May 2021 Newly elected for a second term Mayor of London Sadiq Khan during his signing in ceremony at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre on Londons Southbank PA UK news in pictures 9 May 2021 People mill around St. Michael's tower on top of Glastonbury Tor as it is seen through blooming yellow rapeseed on a day of mixed weather in Glastonbury, Somerset PA UK news in pictures 8 May 2021 Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford elbow bumps newly elected MS Labour candidates Elizabeth Buffy Williams, Rhondda, left, and Sarah Murphy, Bridgend & Porthcawl Labour, right, as they meet in Porthcawl, Wales PA UK news in pictures 6 May 2021 A group of five Sisters from Carmelite Monastery in Dysart cast their vote in the Scottish Parliamentary election at Dysart Community Hall, West Port, Dysart PA UK news in pictures 5 May 2021 Leader of the Labour Party Sir Keir Starmer (centre) with West Midlands Metro Mayor candidate Liam Byrne (far right) and Labour Deputy Leader, Angela Rayner (far left) during a visit to Birmingham, whilst on the election campaign trail PA UK news in pictures 4 May 2021 Artists Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey stand within 100 oak saplings which form part of a living art installation entitled Beuys' Acorns by the UK-based artist duo, outside the Tate Modern in London PA UK news in pictures 3 May 2021 Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie feeds the Gentoo penguins during a visit to Edinburgh Zoo on the campaign trail for the forthcoming Scottish Parliamentary Election on May 6 PA UK news in pictures 2 May 2021 Chelsea players celebrate their fourth goal during the Womens Champions League semi-final second leg against Bayern Munich, at Kingsmeadow Stadium in south west London. The Blues won the game 4-1, (and the tie 5-3 on aggregate) sending them through to their first Champions League final AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 1 May 2020 Demonstrators during a march through London during a 'Kill the Bill' protest Angela Christofilou UK news in pictures 30 April 2021 Shoppers queue outside Primark in Belfast as shops reopen and hospitality is able to open outdoors in Northern Ireland where lockdown restrictions have begun to gradually ease PA UK news in pictures 29 April 2021 Specialist operators at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, near Telford, Shropshire, clean the Hawker Hunter aircraft displayed within the museum's National Cold War Exhibition, during annual high-level aircraft cleaning and maintenance PA UK news in pictures 28 April 2021 Millions of tulips in flower near Kings Lynn in Norfolk, as Belmont Nurseries, the UK's largest commercial grower of outdoor tulips, offers socially-distanced visits to its tulip fields at Hillington to raise funds for local charity The Norfolk Hospice Tapping House PA UK news in pictures 27 April 2021 Paula Laughton checks one of the newly installed Lego models in the new Lego Mythica land at Legoland Windsor Resort PA Its not just about the number of hospitalisations, but also the risk to the health of large numbers of younger people, who can suffer long-term symptoms affecting their lives and ability to work. Research into how effective vaccines are against the Indian variant, published by NHS England in May suggests that two vaccine doses are far more effective than just one with a single dose of both the AstraZeneca and Pfizer jabs found to offer just 33 per cent protection against the Delta variant, compared with 60 and 88 per cent, respectively, after two doses. The BMAs stance emerged as a survey of health and care organisations by the NHS Confederationfound that 63 per cent of the 282 leaders working across primary care, hospitals and community who responded did not think restrictions should be lifted. According to The Telegraph, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies has warned the government that cases could exceed the first wave peak if the 21 June date goes ahead. Meanwhile, the chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus, Layla Moran, said the figures should set alarm bells ringing in government, insisting that ministers must immediately explain to the public whether this exponential growth suggests the country is in line for a severe third wave, and if so what it is doing to prevent this. While the Cabinets Covid Operations group will reportedly meet on Sunday ahead of a full Cabinet meeting on Monday, this will take place amid the G7 and Nato summits. Although the prime minister may reportedly offer some concessions on weddings on 21 June, according to Sky News, restrictions on nightclubs and other venues are expected to remain. Labours shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said the pace of new infections was deeply worrying and put the lifting of restrictions at risk, adding: The blame for this lies with the prime minister and his reckless refusal to act on Labours repeated warnings to secure our borders against Covid and its variants. On Friday morning, the governments vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi emphasised that the virus hasnt gone away when asked about reports of a delay. There have been some really hard-won battles against this virus and we dont want to squander those hard-fought gains that we have made through the vaccination programme, Mr Zahawi told Times Radio Breakfast. The virus hasnt gone away, the virus will continue to attempt to mutate, to escape, to try and survive, and I think its really important that we are really careful. Mr Zahawi said the government was on track to meet a target of all over-50s being offered their second jab by 21 June, as he appealed to those who had not had a first dose to come forward to be vaccinated. In the UK, more than 41 million people, or 78 per cent of the adult population, have now had a first vaccine dose, while some 29 million have received their second. Additional reporting by PA An experienced lobster diver survived being caught in a humpback whales mouth near Provincetown, Massachusetts on Friday morning. Michael Packard was searching for lobsters on the ocean floor on his second dive of the day, approximately 45 feet below the surface, when he said he felt a bump and then he was in total darkness. All of a sudden, I felt this huge shove, and the next thing I knew it was completely black, Mr Packard told WBZ-TV, following his release from the Cape Cod Hospital. At first the 45-year-old thought that he was in the mouth of a great white shark, which are common in the area. But when he realised that he hadnt suffered any obvious wounds from sharp teeth, he determined that he was in the mouth of a whale. I realised oh my God, Im in a whales mouth and hes trying to swallow me. And I thought to myself OK, this is it, Im gonna die Mr Packard said that his thoughts then went to his wife and sons, whom he feared he would never see again. He estimates that he was in the whales mouth for 30 to 40 seconds. Mr Packard was able to continue to breathe, as he had his regulator in his mouth, but could feel the whale squeezing with the muscles in his mouth the whole time. Mr Packard told CBSN Boston: It was happening so fast, my only thought was how to get out of that mouth, and I realized, there was no overcoming of a beast of that size. He was going to do with me what he wanted to do. Luckily, fate was on Mr Packards side. He said he could tell that the whale didnt like having him in its mouth. All of a sudden he went up to the surface. He just erupted and started shaking his head, and I just got thrown in the air and landed in the water and I was free. He added: I just floated there. I couldnt believe I got out of that. Josiah Mayo, a crewman from Mr Packards boat, saw the whale burst to the surface and spit out Mr Packard. Mr Mayo retrieved Mr Packard from the water before calling the shore by radio, and speedily returning to the Provincetown Pier. An ambulance met Mr Packard at the pier and took him to Cape Cod Hospital; he was released Friday afternoon, having sustained some bruising and soft tissue damage to his legs whilst in the whales mouth. Jooke Robbins, the director of Humpback Whale Studies at the Centre for Coastal Studies in Provincetown told The Cape Cod Times that what happened to Mr Packard was most likely an accident, caused by a somewhat clumsy, juvenile whale. She said that as humpback whales feed, their mouths open and billow out in a parachute-like manner, obstructing their vision, which is likely what led to Mr Packard becoming trapped in the whales mouth. She added that humpback whales are not known to be aggressive, especially towards humans. Incidents of humpback whales injuring swimmers and divers are exceedingly rare, if not nonexistent, Ms Robbins said. Adding: It is not something I have heard happening before. The allegations were nothing short of astonishing. It was claimed the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department (LASD), the largest in the country, was riddled with gangs with names such as The Executioners that were made up not of typical gang members, but by police officers. Furthermore, it was claimed the gangs had initiation rites that included violence and even murder, and that the influence of the cliques, directed by so-called shot keepers, impacted many aspects of the departments work. Of particular pertinence, the allegations were being made by a police officer who was trying to blow the whistle on the existence of the gangs amid a leadership culture among the department allegedly unwilling or slow to respond. Theres a deeply ingrained gang culture in this department, Alan Romero, a lawyer for whistleblower Austreberto Art Gonzalez, tells The Independent. They are facilitated [and] enabled by people at the highest levels. Within barely a day of the officer making the accusations to a supposedly secret whistleblower hotline, Gonzalezs identify had been leaked to his colleagues at the Compton station. Somebody scrawled the word rat on his locker, and very quickly, says Romero, the officers life was made unbearable. The accusations made by Gonzalez last summer were believed to be the first time a serving officer had stepped forward to give evidence about what was happening around him. He is now one of around a dozen officers to have spoken out. Their claims have highlighted a problem long believed to have existed within the 12,000-strong LASD. While other police departments in the US have suffered from corruption, and while police gangs existed for a short time in other places, including New Orleans and Oakland, the scourge in Los Angeles dates back perhaps as long as 50 years. It has extended to as many as 20 different affiliations, centred on different precincts within Los Angeles County, each with its own individual tattoos and culture, much of which mirrored the street or prison gangs, the officers had taken an oath to combat as part of their duties. Earlier this year, Sean Kennedy, of Loyola Law Schools Center for Juvenile Law and Policy, authored a report detailing the existence of 18 police gangs, and found evidence of their presence at least as far back as 1971. It said one of the gangs, The Executioners, which operated in Compton, held celebrations at bars after officers shot somebody. After being admitted to the gang, it said, an officer received its tattoo, a skull with a Nazi-style helmet. Some of these subgroups have tattoos, hand signals and rituals that are similar to a criminal street gang, said the report. The concern is that these subgroups foster a culture that resists police reforms, such as community policing and constitutional policing, by encouraging and even celebrating aggressive tactics and excessive use of force against minority communities. Kennedy says he believes young male officers may be drawn to join a police gang for the same reason others join a street gang camaraderie, a sense of place, and the benefits of protection. Speaking from his office at Loyola, Kennedy says the first gang identified by him and his students, who contributed to the report, was the Little Red Devils, which operated from the departments East Los Angeles station. He says that station is an incubator that has seen the creation of more gangs than any other. He says it is currently hone to a gang called The Banditos, made up mainly of Latino deputies, operating in a predominantly Black and Latino neighbourhood. It is also the station where the current Sheriff Alex Villanueva spent much of his career. Kennedy, a member of the LASDs Civilian Oversight Commission, says while some groups that share tattoos could be considered clubs or work groups, those such as The Banditos are like gangs. They have prospects who have to earn their way in, they record and glorify shootings, and other police violence. They enforce a code of silence on their colleagues. The US has struggled for many years to have a healthy police culture, in which law enforcement earns the trust and respect of the communities they police, he says. The gangs are a major impediment to achieving that model of 21st Century policing. President Obama actually convened a task force in 2015 on this issue, because the police shoot so many young men of colour. Compton Mayor Aja Brown accuses sheriff's gangs of terrorising the community Yet, he says, if a police officers status and self-worth comes from being a member of a gang that calls itself the Grim Reapers or some such, it will be impossible to force positive change. How are you ever going to achieve constitutional policing or community policing, when you are actually celebrated for shooting and killing a member of the community? Aja Brown, the Democratic mayor of Compton, is among a number of California politicians to have denounced the gangs. She has described an incident in 2019 when she was pulled over by officers in 2019 as she was driving with her husband and baby daughter. They were apparently unaware she was the mayor. I rolled my window down and asked why I was being pulled over, Brown recalled a year later when speaking to reporters outside of Compton City Hall, when she and other community leaders called for a federal probe. Within seconds almost seven to nine sheriff deputy vehicles descended upon the scene. She said the officers claimed she had jumped a red light, something she denied. They terrorise the community and then they cover their tracks. It is unacceptable, we will not take this. Compton was also the scene last summer of a shooting of a member of the public, 18-year-old Andres Guardado, by a police officer, Miguel Vega. The incident, in which Guardado was shot five times in the head, triggered protests in the city. It was reported by the Los Angeles Times and Spectrum News that in sworn testimony, whistleblower Gonzalez alleged the officer, Vega, was chasing ink. Protesters gathered after police shot and killed 18-year-old Andres Guardado in the back (AFP via Getty Images) Last autumn, the family of Guardado, including his parents, sued the LASD, alleging the departments actions led to a needless loss of life. Police claimed the teenager had displayed a weapon at the car body shop, where Guardados family said he worked as a security guard. There is no body camera footage. Vegas lawyer, Adam Marangell, says in a statement the lawsuit was filled with reckless and erroneous allegations and appears to be a calculated effort to inflame and distort public perception against the Sheriffs Department generally and Deputy Vega specifically. Deputy Vega categorically denies any wrongdoing and looks forward to the actual facts of this matter being made public, he adds. Vega did everything possible to avoid firing his weapon, including issuing clear and repeated commands to not reach for the gun. He adds: The completely unsubstantiated allegation that Deputy Vega was a prospective member of some sort of Deputy gang is appalling and absolutely false. Earlier this year, the county held an independent inquest into the shooting, the first to be ordered in 30 years. Vega did not attend, and the second officer involved, but who did not shoot, Chris Hernandez, among with other officers who were tasked with investigating the shooting, involved their Fifth Amendment rights not to answer. Vega said if he was forced to attend, he would also invoke such rights. The independent inquest, requested by Los Angeles County Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner Dr Jonathan Lucas, upheld a previous conclusion that Guardado had died as the result of a homicide, in strict legal terms the killing of one person by another. Sheriff Alex Villanueva insists he is seeking to confront gangs (AFP via Getty Images) In the autumn of 2020, Los Angeles County Inspector General Max Huntsman accused Sheriff Alex Villanueva of promoting a code of silence around secret societies within his department. The IG issued a report saying up to 30 members of The Banditos were disrupting operations at East LA Sheriffs Station. Darren Brown, the city attorney for Compton, tells The Independent he last year wrote a letter to various officials, including Donald Trumps attorney general, Bill Barr, calling for an investigation into alleged gang activity at the station. He received an acknowledgement from two state officials but not the Department of Justice. Were not under the occupation of the sheriff. And thats sometimes what it feels like. Especially because theres no accountability, he says. You know, theyre a contracted agency, so we dont have direct oversight over them. The sheriffs department declined to answer specific questions from The Independent and says it is unable to comment on the shooting of Andres Guardado because of active litigation Sheriff Alex Villanueva was the first sheriff in the history of LASD to implement a strict policy prohibiting cliques and sub-groups, and he has repeatedly demonstrated his commitment to transparency and accountability, the department adds in a statement. We can also say, the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department expects all of its members to hold themselves to the highest ethical and professional standards at all times. Those who allegedly engage in criminal misconduct will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Assembly member Mike Gipson, a former police officer who now represents Californias 64th Assembly District, that includes Compton, is a former police officer who is behind a number of bills designed to create a new type of policing in the state. One measure he introduced this spring, AB 958, would make it a firing offence for an officer to be a member of a police gang or clique. Thats absolutely crazy, but it exists. And the only way you can be initiated in these gangs, is that you have to use excessive force or lethal force, on someone, he says. It is absolutely mind boggling were doing this in 2021, but we have to because it still exists in our communities. Country music legend Reba McEntire has hit out at organizers after she was wrongly listed as a featured guest at a Republican party fundraiser. McEntire, 66, made the comments on her Twitter account and refuted her connection to the event. The price to attend this Sundays event, a barbecue, started at $500 for individuals. Last night, an invitation to a political fundraiser with my name attached was sent out without my knowledge or permission. I had and have no plans to attend this event and had told the event organizers as such, she wrote in the response to the listing. The other musical guest is Red Steagall, another country music performer. McEntire explained that she would not have said yes because she avoids wading into politics. Throughout my career, I have stated that I do not get involved in politics and that remains true today, she wrote. The news that she was attending the fundraiser was shared by journalist Stephen Sanchez online. He shared an image of the poster. He tweeted, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem will attend a BBQ fundraiser this Sunday in Montana, according to an invitation I obtained. Country music legend Reba McEntire is listed as a special guest. According to a statement, Ms Noems representatives said that Ms McEntire had known about the fundraiser. The Kristi for Governor campaign follows standard operating procedure when it comes to confirming and listing hosts for the Governors events, according to Ian Fury, a representative from the campaign. He affirms that there was written confirmation that Ms McEntire intended to come and perform, and he expressed that Noem was a huge fan of Reba. Other political figures touted to attend the event include the governor of Montana Greg Giaforte, Steve Daines, a senator for Montana, and Matt Rosendale, a congressman from Montana. Syrian President Bashar Assad was re-elected in a landslide, officials said Thursday, ushering in a fourth seven-year term in the war-torn country following an election described as illegitimate and a sham by the West and his opposition. Assads win was not in doubt, in an election where officials said 18 million were eligible to vote. But in the country ravaged by the 10-year-old conflict, areas controlled by rebels or Kurdish-led troops did not hold the vote. At least 8 million, mostly displaced, live in those areas in northwest and northeast Syria. Over 5 million refugees mostly living in neighboring countries have largely refrained from casting their ballots. U.S. and European officials have also questioned the legitimacy of the election, saying it violates UN resolutions in place to resolve the conflict, lacks any international monitoring, and is unrepresentative of all Syrians. Syrias parliament speaker, Hammoud Sabbagh, announced the final results from Wednesdays vote. He said Assad garnered 95.1% of the votes . He was facing symbolic competition from two candidates a former minister and a former opposition figure. Assads victory comes as the country is still devastated by the conflict. Fighting has subsided but the war is not over. An economic crisis is deteriorating in a country where over 80% of the population lives below the poverty line and the local currency is in a free fall. Former White House counsel under president Richard Nixon, John Dean, said that the Trump Justice Department secretly obtaining smartphone data of House Intelligence Committee Democrats is Nixon on stilts and steroids. Mr Dean, who turned on Mr Nixon over the Watergate scandal, told CNN that the actions of the Department of Justice under former president Donald Trump was much worse than what Mr Nixon ever did. Nixon didnt have that kind of Department of Justice, Mr Dean said. He then relayed how the Nixon administration responded to the leak of the Pentagon Papers. The classified documents revealed details of US political and military activity in Vietnam. I got a call from the Oval Office the day after he learned that, and could the Department of Justice bring a criminal action for this? Called over, found out the short answer was they could, but they wont, Mr Dean said. So Nixon couldnt use the department as he wanted to. CNN anchor Erin Burnett asked Mr Dean if the actions of the Trump DOJ was beyond what Nixon did? It is beyond Nixon, yes, he said. Its Nixon on stilts and steroids. Mr Dean added that Mr Trumps attorney general Bill Barr was very willing to do his bidding. The memo he wrote to get the job says Im ready to execute your presidency like a unitary executive presidency should be, which means no bars hold. Go anywhere you want to go. I think you're the king. And he did that. We now know there are countless examples of norms he was willing to break, Mr Dean added. At the end, however, he realized that this may be too far. He probably saw the handwriting on the wall before the rest of us that this man was never going to concede and he wasnt ready to go there, Mr Dean said about Mr Barrs refusal to support Mr Trumps baseless conspiracy theory that the election was stolen from him. I think Bill Barr has to testify, Mr Dean said. Im surprised the Department of Justice hasnt come out with a statement... I hope theyre getting their act together because this is going to be very troublesome. A former federal prosecutor called for former president Donald Trump to be criminally prosecuted because he was responsible for an unabated crime wave as president. Speaking to MSNBC on Friday night, Glenn Kirschner urged the Department of Justice to act and warned that a future runaway criminal president may come to occupy the White House if Mr Trump is not held responsible. Mr Kirschner tweeted on Saturday: Its time for our nation to hold a criminal former president accountable for his crimes against the United States. Mr Kirschner listed a number of Mr Trumps offences, such as withholding military assistance to Ukraine in an effort to get them to investigate Joe Biden, leading to Mr Trumps first impeachment, and his administration's obstruction of congressional proceedings. He also mentioned the Trump campaigns financial violations, occurring before Mr Trump took office, for which his previous personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen went to prison. There are so many other offences, Mr Kirschner said. There are countless, avoidable Covid deaths that I think could be pursued by the states. Then, of course, there is inciting the insurrection. We saw it with our own eyes. If he is not held accountable, if we dont prosecute him, then what we are doing is we are encouraging tomorrows version of Donald Trump, he added. We have to prosecute todays version of Donald Trump to send the message that we will not tolerate a runaway criminal president. Mr Trump can face criminal charges for activities that took place before he was president, after he was president, and while he was president, as long as they were not part of his duties while he was president of the United States, attorney David Weinstein told The Guardian earlier this week. The former president hasnt been charged with any crimes and has denied any wrongdoing many times. Hes called the investigations into him and the Trump Organization a witch hunt. A spokesperson for the office of the Manhattan District Attorney told the paper: 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. Manhattan prosecutors has convened a grand jury that is expected to decide whether to indict Donald Trump, other executives at his company or the business itself, should prosecutors present the panel with criminal charges, The Washington Post reported in late May. The district attorney in Fulton County, Georgia, Fani Willis, said in February that there were plans to investigate Mr Trumps call to the states Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. The then-president pushed Mr Raffensperger to find just enough votes to allow him to win the state in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election. Mr Raffensperger resisted. But regardless of what the end result is of Mr Trumps legal troubles, hes unlikely to lose the support of his ardent followers. Francisco Pedraza, a political scientist at the University of California, told The Guardian: The majority of the evidence that we have on hand says that people who like Trump dont care what he does, it just doesnt matter if he breaks the law." We know from a lot of social science research that people who back Trump also register very high on validated and reliable indexes of racial resentment, for example, he serves that and offers a kind of politics that responds to that flavour of politics, Dr Pedraza added. Anything else doesnt matter as long as he continues to be a champion for racist [sentiments]. At just a few minutes before 1am, Mohammed al-Kollaq, 24, was awake and messing about on his mobile phone when Israeli warplanes unleashed what would be the deadliest air raid of the recent 11-day conflict. In that freeze-frame moment before the bombings, which killed at least 21 members of the extended Kollaq family, Mohammeds uncle, Shoukri, was making sure his children were asleep. Just a few metres down Wehda Street in another apartment block, Riad Ishkunta, 42, was catching up on the latest news while his wife was checking on their children, who had been moved away from the windows as a precaution. One floor down in the same building, 17-year-old Omar Abu al-Auf was watching television with his father Ayman, 49, a celebrated doctor who had been heading up Gazas coronavirus response. For those few precious seconds, Wehda, a main thoroughfare in Gaza City, was quiet. No one knew what was about to happen. This was the safest place we knew of, Mohammed said, several days after the bombardment, standing on the rubble of the two buildings which had housed his family. But out of nowhere, we heard the bombing. It sounded and felt like an earthquake. The ground disappeared beneath my feet. View more At least 45 civilians, including 18 children, were killed in dozens of airstrikes on the Rimal neighbourhood that night, according to The Independents own investigation. For Palestinian civilians, it was the deadliest night of bombing during the recent conflict between militants in Gaza and the Israeli military. The attack has raised questions over whether Israel violated international norms by launching an air raid, without warning, on an overwhelmingly civilian enclave, inflicting gratuitous death and destroying the lives of non-combatants. Heavily bombing a street without warning with houses full of civilians is likely to be disproportionate, which is a war crime, Saleh Hijazi, deputy regional director of Amnesty, told The Independent. Even if the collapsed houses and civilian deaths and injuries were indirectly caused by bombing a military objective, these are circumstances the Israeli army should have been able to foresee and account for, he added. The Israeli army vehemently rejects this view, claiming that its warplanes were targeting Hamass military infrastructure that night, including a network of underground attack tunnels nicknamed the metro which it says is partially located beneath streets in the district of Rimal, including Wehda Street, where so many homes were destroyed. A senior Israeli military official admitted to The Independent that the civilian death toll was far higher than had been expected. He said that the air force had hit the road at an angle, aiming to destroy the underground structures, but in their calculations did not anticipate that the apartment blocks, where Mohammed, Shoukri, Riad and Omar lived, would collapse. Heavily bombing a street without warning with houses full of civilians is likely to be disproportionate, which is a war crime Saleh Hijazi, Amnesty International The same official said that the Israeli air force believes there may have been explosives or munitions stored in the cavities they were hitting, which ultimately caused the collapse, but did not provide evidence backing up this claim, saying investigations were still ongoing. He shared a map of the 11 strike sites on Wehda Street, which he said were located in the centre of the road to minimise collateral damage. We used a standard type of ammunition that we have used hundreds of times elsewhere in Gaza, which has proven to be very effective and very accurate, the official told The Independent, adding that the explosions all occurred deep underground. All the bombs were timed in such a way as to penetrate the ground and then explode only underground after a few metres, so that the force of the bomb would be directed down and there would be minimal collateral damage to anything above the surface, he said. A lot of damage was done to Hamass underground infrastructure, which was the intended target of the strike. Our assessment is that [the strikes] hit where we intended, the official added. It was a massacre The snarl of violence that erupted last month and raged between Israel and Gaza was even more intense than the seven-week war in 2014, according to UN officials. Over the course of 11 days, Hamas militants in Gaza fired more than 4,000 rockets an unprecedented number at Israel, leaving 13 dead including two children and a soldier. In Gaza, the Israeli military struck hundreds of targets, leaving nearly 250 dead, including over 60 children. There is a dispute between the Israelis and the Palestinians over how many of those killed in Gaza were combatants, with the Israelis claiming to have killed hundreds of militants. But 16 May was the deadliest night for Palestinian civilians, and rights groups have raised concerns about proportionality. Interviews with survivors, family members, neighbours, officials and witnesses show that there were dozens of strikes in the neighbourhood, causing the collapse of three residential apartment blocks: the Abu al-Auf building, which has two wings, and another two apartment blocks, which housed the extended family of Mohammed al-Kollaq. According to The Independents calculations from documenting the strike sites on the ground, the planes hit at least 11 points along Wehda Street, damaging water pipes as well as chewing up one of the main access points to Gazas largest hospital, al-Shifa. The destroyed remains of the Abu al-Auf building on Wehda street (Anadolu Agency via Getty) The bombardment continued that same evening along a parallel street to Wehda, called Thawra, where two Palestinian ministry buildings were partially or completely destroyed as well as part of a clinic run by the relief organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres. Three streets east, near Palestine Square, a strike on the same night killed one of Gazas only neurologists, Dr Moeen al-Loul, and a man named Loay Aouda, in two flats which were located on the first floor of the building above a clothing store. Israelis said that neither of the doctors killed that night Dr Abu al-Auf and Dr al-Loul were targets, and that Dr Al-Louls flat was struck because it was an operational apartment used by Hamas. They did not elaborate further. Witnesses who live in Dr Al-Louls building told The Independent they received no warning prior to the bombardment. Rights groups investigating that nights bombings say that the army may have violated international law, given that the strikes hit such a heavily populated neighbourhood, causing such a high death toll, and that there was no apparent warning. Experts said that fragments found near the Kollaq house were likely to have come from GBU-31 bombs powerful munitions packed with 430kg of high explosives which are typically used for large buildings, but can be used to destroy underground targets. Shrapnel found by The Independent in the same area appeared consistent with this type of munition, but the pieces were not substantial enough to determine anything conclusive. The intrinsic wide-area effects of large explosive munitions mean they must be used judiciously in the urban environment, NR Jenzen-Jones, the director of Armament Research Services, a specialist arms investigations firm, told reporters. The Israeli military declined to comment when asked by The Independent about the use of specific munitions. Shoukri Kollaq, who lost three children and his wife in the bombing, recovers in hospital (Bel Trew) But pressure is mounting. Michelle Bachelet, the UN high commissioner for human rights, has already voiced concern that the deadly Israeli strikes on Gaza, as well as Hamass unprecedented and indiscriminate rocket barrage on Israel, might constitute war crimes. The UNs human rights office (OHCHR) told The Independent that investigations were underway, and that the UNs Human Rights Council had voted to launch an international probe into alleged crimes committed by all sides, a decision Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected and called shameful. Israeli and Palestinian militant groups are already being investigated by the International Criminal Court over alleged war crimes committed by all sides in the occupied Palestinian territory (another investigation that is rejected by Israel). It does look severely disproportionate, said Hijazi, the regional deputy director for Amnesty. But we would need to know more about the tunnels and the types of weapons they used in the attack, which we are not able to do, he added, saying that rights groups do not have permission to enter Gaza. The senior Israeli military official told The Independent that warnings were not issued on the night of 16 May because we didnt assess that there would be that type of damage. But Mohammed said it meant his family had no way of being able to hide. He said the third strike, which he believes struck behind the house and felt like a direct hit, caused the total collapse of the building. We have done the most we could in order to minimise collateral damage Senior Israeli military official He said he grabbed his mother, Sana, whose legs were pinned under the rubble. He frantically called friends in order to pinpoint his location, but together they were trapped for nearly 12 hours in a concrete tomb that was just 60cm high. His uncle, Shoukri, 51, who was one floor above, lost three of his children and his wife that night but miraculously survived. He was also trapped under the rubble. The sound kept ramming inside my head, everything was shaking so hard, he said from his hospital bed, where he is being treated for multiple injuries, including a broken back. It was a matter of seconds. It was a scene from your worst nightmare smoke, gas, fire, screaming. It was a massacre. The safest place in Gaza Wehda Street, one of the best-known streets in the 40-km long strip, is now a forlorn reef of funeral wakes, lined with posters displaying the names of the dead. Before the bombing it rolled northwest across Gaza City, past the Ministry of Healths administrative buildings, a cluster of bakeries, apartment blocks and clothing stores, towards the strips largest hospital, al-Shifa, and eventually to the sea. It is part of one of Gazas most populated neighbourhoods, known as Rimal, which, during the last three wars, provided a safe haven for civilians caught in the crossfire in areas closer to Israel. In fact, just a few days before the bombing, Mohammeds older brother Sameh, 28, fled to Wehda from the northern part of the strip, believing it was safer for his family. It was a calculation that would prove fatal: he, his wife and his two children the youngest aged just 6 months old were all killed. Another family, the Sukkars, were camping that night in a building site. They believed that staying in an area providing partial shelter on Wehda Street was still safer than staying at home in their neighbourhood. Rescue workers pull surivors from the rubble of the Abu al-Auf building (Anadolu Agency via Getty) They only just survived, and the father, Harb Sukkar, was among those who helped pull Riads only surviving daughter, Susie, 7, out from under the rubble to safety. I was just 200 metres away from the Abu al-Auf building, and couldnt believe my eyes when so many missiles struck, Sukkar told The Independent from a United Nations school where he is now living with his four children after his own home, in the north of Gaza, was destroyed. We heard the girl crying. It took us over five hours to get her out, he said of Susie, showing photos of the rescue. Today the street resembles a pockmarked moonscape, with large and small craters, some of which have been filled with sand. One of the craters, just a few metres northwest of the Kollaq building, yawns open to reveal a destroyed storm drain that is pouring wastewater into the ground, polluting the area and destabilising a neighbouring multi-storey block. The building, which is leaning precariously to one side, is according to the owner home to 15 flats and seven shops, and is now scheduled to be pulled down. The Israelis claim that Rimal neighbourhood was rife with military infrastructure that Hamas intentionally co-located with civilian buildings, including command-and-control facilities above ground that they highlighted in aerial photographs. We have really done the most we could in order to minimise collateral damage, a senior Israeli official told The Independent, adding that the ratio of militant to civilian deaths which they calculate as one to one was phenomenal, as cynical as it sounds. That is small solace for anyone affected here. That is not our aim. We have not tried to strike any civilians, or the houses or anything else, he added. The delay cost lives The last thing Riad Ishkunta, 42, remembers is watching his wife scream as she frantically tried to pull their five children out from under the roof, which had partially collapsed on them. He was on the third floor of the Abu al-Auf building, in a rented flat, when the first bomb ripped off the front of the building, partially trapping his children. He was trying to reach his wife to help when another bomb dropped, the floor beneath his feet fell away, and the building collapsed, taking his entire family with it. Riad and his seven-year-old daughter, Susie, are the sole survivors. Skewered by an iron bar, he lay trapped under the rubble for six hours, separated from his loved ones by collapsed walls. I was under the rubble for six hours, my only surviving child for 10. Why did they do this? Riad Ishkunta, a survivor of the bombing They found my daughter Susie upside down and alive, her head stuck between two bricks, which protected her, he told The Independent from a funeral wake beside the ruins of his home a few weeks ago. I was under the rubble for six hours, my only surviving child for 10. Why did they do this? Gazas municipality workers who manned the emergency response said the additional bombing made it hard to reach those under the rubble, and the massive craters in the road prevented them from bringing in diggers, or even ambulances, quickly. The bombing of the street restarted the next day, also complicating rescue efforts, municipality officials claimed. On the afternoon of 17 May, Israeli warplanes took out the top floors of a building further down Wehda Street. The shrapnel and debris from that strike killed Ziad Abu Dayr, 54, and his niece Rafif, 10, according to witnesses, neighbours and health officials. It also destroyed Gazas only PCR testing laboratory and damaged Health Ministry building across the road. The Independent has reached out to the Israeli military about the target of that strike but has yet to recieve a reply. The few remaining members of the Abu al-Auf family claim that delays in the rescue effort cost lives. Omar Abu al-Auf recovers in hospital after losing his entire family (Bel Trew) I am all alone in the world Omar Abu al-Auf, 17, is the sole survivor from his close family, and said his 13-year-old sister, Tala, who was initially alive after the bombardment, died in his arms while they lay trapped for 10 hours under the rubble. He lost a dozen relatives, including both his parents, all his siblings, two grandparents, and most recently Diana, the wife of his fathers cousin Alaa, who was in a critical condition in a hospital in the West Bank until she reportedly died a few days ago. In his building, five members of the Ifranji family (who were related to the Abu al-Aufs) were also killed on the second floor, as well as a man named Hazem Qumo who lived on the fourth floor. Omar, like Riad, counted around four bombs before he lost consciousness. I dont know what to say, we were all civilians. I lost my entire family, and I am all alone in the world, he said from his hospital bed, where he is starting the long road to recovery. I am just desperate to find out why they did this. The collapse in traveller confidence following the abrupt move of Portugal from green list to amber last week has been revealed by a 64 per cent slump in holiday prices. Ministers disregarded promises of a green watchlist and imposed quarantine on returning holidaymakers at four days notice, triggering a rush home from Portugal. Now a leading travel firm reports a drop of almost two thirds in the average holiday price from the UK to Portugal. The cost of some peak-season trips has fallen below 200 as holiday companies cut prices to try to salvage something from the summer, TravelSupermarket reports. Searches for holidays on the Algarve have fallen by 85 per cent. Elsewhere, the company says prices for the Canary Islands are much lower than in 2019, the last normal year. They have fallen by 25 per cent to Gran Canaria, 23 per cent to Tenerife and 15 per cent to Lanzarote. Like Portugal, the Canaries are on the amber list, requiring quarantine on return to the UK, but the Foreign Office does not advise against travel there. To Jersey, from which there are no return restrictions, prices are 27 per cent higher than in 2019. Emma Coulthurst from TravelSupermarket said: Prices are often the most expensive at the start of the school holidays as people are itching to get away as soon as they can. This year, they are some of the cheapest due to the current confusion and chaos over how the traffic light system is implemented. The industry has many holidays to sell. Yet the governments failure last week to follow its own traffic light system and offer a watchlist and base its decisions on countries data has created a lack of clarity for holidaymakers. Many people do not want to or are unable to self-isolate. Separately, the travel guide and wildlife photographer Paul Goldstein has offered ministers what he says is a simple formula to get travel back on its feet again: Jabs & Go. Anyone fully vaccinated should be able to travel anywhere and return to the UK without quarantine, but with a PCR test, said Mr Goldstein. The travel veteran, who is co-owner of Kicheche Safari Camps, said: Its a simple, safe and effective policy mimicking the one successfully rolled out in the US and Europe. The governments defence of its travel policies and farcical traffic lights is just jabberwocky. Jabs & Go is not. Ministers must implement it immediately, or see the travel industry consigned to many years of misery. When the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, announced the short-notice change in Portugals status, he said: The public has always known travel will be different this year and we must continue to take a cautious approach to reopening international travel in a way that protects public health and the vaccine rollout. remaining of Thank you for Reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. At a time when many states are fighting to vaccinate its population, Doda district in J&K has achieved a remarkable feat. 100% population in 45+ age group vaccinated in several villages of J&K's Doda. Success despite challenges Chief Medical Officer Dr Yakoob Mir says, "Despite hilly terrain, healthcare workers achieved 100% vaccination in Desa, Assar, Kahal Jugassar, & many other far-flung areas; 85%-90% vaccination achieved in Thathri area. ANI "Due to resistance in some people, 10%-15% vaccination of 45+ age group is left in some of the villages. People are requested to get vaccinated. We also urge NGOs & social workers to motivate people to get the jabs so that we also begin our next target of vaccination for 18-44 age group," CMO adds. 100% population in 45+ age group vaccinated in several villages of J&K's Doda. CMO Dr Yakoob Mir says, "Despite hilly terrain, healthcare workers achieved 100% vaccination in Desa, Assar, Kahal Jugassar, & many other far-flung areas; 85%-90% vaccination achieved in Thathri area. pic.twitter.com/3PPl7s1Mw4 ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2021 India's first to achieve 100% adult vaccination This comes only a few days after a remote hamlet in Bandipora district of Jammu and Kashmir became the first village in India to vaccinate all its adult population against COVID-19, officials said. ANI The credit goes to the healthcare workers whose strenuous efforts shot Weyan hamlet, with an adult population of 362, to national fame, they said. "The village is located only 28 kilometres away from Bandipora district headquarters, but a distance of 18 kilometres has to be covered by foot as there is no motorable road, an official of the health department said. He said the task of vaccinating all the residents was even more difficult as the village consists of nomadic families who go to higher reaches for grazing their livestock. In a shocking incident, a man was set on fire by an attacker in a district hospital in Madhya Pradeshs Sagar district. Just hours before, the victim was injured in a fight with the accused. Police filed attempt to murder case The shocking incident that took place on Thursday inside the hospital premises was captured on a CCTV camera at the hospital. The victim, Damodar Kori, is now being treated for the burns at the Bundelkhand Medical College, also in Sagar district. His condition is now learnt to be stable. File Police have arrested the suspect Milan Mache Rajak and registered a case of attempt to murder under Section 307 of Indian Penal Code at Gopalganj police station in the district. CCTV footage shows accused looking for victim CCTV footage of the incident shows a man, identified as Milan Rajak, enter the hospital building and look around. He then moves to a corner and lights a fire. The video then shows him approaching Kori and setting him ablaze. The patient is seen running towards the exit, covered in flames. The attacker, too, is seen leaving the area. CCTV As reported by NDTV, Additional Superintendent of Police, Sagar district, Vikram Kushwah said the accused had used petrol to light the fire. Moreover, the CCTV footage and the victims statement confirm that Milan Mache Rajak set him ablaze. Suggesting that he has no ties to Dominica and the court cannot impose any conditions which will assure it that he wouldn't abscond, the High Court has denied bail to fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi. Dominica High Court also pointed out how Choksi proposed that he will stay with his brother in the hotel, but that is not a fixed address. The court also noted that his trial has not started yet. AP Choksi had approached the high court after the magistrate had rejected his bail petition. His Counsel had argued for bail citing medical grounds and not a flight risk. Choksi an "Indian citizen" The court verdict comes a few days after Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit termed Choksi as an "Indian citizen" and stated that the courts will decide what happens to the fugitive. He added that the government will protect the rights of Choksi as he awaits trial. AP "The matter with this Indian citizen is before the courts, the courts will decide what happens to this gentleman and we allow the court process to go through," Loop Jamaica News quoted that Dominica PM as saying. Interpol Red Notice against him The 62-year-old, who has an Interpol Red Notice against him, had mysteriously gone missing on May 23 from Antigua and Barbuda where he has been staying since 2018 as a citizen after fleeing from India. AP He was detained in the neighbouring island country of Dominica for illegal entry after a possible romantic escapade with his rumoured girlfriend. Choksi's lawyers alleged that he was kidnapped from Jolly Harbour in Antigua by policemen looking like Antiguan and Indian and brought to Dominica on a boat. Wanted in India with PNB multi-crore fraud He is wanted in India in connection with a Rs 13,500-crore fraud in the Punjab National Bank (PNB). The promoter of Geetanjali Gems and other famous diamond brands in India had fled the country weeks before fraud involving him and his nephew Nirav Modi surfaced. ANI In a related development, Enforcement Directorate is likely to name his wife Priti Choksi alias Priti Pradyot Kumar Kothari in its supplementary chargesheet as the agency has found evidence of her alleged involvement in the PNB fraud case. Priti is the beneficial owner of company named Hilingdon Holdings. ED has found in its investigation that the company is a shell company registered in the UAE in Jabel Ali Free Zone in November 2013. BCCL Investigations have revealed that 6 lakh Dirham or Rs 1.19 cr were transferred into this company from Asian Diamond Jewellery FZE, which is a Gitanjali Group Company. What do you do after getting released from custody in a bank robbery case? Well, if you happen to be Chi Ngo, you will go on and rob another bank. Ngo was arrested on Thursday in New York - just one day after he was cut loose in an earlier bank heist, Fox News reported. Representational Image/iStock According to a report in New York Post citing court documents, he is accused of pulling off the robberies at two separate Chase Banks in as many days. The accused was first nabbed on Tuesday after allegedly swiping $2,300 (Rs 1.68 lakh) in cash from a Chase Bank on Canal Street just after 10:30 am local time, according to a criminal complaint. Representational Image/iStock I got a gun with me, he wrote in a note handed to a bank teller, the court document shows. This is a bank robbery. Put the cash in the bag. I will use it. Police arrested him shortly after the hold-up and officers found a hammer and box cutter on him, according to a criminal complaint, obtained by The New York Post. Ngo has been charged with third-degree robbery, criminal possession of weapons, and possession of burglars tools. He was arraigned on Wednesday after a prosecutor requested supervised release a move that was granted by court judge. Reuters As they say, some habits die hard. Ngo wasted no time in getting back to work robbing a Chase Bank on Fifth Avenue near West 44th Street. In that instance, he allegedly fled with only $100. Ngo was arrested just minutes later outside the bank. Charges were still pending Thursday afternoon in his most recent arrest. Also read: Woman Locks Thief Inside Kiosk To Help Foil ATM Robbery Bid in Maharashtra, Accused Arrested The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, one of the largest organizations of Indian American physicians, has also supported the J-1 visa program. Above: a view of the AAPI convention in 2019. (photo provided) Woodbridge, VA (22192) Today Heavy thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Low 72F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Heavy thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Low 72F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Opinion Policies Editorials are longer opinion pieces that are written by a group of community members recruited across campus who address relevant issues on a local, national and international level. Editorials are research-based. The purpose of the Editorial Board is to promote discussion concerning relevant issues in the community while advising on possible solutions. Topics are chosen via relevancy and interests of the members, which are then discussed by the Editorial Board in order to reach a general consensus concerning the topic or issue. Feedback policy If you have a grievance concerning the content or argument of the Editorial Board, please contact either Opinion Editor Peyton Hamel (peyton.hamel@iowastatedaily.com) or the Editorial Board as a whole (editorialboard@iowastatedaily.com). 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Emails must be tied to the submitted guest column or it will not be accepted or published. Pseudonyms are prohibited and the writer will be banned from submissions. Read our full Opinion Policies here. Updated on 10/7/2020 Gardai in Cork are appealing for witnesses after a man in his 70s died in a crash just outside Midleton, shortly after 2pm on Friday afternoon. Emergency services were alerted to the incident after an SUV was discovered on a grass verge on a local road at Ballyedekin. The deputy chief medical officer is appealing to people in Co Limerick to adhere to public health measures this weekend. Dr Ronan Glynn said the incidence of the virus in the county remains very high at 879 cases over the past fortnight. He said there has been a concerted effort by everyone to stem the rise in Covid cases in Limerick but that it is very important people continue to follow public health guidelines. This includes meeting outdoors, avoiding crowds and coming forward for testing if anyone experiences any symptoms. Dr Glynn said following the public health advice along with the high uptake of the Covid vaccines is a cause of "great hope". Limerick has experienced one of the highest rises in Covid cases in recent weeks linked to indoor socialising causing the closure of schools and businesses according to public health officials in the Mid-West. The rising cases could also pose a delay in the reopening of indoor hospitality as health officials continue to monitor the high numbers of Covid-19 cases in the region. Temperatures could hit as high as 26 degrees in some parts of the country with Sunday set to be the hottest day of the year. Picture Denis Minihane. The deputy chief medical officer's appeal comes as the weather is set to sizzle this weekend. Temperatures could hit as high as 26 degrees in some parts of the country with Sunday set to be the hottest day of the year according to the head of forecasting with Met Eireann Evelyn Cusack. "It is going to be a very, very nice weekend. The highest temperatures will be over the midlands and east and our station in Phoenix Park with our lovely president," said Ms Cusack. "It could well be our hottest day on the year so far on Sunday, reaching maybe over 26 degrees." Today it will be cloudy at first but this will disperse as the day goes on leading to sunshine and temperatures of 20 to 23 degrees. The best of the sunshine will be found in the east and the south and will be cooler along Atlantic coastal areas. Munster, Leinster and east Ulster can expect the highest temperatures as the sun beats down on the country on Sunday. Here, there will be high temperatures of 22 to 26 degrees while in western counties is will be cloudier with highs of 16 to 21 degrees. Award-winning broadcaster, author, and much-loved chat-show host Graham Norton has taken remote working to a new level hes broadcasting his flagship UK weekend radio show from a satellite studio in West Cork. The Bandon native, who has consistently been the UKs top chat show host since the late 90s, and who spends summers in his holiday home in Ahakista, near Bantry, arrived into C103FMs studios in Bandon this morning to broadcast the first of his Virgin Radio weekend shows live from Cork this summer to an audience of several million. In previous years, when he was spending his summers in West Cork, he would have to jet from Cork to London on a Friday to continue presenting his weekend show. But because C103 is owned by Wireless, the same company which owns Virgin Radio, it means Graham now only has to drive from Ahakista to Bandon for his weekend show, which goes out live between 9.30am and 12.30pm. Kieran McGeary, the chief executive of Corks 96FM and C103FM, said there has been a lot of preparation and cooperation between engineering and IT colleagues in Cork and London to make it happen. Its a very different set-up to what Graham is used to. Virgin is a new radio station, with state-of-the-art facilities in their studios in London and our facility in Bandon is a satellite studio, Mr McGeary said. But Graham is an absolute professional. Hes in touch with his production team in London, we have engineering staff on-site in Bandon, and colleagues listening to the show in the UK have been in touch already to say it sounds just as good, if not better. It shows that while we are a local radio station, we are also part of a much bigger wheel that opens more doors for us and other parts of the business. Norton, 57, stepped down at BBC Radio 2 last December after almost a decade with the station. Thanks to the Wireless connection, Graham also recorded promos for 96FM and C103FMs recent radiothon. Norton has picked up almost every TV award going, including numerous BAFTAs, National Television Awards, and International Emmys. It is uplifting to see the celebratory images of people getting back to some version of normal life all around the country. The sense of relief and joy is palpable as people return to, among other things, outdoor pubs and raise a glass to the easing of restrictions that have had such a devastating effect on vintners. Photographer Dan Linehans front-page photograph in this paper on Tuesday captured the essence of that elation with a wonderful shot of sheep farmer and artist Joe Kelly holding a pint in one hand and a lamb in the other outside Irelands highest bar, the Top of Coom in Kilgarvan, Co Kerry. It is heartening to see that this weeks great reopening of outdoor hospitality, cinemas and gyms passed off without incident following the violent scenes in Dublins city centre last week. There was further good news yesterday with the release of figures showing the number of people in hospital with Covid-19 has fallen to 59, the lowest in nine months. With a promising weather forecast this weekend, it looks as if summer is truly here. Despite continuing challenges, its a positive outlook after several very difficult months. There is a downside, though, and one that has been apparent at several stages during lockdown. We are drinking more alcohol. In May, Drink Aware, the Irish charity working to reduce alcohol misuse in Ireland, reported that one in four people were drinking more since the beginning of Covid-19. The main reason was to relax as tensions had increased in almost half (47%) of households. A Global Drug Survey, published last week, more than doubled that number. It found that some 54% of Irish people said the frequency of their drinking had increased by some capacity due to Covid. It is easy to see why people would increase their alcohol intake during a global pandemic, and there is every reason to suppose consumption will return to healthier levels now. But the pandemic has also reminded us of something else: our ambivalent attitude to alcohol. We too readily hail it as a cure-all social lubricant without taking account of the fact that an estimated three Irish people a day die of alcoholism or alcoholism-related diseases. This failure to acknowledge the downside of alcohol is not just a public blind spot but a governmental one. An estimated 250,000 people in Ireland have alcohol dependency problems, but only a fraction of those gain access to some form of treatment programme. Those telling statistics, published yesterday by Alcohol Action Ireland (AAI), are testament to that. Earlier this week, the resignation of the chief executive of Matt Talbot Adolescent Services (MTAS), a charity helping teenagers with addiction, was another reminder that the State has failed to provide adequate services for the vulnerable, relying on the voluntary sector instead. The need for those services could not be clearer. In global surveys, we consistently rank in the top ten for monthly binge drinking and alcohol consumption per capita compared to other OECD countries. Alcohol Action Ireland seeks to address that by changing the way services are provided. It has also called for a national strategy, setting revised standards and promoting best practice. It is time to listen. Burma Chin Fighters Say 165 Myanmar Junta Troops Killed Since Late April Myanmar junta troops are seen in Mindat town, Chin State in early May. A total of 165 junta soldiers were killed and another 123 were wounded in shootouts with civilian resistance fighters in Chin State in the 49 days between April 24 and June 11, the Chinland Defense Force said. In the same period, about 30 civilian resistance fighters were killed and 45 injured, while nine civilian deaths and four injuries were reported, the group said in a statement. However, The Irrawaddy was not able to independently verify the military casualties. The military regime has not published any figures relating to the armys casualties in Chin State. The firefights in Chin State started on April 24 when residents took up old-fashioned homemade hunting rifles and launched an attack on the police station in the mountaintop town of Mindat. The residents launched the attack after police broke a promise to release six detained anti-regime protesters. Since then, residents of Chin State have formed civilian resistance forces in each township to resist junta troops. Clashes between civilian resistance fighters of the Chinland Defense Force and regime troops have been reported in six of Chin States nine township: Kanpetlet, Mindat, Hakha, Thantlang, Falam and Tedim. In the shootouts, most civilian resistance fighters have been armed with old-fashioned homemade hunting rifles and homemade single-barrel shotguns, while junta forces have been armed with heavy explosives, artillery, rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons, and have called in air strikes. On Thursday alone, shootouts in Hakha and Thantlang townships killed 27 junta soldiers including an army captain, and reportedly left several others wounded. Since the firefight in Thantlang, more than 1,000 villagers have fled their homes. Last Sunday, around 50 junta soldiers were killed as fighting intensified between regime troops and Chin civilian resistance fighters in Mindat. The clashes occurred when military troops in two columns attempted to raid villages sheltering internally displaced persons in the northern part of the town. After losing such a large number of soldiers, the junta bombed the civilian resistance fighters twice using fighter aircraft. In the clashes in Mindat, junta forces have used the militarys Battalion No. 274 based in Mindat and an artillery unit based in nearby Kyaukhtu, Magwe Region. They have attacked the civilian resistance units with heavy explosives and artillery rounds. Civilian resistance fighters of Chinland Defense Force-Mindat claim junta forces often use chemical weapons, saying some of the militarys explosives contain no shrapnel but leave the civilian fighters unconscious or feeling dizzy. Some 90 percent of Mindats population of 25,000 have fled their homes since junta forces seized the town on May 12. Currently, military reinforcements are attempting to raid villages sheltering the residents who fled Mindat. You may also like these stories: Ten Myanmar Junta Troops Killed in Sagaing Region Ambush In Myanmar, Pro-Junta Vigilante Groups Wage Campaign of Violence, Disinformation Bomb Explodes at Chinese-Backed Factory in Myanmar Burma In Myanmar, Anonymous Attacks Have Juntas Families Living in Fear Undated picture of Lieutenant General Soe Htut (left) and his wife Daw Nilar Sein. / Pencilo Facebook Undeniably, the increasingly frequent bomb and hit-and-run attacks on regime targets in Myanmars urban areas are scaring the family members of high-ranking officials at the military regime-controlled Home Affairs Ministry to death. They are really scary! admitted the wife of Home Affairs Minister Lieutenant General Soe Htut, who heads the Myanmar Police Force and is under US sanction following the coup in February. Daw Nilar Sein made the confession during a Viber Group call with the wives of other senior officials from the ministry. A leaked recording of the call was shared on Mratts Channel. Myanmar has seen a spate of deadly bombings and shooting attacks on police stations, ward administration offices and other government facilities in response to the juntas killing of more than 800 people during its nationwide crackdowns on protesters. A number of regime-appointed local administrators have been shot dead at close range recently. So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the attacks. In the countrys southeastern Kayah State, among other places, junta troops have been killed by civilian resistance groups who have taken up arms against the regime. In the leaked conversation, which appears to be recent, Daw Nilar Sein instructs the others on the call to pay serious attention to security, claiming to have learned that 30 resistance fighters had been dispatched to Pyinmana in Naypyitaw to bomb the residences of high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the military. Thoroughly check the stuff that comes into your houses. Be alert when you sleep at night, she is heard saying. The wife of the Home Affairs Minister even reminds the others not to go out with escorts in police uniform. If they see someone in uniform in your car, they [attackers] will notice and plant a bomb on the car, she says. She also warns that the children of senior officials should not dine out at night, saying they are vulnerable to anti-regime informants at restaurants. They are quite scary. The danger is not apparent, she reminds the other callers. Apart from urging the others to be on alert, Daw Nilar Sein also recommends some rather more traditional self-protection measures: Reciting Buddhist scriptures to ward off the dangers looming over them. Recite them now. They [the attackers] will be likely to come and get you, if they dont get others! At this point in the conversation, the ministers wife takes a more high-tech approach. Daw Nilar Sein instructs the others in her group to report to Facebook the account of a minster in the parallel National Unity Government (NUG), and that of a Facebook influencer. The first victim turned out to be Dr. Zaw Wai Soe, who is the NUGs acting minister overseeing three portfolios: Labor, Immigration and Population; Education; and Health and Sports. In the call, she accuses the orthopaedic surgeon-turned-minister of orchestrating the killings of security forces and raids on police stations. His icy voice really scares me, Daw Nilar Sein says. She urges the others to report Dr. Zaw Wai Soes account hourly every day until it is banned, because Everyone seems to take what he said seriously. Her other target was Pencilo, a popular Facebook influencer and energetic anti-regime activist who wages daily online psychological warfare against the junta and their family members, frequently warning them that their days are numbered. Our police officers were killed because of these two [Dr. Zaw Wai Soe and Pencilo], says Daw Nilar Sein. They launch their destructive activities in cahoots. Do report them starting from tonight. If you dont know how, ask your children! she orders her listeners. So far, the Facebook accounts of both Dr. Zaw Wai Soe and Pencilo remain active, with more than 400,000 and 2.8 million followers respectively. In response to Daw Nilar Sein, Pencilo posted on Saturday morning that blocking her account or that of Dr. Zaw Wai Soe would not stop the revolution against the regime. It will only stop when you all take a dirt nap! Get it? You may also like these stories: Bomb Explodes at Chinese-Backed Factory in Myanmar Ten Myanmar Junta Troops Killed in Sagaing Region Ambush Tortured to Death in Myanmar Regime Custody Guest Column US Sanctions on Myanmar Put International Banks in the Spotlight HSBC Within a few days of the Feb. 1 coup, attention focused on pressuring the military coup-makers by blocking the militarys access to hard currency. There was a flurry of news about the US freezing Myanmars account at the Federal Reserve and Singapores banking authority stating that its checks had found no significant funds from Myanmar companies and individuals in Singapore banks. These statements presaged or coincided with US sanctions targeting members of the State Administration Council (SAC), their children, military enterprises and other parties that the US authorities deem responsible for the coup and the ongoing violence. The list of sanctioned individuals and entities continues to expand. Interestingly, the SAC ruling body is now listed separately on the US Treasurys sanctions list in addition to the individual listing of council members. Unless the US Treasury clarifies that this designation of SAC does not apply to the government ministries and departments that are now acting at its behest, the implication is that the entire government is now sanctioned. As I previously wrote in this publication, US sanctions prohibit not only US individuals and companies from dealing with the sanctioned parties, but also prohibit financial transactions that involve US dollars or transit the US financial system, even if the party dealing with the sanctioned party is not a US individual or entity. The effectiveness of sanctions therefore depends greatly on compliance by international banks. Despite assured statements from Singapore banking authorities, it is almost certain that banks in Singapore, a global financial center and the source of most foreign investment in Myanmar, hold sizable deposits of sanctioned Myanmar citizens and entities. There are also reports that Singaporean banks hold sums of Myanmars foreign reserves. Myanmar banks, including military-owned Myawaddy Bank, also have correspondent relationships with Chinese, Korean, Malaysian, Singaporean, Taiwanese and Thai banks. In general, banks are the weak links in the sanctions regime and are some of the worst offenders, as evidenced by recent penalties of over US$15 billion imposed on the likes of BNP Paribas and HSBC. Despite implementing compliance programs and putting know your customer internal systems in place to screen transactions, banks may not always have the motivation to do rigorous checks. By now, the measures taken by those wanting to evade sanction controls are well documented. These include falsifying and manipulating financial payment documents and using intermediaries to hide the parties to the transaction. For Myanmar sanctions compliance, banks should also update their compliance programs with negative news research of individuals and companies known for dealings with sanctioned parties. Banks should also be vigilant about not aiding the informal remittance networks (hundi) that are widely used to transfer money in and out of Myanmar. Sanctioned individuals and entities are considered threats to the national security and foreign policy of the US, and consequently the US Treasury will aggressively pursue violations. Through its enforcement arm OFAC, the US Treasury has several resources to aid its work. Financial institutions may voluntarily disclose violations, possibly reducing potential penalties. OFAC also relies on information sharing with government agencies including the State Department, FBI, CIA and NSA. Whistleblowing from employees is another asset, and under federal law rewards of up to $1.6 million may be claimed if the bank has a presence in the US. Banks are now on notice that any failure to conduct thorough checks and properly vet sanctioned parties may be tantamount to trading with the enemy of the US. After the record penalties totaling $15 billion on BNP Paribas ($8.9 billion), HSBC ($1.9 billion) and UBAF ($4.1 billion), OFAC is once again aggressively taking action against financial institutions. In January 2021 alone, OFAC imposed billion-dollar penalties on Saudi Arabia-based and France-based financial institutions for conducting business in US dollars on behalf of sanctioned parties. Similar actions are expected to increase under the Biden administration. International financial institutions are now under the spotlight and face a clear choice: either fully commit to sanctions compliance or risk crippling penalties and losing access to the US financial system. John Squire is a pseudonym. He is an American attorney who specializes in US sanctions and export laws. He advises businesses on mitigating the risks of civil and criminal penalties. His views are his own. You may also like these stories: Myanmar Junta Jails Disabled Student, Denies him Medical Treatment In Myanmar, Pro-Junta Vigilante Groups Wage Campaign of Violence, Disinformation Bomb Explodes at Chinese-Backed Factory in Myanmar On Friday, officials with the Walker County Hospital District board announced that they have finalized a $7.8 million purchase of Huntsville Memorial Hospital. Do you feel like this is a good use of tax dollars, and is this the right direction for the struggling health care facility? You voted: Ithaca, NY (14850) Today Mostly cloudy this evening with showers developing after midnight. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Mostly cloudy this evening with showers developing after midnight. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. Today Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 79F. Winds SE at 10 to 20 mph. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 79F. Winds SE at 10 to 20 mph. Tomorrow Mainly sunny. High 108F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. This Week in Review A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more. Teton County Reporter Previously the Scene editor, Billy Arnold made the switch to the county beat where he's interested in exploring Teton County as a model for the rest of the West. When he can, he still writes about art, music and whatever else suits his fancy. Joplin, MO (64801) Today Cloudy skies this evening followed by thunderstorms late. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Cloudy skies this evening followed by thunderstorms late. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. these years G7 The meeting is the middle link in the three-act play-after President Bidens climate leaders summit and before the Glasgow COP Climate Conference. In fact, according to Patricia Espinosa, UN Executive Secretary for Climate Change, the decisions made by the Group of Seven in the coming weeks will contribute to the success of COP26 and a true green recovery from the pandemic And whether countries can achieve long-term goals have a major impact. Goals under the Paris Agreement. Therefore, this G7 may be more important than a simple gathering of Western powers to read high-level talking points. On the contrary, this years gathering may determine the contours of the new global economy. Achieving the Paris goals will require large-scale deployment of clean energy technologies. The demand generated by this policy will trigger a corresponding and exponential demand for several key minerals.International Energy Agency project By 2040, we need to quadruple the current mineral demand for clean energy technologies and increase it sixfold in order to achieve net zero by 2050. Think about the scale of the challenge before us. In the past 5,000 years, humans have produced approximately 550 million tons of copper. In the next 25 years, we will need to produce so much again to electrify the world. However, todays supply chain is totally unable to meet tomorrows demand. First, according to data from the International Renewable Energy Agency, the largest reserves of metals and minerals required for renewable technologies are weak countries with poor governance records. The World Economic Forum pointed out that the extraction of minerals for batteries, including child labor, health and safety hazards in informal work, poverty and pollution, has caused huge losses to humans and the environment. Secondly, China currently dominates the procurement, production and processing of the worlds major clean energy minerals, and is the undisputed leader in clean technology manufacturing. Beijing controls about 70% or more of the rare earth elements required for lithium-ion battery metals and processing, high-tech weapon systems and offshore wind turbines, and produces three-quarters of the worlds solar panels. U.S. and European governments find that Chinas relative dominance in key clean energy technologies is polluted Forced labor, Environmental damage and unfair trade practices. The Biden administration is considering whether to impose sanctions for these human rights violations, while the European Union is seeking to include human rights in its green agreement. G7 leaders must take this opportunity to solve these problems and respond to the calls of the government and business community to establish a more flexible supply chain. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire pointed out on this issue: We must reduce our dependence on several major countries, especially China, for the supply of certain products and strengthen our strategic value Sovereignty in the chain. In his thought-provoking BBC Reith Lectures, Mark Carney, former governor of the Bank of England and current adviser to the British Presidium of COP 26, believes that policymakers and companies must overcome the current news cycle, political elections and quarterly reporting period to resolve The Tragedy of the HorizonHe believes that by increasing transparency and climate-related financial disclosure requirements, society can begin to value the future. However, in doing so, we must also consider the lack of value and transparency in todays supply chain. When it comes to climate change, it is important to work to make up for the tragedy on the horizon. However, free nations must do this while also dealing with todays tragedies. G7 leaders should reposition a clean energy economy based on shared values. As the Financial Times has pointed out in the past, many countries headed by the United States Energy Resource Governance Initiative Lay the foundation for responsible mineral development. Clean energy companies have begun to rethink and redesign their supply chains commensurate with the scale of future demand. However, the leading democracies have yet to send a clear and collective signal to prioritize transparent and free clean energy markets. G7 leaders have the opportunity to define a clear standard and integrate our common values, instead of inadvertently rewarding market participants who trample on them. Frank R Fannon was the first Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources in the United States. He is currently the managing director of Fannon Global Advisors and a senior consultant of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Product description is an online CBritish Financial Times comments on the industry Sumba Island, Indonesia -Sumba Sandalwood Pony is named after the fragrant tree that once covered the island. It is the only horse breed in Indonesia that is still closely related to the local economy, culture and religion. Sandalwood pony is an energetic, agile animal with good endurance and friendly character. It is also the only horse breed exported to overseas from Indonesia: childrens ponies in Australia and racehorses in Singapore, Malaysia and other parts of Southeast Asia. They are also sought after by slaughterhouses in Sulawesi Province, Indonesia, where horse meat is a delicacy. However, the proliferation of motorcycles and the perennial drought on Sumba Island, about 800 kilometers (497 miles) east of Bali, have forced more people to migrate from rural to urban areas. Some people worry that ponies will be left behind. On this island, motorcycles are now more valuable than horses, said American hotelier and philanthropist Claude Graves, who has lived on Sumba for 40 years. Culture is dying. Only Pasola has been holding on, he added, referring to the annual festival held at the beginning of the rice-growing season, in which riders threw spears at each other, ostensibly with human blood. Fertilize the soil. The spear is now blunt, but deaths of the rider and spectators will still occur. Petrus Ledibani, assistant stable manager at Nihi Sumba, a luxury resort offering various horse-based activities, said that when his father was young, every Sumbanese child could ride a horse. A sandalwood pony gallops on the beach of Sumba [Ian Neubauer/Al Jazeera] But now many children have never even ridden a horse-only those who own horses or participate in horse racing know how to ride a horse, he said. Horse trading The sandalwood horse is one of the eight horse breeds officially announced in Indonesia. It has small ears, a short and muscular neck, and an unusually long back. Their ancestry can be traced back to the eighth century, when merchants from China visited Indonesia for the first time. They are called sandalwood ponies because the Chinese and locals replaced Mongolian ponies with sandalwood, Carol Sharp, an Australian natural equestrian expert who built a stable in Nihi Sumba, told Al Jazeera. Later they used Arabian horses brought by Middle Eastern merchants. Arabian horses are born to be very frivolous, and Mongolian horses are also fast, but stronger and more endurance, so this is a good combination. The short stature may be due to malnutrition over the centuries. They are not suitable for childbirth. There are many grasses on the island, but most of them are unnutritive. However, the Sumbani people who believe in Catholicism or Islam and are full of animism have discovered many other uses of ponies: transportation, status symbol, dowry, funeral offerings, and as a tool for storing wealth. In the 1930s, Dutch colonists introduced track-style horse racing to the island. A racehorse breeding industry that crosses sandalwood ponies with Australian thoroughbred horses has also emerged, and is now dominated by Indonesians of Chinese descent. But according to Sharp, many breeders in Sumba dont care about the welfare of their animals. Due to the early start of the race, the hybrids have had a lot of back problems. I have seen 12 or 18-month-old foals on the track. They also interfere with them, inject steroids and give them energy drinks before the race. Or coffee, she said. The grass provided by Sumba Island is not particularly nutritious and is considered to be one of the reasons for the small size of the sandalwood ponies [Ian Neubauer/Al Jazeera] More people are also letting their horses run wild during difficult times to save feed costs. They dont tend to last long. In 2019, we experienced a terrible drought. Horses fell like flies. Instagram sensation Despite his poor health, Sharp realized that larger purebred sandalwood hybrid horses were more suitable for activities in the resort than sandalwood ponies and began to build a herd. They are trained to use fear strategies to run, so they are out of control at first. Anyone who tries to ride them will end up on the ground, she said. It was my job in natural equestrianism that helped them slow down the sunset ride along the beach-I passed these skills to the stable boy. Sharp also learned new skills from her stable boy, especially how to take the animals to surf, sometimes with a rider on his back to clean the animals. Over time, the bathing ritual evolved into a special activity in the resort. When guests took photos and shared them online, the swimming horses went viral on Instagram. Sumba has always been called the country of horses in Indonesia, said Jonathan Hani, a horse breeder in Waingapu, the sleepy capital of Sumba. But when Nihi guests started swimming on horseback and people saw photos overseas, the exposure was very good for us. It put Sumba on the map. We have more international tourists. Resort manager Madlen Ernest also believes that during the coronavirus pandemic, horses kept the hotel running and provided food to more than 300 employees. Before the pandemic, almost all of our guests were foreigners, so when the international travel ban was implemented in April, we had to close, she said. Four months later, we reopened and targeted the Indonesian market. At first we were not sure if it would work, but things progressed much faster than expected because some Indonesian influencers who stayed here reposted the horse on Instagram. Photos of swimming. Drive to heaven The Sumba Foundation is a charitable organization that provides drinking water, medical care, nutrition and education to approximately 35,000 people on the island. It also capitalizes on tourists love for the horses on Sumba. We let the children in the village take their horses to the beach to race. Tourists buy tickets to bet on their favorite projects, and all winnings will be used for specific projects, said general manager Patrick Compau. In our last game, we raised US$4,400 for a little girl with a rare genetic defect in her intestines. She needs surgery in Bali to save her life. Claude Grave, the founder of the charity, added: We saw children as young as 8 take part in the competition and they were very proud. Its great that we can raise money, but its great for me. In other words, childrens games are all about protecting culture. Despite recent changes in life on Sumba, horse breeder Hani believes that sandalwood ponies will always be part of the islands culture. Most people no longer use them as a means of transportation because motorcycles are more convenient, but they are still used in all parts of our culture, he said. When a boy wants to marry a girl, they must give her parents a horse. When someone dies, the family must sacrifice a horse because we believe this will bring their soul to heaven. The horse is our best friend on Sumba and part of our family, he said. Having one is a symbol of pride. If a person has a horse, it means that he has a good character. The Organization of American States Election Observation Mission stated that voting was an active electoral process and no serious irregularities were found. Pedro Castillo, the leader of the Peruvian presidential election, is ready to win despite legal disputes Very close votes that sparked tensions in the Andean countries. We call on the people of Peru to be vigilant, Castillo told supporters on Friday night during a legal dispute at the last minute due to tight votes. According to local media reports, the election authorities had considered changing the rules to allow right-wing rival Fujimori Keiko to challenge the validity of about 200,000 votes. However, under tremendous pressure from the Castillo camp, they finally refused to make changes in the afternoon. The OAS Election Observation Mission stated that the voting was a positive electoral process and no serious irregularities were found, which is good for Castillo and bad for Fujimori. The investigation team found no serious violations, said the preliminary report of the team led by the former Paraguayan foreign minister Ruben Ramirez. Castillo leads Fujimori with only 60,000 votes, with a vote count of 99.6%. Castillo is an elementary school teacher who aroused the support of poorer rural Peruvians. He expressed concern about the oppositions plan to cancel votes in underserved areas where he received the majority of support and asked the electoral agency to clarify this One process. These comments highlight the escalation of tensions in this copper-rich country, which has been in a state of tension since the vote last Sunday. Castillo has 50.2% of the vote, leading Fujimori by a narrow margin. Unsubstantiated allegations of fraud. Blade Election The Peruvian election jury did not comment on media reports that it was considering changing the rules. Vladimir Seren, the leader of Castillos Liberal Peru Party, was even more acute, saying on Twitter that the people must stand up to defend the vote.He earlier Claiming that Castillo won the knife-edge election. The countrys electoral authorities have not yet confirmed the winner, but most observers and left-leaning leaders in some regions, including leaders from Argentina and Bolivia, congratulated Castillo on his victory, which prompted protests from the Peruvian government. On Friday, supporters of Perus presidential candidate Pedro Castillo gathered behind a police roadblock outside the national election jury in the capital Lima [Angela Ponce/Reuters] Theron wrote: Several presidents in the world are congratulating Pedro Castillo on his victory. In other words, he has solid international legitimacy. Fujimori has not yet acknowledged the election results, and her supporters have called for protests against the election results. As the daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori who was sentenced to jail, she redoubled her efforts against unconfirmed fraud accusations. Members of her political party stated that they will not give in until all votes are counted and appeals are over. This may still be required. A few days. Castillo himself did not declare himself a winner. The election caused serious differences among Peruvians on the class line. High-income citizens supported Fujimori, while many low-income Peruvians supported Castillo, including the countrys main mining area and the worlds second largest copper producer. Castillo was not a member of the Free Peru Party before running for president. It is not clear whether he will adopt an ultra-left economic stance after he takes power. In recent days, he has hired Pedro Francke, a moderate left-wing economist, as his adviser. The Russian president also praised former U.S. President Donald Trump before meeting with Joe Biden. Russian President Vladimir Putin, before his June 16 meeting Speaking with US President Joe Biden, US-Russian relations are at a low point. Our bilateral relations have deteriorated to their lowest point in recent years, Putin told NBC News in an interview broadcast on Friday, with an English translation of his speech. Putin and Biden will meet in Geneva next week, and Biden will Arrivals On Wednesday, he warned Putin during his first visit as President of the United Kingdom that he would send him a clear message during their meeting. We are not seeking to conflict with Russia, Biden said. We want a stable and predictable relationship but I have made it clear: If the Russian government engages in harmful activities, the United States will respond in a powerful and meaningful way. The leaders first face-to-face meeting was held at a time when relations between Washington and Moscow were tense on several issues, including the so-called Russia Network attacks Opposition to the U.S. and detention Alexei Navalny, Critics of the Kremlin. Like Trump In an interview with NBC, Putin praised former President Donald Trump as an extraordinary individual and talented person and called Biden completely different. Putin said: Even now, I believe that former US President Trump is an extraordinary person, a talented person, otherwise he would not become the President of the United States. He is a colorful person. You may like him or you may not like him. Moreover, he is not from the American establishment. He has not participated in important political activities before. Some people like him and some dont like him, but this is fact. Putin added that Biden is completely different from Trump because President Biden is a professional. He spent almost his entire adult life in politics. Thats a different kind of person, and I very much hope that it has some advantages and some disadvantages, but there will not be any impulse-based movement to act as president of the United States. U.S. officials believe that Putin and Bidens face-to-face meeting next week is an opportunity to tilt the relationship between the two countries from what they believe is the flattery of former President Trump to Putin. Russian officials told Reuters that they saw the summit as an opportunity to listen directly to Bidens speech, because a source close to the Russian government said that the US government that took office on January 20 sent mixed messages. When NBC asked Biden about calling him a killer in an interview in March, Putin said he had heard dozens of such allegations. This is not my biggest worry, Putin said. TEEN Mom 2 alum Jenelle Evans revealed that her 6-year-old son Kaiser will spend the summer with his father Nathan Griffith for the first time. The 29-year-old shared the news in a news article. Douyin The video she posted on Friday. 12 Jenelle revealed that Kaiser is spending the summer with dad Nathan Credit: Douyin 12 This will be the first summer that this six-year-old will spend with his father Credit: Douyin In the clip, Janelle When she zoomed in on Caesar to show off his purple hair, her family drove their car. She said in the voice-over: Its time for Caesar to spend the summer with his father. Look at that purple hair! This Music TV The star then turned the camera to her four-year-old daughter Ensley, who exclaimed: Twins as usual! The following clip shows Janelles husband David Ethan32 years old, sitting behind the steering wheel, next she showed a colorful backpack with her sons name written on it. 12 Jenelle shared the news in a TikTok video Credit: Douyin 12 The editing begins when Jenelle points out Kaisers purple hair Credit: Douyin 12 She shook her head at David behind the steering wheel Credit: Douyin 12 Jenelle explains that Kaiser will be away for six weeks Credit: Douyin Jenelle said: I have to pack a bag because he will be away for six weeks. After sharing footage of geese crossing the road and cornfields, Caesar hugged Ensley to bid farewell, and Janelle called her children sweet hearts. When Caesar walked to Nathan, Teen Mom 2 The alum continued: This is really great, now things between all of us can be so civilized, we dont argue when we get off the car, and everyone gets along well. Co-parenting is done right. The end of the clip is Caesar saying goodbye to Rossi. Jenelle captioned the post: #CoParenting Done right. Bubba went to his dad to spend the summer! 12 Jenelle also praised her co-parenting skills in the clip Credit: Douyin 12 The TV personality also shared the news on Twitter Credit: Twitter The mother of three children also shared the news tweet, Wrote: Caesar went to spend the summer with his father for the first time. It feels weird! In addition to Kaiser and Ensley, Jenelle is also the mother of 11-year-old son Jace. Although Jenelle and Nathan seem to be in a good position, this was not always the case for the ex. Jenelle and David had a dispute with Nathan before because Nathan tried to obtain full custody of Kaiser, but they eventually reached joint custody. Back to May, David claims that Nathan wants to come back with Janelle And she and her husband parted ways temporarily. 12 Jenelle and Nathan dont always get along well Credit: Getty 12 The two had previously quarreled over the custody of their son Credit: Twitter When a fan asked David if he knew Janelle slept with Nathan last year, David immediately applauded in the live Instagram video. He claimed: I broke up with Jenelle not last year, but the year before. But you know what, when she was in Tennessee, she told me how Nathan was doing, so whenever he saidcall me, call me, call me, she would call me Put it on the third road. I listened to the conversation, it was funny, it made me mad! 12 Jenelle and David tied the knot in 2017 Credit: Getty exclusive Virus hell Shirley Ballas said Covid Hell made her lie in bed for 2 weeks without knowing her name exclusive Fruit Stewart Penny Lancaster starts working as a coppersmith-and scolds men for peeing in the street magic The psychic who predicted the pregnancy and engagement of Stacey Solomon revealed the sex of the baby I loved him once Martin Roberts of Homes Under The Hammer is distracted by the death of his beloved dog go to church? Molly-Mae Hague sparked engagement rumors while trying on bridal hairstyles Cruel honesty Katie Price blushes as her 7-year-old son Jett, saying that she is just somewhat a good mother Jenelle then jumped in and said: We are not going to go into details, but he said something inappropriate over and over again. He didnt know we were talking. David He added: He didnt know, no one knew that we were reunited again. We didnt break up as people thought. Weve been talking for a while, but like I said, this is the year before last. Im sure there are many types of rumors, but if youve been there, its interesting. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has named a suspect and warned residents near Tobique First Nation in New Brunswick to lock their doors and stay indoors in response to shootings in the area. The Mounted Police issued an area alert at 9:26 pm on Friday evening, warning that it was responding to a shooting in the Tobique Narrows Highway 105 area, which is about 10 kilometers north of Perth-Andover, New Hampshire. The RCMP said in the alert: Lock the door, stay away from the window, and hide in place. In the second alert issued at 9:56 pm Eastern Time, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police identified the suspect as 25-year-old Stephen Paley Jr. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police also said on Twitter that the suspect was in a red Toyota Tacoma and is currently searching for him in the Tobique Narrows area. #RCMPNB Right now #TobiqueNarrows. The theme is a red 4-door Toyota Tacoma. Residents should lock their doors, hide in place, and stay away from windows.Follow on Twitter and Facebook @RCMPNB To get updates. @RCMPNB To keep the phone open for investigations, the police also asked the public not to call 911 for information. Since longtime leader Abdelaziz Bouteflika was forced to resign two years ago, Algerians have begun to vote in the first parliamentary elections, but the opposition Chirac movement has The leader called for a boycott after his arrest on Thursday. The polling station opens at 8 am (07:00 GMT) and will close at 7 pm. Approximately 24 million Algerians are eligible to vote for 407 members of the National Assembly for a term of five years. The Chirac movement has been spearheading anti-government protests, calling for fundamental changes to the political system of the country Bouteflika has ruled for 20 years. Pro-government parties urge Algerians to actively participate in what they call voting vital to national stability, while opponents condemned false elections. Seven major protest movement figures, including the main opposition figure Karim Tabbou, were arrested on Thursday, and on Friday the police deployed a large number of police in the capital Algiers to prevent the Chirac movement from holding anti-government protests. The early elections should be a model for President Abdulmajid Tebuns New Algeria, focusing on young candidates and candidates outside the political elite. Those who vote in the largest country in Africa must choose from more than 13,000 candidates, more than half of which are classified as independent candidates. Said Salhi, the head of the Algeria League for the Defense of Human Rights, condemned the pre-voting crackdown. Salhi said, The repressive atmosphere and restrictions on human rights and freedoms mean that these elections have no democratic value. Farida Hamidi, a Hirak activist in Paris, said that this election is of little significance to young Algerians whose dreams are changing. We reject all of this: the president, the parliament, the constitution, and everything that this military government that has ruled Algeria since 1962-we want something else, she said. Call for boycott Since Chirac mobilized hundreds of thousands of people in 2019 to force the long-term president Bouteflika to resign after running for the fifth term, Chirac has been urging a boycott of all national opinion polls. After nearly a year of interruption due to the coronavirus pandemic, the movement returned to the streets in February and survived arrests, presidential elections, and part of the constitutional referendum aimed at burying it. But the government increased its suppression of Chirac last month, prevented protests, and detained hundreds of activists who ignored the new restrictions on public gatherings. The independent journalist Khaled Drareni and the director of the broadcaster Ihsane El Kadi, who supported the reform, were also among the seven detained on Thursday. Amnesty International said in a statement: These arrests mark the chilling suppression of the right to freedom of speech and association by the Algerian authorities. According to reports, more than 200 people have been detained for the Chirac movement. Instead of rounding up journalists and political opponents to suppress dissidents and intimidate members of the Chirac protest movement, the Algerian authorities should focus on respecting their human rights obligations. Old guard, economic dilemma President Tebone claimed to have responded to Chiracs main request in record time, but stated that those who are still protesting are counter-revolutionaries paid by foreign political parties. Said Chengliha, chief of staff of the powerful armed forces, warned against taking any actions designed to disrupt voting. The protest movement stated that Tebbounes past role as prime minister under Bouteflika confirmed his claim that the old guards who have been in power since Algerias independence from France in 1962 still have a firm grip on power. The established parties related to Bouteflikas rulethe National Liberation Front (FLN) and the National Democratic Assembly (RND)are seen as likely to lose their seats, discredited and blamed for the political and economic crisis in Algeria. Islamic parties are also seeking to use the Hirak boycott to increase their representation-but because their votes are split among the five rival parties, they may struggle to make real gains. Political scientist Rachid Grime said: With so many candidates, the calculation of power is simple: elect a patchwork parliament without a majority, which will allow the president to create his own parliamentary majority to govern. According to the World Bank, Africas fourth-largest economy relies heavily on oil revenues, with an unemployment rate of over 12%. According to the Ministry of Health, the country is also affected by the coronavirus pandemic, which has caused more than 3,500 deaths. Algerias elections have always proved that they are not solutions. The solution lies in a democratic transition, but also in a dialogue around the table to resolve the crisis, said activist Sophian Hadaji. Newest: Manitoba Starting this weekend, we can again gather in small groups outdoors, which is a small probation for the strict pandemic regulations introduced when the province is fighting the surge in COVID-19 infection. As the restrictions eased slightly, provincial health officials said they expected the number of COVID-19 cases per day to continue to decline, but warned that the number of intensive care units remained very high. As of 12:01 on Saturday morning, up to 5 people are now allowed to gather in outdoor public places. In addition to residents, up to five visitors from no more than two different families are allowed to have outdoor gatherings on private property. All other current restrictions still exist, which means that indoor private gatherings are still prohibited. The maximum capacity of retail business is still 10% or 100 people, whichever is lower, and restaurants are still limited to takeaway or delivery services. Earlier this week, the provinces chief public health officer stated that he hopes the changes this weekend will provide some relief to residents who have been quarantined in the past three weeks. This is not really an open signal, said Dr. Brent Roussin. This is actually more of a relief valve. The model released by the province on Friday indicated that the number of hospitalizations related to COVID-19 has not climbed. Dr. Jazz Atwal, Deputy Chief Provincial Public Health Officer of Manitoba, said that forecasts show that although the number of cases is no longer extreme, the number of hospitalizations is still in the middle range and the number of intensive care admissions is in the severe range. Watch | Health officials say Manitoba is still in a terrible situation: Manitobas Deputy Chief Provincial Public Health Officer, Dr. Jazz Atwal, said on Friday that some cases had COVID-19, but after arriving at the hospital they still believed that the disease was not real. He urged people protesting against pandemic restrictions to take virtual actions instead of gathering in person and understand that the disease is real. 1:33 In the past few days, the total number of ICUs seems to have stabilized. However, this number is still very high and unsustainable, Atwal said. The province reported 223 new COVID-19 cases and two related deaths on Friday. There are 306 Manitoba people hospitalized with COVID-19, 93 of whom are in the intensive care unit. This number includes 30 patients in Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan who were transferred there to relieve the pressure on the intensive care unit in Manitoba. Ontario enters the first phase of reopening Simultaneously, Ontario After entering the first phase of the economic reopening plan on Friday, it will also enter the weekend under the newly relaxed public health measures. Now allows outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people and terrace dining for up to 4 people per table. Non-essential stores can also reopen, but there are capacity restrictions and outdoor fitness classes are allowed. In a region of northern Ontario, the porcupine health department temporarily postponed the relaxation of restrictions amid a surge in infections. Overall, the number of new COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations in the province has declined in recent weeks.Ontario report on Saturday 502 new cases COVID-19 and 15 other deaths. There were 447 patients hospitalized due to COVID-19, of which 422 were in the ICU, down from 489 and 440 the day before. -From CBC News and Canadian media, the last update time is 10:30 AM Eastern Time Whats happening in canada As of 10:30 AM Eastern Time on Saturday, Canada has reported 1,400,220 confirmed cases of COVID-19, of which 18,070 are considered active. The death toll on CBC News is 25,901. To date, more than 28.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been vaccinated nationwide. CBCs vaccine tracker. In Atlantic Canada, Nova Scotia Friday report Eight new COVID-19 cases Another person died, a man in his 50s. Newfoundland and Labrador Three new cases were reported, and New Brunswick A new case is reported, and Prince Edward Island No new cases were reported on Friday. in QuebecLast Friday, health officials reported 180 new COVID-19 cases and 1 death. Saskatchewan On Friday, 81 new COVID-19 cases and 1 related death were reported, while Alberta Report 170 new cases And three related deaths. Watch | Regina man recovers after 5 weeks in a coma from COVID-19: A Regina man is recovering five weeks after being in a coma from COVID-19. The overwhelming battle put pressure on his family, but they are now grateful for the support of the community. 2:02 British Columbia, While reporting 180 new COVID-19 cases On Friday, the first dose of vaccination rate for adults in the province was as high as 75%, so a related death occurred. The joint statement of provincial health officials and the minister of health also stated that nearly half a million people in BC have received a second dose of the vaccine. in the north, Nunavut on Friday Four new cases of COVID-19 were reported, and Yukon Territory Two cases were added overnight.This North-west region No new cases have been reported. These areas will soon have enough vaccines Vaccinate all residents 12 years and older, Canadas Deputy Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Howard Njoo, said on Friday. This achievement is an important milestone in Canadas COVID-19 vaccine distribution strategy, he said. -From CBC News and Canadian media, the last update time is 10:30 AM Eastern Time What is happening around the world As of Saturday morning, Johns Hopkins Universitys COVID-19 case tracking tool showed that the total number of reported cases worldwide exceeded 175.3 million. The global death toll exceeds 3.7 million. inside Asia Pacific Region, India on Saturday reported 84,332 new COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours, Data from the Ministry of Health show that this is the lowest level in more than two months. Another 4,002 deaths were reported overnight. The total number of COVID-19 cases in the country now exceeds 29.3 million, while the total death toll is 367,081, although health experts admit this may be underestimated. On Saturday, a woman received a dose of Covishield, the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from the Serum Institute of India, during a drive-through vaccination organized by the disabled in Ahmedabad, India. (Ajit Solanki/Associated Press) inside AmericaOn Friday, the U.S. government said it would not pay approved pandemic relief funds to more than 2,900 women, veterans, and small businesses owned by vulnerable groups in order to comply with an injunction issued by a federal court in Texas. The plan is part of President Joe Bidens U.S. Rescue Plan, which has provided more than $27 billion in COVID-19 relief funds to more than 100,000 restaurants, but some assistance has been frozen after a white restaurant owner in Tennessee filed a lawsuit . The State of Texas claims discrimination. Government officials said they will continue to work hard to maintain the plan. in AfricaThe South African Ministry of Health said that earlier this year, South African health inspectors will conduct further inspections on a batch of Johnson & Johnsons COVID-19 vaccine after a contamination error occurred in the US plant that produced the vaccine. As concerns about the third wave of COVID-19 in the affected countries intensify, the ministry said on Friday night that officials from the health product regulatory agency will evaluate vaccines to ensure they are suitable for use. On Friday, 87-year-old Catherine Daries received the first dose of Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine at the Vaccination Center of the Kal Bremer Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. (Nardus Engelbrecht/Associated Press) in EuropeThe Russian National Coronavirus Task Force reported that the number of daily new infections in the country has increased by nearly half in the past week, and Moscow has more than doubled. It said 13,510 infections were recorded the day before, which is much higher than the 9,163 reported on June 6. Nearly half of the new cases occurred in Moscow-6,701 cases, compared with 2,936 cases a week ago. The Moscow authorities stated that they will strengthen enforcement of wearing masks and gloves in public transportation, shops and other public places, and offenders will face a fine of up to 5,000 rubles ($85). inside middle EastAccording to Saudi Arabia, due to the ongoing pandemic, the number of Hajj pilgrimages next month will be limited to no more than 60,000, all of whom are from Saudi territory. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah of Saudi Arabia stated in a statement to the state-run Saudi news agency that participants must be vaccinated and must be between 18 and 65 years old. -From the Associated Press and Reuters, the last update time is 9 am EST US President Joe Biden said on the fifth anniversary of the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, that he would sign a bill to name the site a national monument. The deadliest attack on the LGBTQ community in U.S. history 49 deaths In 2016, 53 people were injured. Biden said in a statement on Saturday that he maintained contact with the families of the victims and the survivors who turned the pain into a goal and described the club as a holy place. The President emphasized that the country must take more measures to reduce gun violence, such as banning offensive weapons and closing loopholes in regulations that allow gun buyers to bypass background checks.Biden said the state must admit that gun violence hurts members of the LGBTQ community Biden said: We must eliminate the hatred and inequality that have led to the epidemic of violence and murder against transgender women, especially transgender women of color. US President Joe Biden said on Saturday that he will sign a bill to name the site a national monument. (John Lawx/Associated Press) White House advisers Susan Rice and Cedric Richmond hosted a virtual roundtable on Friday with LGBTQ leaders, gun violence survivors and gun control advocates. Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Douglas Enhoff join the crowd at the Capitol Pride Walk and Rally in Washington DC on Saturday We still have a lot to do, Harris said. French President Emmanuel Macron warned Boris Johnson that unless the British leader believes in keeping the promise of the Northern Ireland Brexit agreement, efforts to rebuild the relationship between Paris and London will fail. At the breakfast meeting during the G7 summit in Cornwall, Macron made it clear that he hopes Johnson can honor the Brexit agreement reached with the European Union in December last year. The European Union threatened that if Johnson unilaterally violated the border inspection commitments in the Northern Ireland Agreement, which is part of his Brexit agreement, it would punish the United Kingdom including imposing trade sanctions. Macron is regarded by Downing Street as the toughest EU leader on this issue. Debates between French presidents and British prime ministers at global summits are common and they happen frequently at home. But Macrons warning underscores the EUs seriousness towards the growing crisis in Northern Ireland. US President Joe Biden has expressed deep concern about the future of the peace process. At the breakfast meeting in English, a source at the Elysee Palace stated that Macron told Johnson that he was ready to re-establish relations with London and that Britain and France had many common interests. However, the President strongly emphasized that this re-engagement requires Britain to fulfill its commitments to Europeans and respect the Brexit agreement, a source at the Elysee Palace said. The agreement requires the United Kingdom to inspect certain goods transported between Great Britain and Northern Ireland to prevent them from crossing the open border into EU member Ireland and entering the single market without inspection. The introduction of effective trade borders within British territory angered pro-British unionists in Northern Ireland and increased tensions in the region. Ursula von der Leyen said in a tweet that the Good Friday agreement and peace on the island of Ireland are crucial. We negotiated an agreement to retain this, and it was signed and approved by the UK and the European Union, she said. We want to establish the best possible relationship with the UK. Both parties must implement what we have agreed upon. The EU is fully aligned in this regard. Johnson argued that the EU has not compromised on the way the agreement is applied, and there will be a conflict over the inspection of frozen meat products in the Irish Sea later this month. The EU bans the import of frozen meat, including sausages and ground beef. The grace period that allows the continued sale of frozen UK meat products at NI will expire at the end of June. Johnson reserves the right to unilaterally ignore the ban. The European Union warned that under the terms of the EU/Brexit trade and cooperation agreement, this action may trigger retaliation. European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic confirmed last week that this could include trade sanctions, triggering concerns about trade wars, or-tabloid headlines-a sausage war. Johnson also held talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Lein on Saturday morning. In an extremely rare encounter, a New England lobster diver was devoured by a huge humpback whale on Friday morning. 56-year-old Michael Packard suffered soft tissue injuries due to the incident and was not seriously injured. He was discharged from Cape Cod Hospital after receiving treatment. Cape Cod Times report. Packard said he had his second dive of the day at Herring Bay Beach in Provincetown, Massachusetts, before 8 am on Friday. He dived into the water and fished for lobsters from the bottom of the sea, which he had done countless times before. Only this time, Packard was swallowed by a humpback whale. Suddenly, I felt a huge thrust, and then I knew it was completely black, Packard told reporters era. He said that at first he thought he was inside a great white shark, but when he couldnt feel any teeth, he knew he was swallowed by a whale. Im totally inside; totally black, Packard saysI thought to myself,I cant leave here. Im done, Im dead. All I can think of is my children-they are 12 and 15 years old. He struggled inside the whale, saying that he could feel it shaking his head, and he was released after about 30 to 40 seconds. I just lay floating on the water and saw his tail, and then he fell off again, and I thought,Gosh, I got rid of that, I survived,' he Said to NBC10. Humpback whales can grow to more than 50 feet in length and weigh more than 40 tons, according to Oceania. They are usually peaceful creatures and will not be aggressive towards humans. This was probably an accidental encounter, not a deliberate attack by a whale, sayingJooke Robbins, director of humpback whale research at the Provincetown Coastal Research Center. Robbins said the esophagus of toothless whales is too small to swallow humans, but they can hold things in their mouths before spitting them out. Protests have been launched across the country due to poor governance, insecurity, and the recent Twitter ban. Nigerian police fired tear gas to disperse anti-government protesters in Lagos and the capital Abuja, and there were reports of arrests and injuries. Nigerian militants called for a nationwide protest on Saturday to protest the poor governance and insecurity they criticized, as well as the recent Twitter ban Provided by the government of President Muhammadu Buhari. Some protests also took place in Ibadan, Osobo, Abeokuta and Akure in southwestern Nigeria. The protest was the first time since 2017 that it occurred simultaneously in multiple cities. #EndSARS Campaign against police brutality October became the largest anti-government rally in Nigerias modern history. On Saturday, hundreds of protesters gathered in Lagos, a metropolis with a population of more than 20 million, and the police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd. The protesters held up banners and placards with the words Buhari Must Go, calling for reforms. Riot police detained a protester during a demonstration in Ojota, Lagos [Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP] In Abuja, protesters gathered as early as 7 am (06:00 GMT) and a similar situation occurred. An AFP reporter at the scene said that a unit of the police and the army used tear gas to disperse the crowd, adding that some reporters had been harassed by security forces. The police had stated that the protest was unauthorized, and AFP reporters said they saw several people detained. Samson Okafor, a protester in Lagos, said: We cant continue like thisall bad governance must stop. When the police shouted at the demonstrators to leave the scene, the tear gas canister Smoke in the street. Officials have also seen smashed cell phones confiscated by protesters. Some of them criticized the governments decision to suspend access to Twitter after deleting President Buharis posts on social media platforms. Protesters holding placards and banners at the rally on Abuja Democracy Day on June 12 [Afolabi Sotunde/Reuters] Buhari, a former general who was elected president for the first time in 2015, has been facing increasing insecurity from the most populous country in Africa, which has a population of more than 200 million. Security forces are fighting an armed uprising in the northeast, a surge in large-scale kidnappings and attacks by criminal gangs in the northwest, and the escalation of fissionist tension in the southeast. A week ago, the government suspended Twitter indefinitely in the country, saying that the platform was used for activities aimed at destabilizing Nigeria, which also sparked strong protests. Saturdays demonstration was called Democracy Day to commemorate the anniversary of Moshood Kashimawo Abiolas election as Nigerias President in 1993. Abiolas victory was declared invalid by the military government at the time, and Nigeria plunged into civil strife for months. Nigeria resumed civil rule in May 1999, but Buhari chose June 12 as Democracy Day after becoming president to commemorate Abiola and other heroes of the struggle. GOGGLEBOX star Paige Deville took a rare group photo with his identical-looking sister, which amazed the fans. The reality TV star and her sister Bo went to the Corinthia Hotel in London for a sumptuous lunch. 7 Gogglebox star Paige and her identical sister Bo Credit: Instagram Brummies beauties cant help but pose for pictures in their magnificent environment. Same photo/different angle ? #london, Paige commented and shared the photos on Instagram. Fans scrambled to praise the beautiful girls in their posts. Paige recently moved out of the West Midlands home she shared with her 53-year-old mother, Sally, because she bought her own house. 7 Paige and her mother Sally appeared on Gogglebox Credit: Twitter But she still went home and filmed Gogglebox with her mother. Earlier this year, she hysterically had fans of the show because she Create a profile for her mother on Tinder, Which caused Sallys protest. 7 After Sally became annoyed with her daughter Peppa, the goggles left Credit: Channel 4 Looking at her daughter, Sally asked angrily: Wait a minute. What are you doing? When Paige told her that she was creating a Tinder profile for her, Sally became angry. She angered: Im not going to Tinder! Paige, if I go to a website, I want to go to a good websitelet me go! 7 Sally is upset that her daughter set her Tinder profile without her permission Credit: Channel 4 7 Sally insisted that Page stop, but she refused Credit: Channel 4 Her daughter replied, What do you mean? Whats wrong with Tinder. Can you stop loading pictures if you get out of the car now, Sally ordered. When Page refused to listen and continued to giggle, Sally had had enough and got up to leave. Thats it, Im done. Im done, Im going home, she declared. 7 Sally said she was disgusted, if Peppa didnt stop, she would go home Credit: Channel 4 I absolutely hate it. When her mother went out, Page couldnt help but laugh, and many Gogglebox viewers joined in this lively moment. Even mothers know that Tinder is terrible, one Twitter user wrote. 7 When Page laughed in shock, she kept her promise and left angrily Credit: Channel 4 This is the beginning Ollie Locke of MIC revealed that he is about to become the father of IVF Hang out! Roman Kemp of Gogglebox shocked fans by admitting to beautify wearing short shorts Tom on the box Who is Tom Jones on Gogglebox with? exclusive Fruit Stewart Penny Lancaster starts working as a coppersmith-and scolds men for peeing in the street Complete cycle Little Mix fans find clue Jesy Nelson returns to X Factor as a judge ch cha change It takes two years for strict Janet Man Lara to withdraw from hosting after eight years Another added: Sally bless her. The third person said: Oh my GodPaigeits funny. Paige and Sally are from Birmingham and joined the show in 2019 as Goggleboxs newest mother-daughter group. Paige serves as the business development manager, while Sally takes care of the elderly and the disabled. Sancho ranked second in the UTD payment list After reaching a personal clause on a 91 million contract, Manchester United will make Sancho the second highest paid player. SunSport revealed this week that the Red Devils have reached an agreement with the England winger to be worth 350,000 a week for five years. Dortmund insisted that Manchester United increase their offer from 61 million pounds to 78 million pounds, with a surcharge of 10 million pounds, but this is expected to happen. After they refused to meet the German clubs 110 million pounds price last summer, Manchester United hoped that the deal would proceed smoothly. And Sancho will return to Manchester after the European Cup, he will be ranked behind David De Gea on the clubs payroll. The Spaniard continues to top the list, earning 375,000 a week-a total of 19.5 million per year. The arrival of Sancho means that 14 first-team players will earn 100,000 or more per week, including Paul Pogba (290,000), Anthony Martial (250,000) and Marcus Rashford (200,000) earns 200,000 or more per week. If Juan Mata agrees to another contract to extend his stay at Old Trafford, this number will rise to 15. South Africa stated that the diplomat was ordered to leave after being convicted of engaging in illegal duty-free liquor trade. Malawi has stated that several of its diplomats have been expelled from South Africa after being convicted of trafficking in duty-free liquor. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lilongwe, Malawi said on Friday that South Africa has given diplomats and their families 72 hours to leave the country. The South African Department of International Relations stated in a statement that the decision was made because these diplomats were convicted of engaging in illegal trade in duty-free alcohol after conducting an in-depth investigation of their contempt for diplomatic privileges. . Pretoria stated that the investigation into similar violations of other missions in South Africa is at an advanced stage, and similar actions will be taken if they are found guilty. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malawi expressed regret for Malawi diplomats who were declared unwelcome and promised to take disciplinary actions when these officials returned to their country. On Thursday, several diplomats in Lesotho were expelled from South Africa on similar grounds. South African media reported that Lesotho diplomats with tight funds have been bringing alcohol into the country without paying tariffs and then reselling it in bars and restaurants. The shooter is still at large; it is not clear what triggered the shooting. At least 13 people were injured after the shooting in downtown Austin, Texas, two of whom were seriously injured. Before 1:25 a.m. (06:25 GMT) on Saturday, gunfire broke out along Sixth Street, a popular area full of bars and restaurants. Joseph Chacon, the interim chief of the Austin Police Department, said that at the time of the shooting, the streets were barricades to prevent vehicles from entering. The final active attack: The updated number of patients was 13, and the 13th patient was transported by private car.Requests for more information should be sent directly to @Austin_Police. #ATCEMS The staff is cleaning the scene. Continue to avoid the 6th St area. No other information is available. -ATCEMS (@ATCEMS) June 12, 2021 Our officials responded very quickly, Chacan added. They were able to immediately begin to take life-saving measures for many of these patients, including the use of tourniquets; the application of chest seals. Chacon also said that due to the nature of the scene, some police officers used police cars to transport patients to the hospital, where it was difficult to control the crowd and it was difficult to provide ambulances for the injured. The gunman was not immediately arrested. It is not clear what triggered the shooting. Chakang said that the polices description of the suspect was not very detailed, but believed that the person was a man. Chakang said investigators are reviewing surveillance video and other evidence in the area. More attention When a reporter bluntly asked him to defend the accusation that he was a killer in an interview in the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin grinned and snickered. When NBCs Keir Simmons asked bluntly if he was involved in the assassination of some of his political opponents and critics, the Russians seemed very happy. 8 Russian President Vladimir Putin smiled in an interview with NBC reporters when he was repeatedly asked to condemn him as a killer Credit: NBC News 8 Putin met with former President Donald Trump in Helsinki, Finland in 2018 and praised him as an extraordinary individual Credit: Getty 8 Putins impression of President Joe Biden is much more stable, calling him a professional man Credit: Associated Press Putin said: During my tenure, I have become accustomed to various angles, various fields, various excuses, various reasons, different calibers, and fierce attacks. None of them surprised me. 90-minute clip NBC News Interview. Putin continues to believe that his killer representatives are excessive hype influenced by the Jinsi-style storyteller. So, in terms of harsh words, I think this is an overall expression of American culture. Of course, in Hollywood, there are also something hidden deep in Hollywood-masculinity, which can be regarded as film art. But this is part of American political culture and is considered normal. By the way, its not here, its not normal here. The Russian leader then seemed to praise former President Donald Trump. 8 Trump and Putin meet during the 2018 Helsinki Summit in Finland Credit: Reuters 8 Biden and Putin will have face-to-face talks in Switzerland-3 Credit: Reuters Well, even now, I believe that former US President Trump is an extraordinary person, a talented person, otherwise he would not become the President of the United States. He is a colorful person. You may like him or you may not like him. He admired Trump as an outsider to the real estate tycoon. But he is not from the American establishment, Putin said. He has not participated in important political activities before. Some people like it and some dont, but this is true. 8 NBCs Keir Simmons put pressure on Putins reputation as a killer and named some opponents who died in mysterious events Credit: NBC News Putin avoided this question after being read aloud some of the names he was accused of participating in the elimination. More importantly, he was told that not only President Biden but also the late Senator John McCain called him a killer, while former President Donald Trump did not condemn the killer label during his tenure. Simmons pursued Putins direct response. I dont think I heard you answer this question, a direct question, Mr. President, he said. Putin retorted: I did answer, I did answer. If you let me, I will add. 8 Putin refuted the accusation that he was a killer as a Hollywood man Credit: NBC News I have heard dozens of such allegations, especially during the anti-terrorism activities of our northern party group. When this happens, I am always guided by the interests of the Russian people. The Russian country. in [sic] As far as who calls someone, as far as labels are concerned, this is at least not something I worry about. Simmons even listed the names of some of the dead related to former KGB members. 8 Putin left the possibility of working with Biden when he met in Geneva on June 16 Credit: NBC News Putin turned a steely gaze. Listen, you know, I dont want to be rude, but it looks like some kind of indigestion, its just verbal indigestion. You mentioned a lot of people who did suffer at different points in time for various reasons and died at the hands of different people. He spoke sadly about the former Russian Minister of Information Mikhail Lessing, who reportedly died of blunt head trauma in 2015. I regret that he has not been with us until today-we have found some other criminals who committed these crimes. They are in prison. Although Putin seemed to be impressed by Trump, he was much less inspired when he described President Biden. Super embarrassing Joe and Jill met with the queen and royals after complimenting Meghans courage in Oprahs chat Live blog Painful loss Porn star found dead in a RV was only 27 years old Lottery tragedy The lottery changed my life. The winner of the $2 million lottery ticket was found dead in the river Mothers sorrow Mom pays tribute to the 3-year-old angel boy who fell from the window and was bitten by a dog Beluga lick The lobster diver was swallowed by a humpback whale before the beast spit him out Attracted by the app Tinder sex cult killer sentenced to death for murder and mutilation of women [Biden] It is completely different from Trump because President Biden is a professional, Putin said. Almost his entire adulthood was spent politically. These statements were issued a few days ago Putin will meet with President Biden at the La Grange Villa on Lake Geneva on June 16. He did leave room for easing opportunities between the two superpowers. I very much hope that, yes, there are some advantages and some disadvantages, but there will not be any impulse movement to act as president of the United States. The mayor said that the spread of the coronavirus infection has exacerbated drastically in the Russian capital. The mayor of Moscow announced a non-work week in the Russian capital. Non-essential workers were told to stay at home as coronavirus cases reached a six-month high. Sergey Sobyanins decision on Saturday marked a change in the tone of Russian officials. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly insisted that Russia is better at coping with the epidemic than most people. Sobyanin said on his website: In the past week, the spread of coronavirus infections has deteriorated dramatically. The city has 6,701 infections every day, which is the highest number since December last year. He added that thousands of hospital beds have been reused for coronavirus patients. We cant help but react to this situation, he said. In order to stop the growth of infections and save peoples lives, I signed a decree today that stipulates that the period between June 15 and 19 is a non-working day. The order affects all employees in Moscow, a city with a population of 12 million, except for basic workers. During this period, non-essential workers do not need to work at home, but their wages will still be retained. Coupled with weekends and public holidays on June 14th, this means that most Moscow workers will not be able to return to the office until June 20th. Sobyanin also announced the closure of food courts and playgrounds, while prohibiting restaurants, bars and clubs from serving customers between 23:00 and 06:00. The mayor also called on employers to move at least 30% of unvaccinated employees to work from home after a week-long shutdown. Moscows deputy mayor Anastasia Rakova said on Saturday that 78% of the 14,000 hospital beds provided by the city for virus patients are currently occupied. Lakova said: In Moscow hospitals working for coronavirus patients, there are currently 498 people using ventilators, an increase of nearly 30% from a week ago. She added that in the past two months, the number of young patients between the ages of 18 and 35 has increased significantly. Earlier this week, Sobyanin said that Moscow will open several field hospitals to accommodate the influx of patients. In recent weeks, although domestic vaccines have been widely available to the public, Russia is still working hard to vaccinate its citizens, so cases across the country are increasing. According to our data world, so far, about 12% of people in the country have been vaccinated, compared with 43% in the European Union and 51% in the United States. Bernard Smith of Al Jazeera reported in Moscow that the low vaccination rate may stem from widespread Russian suspicion of vaccines. 60% to 70% of people here say they dont want to be vaccinated. This seems to stem from a general distrust of what the government is trying to get them to do, Smith said. Despite the fact that the Russian artificial satellite vaccine has gained international recognition and is very effective, he said, adding that it turns out that the vaccine is almost 92% effective. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) A Shreveport lawmaker has asked Louisiana State Police to investigate whether a colleagues threat of gun violence against him on the House floor warrants criminal charges. Republican Rep. Alan Seabaugh told The Advocate on Friday that he filed the complaint with law enforcement shortly after an altercation Wednesday with Bogalusa Democratic Rep. Malinda White. Seabaugh claims White violently grabbed him by the arm and shouted that she would finish their disagreement by getting her gun. The pair of lawmakers were involved in a heated conversation over language in domestic abuse legislation sponsored by White. White declined to comment about the investigation. She earlier had publicly apologized to her colleagues. BATON ROUGE The Pelican Institute for Public Policy CEO, Daniel Erspamer released the following statement after the Louisiana Tax Simplification Package passed through the legislature. "Today, the legislature took the first step in crafting tax reform necessary to write Louisianas comeback story. Todays actions start the process of simplifying our overly complex and burdensome tax code that has sent jobs and opportunity to other states and hurt Louisianas families for far too long. "This plan creates greater stability and predictability, lowers income tax rates, eliminates the punishing franchise tax for 85% of filers, and guarantees that growth of state income will be used to lower rates in coming years. The passage of this package of legislation sends a strong message that families and entrepreneurs can thrive in the Pelican state and sends an opportunity to voters this fall to wholeheartedly endorse major reforms to increase Louisianas global competitiveness. Without a doubt, theres more work to do, but todays actions are a critical and urgent first step." "Accomplishing major reform means many leaders bringing people together to work towards a common goal. While many of our elected officials and state leaders deserve praise and gratitude, the Pelican Institute applauds the Louisiana Legislature for working hard for the people of Louisiana. Ultimately, voters will get to decide whether to approve the constitutional amendment this fall, and we look forward to making our case to citizens all over the state about the benefits reform can have on bringing jobs and opportunity back to Louisiana." Background on the Louisiana Tax Simplification Package: This package is the first step towards simplifying our tax code to make Louisiana more competitive with our neighboring states. In exchange for lower income tax rates on citizens and businesses, the plan removes the federal income tax deduction and caps income tax rates in the Constitution. The removal of the federal income tax deduction provides stability for citizens and state government alike, eliminating wild swings caused by federal tax changes. In addition to the income tax brackets changes, the plan would begin the elimination and phase out of the corporate franchise tax. Finally, to ensure that this plan doesnt inflate the states coffers, revenue triggers will automatically lower our rates to keep this plan revenue neutral in coming years while spurring continued economic growth A MoDOT supervisor named Lloyd Crawford was struck and killed by a vehicle in the city's Northland on Monday morning. He was 61 years old and had been with MoDOT since 2003. For months the doors at Port Fonda in Westport have been locked because of the pandemic, but now new management has come through and they are looking to open the doors and find new employees. The last person who asked me that is still missing. If you need me, I'll be underwater. It's a dry heat. You call this hot? Bring it on. Vote View Results EUGENE, Ore. -- An event called 'Run for Love' is being held Saturday at Alton Baker Park, as June 12 marks the 54th anniversary of the historic Supreme Court decision for interracial marriage. There will be a 5k and 10k run/walk that begins at noon, along with prizes, food and a guest speaker. Walk up registration will still be open before the race begins. All proceeds from the event will benefit the organization H.O.N.E.Y (Honoring Our New Ethnic Youth). The 5k/10k costs $25 for ages 18 & over, $20 for ages 11-17 and $10 for ages 10 & under. Add $5 to all entry fees on race day. In Loving v. Virginia, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously (90) struck down state antimiscegenation statutes in Virginia as unconstitutional under the equal protection and due process clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading. To subscribe, click here. Already a subscriber? Click here. A big trend for summer 2021 is rattan furniture. This week I wanted to explain the difference between rattan and wicker and share with you some of the beautiful rattan furniture available locally. Wicker is the word used to describe the method and style of weaving, whilst rattan is the actual material used to create the piece of furniture. Wicker furniture can be woven from other natural materials such as bamboo, reed or willow. Dating back to ancient Egyptian times, wicker weaves were used in baskets, chests and chairs, and saw a resurgence in the Art and Crafts movement at the end of the 19th century. Rattan is a strong fibrous plant harvested in Asia and Africa. It resembles thick vines and is both durable and flexible, whilst also a renewable material. Currently, rattan furniture is right on trend and it is no wonder why, with its pretty weave and nostalgic vibe. Rattan furniture is both stylish and affordable and is a super choice for a variety of uses such as headboards, mirrors, lampshades, chairs, baskets etc. A statement rattan chair indoors can add a natural element to your interior scheme. Rattan can suit a variety of home styles such as coastal, boho, or rustic. In addition, it can also make a real statement when placed in a modern space where it is least expected. Heres a look at some of my favourite rattan products available locally Sadie Ash and Rattan Lounge Chair from Meadows & Byrne The Sadie ash and rattan chair from Meadows and Byrne is the essence of style and substance. Created from handwoven rattan with a solid ash frame, it is an investment piece that you can use both indoors and outdoors. Expertly made and beautifully designed its uniquely curves legs create a contemporary profile to enhance your decor. Size: 70 x 70 x 72cm, priced at 379 from Meadows & Byrne. Helen James Considered Rattan basket from Dunnes Stores Made from natural, durable and eco-friendly rattan, these baskets from Helen James are a great way to carry items around your home. Available in two sizes, it could be utilised for laundry, toys, firewood, shoes etc and would make a great addition to any home. Brought to you by Irish designer Helen James, exclusively for Dunnes Stores. Priced small 40 and large 50 from Dunnes Stores. BUSKBO Armchair Rattan from IKEA Made of hand-woven rattan, a living material that makes each armchair unique. Airy but sturdy with an embracing feel makes it perfect to curl up in. A great way to invite nature into your home. By using a renewable material like rattan in this product, IKEA avoid using fossil or finite materials. Priced at 140 from IKEA. Rattan placemats from Meadows & Byrne The natural round jute placemats are perfect for a casual dining setting. Perfect for a rustic or Scandinavian inspired dining setting where you want to add a natural element. Dimensions: 38cm diameter. Priced at just 23.70 for a set of six from Meadows & Byrne. Ball Wicker Hanging Lamp from Woo.Design The ball wicker hanging lamp in size medium from Woo Design would make a great addition to any home. Available in natural or black from Dutch brand HK-Living. Nice above the dining table or nice in the hallway, ideal to combine with the different items from the HK-Living collection. Price at 299 from www.woodesign.ie. Thanks for taking the time to read my interiors column. Remember if there is a topic that you would like covered in a future column then please drop me a line with your suggestions. Louise is a former winner of TV3s Showhouse Showdown. Contact 086 3999926; email info@aspiredesign.ie; www.aspiredesign.ie. CLEAR LAKE, Iowa If youve noticed a strong smell around Clear Lake recently, state officials says it isnt from a sewer leak. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says it was contacted by the Clear Lake Sanitary District (CLSD) after many complaints. The DNR says it worked with CLSD staff to check flow data and other records, and inspected both wastewater lift stations located on the north shore. Everything was found to be working properly with no reports of any leaks or sewer-like odors. DNR staff did find a significant amount of decaying aquatic vegetation, primarily Curly Leaf Pondweed, along the north shore. Staff also reported a Blue Green Algae bloom, which is potentially also causing the sewer-like odors. State officials say they will continue to monitor the situation but routine water sampling has verified there is not a sewer leak in Clear Lake. FOREST CITY, Iowa - After 2020 saw many major music shows cancelled, live outdoor concerts are back in North Iowa. For the first time since 2019, campers from all across Iowa and surrounding states are packing the Winnebago Rally Grounds for an awesome weekend of high-energy fun, relaxation and music at Country Thunder. This is the first ever year for the annual country festival held in Forest City, now under the expanding name consisting of concerts in Wisconsin, Florida and Arizona, as well as the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. Jordan Dirksen of Alexander has been a regular at the festival for about five years now. After a year off from live music, he's pumped about the packed weekend full of music and fun, and of course, social interaction. "It's a blast. What we do a lot of times is walk around the campgrounds, go to different parties around. Always a fun time here." For Carrie Warmbier, it's her first time at the annual festival. "It's pretty awesome! We had a blast last night, walking around and checking everything out. Excited for the concerts!" There is still availability of campsites. While a couple of sections, Panther and Party Time, have been completely sold out, there are still some open spots in other sections. Prices range anywhere from $150-450, depending on if you have a tent or full-size camper. For a complete schedule of performers, including tickets, parking passes and more, click here. WORTH COUNTY, Iowa Kuennen's Quarry might be small, but the rural swimming spot near Northwood is quite the popular summer hangout, drawing people as far away as Rochester who are wanting to beat the heat. However, a series of incidents over the last two years, ranging from vandalism and thefts, to fights, drug sales and brandishing of firearms, have caused safety concerns at the site. After an incident involving a man who was passed and was administered NARCAN this week, Worth County Conservation, with support of the Sheriff's Office, made the decision to temporarily close the park to the public. Sheriff Dan Fank wants to see the park reopen, but the bad behavior is of great concern. "We want to see it open, but we want to see it safely open. We don't anybody to get hurt out there, we don't anybody to get killed out there...but that's where it's getting." This coming week, the Sheriff's Office and Conservation are expected to meet with the county Board of Supervisors to discuss potential steps to keep the spot more secure. "One of the things being discussed is monitoring out there. But at this point, is it safe for a retired couple to monitor that with what we're seeing? It isn't. That's where it falls into where we have that hardline discussion on how we can fund security personnel out there that are trained to deal with those type of situations." ROCHESTER, Minn. - A fire ripped through a mobile home in Northeast Rochester Friday, sending smoke into the air that could be seen from miles away. Police blocked off neighboring streets as firefighters knocked down flames engulfing a residence at 627 Rocky Creek Drive Northeast. The fire appeared to have burnt through the entire home, and melted the siding of nearby structures. A pickup truck parked in the property's driveway also sustained significant damage. KIMT spoke with an individual identified as the manager of the property, who says a mother and her young daughter resided at the home. She adds they were able to evacuate safely, and are now receiving assistance from The Red Cross. The Rochester Fire Department says no one was injured in the blaze and four people were displaced and helped find shelter by the American Red Cross. A neighboring homeowner told KIMT the fire started in the property's front yard, and seemed to involve multiple propane tanks that were seen visibly charred by our reporter on the scene. The incident escalated within minutes, according to the homeowner, who said gas could be heard escaping from the tanks before flames shot above the residence. Responding to this fire were Battalion Chief 1, Engines 1, 2, 4, 16 Truck 42, Assistant Fire Marshals 4 and 5. The Rochester Police Department, Rochester Public Utilities, Minnesota Energy, and Mayo Clinic Ambulance also assisted at the scene. Shenandoah, IA (51601) Today A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 65F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 65F. Winds light and variable. Shenandoah, IA (51601) Today Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable. McCONNELSVILLE, Ohio Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Director Mary Mertz celebrated Ohios outstanding inland fishing Saturday at the second Inland Fish Ohio Day at Hook Lake at Appalachian Hills Wildlife Area. Appalachian Hills boasts more than 300 lakes and ponds teeming with bluegills, catfish, and largemouth bass. Ohios inland lakes offer wonderful opportunities to get out and enjoy a day on the water, said Governor DeWine. With hundreds of lakes and thousands of acres, Appalachian Hills Wildlife Area and Jesse Owens State Park and Wildlife Area are two of Ohios best public inland fishing locations. I encourage all Ohioans to experience the beauty and tranquility of these unique wild spaces. Appalachian Hills Wildlife Area is located in southeast Ohio. It provides public access to fish, hunt, and bird with 350 lakes, 63 million trees, 293 campsites, and 24 miles of the Buckeye Trail. The adjoining Jesse Owens State Park and Wildlife Area offers additional public access, and four primitive campgrounds are provided at no charge. Visitors to the Inland Fish Ohio Day enjoyed events at both locations featuring shore angling, kayak angling, and small boat fishing. Although bluegill were primarily targeted, the biggest catch of the day was a 14-inch largemouth bass. Anglers caught more than 300 fish throughout the course of the day. Governor DeWine and Director Mertz hosted the first Inland Fish Ohio Day at Cowan Lake State Park in Clinton County in 2019. Ohio offers extraordinary fishing opportunities in its lakes, reservoirs, rivers, and streams. The Division of Wildlifes six state fish hatcheries stocked 46 million sport fish in more than 200 locations in 2020, including walleye, saugeye, yellow perch, rainbow trout, brown trout, muskellunge, channel catfish, blue catfish, and hybrid-striped bass. An estimated 1.3 million Ohioans fish in the Buckeye State every year. Visit wildohio.gov for more information. Kokomo, IN (46901) Today Scattered thunderstorms this evening, then cloudy with rain likely late. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms this evening, then cloudy with rain likely late. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Weather Alert ...The Flood Warning is extended for the Missouri River... at St. Charles at Washington at Hermann at Chamois at Jefferson City River forecasts are based on observed precipitation and forecast precipitation for the next 24 hours. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Rainfall heavier than forecast could cause river levels to rise even higher than predicted. The National Weather Service will monitor this developing situation and issue follow up statements as conditions change. This product, along with additional weather and stream information, is available at https://water.weather.gov/ahps2/index.php?wfo=lsx. && ...The Flood Warning is now in effect until Sunday morning... The Flood Warning continues for the Missouri River at Jefferson City. * Until Sunday morning. * At 9:45 AM CDT Wednesday the stage was 24.9 feet. * Flood stage is 23.0 feet. * Minor flooding is occurring and minor flooding is forecast. * Recent Activity...The maximum river stage in the 24 hours ending at 9:45 AM CDT Wednesday was 26.3 feet. * Forecast...The river is expected to fall below flood stage early Saturday morning and continue falling to 15.1 feet Monday morning. * Impact...At 23.9 feet, Easley River Road is closed along the river near Easley. && Fld Observed Forecasts (1 pm CDT) Location Stg Stg Day/Time Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Missouri River Jefferson Cty 23.0 24.9 Wed 9 am 24.3 24.0 21.8 18.2 14.2 && ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING... The Flash Flood Watch continues for * Portions of central, east central, and northeast Missouri, including the following areas, in central Missouri, Audrain MO, Boone MO, Callaway MO, Cole MO, Moniteau MO and Osage MO. In east central Missouri, Crawford MO, Franklin MO, Gasconade MO, Montgomery MO, Warren MO and Washington MO. In northeast Missouri, Monroe MO and Shelby MO. * Through Thursday morning. * Thunderstorms containing heavy rainfall and high rainfall rates are possible through tonight. This heavy rainfall may occur repeatedly over the same locations, including those that have previously received significant rainfall over the past several days leading to localized flash flooding. * Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... You should monitor later forecasts and be prepared to take action should Flash Flood Warnings be issued. && President Moon Jae-in bumps fists with with the head of AstraZeneca, Saturday, ahead of a meeting where he reaffirmed the importance of continued cooperation in the global supply of COVID-19 vaccines, according to Cheong Wa Dae. Yonhap President Moon Jae-in had a meeting with the head of AstraZeneca, Saturday, and reaffirmed the importance of continued cooperation in the global supply of COVID-19 vaccines, Moon's office said. During talks here with Pascal Soriot, executive director and CEO of the pharmaceutical firm, based in Cambridge, Britain, Moon requested that the two sides maintain collaboration in the biohealth sector for the stable production and supply of coronavirus vaccines, the presidential office said. AstraZeneca's product is a core element in South Korea's vaccination campaign that began in February. SK Bioscience, a subsidiary of the Seoul-headquartered SK Group, produces AstraZeneca's vaccine in its local plant under a consignment contract. Kendallville, IN (46755) Today Mostly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 62F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Mostly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Gov. John Bel Edwards (left) holds a news conference Thursday, June 10, 2021, after the end of the Louisiana Legislature's regular legislative session while flanked by several Democratic lawmakers. Ted James, D-Baton Rouge, second right, charman of the Legislative Black Caucus in Baton Rouge, talks with fellow caucus members during opening day of the Louisiana legislative session in Baton Rouge, La., Monday, April 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) From left, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, US President Joe Biden, President of France, Emmanuel Macron and European Commission Ursula von der Leyen speak after posing for photos for the Leaders official welcome and group photo session, during the G7 Summit, in Carbis Bay, Cornwall, England, Friday, June 11, 2021. BILLINGS - RiverStone Health, Yellowstone Countys public health agency, is partnering with Reading Rocks to make vaccinations against COVID-19 conveniently available to everyone age 12 and older. Next week, RiverStone Health nursing staff will start offering free COVID-19 vaccinations in select Billings city parks during noontime Reading Rocks sessions, they announced in a release. Reading Rocks is a longtime summer literacy project of the Education Foundation for Billings Public Schools. Reading Rocks locates in city parks and elementary schools that also host Billings Public Schools free summer lunch program. This summer, parents can choose to get lunch for their children, boost their reading skills and protect them against COVID-19 disease all in one place. Free, walk-in COVID-19 vaccination clinics are scheduled from noon to 1 p.m. at the locations listed below: Monday, June 14 at Castle Rock Park Tuesday, June 15 at Pioneer Park Wednesday, June 16 at Castle Rock Park Thursday, June 17 at Central Park The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine will be available to everyone age 12 and older. People under the age of 18 will need a parent or guardian to sign their vaccination consent form, which will be available at the clinics. Forms also can be printed out from this website: covid.riverstonehealth.org. Everyone receiving a Pfizer vaccination will be scheduled for a second dose three weeks after the first dose. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be available to people age 18 and older and requires only one dose. UPDATE: JUNE 11 AT 1:19 P.M. The Lake County Sheriff's Office has identified the woman who died in the U.S. Highway 93 crash near Lemery road south of Ronan Thursday. According to a release from LCSO, the woman was identified as Shirley Crawford Moody, of Polson. Montana Highway Patrol is investigating the incident, and LCSO is managing coroner tasks. "Sheriff Donald R Bell and staff give our condolences to the Moodys family for their loss," Sheriff Bell wrote in the release. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: SAINT IGNATIUS, Mont. - A woman was killed while trying to switch seats in a car Thursday. At 3:10 pm, the passenger and driver of a 2021 Subaru Ascent were trying to switch seats when the driver failed to put the car in park Montana Highway Patrol (MHP) reports. The Subaru reportedly reversed counterclockwise two times, hitting the passenger, an 85-year-old woman from Polson. MHP says the driver, an 86-year-old from Polson, accidentally pressed the accelerator instead of the brake pedal. The woman succumbed to her injuries at St. Lukes in Ronan. The driver was uninjured. Oregon State Rep. Mike Nearman, a Republican who is accused of allowing protesters into the closed state Capitol building while lawmakers were LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. Boaters came to the Lake from more than a dozen states to join in an attempt at the Guinness World Record for the largest boat parade, on June 12. The world record attempt was the kickoff for a summer-long focus on celebrating Missouris bicentennial at Missouris playground: Lake of the Ozarks. A planning committee along with local businesses has strategized events throughout the summer, including a massive fireworks show, and the registration fees for this weekends boat parade helped raise funds for those events. In all, 612 boaters were counted by parade judges. The world record, set Sept. 13, 2014 in Malaysia for the Malaysia Day Celebrations, is 1,180. So, no new record... at least not this time. Its not that the Lake doesnt have enough boaters there are approximately 30,000 docks registered on the Lake, many of which have multiple boats inside them. The parade just didnt muster enough of them. Mike Marcotte, the adjudicator with Guinness World Records who came to the Lake for the event, explained there were pages of guidelines the parade was required to meet. Among them: every boat had to register and show its flag, and the parade had to be at least one mile long (and the participating boats all had to be part of the entire parade route). In a Saturday afternoon press conference after the parade, Marcotte thanked everyone for the warm reception. I have been blessed to be here this weekend, he said. There have been such hospitable people. Lake TV's video of the full press conference is at the end of this article. Lagina Fitzpatrick, Interim Director of the Tri-County Lodging Association, said the whole thing was a very historic and fun experience. She thanked media partners for helping get the word out, and for Mortgage Headquarters, the event sponsor. Fitzpatrick also gave huge props to the event committee members: Mary Kay Von Brendel Heather Brown Tom Abbett KC Cloke Michelle Cook David Shipp Rose Wright Rickie Smith Paige Jones Von Brendel told LakeExpo that there were actually more than 700 boat registrations for Saturdays parade, but unfortunately some registered boaters didnt count because they either left the parade route mid-stream, or they were flying political flags on their boats. Guinness World Records had emphasized political flags were not allowed in this parade attempt. Either way, the parade was still several hundred boaters short of the world record. Despite coming up short on the world record attempt, Lake of the Ozarks Convention and Visitor Bureau (CVB) Director Heather Brown said she considers the event a success anyhow. It was definitely successful in our books, she said at the press conference. We got a lot of people down here to have a wholesome, family-fun day. She said the organizing committee had learned a lot from the experience, adding, Dont be surprised if in the future we try to do something like this again, so stay tuned! Did you join in the parade? Watch LakeExpo.com for photos of paraders in the next few days! The Lake of the Ozarks Boat Parade brought boaters from: Iowa Kansas Texas Illinois Florida Kentucky California Minnesota Colorado Wisconsin Arkansas Tennessee Oklahoma Nebraska Videos: Boats Beginning The Parade Press Conference Video - Lake TV BURLINGTON A Lake Geneva man allegedly sexually assaulted a child under the age of 13. Eduardo Sandoval, 36, has been charged with two felony counts of first degree child sexual assault having sexual contact with a child under age 13. According to a criminal complaint: At 6:19 p.m. Wednesday, an officer spoke to a victim who said that Sandoval put his hand up her shirt and bra and touched her breast. When confronted about doing this, Sandoval said Mija, it wasnt even like that, and then later saying Im sorry mija I didnt mean it like that its the alcohol. Sandoval was arrested on Thursday and interviewed by police. He said he suffers from alcoholism. When asked about sexually assaulting the victim, he said: She was feeling super sick and I tried to check her heart to make sure she is not feeling sick. He then looked down and shook his head and said If you guys wanna arrest me and lock me go ahead and do that. He reportedly said that his brain is so messed up and he cant remember. Sandoval was given a $5,000 cash bond in Racine County Circuit Court on Friday. A preliminary hearing is set for June 17 at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave., online court records show. Habitat for Humanity in Walworth County is now a Habitat for Humanity International Veterans Build Affiliate. The Habitat in Walworth County Board recently selected a family for the build that will occur this year on Aralia Road, in Bloomfield. One of the future residents of the home is a four-year veteran of the U.S. Army National Guard. The familys military experience along with Habitat in Walworth County becoming a Veterans Build Affiliate opens entry to multiple veterans funding programs and volunteer resources that will be available to Habitat in Walworth County. Both local and national corporations offer financial support in the form of grants to Habitat affiliates who focus their mission on veterans. These corporations also encourage their employees to volunteer and participate in the Habitat builds. Habitat for Humanity of Wisconsin is also encouraging affiliates to partner with She Served," a campaign and storytelling platform aimed at changing the way people see women veterans in American society. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} A 'pinching hand' emoji started trending on Twitter after women in South Korea used it to ridicule mens' penises. The women in South Korea are currently protesting about pay and labor inequalities. However, the emoji has sparked a lot of reactions from the men. They are saying that the women are insulting their bodies. Take a look at Los Angeles Times post to know more about the whole incident. Women in South Korea are protesting labor disparities by using an image similar to this emoji to mock the size of mens penises. Men are saying women are insulting their bodies.https://t.co/w8jJa5KAUl Los Angeles Times (@latimes) June 11, 2021 (SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.) Dhaka, June 12: Bangladesh has signed a pact with China to buy the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque. The Health Minister said this during a programme at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases here. He added: "The recent revelation of vaccine prices has created some issues. We have to maintain non-disclosure clauses strictly according to the deal." COVID-19 Vaccine, Developed by China's Sinopharm, Gets Emergency Use Approval From WHO. Earlier, the country had received seven million Covishield doses through a contract. Besides, India gave Bangladesh 3.3 million vaccines as a gift. On May 27, the Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase approved a proposal to buy 15 million doses of the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine. Meanwhile, Lokman Hossain Mia, Secretary of the Health Service Division, said: "China is set to deliver 600,000 doses of the vaccine in a second consignment given to Bangladesh as a gift on Saturday." Sri Lanka Receives 600,000 Doses of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 Vaccine: Official. Maleque did not disclose the date of the deal, the price or quantity of doses. During a briefing post meeting, a Cabinet Division official said the authorities would purchase the vaccine at $10 per dose. The price disclosure created some confusion, as Beijing had said that Bangladesh would have to pay $15 per dose to buy the vaccine. According to an Inter Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) statement, two Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) aircraft left Bangladesh for China to bring back the doses on Friday night. Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Executive Director Group Captain AHM Touhid-ul Ahsan said the two C-130J aircraft were set to return at around 5:30 pm on Saturday. HSD Secretary Lokman said a new vaccine plan would be chalked out after the arrival of the second consignment from China. The first gifted consignment of 500,000 vaccine doses were handed over on May 12. Bangladesh started its nationwide Covid-19 vaccination drive on February 7 by administering Covishield, the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine manufactured by Serum Institute of India (SII). On April 25, the government suspended administering the first doses with Covishield, as SII had been unable to provide the number of doses now, many people were waiting for second jabs after receiving their first. The health authorities administered the Sinopharm vaccine to 500 medical college students on May 25. Besides, Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) administered the Sinopharm vaccine to over 450 Chinese citizens. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 12, 2021 10:37 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Pennsylvania, Jun 11: Every time there is a major disease outbreak, one of the first questions scientists and the public ask is: Where did this come from? In order to predict and prevent future pandemics like COVID-19, researchers need to find the origin of the viruses that cause them. This is not a trivial task. The origin of HIV was not clear until 20 years after it spread around the world. Scientists still don't know the origin of Ebola, even though it has caused periodic epidemics since the 1970s. United States And Britain Demands New to Visit China by WHO Team to Look into COVID-19 Origins in The Asian Country; US Diplomat Calls 1st Phase of Study Insufficient & Inconclusive. As an expert in viral ecology, I am often asked how scientists trace the origins of a virus. In my work, I have found many new viruses and some well-known pathogens that infect wild plants without causing any disease. Plant, animal or human, the methods are largely the same. Tracking down the origins of a virus involves a combination of extensive fieldwork, thorough lab testing and quite a bit of luck. Viruses jump from wild animal hosts to humans Many viruses and other disease agents that infect people originate in animals. These diseases are zoonotic, meaning they are caused by animal viruses that jumped to people and adapted to spread through the human population. It might be tempting to start the viral origin search by testing sick animals at the site of the first known human infection, but wild hosts often don't show any symptoms. Viruses and their hosts adapt to each other over time, so viruses often don't cause obvious disease symptoms until they've jumped to a new host species. Researchers can't just look for sick animals. Another problem is that people and their food animals aren't stationary. The place where researchers find the first infected person is not necessarily close to the place where the virus first emerged. In the case of COVID-19, bats were an obvious first place to look. They're known hosts for many coronaviruses and are the probable source of other zoonotic diseases like SARS and MERS. For SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, the nearest relative scientists have found so far is BatCoV RaTG13. This virus is part of a collection of bat coronaviruses discovered in 2011 and 2012 by virologists from the Wuhan Virology Institute. The virologists were looking for SARS-related coronaviruses in bats after the SARS-CoV-1 pandemic in 2003. They collected fecal samples and throat swabs from bats at a site in Yunnan Province about 932 miles (1,500 kilometers) from the institute's lab in Wuhan, where they brought samples back for further study. To test whether the bat coronaviruses could spread into people, researchers infected monkey kidney cells and human tumor-derived cells with the Yunnan samples. They found that a number of the viruses from this collection could replicate in the human cells, meaning they could potentially be transmitted directly from bats to humans without an intermediate host. Bats and people don't come into direct contact very often, however, so an intermediate host is still quite likely. Finding the nearest relatives The next step is to determine how closely related a suspected wildlife virus is to the one infecting humans. Scientists do this by figuring out the genetic sequence of the virus, which involves determining the order of the basic building blocks, or nucleotides, that make up the genome. The more nucleotides two genetic sequences share, the more closely related they are. Genetic sequencing of bat coronavirus RaTG13 showed it to be over 96% identical to SARS-CoV-2. This level of similarity means that RaTG13 is a pretty close relative to SARS-CoV-2, confirming that SARS-CoV-2 probably originated in bats, but is still too distant to be a direct ancestor. There likely was another host that caught the virus from bats and passed it on to humans. Because some of the earliest cases of COVID-19 were found in people associated with the wildlife market in Wuhan, there was speculation that a wild animal from this market was the intermediate host between bats and humans. However, researchers never found the coronavirus in animals from the market. Likewise, when a related coronavirus was identified in pangolins confiscated in an anti-smuggling operation in southern China, many leaped to the conclusion that SARS-CoV-2 had jumped from bats to pangolins to humans. The pangolin virus was found to be only 91% identical to SARS-CoV-2, though, making it unlikely to be a direct ancestor of the human virus. To pinpoint the origin of SARS-CoV-2, a lot more wild samples need to be collected. This is a difficult task sampling bats is time-consuming and requires strict precautions against accidental infection. Since SARS-related coronaviruses are found in bats across Asia, including Thailand and Japan, it's a very big haystack to search for a very small needle. Creating a family tree for SARS-CoV-2 In order to sort out the puzzle of viral origins and movement, scientists not only have to find the missing pieces, but also figure out how they all fit together. This requires collecting viral samples from human infections and comparing those genetic sequences both to each other and to other animal-derived viruses. To determine how these viral samples are related to each other, researchers use computer tools to construct the virus's family tree, or phylogeny. Researchers compare the genetic sequences of each viral sample and construct relationships by aligning and ranking genetic similarities and differences. The direct ancestor to the virus, sharing the greatest genetic similarity, could be thought of as its parent. Variants sharing that same parent sequence but with enough changes to make them distinct from each other are like siblings. In the case of SARS-CoV-2, the South African variant, B.1.351, and the U.K. variant, B.1.1.7, are siblings. Building a family tree is complicated by the fact that different analysis parameters can give different results: The same set of genetic sequences can produce two very different family trees. For SARS-CoV-2, phylogenetic analysis proves particularly difficult. Though tens of thousands of SARS-CoV-2 sequences are now available, they don't differ from one another enough to form a clear picture of how they're related to each other. The current debate: Wild host or lab spillover? Could SARS-CoV-2 have been released from a research lab? Although current evidence implies that this is not the case, 18 prominent virologists recently suggested that this question should be further investigated. Although there has been speculation about SARS-CoV-2 being engineered in a lab, this possibility seems highly unlikely. When comparing the genetic sequence of wild RaTG13 with SARS-CoV-2, differences are randomly spread across the genome. In an engineered virus, there would be clear blocks of changes that represent introduced sequences from a different viral source. There is one unique sequence in the SARS-CoV-2 genome that codes for a part of the spike protein that seems to play an important role in infecting people. Interestingly, a similar sequence is found in the MERS coronavirus that causes a disease similar to COVID-19. Though it is not clear how SARS-CoV-2 acquired these sequences, viral evolution suggests they arose from natural processes. Viruses accumulate changes either by genetic exchange with other viruses and their hosts, or by random mistakes during replication. Viruses that gain a genetic change that gives them a reproductive advantage would typically continue to pass it on through replication. That MERS and SARS-CoV-2 share a similar sequence in this part of the genome suggests that it naturally evolved in both and spread because it helps them infect human cells. Where to go from here? Figuring out the origin of SARS-CoV-2 could give us clues to understand and predict future pandemics, but we may never know exactly where it came from. Regardless of how the SARS-CoV-2 jumped into humans, it's here now, and it's probably here to stay. Going forward, researchers need to continue monitoring its spread, and get as many people vaccinated as possible. Rob Jenkins tried for four years to find a job, scouring the internet for anything that seemed at all appealing a maintenance position at a Chevron refinery, a counselor for foster kids, a clerk at Hertz. Some employers seemed interested, until they found out about his 2008 misdemeanor conviction for growing marijuana. I was stuck, recalled the 37-year-old college graduate. No job opportunities were coming in. He found himself in the same situation as hundreds of thousands of others across the country whose prospects for the future were diminished by criminal records for marijuana cultivation or possession. Advertisement Now a new movement accompanying the widespread push for pot legalization may give them a second chance and help black and Latino neighborhoods that have been the focus of drug law enforcement. The aim is to wipe records clean and help people put their formerly illicit skills to use in the booming industry of legal cannabis. It started in California in 2016 when voters approved Proposition 64, which not only legalized recreational marijuana, but also made it easier for people with pot convictions to expunge their records. Los Angeles, Oakland and San Francisco have started giving people with prior convictions or those from neighborhoods that were once heavily targeted for marijuana-related arrests priority for licenses to start new pot businesses. New Jersey, North Dakota and Michigan may soon follow suit, with advocates for pot-legalization measures under consideration this fall making social and economic justice the centerpiece of their campaigns. Its a decisive shift from the traditional rationales for legalization evolving public attitudes about the drug and the opportunity to tax it. In New Jersey, black residents are three times more likely than white residents to be arrested for marijuana offenses, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, said in an email explaining his support for a marijuana-legalization bill that lawmakers are expected to pass this month. The law would help break the cycle of nonviolent, low-level drug offenses that prevent people, especially people of color, from succeeding, he said. Rob Jenkins drives to pick up his eldest son from school in Alameda. He says Oaklands marijuana equity program, which is open to those with pot convictions after 1996, is long overdue. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) Research shows that whites, blacks and Latinos use and sell marijuana at similar rates, but that blacks by far are the most likely to be arrested in connection with the drug. One California study found that African Americans make up 6% of the states population, but are nearly a quarter of those serving time in jail exclusively for marijuana offenses. Advertisement In Oakland, where Jenkins grew up, blacks and whites each make up about 30% of the population. But 77% of the people arrested in connection with marijuana in 2015 were black, while just 4% were white, according to a recent report by the city. The analysis looked back to 1995 and found a similar pattern each year. Jenkins, who is black, remembers watching marijuana sales as a child. Cars would come and go making purchases from pastel-colored duplexes that lined the hilly streets of East Oakland. Its a part of life, he said. A lot of the weed being sold in Oakland was to wealthy whites in Berkeley and elsewhere in the Bay Area. But we were getting arrested, he said. Advertisement A lot of the weed being sold in Oakland was to wealthy whites in Berkeley and elsewhere in the Bay Area. But [black people] were getting arrested. Rob Jenkins, whose 2008 conviction for growing marijuana has been expunged Jenkins never set out to be a drug dealer. After graduating from San Jose State University in 2003 with a degree in sociology, he found work selling cars and internet plans and eventually got a job at Comcast answering complaints from customers for $15 an hour. Even with his girlfriends income from a sales job at a department store, they struggled to pay the rent and care for their sons in rapidly gentrifying Oakland. Jenkins started growing and selling marijuana in 2007 as an extra source of income, bringing in about $500 a week. Advertisement Then one night in November 2008, there were two knocks at his apartment door before police threatened to barge through it. When Jenkins let them in, several officers headed to a back room where sodium-pressure lights hovered above two dozen marijuana plants growing knee-high from buckets. Jenkins never learned how police discovered his operation. He was one of 914 African Americans arrested on marijuana charges that year in Oakland. He spent 24 hours behind bars before his mother, who worked at an electronics sales company, bailed him out. Jenkins was originally charged with a felony he had a firearm in his home but it was changed to a misdemeanor after prosecutors discovered the firearm was legally registered to him. He started applying for jobs while he was still serving two years of probation and piled up more rejections than he can remember. Advertisement In 2011, he went back to illegally growing and selling marijuana. He said he stopped two years later after finally finding a legal job: growing pot for medical use for a dispensary in San Francisco. But it was only part time, and Jenkins realized that his future was stalled unless he could clear his name. The next year, he spent $4,000 a big chunk of his savings to hire an attorney to successfully guide him through a little-known and highly uncertain legal process that allows some low-level marijuana offenders to petition the courts to expunge their convictions. Californias new law seeks to popularize and streamline that process. In January, San Francisco Dist. Atty. George Gascon announced that his office would begin to dismiss 3,000 marijuana misdemeanors dating back to 1975 and seal the records of those people sentenced before Proposition 64 passed. Nearly 5,000 felony convictions would also be reviewed for possible dismissal or resentencing. The process could take more than a year to complete. Advertisement Rob Jenkins works at a cannabis nursery in Oakland, planting and tending to various strains. He was recently laid off with 30 other employees, however, because he said the company was having financial problems. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) In Alameda County, where Oakland is located, prosecutors have identified nearly 6,000 cases eligible for dismissal an opportunity to alleviate past discrimination, said Dist. Atty. Nancy E. OMalley. Of those, more than 600 people have filed petitions and had them granted. California is offering a second chance to people convicted of cannabis crimes, OMalley said. Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey has said her office will not automatically dismiss or reduce marijuana convictions and that people seeking to clear their records should do so using the courts. Advertisement But a bill passed in August and set to go into effect next year requires the California Department of Justice to prepare a list of people eligible to have their convictions dismissed and places the onus on county prosecutors to do so in all cases except those in which they determine there is an unreasonable risk to public safety. Still, in some places, expunging those records is only a first step in righting the wrongs of the past. Last year, Oakland officials created the nations first so-called social equity program, reserving at least half of all new cannabis dispensary licenses for residents targeted by discriminatory drug and sentencing laws. The program is open to any resident with a cannabis conviction after 1996 the year medical marijuana was passed and no other criminal history. Also eligible are people who earn less than 80% of the citys median income of $56,000 or who have lived for at least 10 years in a neighborhood deemed to have high numbers of pot-related arrests. Advertisement It also offers the chance to be paired with an investor known as an incubator who shares the license and funds the business for at least three years. Six of the eight permits granted by the city this year went to equity applicants. The creation of these equity programs is the beginning of acknowledging the greater issue of the criminalization of brown and black people, said Nina Parks, an activist who worked with local officials to create the Oakland program as well as the one in San Francisco. These policies are not reparations, but moves toward restoring justice. She and other supporters of the programs say it will take time and more publicity to see results. Many people are unaware of the equity programs or opportunities to expunge their records. In November, Rob Jenkins will start working at Kanna, a marijuana dispensary in Oakland. He got the job through Oaklands equity program. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) Advertisement The efforts are not without controversy. Some opponents argue that the law was the law and anybody who broke it should have to deal with the consequences. Others such as Kevin A. Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, which has spent thousands of dollars in recent years to oppose legalization of recreational pot, dismiss the notion that equity programs can really lift up poor neighborhoods. This is putting lipstick on a pig, and its an insult to vulnerable communities, Sabet said in an email. Unless the state gives away millions of dollars of free start-up money, do we think a kid from Compton is going to be able to compete against a Beverly Hills heir, let alone the Big Tobacco, alcohol, and pharma interests that are now swarming around the pot industry? It is the saddest attempt at social justice I have ever seen. Advertisement Indeed, even some pot activists are worried that participants in equity programs could be manipulated by their investors and booted from the businesses after the three-year commitment ends. Of course there are going to be bad actors, Parks said. This is all so new that were going to need even more reforms and safeguards as this moves forward. Still, momentum is building across the country for similar programs. Criminal justice reform will be a key consideration when voters or legislators in three states decide this fall whether to legalize marijuana for recreational use, as is already the case in California and eight other states. Advertisement North Dakotas ballot proposal this November calls for the automatic expungement of some marijuana-related convictions. The Michigan measure, also being put before voters, would lower some criminal marijuana-related violations to civil infractions. The New Jersey bill, which lawmakers plan to introduce as soon as this week, would make it easier for people with low-level convictions possessing small amounts of pot to clear their records. It would also mandate that 25% of dispensary licenses must be issued to individuals who live in so-called social impact zones areas with high poverty and disproportionate marijuana arrest rates. This kind of reform is long overdue, Jenkins said. Advertisement Even so, his future is far from assured in a new and unstable industry. Last year, Jenkins got a part-time job at a local cannabis nursery, planting and tending to various strains, which he also smokes on a regular basis. But he was laid off last month with 30 other employees because the company was having financial problems. His best hope now is Oaklands equity program, which accepted him earlier this year. The city helped connect him with a team that plans to open a dispensary in November. Jenkins will be the grow manager. The investors have also committed to helping him open a pot nursery that would eventually belong entirely to him. Advertisement Ive had ups and downs, but others have had it way worse, Jenkins said. Ive seen brothers locked up for years over some marijuana. Just marijuana. Its not right. We have to change this cycle, he said. kurtis.lee@latimes.com Twitter: @kurtisalee Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider subscribing to our ePaper and/or free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. The number of prisoners behind bars in Portlaoise and other jails around Ireland reduced rapidly within a month of the Covid-19 pandemic hitting Ireland the number incarcerated must be reduced further to below 3,000, according to a new report. This finding is contained in the 10th Annual Report of the Office of the Inspector of Prisons for 2020. The Inspector focused on capturing and examining the impact of COVID-19 in Irish prisons. Signed off by Patricia Gilheaney, Inspector of Prisons, in March 2021, it found that the change was significant. "Within one month of the onset of the pandemic, the prison population was reduced by nearly 9% from 4,214 on 12 March 2020 to 3,839 on 13 April 2020. Over the course of the year, the prison population in Ireland reduced by a total of 7.6%, from 3,950 on 1 January 2020 to 3,650 on 31 December 2020. "In prisons which accommodated women, the population was decreased by more than one quarter in the initial period of COVID-19 restrictions," it said. The report says that the reduction in the number of persons in custody in Irish prisons is reflective of measures taken to prevent and reduce transmission of COVID-19. It says early and temporary release was applied to an increased number of prisoners described as low risk and who were assessed on an individual basis. Two target groups were identified for release: (i) prisoners serving sentences of less than 12 months for non-violent offences, and (ii) prisoners with less than six months remaining on their sentence. "While the Inspectorate welcomes the overall reduction of the prison population, the total number of persons in custody would need to be below 3,000 to ensure single-cell occupancy in Irish prisons; a measure which would aid in transmission prevention," says the report. The Inspector says the IPS approach to managing Covid-19 has been heralded as best practice, and is inclusive of a contact tracing model commended by the World Health Organization (WHO). It adds that the IPSs proactive efforts to prevent transmission of COVID-19 into the prisoner population resulted in a minimal number of Covid-19 cases in Irish prisons; this is to be commended. However, the report says more can be done. "The Inspectorate, in accordance with the guidelines provided by the United Nations Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and the World Health Organization, urges the IPS to consider the need to further decrease the prison population as a measure to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission in Irish Prisons. The Government refused a request from the Irish Prison Service (IPS) to foot the bill for external investigation of serious complaints made by prisoners according to a report which finds the the system is not fit for purpose. This finding is contained is the 10th Annual Report of the Office of the Inspector of Prisons for 2020 which also outlines shortcomings with the system for investigating incidents highlighted reported by inmates. Signed off by Patricia Gilheaney, Inspector of Prisons, in March 2021, drew attention to the shortcomings. She said staff, prisoners and the public must have a fair system. "The poor adherence by the IPS to the law in relation to prisoner complaints is concerning. Noncompliance by the IPS render the present operation of the existing system inadequate and unreliable. "It is critically important that prisoners, prison staff and the public can have confidence that there exists a robust and fair prisoner complaints system in operation. Regrettably, this is not the case, and it is the Inspectorates view, as expressed in a number of previous reports, that the current Prison Complaints system is not fit for purpose," found the report. The Inspector highlighted unsuccessful efforts made by the Prison Service to address the matter. "In February 2021, during the course of preparing this report, the IPS informed the Inspectorate that there were currently 13 active investigators available for serious complaints, some of which have limited the prisons or geographical area in which they will serve. "The IPS further advised that in 2020 an application was submitted to the Office of Government Procurement (OGP) to run a tender for the recruitment of investigation companies to carry out investigations of serious complaints under Prison Rule 57B. "A submission for funding of 400k to cover the costs to carry out the investigations was submitted to the Department of Justice under the 2021 Estimates Process, however, this was not approved. The IPS then commenced engagement with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) in 2020 and proposed to increase the daily rate paid to those who investigate complaints under Prison Rule 57B, as such rates are set by DPER. "In January 2021, the IPS was informed that DPER was not in a position to revise the rates at present due to the emerging budgetary position. Therefore, the IPS has informed us that it will be extremely challenging to ensure external investigators are assigned and that investigation into serious complaints are carried out in out in a timely manner in 2021," said the report. The Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Hildegarde Naughton TD, has published the report. A statement from the Justice Department acknowledged that the Inspector is critical of the current Prisoner Complaints System adding that work is continuing to complete the necessary actions to introduce the new Complaints System which was delayed, in part, due to the impact of the pandemic. It said that the IPS, the Department of Justice and the Office of the Parliamentary Council are working closely together to finalise the Statutory Instrument which will give legal effect to the new Prisoner Complaints System. The Inspector has voiced her concerns in regards to the delay in reforming the prisoner complaints system. I too am eager to see this system reformed and, while I would note that work is progressing on a number of fronts, I also acknowledge that it has been subject to a number of delays. It is important that we get this new system right and I hope that progress can be made in order to move forward on this matter as soon as possible, said Minister Naughton. A copy of the report is available on the Department of Justice website here: Office of the Inspector of Prisons Annual Report 2020 An ex-Donegal GAA star who was knocked out with a punch, fracturing his jaw, told Sligo District Court that his attacker deserved a second chance. Stephen McBrearty told a court that he needed six screws in his jaw and could not eat solid food for six weeks after Joe Curran (25) from Altons, Templeboy, Co. Sligo, knocked him unconscious in a one punch attack in Sligo in 2019. The screws were left in Mr McBreartys jaw for six months. Mr McBrearty said that he had no memory of the incident and was treated in Sligo University Hospital and subsequently in Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry. Mr McBrearty (25), who is from Kilcar, told the court the defendant seemed to be a genuine person. On getting a letter of apology from the defendant, Mr McBrearty said: I believe in people getting a second chance. He is a genuine person, and he deserves a second chance. Judge Kevin Kilrane complimented the victim for the fair, forgiving and decent way he approached the case and for his willingness to give the defendant a second chance. Mr Curran pleaded guilty to assaulting the victim causing him harm at Norbert Ferguson Parade, Sligo on October 9, 2019. Mr McBrearty told the court he got an uppercut from the defendant on the date in question and had a fractured jaw. He said it happened outside the Garavogue Bar, but he was not sure how it happened. I dont remember as I was knocked out, he said. Mr McBrearty added that he did not know his attacker and had no previous interaction with him. Sergeant Derek Butler told the court that an ambulance was at the scene at Stephen Street when gardai came on the scene after a report of an assault at 3 am. The victim was brought to Sligo University Hospital. The victim, Stephen McBrearty, made a statement of complaint at Carrick Garda station in Donegal on October 17, 2019. The incident was captured on CCTV. A group of males were pushing and shoving, and the defendant was identified as the man who punched the victim. Mr McBrearty told the court he was not able to eat solid foods for six weeks and he lost a lot of weight. He said he worked in a factory in Kilcar and lost 700 of work as a result of the assault. He added that he had to visit Altnagelvin Hospital for check-ups up to five or six times. He admitted that he got a letter of apology from the defendant on April 23. The court heard the defendant had no previous convictions. Defence solicitor Tom MacSharry asked Mr McBrearty if he accepted that it was a genuine apology. Mr McBrearty said that you could tell from the letter that he is a genuine person and drink probably got the better of him.. Mr MacSharry thanked the witness saying, he knows you did suffer, and he is grateful for that. The witness agreed that drink was taken by all parties on the night in question, but it was not over the top on my behalf. Mr MacSharry said his client and Mr McBrearty were not the initial aggressors. The matter was between Mr McBreartys friend and Mr MacSharrys clients friend. Sergeant Butler confirmed this matter saying the defendant waded in throwing a punch Mr MacSharry said it was a one punch assault. Sergeant Butler said it was a big blow to the jaw of Stephen McBrearty who was knocked to the ground. The defendant also hit another man. Mr MacSharry said the defendant had made enquiries about Mr McBreatys well-being. He added that his client put his head down and sadly he hit Mr McBrearty. The defendant had shown gardai a high level of co-operation and identified himself in the footage and he did not shy away. The defendant was a 25-year-old man who had a good job in farming, was never in court before and the testimonials in court showed that this incident was out of character. Mr MaSharry said the defendant was eager to come up with compensation from 5,000-10,000 and a conviction would cause him very serious difficulties in terms of employment. The defendant was very much at the mercy of the court, and knew that this was a very serious matter. Mr McBrearty had accepted his apology. Judge Kevin Kilrane said an aggravating fact was there was no provocation, and an innocent party was seriously assaulted just because he happened to be there. In his drunken state the defendant wrongly assumed that the victim was of the earlier pushing and shoving and knocked unconscious. Judge Kilrane said he had spoken about one punch assaults before and that they could result in brain injury or in some cases even actual death. Mitigating factors were the early plea, co-operation, expression of remorse and the victim had accepted the bona fides of that remorse and the defendant had no previous convictions. Judge Kilrane said the defendant must come up with 7,500 by next week to avoid a conviction. Mr MacSharry said the defence fully endorsed the judges words of praise for Mr McBrearty. A man who set fire to a train carriage was sentenced to six months in prison at Carrick-on-Shannon District Court. Jaroslaw Jendrzejewski, 4 Seashells Apartments, Bundoran, Co Donegal pleaded guilty to criminal damage to a railway carriage and to deliberately or wantonly exposing passengers to danger contrary to the Railway Safety Act at Boyle Train Station on December 12, 2019. He also pleaded guilty to being intoxicated in public and to engaging in threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour on the same date. The court heard that at 8pm on the above date Garda Trevor Shortt went to Boyle Train Station after a report of a fire on board a train. People who were on the train were evacuated onto the platform and the defendant was engaging in a threatening and abusive manner to someone else on the platform. The defendant was highly intoxicated and was arrested. Garda Shortt spoke to the train driver and was told that some magazines had been set alight on the floor of one of the carriages. The fire had been put out with a fire extinguisher. Iarnrod Eireann said there had been damage worth 6,595.42 caused. The defendant said he had been drinking wine and could not remember it but took responsibility and expressed remorse for what happened. The court heard Mr Jendrzejewski had previous convictions for public order offences from Ballaghaderreen and Sligo District Courts in 2018 and 2020. Solicitor, Martin Burke, said Mr Jendrzejewski is a Polish national who has lived in Ireland for the past 15 years. He worked here for the first ten years but the work then ceased. He said the defendant is a separated man who suffers with serious alcohol issues and is still struggling with it. He asked that Mr Jendrzejewski be given a chance to seek help and said his client was fearful about going to jail. In relation to the cost of the damage, Mr Burke said the total included loss of earnings from Irish Rail and a bill for replacing the entire centre aisle carpet in the carriage and he didnt think the calculation of loss was very fair on Mr Jendrzejewski. Mr Burke said his client acknowledged that it was a very serious incident but he wanted to try and address his alcohol problem. Judge Denis McLoughlin said if the defendant was serious about addressing his alcohol problem he would have come into court with a certificate from a residential agency showing that he had done a course to address his alcohol addiction, in spite of this happening 18 months previously. Judge McLoughlin said the circumstances of the incident to light a fire on a train with other passengers on board was extremely negligent and serious. He said the sentence would reflect the seriousness of the offence and noted that this was a serious offence. Judge McLoughlin went on to say that if he had heard the evidence before the plea was offered he would have refused jurisdiction. He convicted and sentenced the defendant to six months on both charges relating to the Railway Safety Act and took into consideration the two public order charges. Judge McLoughlin stated that the offence was so serious he was satisfied he had arrived at the right order. Recognisances were fixed in the event of an appeal. THE JOURNEY of Point Taken began with Ger OConnell taking one step on March 1. It continued up to St Patricks Day when the Limerick hurlers kitman completed 141kms - 1km for every point the team scored on their way to the All-Ireland last year. But the journey of the services provided at the Daughters of Charity, Lisnagry continues in their outstanding and incredible work, offering both residential and day services on campus as well as community adult respite services. The inspiration of this wonderful journey was my sister Catherine, the happy, angelic and exuberant lady who is impeccably cared for in her home at Cois Na Habhainn, Lisnagry. It is a place full of enjoyable experiences and is a calm, caring haven, said Ger. The Pallasgreen man said the 141km journey was enjoyable and March weather was kind. The walks created great friendships, laughter and conversation, making for a very special experience. The many cars blowing horns in appreciation and fellow walkers saying well done was motivational, said Ger, who wished to thank everyone who helped out in any way to make this incredible journey the success it has been. A cheque for over 15k has been handed over to the Daughters. Thanks to all who walked with me during the twenty five walks and want to pay special thanks to my wife Mary and PP OSullivan who walked every walk. I want to praise all my fellow walkers, including Marie Grace - your company was appreciated and special. Thanks to Dara and Suzie for their invaluable help during the course of the project. Thank you Eadaoin for keeping the Facebook updated; the Limerick senior hurling team and management for their support; Limerick Leader; I Love Limerick, Louise Cantillon, Irish Examiner for their media exposure. To Cube and Kevin Downes for their promotional posters. A huge thanks to Seanie ODonnell whose brilliant promo video was the kick start to this great journey. To Limerick City and County Council Benevolent Fund for their generous contribution. Thanks to Mike Riordan photography for his many photographs which enhanced the Facebook page every night, said Ger. But most of all to the staff at the Daughters of Charity who have made my sister Catherines life comfortable, relaxing and full of love and for their magnificent and phenomenal work. Finally, thanks to all of you who have supported and contributed so handsomely to this charity, its sincerely appreciated. Your point for St Vincents is taken, concludes Ger. GARDAI have issued a warning about a scam that has gained some traction in Limerick and elsewhere over the last few weeks. The scam relates to unsolicited to text messages that are forwarded to peoples phones. "The text will state that a Courier Company wants to deliver a package to your address. It will state that there is a small fee owed on the package as the package has been shipped from an overseas location," said Garda John Finnerty. "The message will request the Bank Account details of the receiver. If and when same are forwarded, funds will be extracted from the Bank account almost immediately," he added. Gardai are warning that a significant number people may fall victim to the scam as there is has been a huge increase in online shopping during the pandemic. "An authentic Courier Company will never request your bank details via text message. If you do receive such as message please delete it immediately," said Garda Finnerty who has appealed to people to notify their local gardai of any such messages. Kuwait City [Kuwait]: External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Friday interacted with members of the Indian community in Kuwait, as part of his three-day visit to the gulf nation. Addressing the Indian diaspora virtually, Jaishankar promised more direct contact during his next trip, and noting the important energy partnership with Kuwait, said that his latest visit was focused on ways to find new areas of cooperation. "...my visit, and my talks with Foreign Minister Ahmed were actually focused on how do we find new areas of cooperation, as keeping in mind both the immediate impact of the COVID, because I think all of us have learnt many things from the COVID experience, as well as the longer-term changes which are happening." Jaishankar further said that the current environment is "very dominated by COVID concerns, health issues have become very important for every society." "In fact, we look at health very much today as part of our national security," and added that food security is also a big issue. He also informed that during his talks with the Kuwaiti leadership education was also discussed. "We also discussed education because I think people do see India today as not just a source of skills and talents but as a country, which is being very creative about growing its educational capacities." During the virtual interaction, Jaishankar thanked Kuwait for providing oxygen supplies during the second wave of the pandemic in India. "And among the countries which actually took the lead, I would particularly single out Kuwait in this regard, they provided us more than 500 metric tonnes, and they're very prompt and very efficient in that regard." The minister also expressed his delight over the signing of an MoU that brings Indian domestic workers in the Gulf nation within a legal framework that provides them with the protection of the law and streamlines their recruitment. "I was particularly pleased to that matter which has been long pending, which is an MOU, relating to our domestic workers here. That was finalised and signed by the ambassador and the Kuwaiti official, which in many ways streamlines and strengthens the position of our workers in Kuwait." This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Ice melt in Antarctica and Greenland drives changes to sea level and temperature, sparking off rapid changes to other climate systems.. As climate change continues to heat the planet, ice sheets and ocean currents could destabilize each other, leading to a climate domino effect impacting 40% of the worlds population, according to new research. And these effects could be seen at way lower temperatures than previously thought. Scientists ran 3 million computer simulations of a climate model, finding that nearly one-third resulted in disastrous domino effects even when temperature increases were below 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius) above pre-industrial levels, the upper limit set by the Paris agreement. Climate tipping points are points of no return in the climate system. Once they are crossed, severe, accelerated changes to the climactic systems that support life on Earth may become irreversible, according to a report by the UNs Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Some of these tipping points, such as the collapse of the Western Antarctic ice sheet, could have already been crossed, Live Science previously reported . Related: Time-lapse images of retreating glaciers In order to simulate Earth's climate on a computer, the researchers created a simplified model that focused on how specific "dominos" in the world's climate systems interact. Some of those dominos were things such as ice sheets, ocean currents or weather patterns such as El Nino, and the model essentially simulated how tipping those for instance, by melting major ice sheets or slowing the Atlantic conveyor belt that helps cool Europe's climate -- would affect other dominos in the chain. The model simulated more than 3 million possible scenarios, in which some of the dominos interacted more or less strongly with each other. The new study found that collapsing ice sheets, like those in West Antarctica and Greenland , were especially likely starting points for tipping cascades. In one disturbing scenario, cold, glacier meltwater triggered the slowing of the Atlantic current and then by impacting the El-Nino Southern Oscillation led to significantly reduced rainfall in the Amazon rainforest, which could transform much of it into savanna. In another scenario, substantial melting of the Greenland ice sheet would release freshwater into the ocean and slow down Atlantic ocean currents that transport heat from the tropics to the North Pole . This current slowdown would then warm the Southern Ocean, destabilizing Antarctic ice sheets, which would in turn send meltwater into the ocean and ultimately lead to more sea-level rise. This rising sea level, in turn, would cause even more melting of the Greenland ice sheet. And in many of the simulated futures, climate alterations most dramatically affected coastal regions, where 2.4 billion people, or 40% of the worlds population, lived in 2017, according to the United Nations . "Were shifting the odds, and not in our favor the risk clearly is increasing the more we heat our planet," co-author Jonathan Donges, a physicist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in Germany, said in a statement . "It rises substantially between 1 and 3 [degrees] C. If greenhouse gas emissions and the resulting climate change cannot be halted, the upper level of this warming range would most likely be crossed by the end of this century. With even higher temperatures, more tipping cascades are to be expected, with long-term devastating effects." And we may already be well on our way to some of those tipping cascades. In May, a separate study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, showed that the Greenland ice sheet, the second largest in the world, is on the brink of accelerated melting. The ice sheet lost 586 gigatons (532 metric gigatonnes) of mass in 2019, according to an August 2020 study . A further study published in the same month reported that the ice sheet may already have passed the point of no return. The researchers say that their research may in fact underestimate how close Earths climate is to these tipping points, and that drastic, rapid reduction of carbon dioxide emissions is vital in order to avoid them. "Our analysis is conservative in the sense that several interactions and tipping elements are not yet considered," study co-author Ricarda Winkelmann, a professor of climate system analysis at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in Germany, said in the statement. "It would hence be a daring bet to hope that the uncertainties play out in a good way, given what is at stake. From a precautionary perspective, rapidly reducing greenhouse gas emissions is indispensable to limit the risks of crossing tipping points in the climate system, and potentially causing domino effects." According to a 2018 report by the IPCC, put together by the worlds top climate scientists, carbon dioxide emissions must be halved by 2030 if the world is to stay within 2.7 F (1.5 C) of global heating the threshold beyond which global ecosystems and food networks will face extreme stress and small islands will be inundated. Leaders from the G7 nations are meeting at a summit in Cornwall, England, this week, and they will also meet in November in Glasgow, Scotland, at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, to further negotiate a path forward. The researchers published their findings June 3 in the journal Earth System Dynamics. Originally published on Live Science Denham Springs, LA (70726) Today A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. Click here to read the full article. K-pop group BTS limited-edition branded McDonalds meals were so hot in Indonesia this week that dozens of stores had to close for fear that the crowds clamoring for them would spread COVID-19. The meal debuted locally on Wednesday, and demand quickly overwhelmed stores. Most Indonesian customers had placed their orders online due to the pandemic, leading to huge crowds of motorcycle-taxi deliverymen left queuing for hours inside and outside stores and raising concerns that the circumstances could lead to a super-spreader event. Jakarta police have ordered 32 McDonalds stores to temporarily close for violating health protocols by failing to limit capacity to 50% and enforce social-distancing measures. A police spokesman told the local press that authorities have even asked that the BTS meal be temporarily put on hold altogether. Other cities have had to close McDonalds stores as well. Fajar Purwoto, the public order agency head for the central Javan port city of Semarang, explained to AFP that the municipality had temporarily shuttered four of its six McDonalds for a few days. I dont want Semarang to be in the COVID-19 red zone again, he said. Indonesia is one of the Asian countries hardest hit by the virus. New daily cases have gone up 26% in the last two weeks, and only 4% of Indonesians are fully vaccinated, according to data from the New York Times. The coveted BTS meal includes nuggets, fries, a drink and limited-edition sweet chili and cajun sauces in purple packaging emblazoned with the bands logo. Anticipating that a purchasing frenzy would occur once the meals became available, Indonesian fans encouraged each other to tip drivers well and donate funds to give back to those braving potential COVID-19 exposure to bring them their nuggets. One fundraising campaign run by the group BTS ARMY Indonesia has raised over $18,000 so far. ARMY is a global term used to refer to the bands fans. Its great when we can share our happiness with others. This time, lets share it with the [delivery] drivers, its main page said in Indonesian. They will be our heroes ordering the BTS meal dedicating their time to waiting and delivering the special food directly to each ARMYs home. By sharing, this BTS anniversary and BTS meal celebration will not just make us happy, but also make our fan activities a blessing! The meal will release in almost 50 other countries. It first hit Asia in Malaysia late last month. As COVID-19 numbers rise across the region, other Asian countries have grown concerned that the meals popularity could spark pandemonium and crowds. Singapore actually delayed the meals debut by a month to help people comply with a new round of stricter distancing rules. Now, the Philippines is preparing to batten down the hatches. McDonalds there issued a statement ahead of the meals local release stating that its preparing to enforce COVID-19 safety measures and to meet the huge demand, according to local news reports. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Following the launch of startups in Kenya and South Africa in 2015, and the victory of Nigerian filmmaker Joel Kachi Bensons Daughters of Chibok at Venices VR competition in 2019, industry eyes have looked to the African XR ecosystem with ever-growing interest. Some of that interest, however, has been a little short-sighted, so speakers at a NewImages panel about the growing African ecosystem made sure to set the record straight. Over the years, theres been a refocus on the African continent, with a lot of talk about its market and population, said Judith Okonkwo, founder of Lagos-based creation lab Imisi 3D. We want to shift that narrative [Not to be seen] as consumers but as creators of technology for the globe as well. Speaking with French Institute in South Africas Erika Denis, Okonkwo outlined a number of recent initiatives put in place to bolster the production infrastructure, and detailed the path that could take participants in local student AR/VR hackathons to positions of significant access and opportunity. The tech founder also spoke highly of the Africa XR Report, a collaborative overview of industry activities across the continent due to be published later this year. Theres a dearth of information when it comes to whats happening with XR, Okonkwo explained. People from other parts of the world are curious, but they dont know where to find the information. Other panelists echoed their enthusiasm for the report. Theres a huge digital culture, and an even bigger digital divide, said Brian Afande, co-founder and managing director of BlackRhino VR. Theres a lot of people working in silos; the XR report highlights some of these stories and gives information in terms of whos doing what. Afande, whose Nairobi-based production company partnered with Germanys INVR.SPACE for the urban exploration project African Space Makers (pictured above), also stressed the benefits of international co-production with both European and African outfits. Theres a lot of knowledge transferred within those agreements [that goes both ways], he explained. We need to demystify the fact that Africans right now will, can and are exporting knowledge and solutions. Asked how to further bolster the production ecosystem, Ingrid Kopp, co-founder of South African nonprofit incubator Electric South, pointed out an ironic quirk of the current funding system. Theres been a lot of funding of work around the work itself, Kopp explained. Weve been able to fund our workshops and some of the distribution and festival work that we do. But [if the artists cannot make their projects] all the other things are pointless. Going forward, we really need people to have faith in the artists, Kopp added. If you leave everything to the technologists, the future of the world is not going to look fantastic. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Editor's note: This is part of a weekly column focusing on local TV personalities, producers and everyone that makes TV news happen in San Antonio. Want to learn more about a specific personality? Send Candice a note at candice.garcia@express-news.net. The KENS 5 family just welcomed two additions to the extended news family. Morning anchor Sarah Forgany welcomed her first child on May 1. She says the day of her delivery was very intense. "On a stormy day at 8 a.m., I went to the hospital. My doctor said induction is an all-day process and I will probably deliver in the evening. I thought I had the perfect plan of getting the epidural, but it didnt quite go that way," Forgany tells MySA. Shortly after getting induced she started to quickly feel severe pain. "I found out there was only one anesthesiologist available and that doctor was stuck in surgery," she says. "At that point, all I could do was just squeeze my husbands hands and pray for God to help me. Within 2 hours, I was ready to give birth and didnt get the epidural until I was almost pushing out the baby." Forgany tells MySA the pain was excruciating, but it was the most powerful and spiritual thing she had ever experienced. "Once I saw her and held her and it was all worth it. I cried and thought to myself, 'I cant believe I waited all those years to have her.'" The San Antonio TV anchor and her husband, welcomed their daughter Bella at 2:30 p.m. weighing 6 and a half pounds, and 18 and a half inches long. READ MORE TV NEWS FROM CANDICE: Former KENS anchor Niku Kazori shares details on lavish Texas wedding "She has brought so much joy to our family. My heart flutters when I see my dad and mom holding her. I love watching my husband with her. Hes an incredible Dad," she says. A few weeks later, evening anchor Aaron Wright would also welcome a baby girl, Olive, on May 26. "My wife Katie was induced. Olive was a big baby and our doctor was on board with starting things early at 39 weeks," Wright tells MySA. "Olive came when she was good and ready. She let us know she was here with a full throated scream at 1:17 in the morning." For Wright and his wife, this is baby number two. Their oldest, Penelope, 18 months, is learning the ropes of being a big sister. "She's warmed up and now says 'hey baby' when she sees her and asks 'where's baby' when Olive isn't in the room," he says. "Katie and I come from big families, so it's really exciting to see Penelope learning what it's like to have a little sister and new best friend." But there are some things the couple learned from being first-time parents. "Treasure every minute and the tough days aren't forever. Penelope sleeps through the night in her own bed. Olive will one day, but for now we'll have to deal with late night feedings and putting down a fussy baby," Wright says. "It's easier to get up and help, knowing this won't last forever. There are times now when our older daughter wakes up and I enjoy putting her back to sleep at 2 a.m. because I miss her sleeping beside our bed and holding her in my arms." Are they gunning for a boy? Wright answers with a laugh. "I think we're going to focus on recovering right now and getting everyone settled at home. We'd love to have a boy, but happy and healthy has always been our goal." Meanwhile, Forgany says being a first-time mom has its challenges which most moms, if not all, can relate to. "I think the most challenging part of being a new mom is that I never knew I had so many fears," she says. "Its always something. Is she pooping enough? Is she breathing ok? Is she moving OK? Am I pumping enough milk? Why isnt she eating enough?" As far as sleep goes ... well what sleep? "Even if I get the chance to sleep an hour, I cant do it because Im watching her to make sure shes breathing ok. My whole life suddenly revolves around her. Theres this huge sense of responsibility that Ive never felt before." READ ALSO: KENS 5 says they will work with SAAHJ to improve representation in local anchors One thing she has learned is "it's okay to ask for help." "Its been an emotional roller coaster. Some days are tougher than others but Im not ashamed or afraid to ask for help. Having a strong support system is crucial," she says. "My husband, my family and friends were amazing. Im thankful for my friends and co-workers who would drop by to check on me and give me tips that a first time mom could use." She says she's also grateful for viewers who've reached out. "Some people even handmade blankets and sent them for the baby. Its such a wonderful feeling when people reach out." Click here to read the full article. Wish Dragon is well aware that Aladdin got there first. Making his spirited feature debut, dream-big animation director Chris Appelhans pretty much assumes youll be thinking of Disneys blue genie when his humble Chinese hero rubs a jade teapot and produces a fluorescent flamingo-pink dragon, ready to grant his wildest dreams or three of them at least. And you know what? He doesnt care, because Wish Dragon delivers a whole new world, a new fantastic point of view, and thats plenty. Technically, Chinas ancient wish dragon legend predates even Arabian Nights, a detail that gives Appelhans license to update the folk tale for the modern world, while stripping it of so many of the tired cliches that now come with the territory in practically any wish-granting fable like the wet-blanket be careful what you wish for trope, where an unlucky so-and-sos poorly worded request inevitably backfires, teaching that person he was better off without whatever lust magic may have rustled up inside him. The hero of Wish Dragon doesnt have big ambitions. Shanghai-based Din (Jimmy Wong) may be dirt poor and desperate, but hes unusually well-grounded as such characters go. When offered three wishes, he honestly doesnt know what to request whereas Long, his dutiful, all-powerful dragon (voiced by John Cho), is full of suggestions: Why not wish for piles of gold? Or his own personal army? After all, every one of Longs previous masters wanted wealth and power. But not Din. He just wants his best friend back. In the films upbeat opening, we see young Din and neighbor Li Na bonding over all things dragons. They pinky-swear to being pals forever, then the prologue turns melancholy, as Li Nas father moves away and the buddies are separated. Flash forward a few years, and Din still cant get her out of his mind and who can blame him, now that Li Nas a successful model whose face pops up on billboards all over town (including one of the roof of the hovel where Din still lives with his pragmatic Mom, voiced by Constance Wu). So when poof, the magic dragon shows up eager to serve, Din doesnt covet money or power per se although both would help him finagle his way into Li Nas birthday party, since shes now wealthy enough to be out of his league. To Longs surprise, Din wishes for temporary wealth and power (but just enough dough to get through the door), trusting that theyll be able to pick up where they left off if they can only be reunited. The plots a little have your cake and eat it too in this regard: Wish Dragon presents Din as a pure, sincere soul someone who can teach Long a lesson or two about lifes priorities but also as a peasant to Li Nas princess. Ergo, wed expect him to be a little greedier in compensating for all that he lacks. But thats not so hard to accept, since Appelhans aesthetic both the quick, clever animation style (a zippy pose-to-pose technique that mirrors classic martial-arts movies) and all-around openness to Chinese culture, old and new proves so entertaining unto itself. The exaggerated squash-and-stretch style (reminiscent of Despicable Me and the Madagascar movies) elevates otherwise familiar scenes, as when Din (who idly wishes he knew how to fight) faces off against a trio of lithe henchmen. And its great fun to watch Long bend and fold at right angles. (Chinese audiences benefit from producer Jackie Chan supplying his voice for the Mandarin-language version.) Even more than last years Netflix original Over the Moon, this Sony Pictures Animation-produced pickup seems to recognize and respect the Eastern milieu in which its set, albeit with an appreciate outsiders curiosity. Granted, most audiences wont know anything about Appelhans (a gifted concept artist on films such as Fantastic Mr. Fox and Monster House) or where hes coming from, but I was pretty excited to see his name on the film. Ive been a longtime admirer of his watercolor illustrations fantastical scenes between kids and floppy sloths, rusty robots and misshapen unicorns and can see how such portraits of improbable friends, both real and imaginary, might translate to a teen and his trusty wish dragon. What Appelhans and the makers of Wish Dragon couldnt have known when they set out was that Disney had a kinda similar movie up its sleeve in Raya and the Last Dragon. Plus, they had Awkwafina on their side (shes a lot funnier than Cho, whos got personality, but cant do impressions or improv the way a comedian can). Raya also riffed on the Aladdin myth, which leaves this project feeling slightly less fresh, although theres room enough for multiple dragon-themed/wish-granting fables in this world. So go with the one streaming on whatever service you patronize at least until we all get our wish of such movies finding their way back to the big screen. Reviewed online, Los Angeles, June 10, 2021. MPAA Rating: PG. Running time: 98 MIN. Running Time: Running time: 98 MIN. MPAA Rating: PG Production A Netflix release of a Sony Pictures Animation, Tencent, Sparkle Roll, Base Media production. Producers: Aron Warner, Chris Bremble, Jackie Chan. Executive producers: Ian Sugarman, Joe Tam, Sophie Xiao. Co-producers: Wenxin She, Ken Tsumura. Crew Director, writer: Chris Appelhans. Editor: Mike Andrews. Music: Philip Klein. With John Cho, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Jimmy Wong, Constance Wu, Will Yun Lee, Jimmy O. Yang, Aaron Yoo, Bobby Lee, Ronnie Chieng. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. HONG KONG (AP) Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Agnes Chow was released from jail Saturday after serving more than six months for taking part in unauthorized assemblies during massive 2019 anti-government protests that triggered a crackdown on dissent in the former British colony. Chow, 24, was greeted by a crowd of journalists as she left the Tai Lam Center for Women. She transferred from a prison van to a private car without making any remarks. Only a small group of supporters were on the scene, an apparent reflection of the governments threats to jail those it deems in violation of a sweeping national security law that Beijing imposed on the territory a year ago. The legislation has resulted in the arrests of leading democracy activists including Joshua Wong and Jimmy Lai, who are serving prison terms. Others have sought asylum abroad. Critics say China is now routinely violating commitments it made to preserve freedoms promised to Hong Kong for 50 years following the handover to Chinese rule in 1997. Chow came to prominence while still a student during the 2014 umbrella movement calling for universal suffrage, alongside Wong and Nathan Law, who was granted political asylum in Britain in April. She has a large following in Japan, frequently visiting the country and posting on Twitter in her fluent Japanese. The 2019 protests began as peaceful marches against proposed legislation that could have seen criminal suspects sent to China to face possible mistreatment and unfair trials. Though the legislation was withdrawn, protests swelled to demand universal suffrage and an investigation into police abuses, becoming increasingly violent as demonstrators responded to harsh police tactics. China fought back with the national security law, which has snuffed out dissent in the semi-autonomous territory. Defenders say it intends to ensure those running the city are Chinese patriots committed to public order and economic development. China also overhauled Hong Kong's Legislative Council to give pro-Beijing delegates an overwhelming majority. Hong Kongs media outlets are now almost completely dominated by pro-Beijing business groups and even independent booksellers have become rare. The national security law has also given authorities broad powers to monitor speech online, making it difficult to organize opposition gatherings or even express views critical of the government or Beijing. An annual candlelight vigil for victims of the bloody suppression of the 1989 pro-democracy movement centered on Beijing's Tiananmen Square was canceled for the second time this year. Hong Kong censors this week were also given the power to ban films that endanger national security, prompting concerns that freedom of expression is being further curtailed in a city once known for its vibrant arts and film scene. Chief Executive Carrie Lam, who is under U.S. sanctions, has been the face of the crackdown on dissent, although she is believed to be acting entirely on orders from Beijing, whose Communist Party leaders have long regarded Hong Kong as a potential incubator of opposition that could spread through the country. LIMA, Peru (AP) Peruvian presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori on Saturday said she trusts she will not be sent back to prison after a judge reviews her freedom in a money laundering case and insisted that fraud was committed by her rival in a recent election she narrowly trails. With all the votes tallied from last Sundays presidential runoff, the leftist Pedro Castillo had 50.2% support against 49.8% for the conservative Fujimori. But electoral authorities said they are scrutinizing a small number of ballots amid unproven fraud claims and an official winner might not be announced for a week. Amid the uncertainty, Peruvian prosecutor Jose Domingo Perez has asked a judge to return Fujimori to prison for failing to abide by the terms of her release granted a year and a half ago. He contends she spoke to an investigation witness who is also a spokesperson for her campaign. Fujimori was released after spending more than a year in jail as part of a probe into millions of dollars in illegal campaign contributions she allegedly received from the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht. She denies the accusations. I trust that the judiciary will not accept the argument for preventive detention made by prosecutor Perez, Fujimori said in a press conference Saturday. On Wednesday, she said she would seek to annul 200,000 votes for Castillo, who leads the count by just over 50,000 votes. Her campaign has yet to substantiate the claims of fraud. Castillo is a former rural schoolteacher and an outsider who many feared would upend Perus free-market model largely based on mineral exports. Fujimori is fighting allegations of corruption that could land her in jail alongside her father, former President Alberto Fujimori. In March, Perez asked for 30 years in prison for Keiko Fujimori, along with sentences for her husband and 38 other people. It is an absurd argument as my lawyer has explained, said Fujimori. The judges decision comes on June 21. Both sides supporters have held rallies in Lima in recent days. If electoral authorities agree with Fujimoris bid to annul the votes, she would not only win the presidential election but also be able to freeze her corruption trial for five years. It would also allow her to fulfill her campaign promise of freeing her father, who is imprisoned for three corruption convictions and another conviction related to the killing of 25 Peruvians during his 1990-2000 government. ALEXANDRIA, La. (AP) A man accused of killing a 19-year-old Louisiana woman in 2004 and dumping her body in Texas told people details that police never made public, a detective says. Alexandria Police Detective Tanner Dryden told a judge that David Anthony Burns, 45, of Boyce, mentioned such details to two or three people, The Town Talk reported. Burns is charged with second-degree murder of Courtney Coco during a robbery or attempted robbery on Oct. 3, 2004. Her body was found the next day in an abandoned building in Winnie, Texas, about 150 miles (241 kilometers) southwest of Alexandria. Dryden said a comforter was among items missing from Coco's home in Alexandria, and Burns told others that he smothered Coco with a pillow and wrapped her body in a comforter. Dryden testified Monday at a bond hearing for Burns, who was indicted and arrested two months ago. Judge Mary Lauve Doggett rejected a defense request to cut bond from $500,000 to $50,000. Dryden, Monday's only witness, said Burns was developed as a suspect in 2011 but investigators didn't have enough evidence to present to a grand jury until several people told police about Burns' alleged statements. Defense attorney Christopher LaCour asked Dryden about DNA reportedly found on the trunk. Dryden said detectives found DNA from Coco and an unknown male, but at the time couldn't make a match. He said he was getting a warrant for Burns DNA, but the sample was so tiny that he had been told it would be difficult to match. Investigators believe Coco was killed in her home, where a safe was broken into, Dryden said. A pretrial conference is scheduled Aug. 11. There are lots of surprises that come with the responsibility of being a homeowner and some surprises are more adorable than others. One local homeowner, Scott Walters, was somewhat surprised to see a pack of young armadillos tearing up his backyard earlier this month, though he wasnt all too bothered. I like to share my yard with the local critters, Walters wrote on NextDoor, alerting his neighbors in the Deerfield neighborhood of the Armadillo Party in his backyard. They were here first after all. READ MORE: Invasive pink snail eggs are popping up on San Antonio's River Walk Walters tells MySA.com that he put two and two together, realizing that the young armadillos were extremely local (they are Texas's state small mammal as of 1995, after all). His backyard, which he says is long and deep, shares a fence with five of his neighbors, one of which recently had a litter of four armadillos born underneath their deck. Walters says a few of his other neighbors have also seen the armadillos, but he got close enough to catch the critters in the act. They were just digging away to their little hearts content, Walters jokes. While he says another neighbor with a pristine yard very quickly shooed away the mammals, Walters has taken a different approach to the armadillo invasion. I sort of let nature take its course. I could cover up the holes as they dig them, but once it rains it kind of fills the hole in a little bit, Walters tells MySA.com. My backyard is not nicely manicured, so Im not too worried about it. The nature aspect of the neighborhood is part of the reason why Walters and his wife Laurie bought the home about 2 years ago. With a backyard with plenty of room for extra guests, Walters says hes made a bit of a game out of the armadillo sightings with his 8-year-old daughter, Abigail. We see them usually every day, Walters explains. He says this allows him to ask Abigail how many armadillos shes seen and where in the yard each day. READ MORE: The internet is amazed by S.A. Zoo's hippo Timothy and his aquatic zoomies Theyre still coming around. Theyre still doing well, he clarifies. When its one by himself or herself, they seem to be a little skittish, but when theyre all together not so much. Aside from the roll of armadillos, which Walters says are close to full grown now due to eating well, the family has seen foxes, opossums, and even hawks on occasion. They have also seen a pair of great horned owls, which Walters jokes were like a husband and wife that hooted at each other very loudly. Though other locals may not be as enthusiastic about animals and nature as he is, Walters feels it is important to keep their distance from the armadillos should they encounter some in their own neighborhood. The first time I saw the armadillos, I walked up to them and I petted them, Walters admits, saying the critters were younger and very docile. Theyre not terribly cuddly. Though he couldnt help himself, Walters advises other locals from making that same mistake. Theyre cute and ugly at the same time, I think more cute than ugly, Walters says. They do carry leprosy and Hansons disease. If you do come into contact with one, you may want to wash your hands afterward. You heard it here first from the armadillo whisperer, San Antonio. Minister of State for Civil and Criminal Justice, Hildegarde Naughton TD, has this evening welcomed the convictions handed down in Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court for involvement in Human Trafficking, the first convictions of this type in Ireland. Two Nigerian nationals Alicia Edosa, 44, of The Harbour, Market Point, Mullingar, Co Westmeath, and 31-year-old Edith Enoghaghase of Meeting House Lane, Mullingar were found guilty of a series of offences relating to human trafficking, prostitution and money laundering on various dates between September 2016 and June 2018. A 30-year-old man, Omonuwa Desmond Osaibovo, was also found guilty of money laundering offences. The trial at Mullingar Circuit Court lasted almost six weeks and heard that four young women from a deprived background in Nigeria had been abused in an underhand way by the three accused. Minister Naughton said, Human trafficking is a particularly cruel crime, based on deception and exploitation of vulnerable people, and it is hidden. Due to its hidden nature, it is very difficult to detect and investigate and I would like to commend the members of An Garda Siochana for their hard work in investigating and obtaining the evidence necessary to secure convictions in this complex case. Ireland is committed to playing a strong role, both nationally and internationally in the fight against human trafficking. The verdicts handed down today are a welcome indication that our efforts are paying off. The Government recently approved plans for a revised National Referral Mechanism (NRM) to make it easier for victims of human trafficking to come forward and be supported. Minister Naughton also received approval to draft a general scheme of a Bill to put the new NRM on a statutory footing. The NRM provides a way for all agencies, both State and civil society, to co-operate, share information about potential victims, identify those victims and facilitate their access to advice, accommodation and support. Minister Naughton added, In addition to working proactively to combat human trafficking, we are working to improve the avenues available to victims of this horrible and exploitative crime to come forward and access the supports they need. The changes we propose making to the National Referral Mechanism acknowledge that, in addition to An Garda Siochana, other state bodies and NGOs have a role in identifying victims of human trafficking and linking them in with the various supports and services available. An Garda Siochana is excellent in its role as our competent authority for identifying victims but we know some victims, because of interactions they may have had with law enforcement officials in other countries, have a perception that police cannot be trusted. We want to be sure that every victim of trafficking who ends up in Ireland is identified and helped. Thats why we are proposing to provide a role for other State and non-state organisations in the identification of victims of trafficking. Ensure you get a print copy of the Loudoun Times-Mirror delivered weekly to your home or business! Complete online access is included with all print subscriptions purchased online. Plus, up to four other members of your household can share online access through this subscription with their own, individual linked accounts at no additional charge. (Are you a current advertiser? Ask your sales rep for our special advertiser rate code!) (Alliance News) - Aer Lingus has announced that a number of regional flights have been cancelled after operator Stobart Air ended its contract with the Irish airline, which is part of International Consolidated Airlines Group SA. The announcement affects several flights from Dublin and Belfast City airports to UK cities. Stobart Air is owned by Esken Ltd, formerly Stobart Group Ltd. An Aer Lingus statement said: "Late on the evening of June 11, Stobart Air notified Aer Lingus that it was terminating its franchise agreement with Aer Lingus with immediate effect. "As a result, all Aer Lingus regional flights operated by Stobart Air are cancelled. "Stobart Air referred to the continuing impact of the pandemic which has resulted in almost no flying since March 2020. "Stobart Air has ceased trading and is now in the process of appointing a liquidator. "Aer Lingus apologises to customers for the inconvenience caused by the cancellation at such short notice of all flights operated by Stobart Air. "Aer Lingus is now communicating to customers to advise them of their options for refund or rebooking." Customers who have booked flights are advised not go to the airport and to check the Aer Lingus website. The announcement affects flights from Dublin to Kerry, Donegal, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Newquay. Flights from Belfast City Airport to Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Leeds Bradford, Exeter and East Midlands have also been cancelled. A spokesperson for Belfast City Airport said: "We were informed by Aer Lingus this morning that Stobart Air, who operated the Aer Lingus regional franchise, has ceased operations. "The Aer Lingus Heathrow service is not affected and is still operating. "We apologise to our passengers for this inconvenience and are working with Aer Lingus to ensure these routes are operating again as soon as possible." A spokesperson for Stobart Air said: "It is with great regret and sadness that Stobart Air can confirm that the board is in the process of appointing a liquidator to the business and the airline is to cease operations with immediate effect. "Stobart Air apologises to all its customers for the inconvenience caused at short notice. All 480 staff at the airline have been informed. "Last April, Stobart Air announced that a new owner had been identified. However, it has emerged that the funding to support this transaction is no longer in place and the new owner is now unable to conclude the transaction. "Given the continued impact of the pandemic which has virtually halted air travelaand in the absence of any alternative purchasers or sources of funding, the board of Stobart Air must take the necessary, unavoidable and difficult decision to seek to appoint a liquidator." Esken had agreed back in April to sell Stobart Air to Isle of Man-based Ettyl Ltd for a nominal GBP2, plus up to GBP7.5 million by 2024 depending on performance. Late last month, Esken first said the sale was delayed as it awaited change of control consents that would have allowed Stobart Air to keep its contracts under the new ownership. Then it said it had become aware that Ettyl's proposed financing was no longer available and that Ettyl was in discussions with another potential financing source. source: PA Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. (Alliance News) - European leaders on Saturday told UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to stick to his commitments on Brexit, presenting a united front in a row with London over new trading rules, while a UK government minister told EU chiefs to not be "bloody-minded". The heads of the European Commission and European Council, Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, said there was "complete EU unity" on the need to "implement what we agreed on", AFP reported. Meanwhile, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab urged the EU to take a more "pragmatic" approach to the Northern Ireland issue. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was holding talks with the EU's key players on Saturday as the dispute threatened to overshadow his hosting of the G7 summit. Johnson was meeting with Von der Leyen and Michel, as well as French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in the margins of the gathering in Cornwall. The main summit agenda will see the leaders of the UK, the US, Canada, Japan, France, Germany and Italy commit to a new plan aimed at preventing a repeat of the Covid-19 pandemic. Downing Street has indicated the UK would be prepared to unilaterally delay the full implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol to prevent a ban on chilled meats crossing the Irish Sea from Great Britain. Restrictions on British-produced chilled meats entering Northern Ireland are due to come into force at the end of the month. Delaying the checks without Brussels' agreement risks triggering a "sausage war" trade dispute, with the EU threatening to respond to any breach of the deal signed by the prime minister. Johnson has suggested the EU is taking an "excessively burdensome" approach to post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland. Raab told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "They can be more pragmatic about the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol in a way that is win-win or they can be bloody-minded and purist about it, in which case I am afraid we will not allow the integrity of the UK to be threatened." During the meeting in Cornwall, Macron reportedly told the prime minister the UK-France relationship could only be "reset" if Johnson stood by the Brexit deal, according to French sources. The protocol effectively keeps Northern Ireland in the European single market to avoid a hard border with Ireland, meaning a trade barrier in the Irish Sea for goods crossing from Great Britain. The prime minister's official spokesman told reporters in Cornwall the immediate priority was to find "radical and urgent solutions within the protocol". But "we keep all options on the table", he added, indicating the possibility of a unilateral extension of a grace period to allow sausages to continue to be shipped across the Irish Sea. Downing Street played down expectations of Johnson finding a resolution to the impasse at the Carbis Bay summit. The spokesman suggested the meeting was "not the forum in which he is necessarily seeking to come up with an immediate solution". At a press conference ahead of the G7 summit, von der Leyen insisted the protocol is the "only solution" to prevent a hard border with the Republic and must be implemented in full. Macron also warned the Brexit deal cannot be renegotiated. By David Hughes, PA Political Editor source: PA Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. (Alliance News) - The government should be "cautious" about fully lifting lockdown measures in England due to the rise in cases of the Delta variant which could lead to hospitals being overwhelmed, experts have warned. Peter Openshaw, a member of the Nervtag advisory group, said that it was a "disappointing setback" that the Delta variant first identified India seemed even more successful than the previous strains. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Saturday: "This Delta variant seems to be about 60% more transmissible than that [the Alpha variant]. "So it really has gone up another gear and that means that we really have to double down and not lose all the advantage that has been gained by the massive effort that has been put in so far." Tom Solomon, director of the Health Protection Research Unit in Emerging & Zoonotic Infections at the University of Liverpool, said the country could not afford a "bad decision" on unlocking. He told BBC Breakfast that while vaccines were having a "massive impact", opening up could lead to hospitals being overwhelmed. Solomon added: "If you look at hospitalisations, they are doubling a the numbers are small but they are doubling approximately every seven days a and so if you then suddenly say we are going to open up completely we may end up with the hospitals overwhelmed again. "So I think, unfortunately, we are just going to have to maybe give it another month until we have so many more people vaccinated." Their comments come as UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson looks set to delay the final lifting of restrictions in England following another sharp rise in cases of the Delta variant. Government ministers are considering putting back the relaxing of controls planned for June 21 for up to four weeks as they race to roll out the vaccine to younger age groups. A final decision is expected to be taken on Sunday ahead of a formal announcement by the prime minister at a news conference the following day. Foreign Office minister James Cleverly said it was "key" that the country did not trip up at the final hurdle and that restrictions will be lifted in "a way that is safe". Cleverly told Times Radio on Saturday: "The point we've made right at the start of this progressive easing of lockdown is that we'll be guided by the scientific evidence. "This will be based on data rather than just on dates. "And we want to make sure that we continue with the speedy rollout and vaccination process. "But ultimately we do, all of us, want to get back to the normal way of living and have these restrictions lifted. But it's really, really key that we don't trip up, potentially at the final hurdle. "And so we want to ease these restrictions in a way that is safe." However a delay a potentially to July 19 a will come as a bitter blow to many businesses, particularly in the hospitality and leisure sectors, which had been pinning their hopes on a full summer reopening to help recoup some of the losses of the past year. For Labour, shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said the country was now paying the price for the refusal of ministers to heed the warnings of its own Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies. "Any delay in rolling back restrictions would be a huge blow for many families and businesses across the country. The fault for this lies squarely with Conservative ministers," he said. "Despite warnings from Labour, Sage and others they continued with a reckless border policy that allowed the Delta variant to reach the UK and spread. "Now the British people look set to have to pay the price." Scientists now estimate that 96% of all new cases of coronavirus are attributed to the Delta variant. The latest figures from Public Health England showed there have been 42,323 cases of the Delta variant confirmed in the UK, up by 29,892 from the previous week. It estimates the strain is 60% more transmissible compared with the previously dominant Alpha, or Kent, variant, and that cases are doubling every four-and-a-half days in some parts of England. Meanwhile, Merton Council in south London has announced that it is stepping up targeted surge testing in two areas a including an industrial estate in New Malden a where there have been recent outbreaks. Additional testing is also being carried out in Staffordshire and in Northwich and Winsford in Cheshire. The setback comes as leading figures behind the successful vaccination programme were recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours list. They include the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine mastermind Professor Sarah Gilbert and the ex-chairwoman of the UK vaccine taskforce Kate Bingham who are both recognised with damehoods. By Joe Gammie, PA source: PA Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Over the past five years or so, it has seemed to me that the majority of restaurants in Palma had a few vegetarian options. But as the friends I eat out with are either carnivores or omnivores, Ive never had to look at whats actually available for vegetarians. Until last week. When I invited a woman friend to lunch, she warned me that although she wasnt a vegetarian her friends considered her to be a bit of a problem when it came to ordering dishes. She wasnt into red meat at all and didnt want to know about shellfish of any kind. Marinated or smoked fish was out and, of course, anything from the sea that was raw. She did eat some of the white fish plainly cooked and she was very happy with most chicken and rabbit dishes. All vegetables were in, as were cheeses of all kinds, and also Iberian cured ham and other Spanish charcuterie. That seemed to put her among the omnivores and, super optimistic as always, I was sure Id have no difficulty in finding a restaurant that could cope with her gastronomic needs. The restaurant would also have to meet my requirements: dishes of interest that give me something to write about. I wanted to try a Peruvian restaurant or a Japanese place. On the Peruvian menu, and much to my surprise, every dish but one contained marinated fish of some kind. The Japanese menu was a bit better: two of their dishes were suitable. But that wasnt much of a choice, so I did what I always do on these occasions: I suggested an Indian place because they serve the worlds best vegetarian food. But she isnt into spicy food. I then remembered that Sa Goleta in Avda Argentina, which specialises in menus del dia, has a vegetarian menu. I telephoned cook Josefina Perez to book a table, only to learn that she hasnt restarted the veggie menu. I was thinking of throwing in the towel when she reminded me that she has a vegetable paella on her blackboard list of 12 rice specialities, with at least three veggie starters on her a la carte menu. Well, that paella came to the rescue and I was able to call off the hunt for a suitable restaurant. But my eyes were opened to the poor options vegetarians have when eating at Palma restaurants. And bear in mind that my friend happily eats chicken, rabbit, charcuterie, Iberian cured ham and white fish. Shes hardly a vegetarian. And fortunately for my friend, the paella was a very good one. The rice was nicely al dente and moist and Josefinas judicious use of oil meant the rice and the small-cut veggies were beautifully lubricated. When I had scraped the last grain of rice out of the paella pan, I mentioned that Josefinas paellas are so extra special because she is from Alicante, land of magnificent paellas and other rice dishes. I also mentioned to my friend that Josefinas lechona asada (roast suckling pig) which is on the menu del dia with a 3 supplement, is the best I have ever eaten. She said: Oh, lechona asada is another of the meats I like. Now she tells me. If I had known that, we could have headed straight to Sa Goleta. At least next time I invite her to lunch Ill know exactly where to take her and what Ill be ordering. Weve had our aubergine chips W hen you have to write about what you have eaten for lunch or dinner, one of the best things that can happen to you is finding a strong surprise element in your chosen dishes. Well, with the two starters at Sa Goleta there was a double surprise: when Josefina said she had three vegetable starters I was so pleased to have a restaurant I could go to I didnt even ask what they were. The first surprise came when husband Leo brought the two starters chosen by Josefina. One was a dish I had never seen before and the other contained a veggie I never see at other restaurants. The chips de berenjenas was a new name for an old dish presented in a different way. You find a kind of version of this dish in Mallorcan and Italian cooking when thickish rounds of aubergine are coated in flour (sometimes breadcrumbs) and shallow-fried. They make a nice but unspectacular starter. But Josefina had done something quite different and daring. She sliced the aubergines lengthways as thin as tissue paper by using an electric cutter, dipped them in flour and deep-fried them. You need lots of culinary chutzpah to attempt a dish like that. If the aubergine had been sliced into tissue-thin rounds, this would have been a difficult enough dish to get right. But Josefina had compounded complications by slicing them into unwieldy long and extremely thin strips. She managed to get these chips (for Spaniards the word means anything that it is crisply-fried and presented as a nibble) free of residual oil and very crisp. In less expert hands it could so easily have been a soggy flaccid mess. But Josefina produced a crunchy delight that was worth a 10. Chutzpah, in all walks of life, can bring rewards. One of Josefinas many culinary talents is getting lubrication right: when a dish calls for olive oil she is spot-on with the amount she uses. We saw that with the rice in the paella and also with the courgettes, red peppers and sliced bulb fennel in the frito de verduras. The bulb fennel was so much of surprise it almost came as a shock: cooks at the other restaurants I go to never use it. Yet it is a lovely veggie and Josefina cooked it to a superb soft succulence that provided a nice contrast of textures with the al dente courgettes and red peppers. The verdict Vegetarians do not get a good deal in Palma and its not because they are difficult customers. Its quite the opposite they are most grateful for what little they get and give many thanks for small mercies. Josefinas vegetable paella with its nice mix of young veggies cut up small as tradition demands and with the right touch of moisture and lubrication was a reminder that paellas are, first and foremost, rice dishes. In todays culture, when so many cooks know so little about tradition, the grand seafood paella with its lobster, gambas, crab, mussels, clams and other shellfish push the rice into the background. This paella is about seafood, not about rice. But with the veggie paella the rice was right up front and the veggies, playing an important supporting role, were in the background. And thats exactly how it should be and that was partly why I rated this paella a 10. The aubergine chips were deep-frying tour de force and an incredibly good nibble. I especially liked seeing (and tasting) fresh fennel bulb in the frito de verduras. The place Sa Goleta, Avda Argentina 34, Palma. At the top end of Avda Argentina, next to the San Sebastian church. Tel:971-450155. They open at 1pm, the dining rooms running at 50 per cent capacity, so be sure to reserve a table. The bill Chips de berenjenas, 6.50 Frito de verduras, 7.50 2 vegetable paellas, 25 Red fruit cheesecake, 3.50 Pudding with ice cream, 3.50 Total cost with VAT: 46 Michael Harris, Anne Hernandez, Debbie Williams and Sue Wilson, who all run prominent citizens rights organisations in Spain, have been awarded MBEs for services to British Nationals in Spain and the European Union, in the Queens Birthday Honours List published on Friday 11 June 2021. Based in Madrid, Michael Harris is the founder and Vice President of EuroCitizens and a British in Europe committee member. A long-time resident of Spain, and a former teacher and writer of English-language textbooks, Michael founded the grassroots organisation EuroCitizens in September 2016. The groups purpose was, and remains, to defend the rights of UK nationals in Spain and has particularly provided a forum for those of working age. Michael has worked consistently to keep citizens rights firmly in the public eye, both informing the UK community and lobbying the Spanish government to great effect. He has also created strong working relationships with UK Nationals groups across Europe and been an integral part of the British in Europe coalition. HMA Hugh Elliott said: Mike has made an exceptional contribution in standing up for the rights of UK Nationals in Spain and his work to effectively lobby key political interlocutors in Spain and the EU on their behalf has been hugely impressive. I am also grateful for the way he has worked alongside the Embassy providing just the right level of support and challenge! His work to defend their rights has been invaluable to so many of the British community in Spain. Michael Harris said: I am pleasantly surprised to receive this MBE for my work with EuroCitizens and British in Europe, campaigning for the rights of Britons in Spain and the EU affected by Brexit. Anne Hernandez, a retired university lecturer, moved to Spain over 30 years ago. Based in Andalucia, Anne spearheaded the formation of Brexpats in Spain. As its President, Anne has worked tirelessly to inform UK nationals of their EU exit rights and responsibilities. She has championed key issues, supported UK nationals to access services, lobbied the Spanish local authorities for improvements, and supported the Embassy and Consulates to disseminate accurate information. HMA Hugh Elliott said: Anne has given freely and selflessly of her time, actively and practically supporting UK nationals, the Embassy, and the Spanish authorities. As the driving force behind Brexpats in Spain, Anne has brought together a body of trusted experts to provide free and accurate information to members; ensuring UK nationals are aware of their rights and take the necessary actions to protect them. Her work has had an indisputably positive effect on the lives of so many UK nationals living in Spain. Anne Hernandez said: I have never in my life refused help to anybody and, to think that just by offering that same kindness to my fellow Brits in Spain could result in this prestigious award, it is honestly overwhelming. Steering ones way through the maze of requirements and changes since Brexit hasnt been easy for many and I am honoured that my help to them has been recognised in this way. A former member of the armed forces, Debbie Williams, based in the Valencia region, set up the grass roots organisation Brexpats - Hear Our Voice (BHOV) as a pan-European group a few days after the EU Referendum in June 2016. Moving from Belgium to Spain shortly afterwards, she continued her lobbying, engagement and awareness-raising efforts, considering the impact of the UKs departure from the EU on both UK Nationals in Europe and EU Nationals in the UK. She has made a huge contribution in raising awareness of the impact of the UKs exit from the EU on the lives of UK nationals in Europe, not only as founder of Brexpats Hear Our Voice, but as a member of the British in Europe Steering Committee, and co-editor of the In Limbo Project. HMA Hugh Elliott said: Debbies voluntary contribution has been outstanding going beyond lobbying to provide a voice to citizens and to raise awareness of the impact the UKs exit from the EU has had on the daily lives of individuals on both a practical and emotional level. Through Brexpats Hear Our Voice, Debbie has created a platform that ensures the voice of everyone who is affected by the EU referendum is heard, regardless of their nationality. Debbie Williams said: I was surprised and humbled to hear that I merited this honour. I am grateful for the recognition, but none of this would have been possible without the assistance of so many other wonderfully dedicated campaigners who, for the last five challenging years, have been volunteering on behalf of so many people, especially the vulnerable. As Chair of Bremain in Spain, Sue Wilson is one of the most visible campaigners for the rights of UK nationals in the EU. When moving to Spain to retire over 10 years ago, she had no experience of advocacy, campaigning work or speaking in public. However, the result of the 2016 EU referendum affected her deeply and since then she has worked on the issue of UK nationals rights in various different ways. Sue has lobbied UK and EU influencers and made great efforts to inform the UK Governments work on citizens rights, including appearing in front of the Select Committee for Exiting the EU. She has multiplied the reach of key messages to thousands of UK nationals writing articles in the press, actively participating on social media and appearing alongside British Embassy and Consular colleagues at outreach events. HMA Hugh Elliott said: Sue has worked with great determination to raise the profile of citizens rights amongst politicians and key influencers. Her remarkable contribution and collaborative approach has helped the UK government minimise preventable consular cases by ensuring UK nationals in the EU are reflected in the negotiations and that they have a clear understanding of their rights and how to access them. Her work has had a positive impact on the lives of thousands of UK nationals. Sue Wilson said: It has been a great pleasure working with Ambassador Hugh Elliott and his Embassy staff in Madrid, helping British citizens navigate the post-Brexit landscape. It has been a labour of love - a tough one at times - but to have that work recognised and appreciated is a wonderful and unexpected surprise. Im absolutely delighted! The four UK nationals named in the Queens Birthday Honours List are: An MBE to Michael HARRIS, Vice President, EuroCitizens. For services to British Nationals in Spain and the European Union. An MBE to Anne Patricia Dawn HERNANDEZ, President, Brexpats in Spain. For services to British Nationals in Spain. An MBE to Debbie WILLIAMS, Founder, Brexpats Hear Our Voice. For services to British Nationals in the European Union. An MBE to Sue WILSON, Chair, Bremain in Spain. For services to British Nationals in Spain and the European Union. It is 4:45 a.m. and my husband Joe just left for work. Sons Benjamin and Joseph left before that. On Thursday I had to help with the wedding food prep at the home of neighbors Joas and Susan, for their daughter Carol. Sisters Verena, Emma and I went together. My job was to help cut up the broccoli and cauliflower for the salad. We also cup up the potatoes for the dressing. Quite a few other women were there doing various jobs. We regret that we couldnt attend the wedding of Jacob and Margaret (cousin Esthers daughter). We appreciated the invitation, and wish them a long and happy married life. On Friday we attended Carol and Adens wedding. My job as cook was to help peel potatoes for mashed potatoes. The noon meal was very delicious and consisted of mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, grilled chicken, buttered noodles, green beans, broccoli/cauliflower salad, homemade bread, strawberry jam and butter, mixed fresh fruit, peanut butter and strawberry pies, angel food cake topped with strawberry glaze and candy bars. After the noon meal, we headed home to prepare for our trip to Kentucky. We started out later than we wanted, with waiting on everyone to get home from work. It was nice for our whole family and sister Verena to travel on a bus. On Saturday we spent the day at Joes sister Salome and Morris house. It was a nice day! Not all of Joes siblings attended, but we had a good time visiting with those who came. The day went much too fast. The children enjoyed a water balloon fight, which cooled them off on that hot day. We headed home for Michigan on Sunday around noon. It was good to get home safe and sound. Everyone was ready for bed early. We had a nice trip. Always thankful for Gods protecting hand. Last night we had good attendance at my book signing at the Middlebury, Indiana library. Thanks so much to all the readers who came, gave encouragement and bought books. Thanks also to the librarians for their hospitality. My friend Ruth again took time from her family to drive for us. Daughters Verena and Susan and grandchildren Jennifer and Ryan also attended. It was good for Susan to get out of the house and get her mind off everything. The readers there were very caring about her situation. This afternoon I will go to daughter Susans house to help her get ready for all the help that is coming tonight. Our church is making a work night at her house to help her get caught up with whatever needs to be done. Supper is being brought in as well. Foremost on our minds is brother-in-law Jacob. He was admitted to the hospital yesterday. He hasnt been feeling well lately, so doctors are running tests to see what is going on. I talked to sister Emma last night after she came home from the hospital. Please keep Jacob in your prayers. With everything that has happened in our family, it just makes me worry. But why worry if we can pray? That is sometimes easier said than done. God is a great help. Today six months ago was the accident of Dan and Mose. Jodi and Susan (their widows) are on my mind this morning. They need our continued prayers. God bless you all! Lovinas Amish Kitchen is written by Lovina Eicher, Old Order Amish writer, cook, wife, and mother of eight. Her newest cookbook, Amish Family Recipes, is available wherever books are sold. Readers can write to Eicher at PO Box 1689, South Holland, IL 60473 (please include a self-addressed stamped envelope for a reply); or email LovinasAmishKitchen@MennoMedia.org and your message will be passed on to her to read. She does not personally respond to emails. Green Beans 2 pounds fresh green beans, cut up 3 tablespoons butter 8 ounces bacon, cooked to the desired crispness and cut into small pieces salt black pepper seasoning salt Place the green beans in a large pot, cover with water, salt as desired, and cook until the green beans are tender. Drain. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook until browned. Add the green beans and stir to coat. Continue to heat until the green beans are steaming hot. Add the cooked bacon, along with salt, pepper, and seasoning salt, and serve. 20 YEARS AGO Sunken Jeep mystery Brothers Carl and Robert Skipski waited and watched as divers searched the Manistee River on Monday where a sunken Jeep was found. The Skipski's hope the vehicle will yield the body of their brother, Frank, who disappeared in 1973. A large crowd gathered at the site to watch the event which will continue today when divers and salvage crews return to the area to lift the Jeep from the water. 40 YEARS AGO First four-game winner Pizza Hut became the first four-game winner in any softball division last night when they took a 6-2 victory over Sengs in Blue Divison action. With the victory Pizza Hut moved up to a perfect 4-0 record with the Civic Club/VFW who also won last night being their nearest competition with a 2-1 record. Now playing Now playing at the Vogue Theatre is the new Jerry Lewis comedy, Hardly Working. Showtimes are 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. this week. Playing at the Chippewa Drive-In is Robert Hayes in Take this Job and Shove It and Smokey and the Hotwire Gang. Take this Job and Shove It starts at 9:35 p.m. this week and is repeated late on Friday and Saturday. Smokey and the Hotwire Gang starts at 11:50 p.m. daily. 60 YEARS AGO Migrant ministry workers arrive Migrant Ministry workers have arrived and are staying at the Herbert Cooley home. These workers, who will conduct religious and recreation work throughout the country are the Misses Cecelia Sonchez of Ithaca and Janet Conat of Jackson, and a man from Cuba who is a student at Asbury College, Leo Frade. 80 YEARS AGO State trooper uniform set Michigan State Troopers, Company 402, will be garbed in blue-gray uniforms, the color scheme adopted at the request of the war department in place of the previously planned forest green. Each state troop member in the city will be provided with tailored trousers, overseas cap coat, khaki shirt and black silk tie. Comedy show Billroys Comedians, bringing a company of 80 people, including many lovely chorus girls and 15 featured vaudeville acts, is coming to Manistee Monday. Billroys Comedians, a famed name in the history of touring theatrical attractions for the past 17 years, presents a red hot musical extravaganza, offering an eye-filling spectacle, sparkling with music, gaiety and dazzling with the fairest of gorgeous girls. This gala attraction will present a two-hour performance in its large tented theatre, which will be located at the River Street show grounds. Compiled by Mark Fedder at the Manistee County Historical Museum THOMPSONVILLE The Benzie Area Historical Society is hosting a community event to celebrate the dedication of the historic marker at Thompsonville's Diamond Crossing. The event will be held at 2 p.m. on June 19 at the Red Thompsonville Junction Caboose, and in case of inclement weather, will be moved to the pavilion at the Thompsonville Village Hall, 14714 Lincoln St. The celebration will be followed by a "public visioning session for the future", and residents and community members are encouraged to join the celebration and share their vision for this historic site. The historic marker at the Diamond Crossing, Benzie County's 10th, will be officially dedicated by Tom Truscott, a commissioner with the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office. This marker and historical recognition by the State of Michigan serves to underscore the significance of the crossing of the Pere Marquette and Ann Arbor railroads during the 19th century. The diamond-shaped crossing of steel rails and the subsequent rail traffic that it facilitated was instrumental in the growth and economic development of Thompsonville, Benzie County and in northern lower Michigan, in the late 19th and early 20th century. The crossing was situated approximately 124 feet south of Thompson Road. Together with the Village of Thompsonville, Weldon and Colfax townships, the historical society is hosting this event to give the surrounding community an opportunity to celebrate the official recognition of the site's historical impact and significance. Attendees will also be invited to participate in a variety of activities aimed at developing a physical concept plan for the property. Public input is being requested to see what the residents and community would like to see at this historic site. The information will be gathered for a report and used to initiate concept plans. The concept plans will then be brought back to the public for review and refinement. The site design process is being led by the Thompsonville Junction Revitalization Committee in partnership with the consulting firm Beckett & Raeder, Inc. For more information on the Benzie Area Historical Society event visit www.benziemuseum.org or call the Benzie Area Historical Museum at (231) 882-5539. Marietta, GA (30060) Today Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to mostly cloudy skies after midnight. Low 69F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to mostly cloudy skies after midnight. Low 69F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Atlanta, GA (30303) Today A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 69F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Katja Ridderbusch is an Atlanta-based journalist who reports for news organizations in the U.S. and her native Germany. Her stories have appeared in Kaiser Health News, U.S. News & World Report, USA Today and several NPR affiliates. Georgia Health News, a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, tracks state medical issues on its website georgiahealthnews .com. George Edward Logan, age 82 of Conneautville, PA passed away on June 27, 2021, at Hamot Hospital with family. He was born November 14, 1938, in Meadville, PA to the late Catherine (Ohl) Logan and Thomas P. Logan. He graduated in 1957 from Conneautville High School where he was a star athlete Covid-19 not only causes loss of taste and smell, respiratory distress, but also leads to hearing and balance disorders. Also, aggravates tinnitus symptoms, reveals a new study. The factors that may play a role in the relationship between Covid-19 and hearing are multifold. Covid-19 is known to have inflammatory effects, including in neurological tissue, which can exacerbate other problems, said Colleen Le Prell, from the University of Texas at Dallas. When Covid-19 worsens the symptoms of tinnitus (ringing in the ears), it can lead to pandemic-related loneliness, sleep troubles, anxiety, depression, irritability, and financial worries. "Increases in tinnitus bothersomeness were associated with reports of pandemic-related loneliness, sleep troubles, anxiety, depression, irritability, and financial worries," Le Prell said. "In other words, participants who experienced general increases in stress reported their tinnitus to be more bothersome than before the pandemic." Some early experimental treatments, like chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine (which are not recommended by the National Institutes of Health), can also have auditory side effects, particularly in patients with kidney problems. "When the kidneys are not functioning properly, the drug may not (be) metabolized and eliminated from the body as quickly, which can increase physiological drug concentrations and risk of side effects," Le Prell said. "Old age is often accompanied by decreased renal function, and Covid-19 can cause renal dysfunction, which increases the risk that a patient who is given an experimental therapy for Covid-19 will be at risk for ototoxicity," Le Prell noted. Prell presented the study during the 180th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, which will be held virtually June 8-10. Source: IANS In addition, there are several studies suggesting the mental anxiety caused by the pandemic, such as lockdown-related stress and concerns about the negative impacts of masks on audibility and communication accessibility, may magnify the auditory impacts of the virus. This is especially so for people who already had tinnitus, prior to the pandemic."Increases in tinnitus bothersomeness were associated with reports of pandemic-related loneliness, sleep troubles, anxiety, depression, irritability, and financial worries," Le Prell said. "In other words, participants who experienced general increases in stress reported their tinnitus to be more bothersome than before the pandemic."Some early experimental treatments, like chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine (which are not recommended by the National Institutes of Health), can also have auditory side effects, particularly in patients with kidney problems."When the kidneys are not functioning properly, the drug may not (be) metabolized and eliminated from the body as quickly, which can increase physiological drug concentrations and risk of side effects," Le Prell said."Old age is often accompanied by decreased renal function, and Covid-19 can cause renal dysfunction, which increases the risk that a patient who is given an experimental therapy for Covid-19 will be at risk for ototoxicity," Le Prell noted.Prell presented the study during the 180th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, which will be held virtually June 8-10.Source: IANS "Inflammation can damage the auditory and vestibular pathways in the peripheral and central nervous system, just as it damages smell and taste pathways, and other neural systems," Le Prell said. Sharib Hashmis mantra for aspiring actors is to start following their ambitions early in their life and not wait as he did. We have now seen him as JK Talpade in The Family Man 2 and its not wrong to say that we cant imagine the show without his character, because he has done a commendable job displaying his powerful acting skills and also adding humour to the show. His journey has been a roller-coaster ride and he has dealt with many obstacles until he was finally able to make a mark. From almost giving up his passion for acting to making JK a hit character on the show, Sharib has made a separate fan base altogether. His journey started from the chawls in Mumbai and Sharibs father ZA Johar was a noted film journalist. His father wanted him to pursue acting after he finished his degree in Economics from Bhavans college. In an interview with Your Story, he said, While my parents were of the impression that I am good-looking, I had no such delusions. Also, even for character roles, I felt my height would be a problem. I just naively gave up on my dream without pursuing it. He got his first job as an Assistant Director to Nabh Kumar Raju for the film Hum Tumpe Marte Hai in 1998. In the same interview, he shared his experience working with the stars of that era. It is something that taught me a lot about the art of filmmaking. I have no formal training in acting or direction, so I learn everything on the sets. And the first film I worked on had stellar actors like Govinda, Urmila Matondkar, Dimple Kapadia, and Paresh Rawal. For a film buff like me, it was a dream come true. I want to become a director. He then went on to become a writer and wrote VJ links for MTV. He kept at it and it was in 2007 that he landed a role in Slumdog Millionaire. He then wanted to follow his passion for acting for real. He gave hundreds of auditions but was rejected in many, leaving him disheartened but he kept trying. In an interview with Times Of India, he said, When it comes to rejection, I have faced a lot of them, in fact, I have used these rejections as a motivating factor to work harder, fight back, and to become better each day. I always take these rejections very positively and it has helped me in becoming a better person and growing stronger in my craft. When things didnt work, he had to leave his passion and look for a job as he was married and also had a child. His wife was supporting him but he still had to have a job to keep the house running. He again tried his luck in films but things changed when he got to call from the casting director of Yash Raj Films - Shanoo Sharma. After giving an audition for Jab Tak Hai Jaan, he got the role of Zain, and at the same time, he bagged a role in Filmistaan. He even won the Best Actor in a comic role, Screen Award for his role in Filmistaan. Things changed for good for the actor and after this, he didnt look back and went on to do many other roles. He finally landed the role of JK Talpade in The Family Man. He has been a part of both seasons and would be continuing with his character in the third season too. We wish only the best for the actor and we think his amazing journey actually has the potential to be documented as a film, such has been his struggle. Vidya Balan is one actor who is known to lead the charge of portraying strong characters in female-centric Bollywood films. Sony Pictures Such has been her credibility that, the 42-year-old actress has bagged a large collection of awards that include one National Film Award, 6 Filmfare Awards, 6 Screen Awards, 4 International Indian Film Academy Awards, and several others. In order to thrive in an industry where survival is considered to be so difficult, one really needs to have a lot of character, which the actress surely has in plenty. However, despite her tremendous amount of success, the actress has still been subjected to gender bias. iStock Opening up upon the incident that happened over dinner, the Kahaani and Dirty Picture actor revealed how she was once interrogated on her cooking skills. I remember people telling me over a dinner that Oh my god, you dont know how to cook." said Vidya, while speaking to Times Now Digital. The actress in her reply said, No, both Sidharth (Roy Kapur) and I dont know how to cook, DNA India However, Vidya explained how the person then told her that she should know how to cook. I wanted to say, why should it be any different for Sidharth and me? said Vidya. The actor also went on to explain how when she was younger, even her mother would ask her to learn to cook, to which she would reply that she'd rather hire a cook or marry a man who can cook. Prime Video Vidya, whose latest film Sherni is set to release on OTT giant Amazon Prime on June 18, said that while everyone faced gender bias, it is definitely more in the case of women. It is sharper when it comes to women, said Vidya. Imagine you're out there diving in the sea, observing all the colorful fish and corals, and suddenly a 14 meter-long, 30,000-kilogram weighing whale thinks you're dinner? iStock Scary, right? Well, your wildest nightmare was someone's reality just recently. In a bizarre incident that shook our faith in childhood movies like the Free Willy series, a diver was swallowed whole by a humpback whale in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, United States. Facebook/Provincetown Community Space Michael Packard, a 56-year-old lobster diver almost thought he was toast after a humpback whale swallowed him while he was diving. However, luckily for Packard, he lived to tell the tale after the large mammal spat him back out in the sea after a period of what, 40 seconds. (Yikes!!) "I was lobster diving and A humpback whale tried to eat me." - from Captain Michael Packard's post on the Provincetown Facebook page. https://t.co/TMPQmE8U1S pic.twitter.com/1rpEx5mTSQ Susan Zalkind (@susanzalkind) June 11, 2021 Sharing his story on a Facebook page called Provincetown Community Space, Packard, officially one of the luckiest men on Earth, said, Hi everyone, I just want to clarify what happened to me today. I was lobster diving and a humpback whale tried to eat me. I was in his closed mouth for about 30 to 40 seconds before he rose to the surface and spit me out. I am very bruised up but have no broken bones. I want to thank the Provincetown rescue squad for their caring and help, Packard had been admitted to the Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis for the injuries he sustained in the aftermath of the incident. Describing the horrible encounter after he was released from the hospital, he said, All of a sudden, I felt this huge shove, and the next thing I knew it was completely black, I could sense I was moving, and I could feel the whale squeezing with the muscles in his mouth. I was completely inside; it was completely black. I thought to myself, theres no way Im getting out of here. Im done, Im dead. All I could think of was my boys theyre 12 and 15 years old. he told Cape Cod Times. Meridian, MS (39302) Today A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. A few clouds. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. A few clouds. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable. Click here to log in and see all of our other subscription options for the Mesabi Tribune, including online only & auto-renewal subscriptions. In summer 2020, The New York Times coordinated a nationwide project to document the lives of Americans out of work because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study involved collaborating with 11 other local newsrooms around the U.S. The Messenger-Inquirer was the only newspaper from Kentucky in the collaboration. The resulting collection of stories was published Oct. 23, 2020, in the New York Times print edition and at nytimes.com/outofwork. The following list is the Messenger-Inquirer's local unemployment coverage from that time period; read more by clicking the "New York Times Project" header. Click on "Out Of Work In America" to go to the full KABUL - Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan welcomes the commitment of the European Parliament to support the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process, ensuring lasting peace in Afghanistan, and post-conflict reconstruction in Afghanistan. Emphasizing the need for a political settlement, the Afghan government remains committed to commencement of meaningful peace talks, leading to lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan. The resolution expresses concern regarding the alarming increase in violence by the Taliban and calls on the Taliban to cease their attacks on civilians and national forces. The Afghan government stands for peaceful settlement of disputes and advises the Taliban to adhere to Islamic values and international humanitarian law. The resolution emphasizes preservation of Afghanistan's gains over the last two decades, particularly the rights of women and girls. The Afghan government underscores preservation and strengthening of the Afghans gains over the last two decades, particularly the human rights, the rights of women, girls and children, and freedom of expression, and supports active role of women in Afghanistans political future. The resolution also urges the European Council, the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the European Commission to prepare and present to the European Parliament, as soon as possible, a comprehensive strategy for future cooperation with Afghanistan. The Afghan government welcomes the continuation of Europes support and cooperation with Afghanistan following the withdrawal of the Resolute Support forces and stresses the consolidation and expansion of relations within the new chapter of cooperation with the world. KABUL Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Haneef Atmar met the United Nations Secretary-General Personal Envoy on Afghanistan and Regional Issues Mr. Jean Arnault, this morning. Minister Atmar congratulated Mr. Arnault on his new tenure as the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for Afghanistan and Regional Issues and commended the UN co-operation and its effective role in support of the Afghan Peace Process. Minister Atmar further elaborated on the Afghan governments agenda for political and security affairs, and the peace talks, stressing the need for immediate and comprehensive ceasefire, and the importance of strengthening regional consensus to support the process. Pleased with his new mission in Afghanistan and the region, Mr. Arnault highlighted the United Nations role in the Afghan Peace Process and added that intensified attacks and increased violence in Afghanistan were unacceptable for the UN and all those supporting peace in Afghanistan. Emphasizing the importance of accelerated peace talks, Mr. Arnault called for an immediate ceasefire. He noted that continued violence in Afghanistan, delay in resumption of meaningful peace talks, and the Talibans disparity to an immediate ceasefire could compromise the success of the Peace Process. Referring to UN Security Council Resolution 2513 and the Taliban's non-compliance with their commitments to sever ties with regional and international terrorist groups, Mr. Arnault expressed concern about the situation, calling it a spoiler to achieving lasting peace in Afghanistan. The two sides stressed the importance of strengthening regional consensus and unifying the perspectives of regional countries and organizations to achieve a political settlement, peace, security, and stability in Afghanistan. They also assessed continued cooperation in the fight against terrorism and preserving of Afghanistans gains achieved in the last two decades. When Independence Day approaches, we often take time to reflect on those who made the sacrifices that allow us to enjoy our democratic freedoms. Sadly, the contributions of Black Americans often get left out of the discussion. Andrea Booms and Nicholas MacAlpine, both Huron Area Technical Center students, were twof 75 students in the state awarded the 2021 Breaking Traditions Merit Awards. The award recognizes students whbreak traditions by pursing careers in which fewer than 25% of the people working in that field are their gender. Booms is enrolled in the HATC Power Technology Program and MacAlpine is enrolled in the HATC Health Science Program. The awards were provided by the Michigan Department of Education. "These 75 students overcame perceived barriers tachieve success in career and technical education programs that are nontraditional ttheir gender, which makes them role models for their peers whmay be considering similar career paths," said State Superintendent Dr. Michael Rice in a press release. "Michigan benefits from the Breaking Traditions Award recipients through an increasingly diverse workforce necessary tmeet the challenges of a 21st century economy and trecover from the COVID-19 pandemic." According tthe release, There are three levels of awards: Excellence, Merit, and Recognition. The highest secondary and post-secondary BTA winners received the excellence award, which includes a $500 scholarship from the Michigan Occupational Special Populations Association (MOSPA), an award plaque, a certificate, and a letter of recognition. Merit winners will receive an award plaque, a certificate, and a letter of recognition. Recognition winners will receive a certificate and letter of recognition. Awards criteria included: Completion of a CTE program nontraditional ttheir gender;Enrollment in a Michigan high school, career center, or post-secondary program this year;Nomination by a teacher, counselor, administrator, or other staffer employed by the student's school or career center;Satisfactory academic standing, acceptable citizenship, and disciplinary history; andContribution to awareness of nontraditional careers through successful participation in one or more of the following activities:Exemplary completion of a program considered nontraditional the student's gender;Successful competition in a program-related event or contest;Participation in a CTE student organization;Recruitment of other students in the programs nontraditional for their gender;Mentoring of other students in CTE programs nontraditional for their gender; orSignificant contributions tthe student's CTE program.Applicants provided twletters of support and wrote a brief narrative explaining their career obstacles faced and key accomplishments. MDE's Office of CTE oversees high school instructional programs that teach students skills in a specific career cluster. Most programs offer early college credit opportunities to provide a seamless transition to post-secondary education. These programs support Michigan's Top 10 Strategic Education Plan guiding principle to provide students with access thigh-quality instruction regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, race, economic status, native language, or physical, emotional, and cognitive abilities to close the student achievement and opportunity gaps that currently exist. "The Breaking Traditions Awards extend beyond individual students. These awards also represent the quality of the school culture," Dr. Brian Pyles, director of CTE at the Michigan Department of Education, said. "Clearly, these schools embrace an inclusive student focused instructional environment supported by staff, students and community." NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) As middle school teacher Brittany Paschall assembled a lesson plan on the history of the Negro Baseball Leagues, she wondered how she might have to go about it differently next year under a new Tennessee state law that prohibits teaching certain concepts of race and racism. The unit was about baseball, but more importantly, it was about segregation and racism in America. I kept thinking, in light of this bill, if this were next year, how would I teach this to my students? said Paschall, an English teacher in Nashville. Do we teach students to ignore tough subjects? Laws setting guiderails for classroom instruction on race passed this year in Republican-controlled states have left some teachers worried about how they will be enforced. Particularly in districts with large numbers of people of color, educators say they worry everyday discussions about students' experiences could land teachers in hot water. In response to a push for culturally responsive teaching that gained steam following last year's police killing of George Floyd, Republican lawmakers and governors have championed legislation to limit the teaching of material that explores how race and racism influence American politics, culture and law. The measures have become law in Tennessee, Idaho and Oklahoma and bills have been introduced in over a dozen other states. Professional teachers associations and some school boards have blasted the laws as disrespecting teachers' judgment and opening the door to censorship. This is an assault on the craft of teaching, said Paschall, who is Black. Its asking me to show up and ignore parts of my own identity. The Tennessee law that takes effect July 1 allows the state education commissioner to withhold funds from any school found to be in violation. Among other things, Tennessees teachers cant instruct that an individual, by virtue of the individuals race or sex, is inherently privileged, racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or subconsciously. The law still permits impartial discussion of controversial aspects of history, but teachers are uncertain how to square that with the main thrust of the legislation, as state officials begin working on finalizing rules on how to implement the new law. Opposition among teachers is not universal. In a survey by the Tennessee Council for the Social Studies, 64 of 403 members responded with their thoughts on the legislation. While 61% said it would greatly or slightly affect their teaching, 22% said it would likely not or definitely not affect their teaching. Among the written responses shared anonymously by the council, one of the teachers who said it would not affect their teaching wrote: "Telling students of color they are discriminated against will only serve to make the students feel victimized. This has no place in schools. The bills in various states limit the teaching of ideas linked to critical race theory, which seeks to reframe the narrative of American history. Its proponents argue that federal law has preserved the unequal treatment of people on the basis of race and that the country was founded on the theft of land and labor. In the Oklahoma City school district of Millwood, where over 70% of students are Black, Superintendent Cecilia Robinson-Woods said teachers were confused by the implications of the new law's ban on saying certain people are inherently racist or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously. She said one young Black teacher assigned a project around an issue students want to solve in their community and they came back with topics including gentrification, Jim Crow, mass incarceration and the Tulsa race massacre. This is what these kids are thinking about. To say you can't talk about this, its impossible, Robinson-Woods said. After the new law passed, the teacher asked the superintendent if the project meant he was teaching critical race theory. She told him students in the district's K-12 schools aren't being taught such concepts. What you should be doing is having student led-discussions that are balanced," Robinson-Woods said she told the teacher. So if kids are interested in learning about Green Book, then yeah, they need to learn about Jim Crow as well. Were not doing anything differently because we dont believe were teaching critical race theory, she added. The new law was condemned by school boards in Millwood as well as Oklahoma City, where the board chair, Paula Lewis, said it was a measure in search of a problem because there have been no examples of somebody telling a student they are a white supremacist or an oppressor because of their skin color. Still, she said, teachers are apprehensive about crossing a line. In our mind, it really just adds a layer of fear, she said. Tennessee teachers also are eager to see how the new law is interpreted by state officials. Bianca Martinez, a sixth-grade English teacher in Memphis, points to the difficult conversations her students brought up last year when the class read Brown Girl Dreaming," a young adult novel on growing up Black in the 1960s in South Carolina and New York. In my lesson plans, I didn't have language that said critical race theory, systematic racism, or privilege, she said. But those conversations came up and they're going to continue to happen. My question is, how are you going to police that?" Martinez said. "And what does violating the measure mean? ___ Melia reported from Hartford, Conn. While some builders would rather raze an antique home to build a new one, some preservationists say not so fast. Thats because old houses often have a story to tell, they say. The issue has sparked lively discussions on Facebook after recent tear-downs of local landmarks the Warner House in Pine Orchard, Pawson Park Roller Rink House in Branford, and Generals Residence in Madison, which was demolished last August. Architect George Knight of New Haven, a senior critic for the Yale School of Architecture, does not know the Warner House, but spoke about buildings that are an integral part of a neighborhood. Knight is well-known for his high-profile work conserving the Yale Center for British Art in New Haven. Not all structures are meant to be saved, Knight said, making the comparison to felling a sick tree. But oftentimes, he said, much of the Prewar construction found in Connecticut is superior to what is built today, and these older structures are adaptable to modern needs. The ones that are generally worth preserving are far better built with more robustly built construction than current architecture. The quality of the construction is so much better than it is today, Knight added. The adaptability and robustness of the building lent themselves to adapt, whereas most contemporary buildings dont. Through his work with historic structures, Knight has found that the older buildings are not over-engineered much stouter than they needed to be and have ornamental character. That speaks to their preservation, he said. While some builders may balk at dealing with obsolete mechanicals in an old house, Knight said its not a deal breaker. Things like lack of air conditioning is not a reason to tear down a house its simply too easy to install. With nearly any old building, Knight added, Its always the case the mechanical systems are not what they need to be. But that is easily overcome. Whatevers going to replace the Warner house will very soon have obsolete an mechanical system that will need to be upgraded or replaced eventually, he said. Peter and Travis Gulick, father-and-son Madison builders who specialize in restoring and renovating historic buildings, echoed Knights sentiments. There is no comparison to how much better the materials were in the 18th century than they are now, Peter Gulick said. Theres the beautiful, old-growth wood. Stonework can be restored as well, and often holds up, Peter Gulick noted. He recalled a 1690 house he and his son worked on: The stonework was beautiful, totally level still after 300 years. Older homes lend themselves to restoration by their very structure, he added. And, you can open all the walls up, and weve done it several times. The frame can hold it up. A timber frame house all the parts can be replaced. We have saved things when people have said, Oh, they can tear the house down rarely thats the case, Gulick said. Generals Residence The Gulicks were sad to see the Generals Residence in Madison be condemned by the town and torn down. However, before the actual demolition, the developers took some care, and pieces of the 18th-century house that were considered historically significant were dismantled, catalogued and salvaged. But that was not enough, the builders said. In fact, the pair toured the house and said it could have been easily saved, Gulick said. We had the same thing [as the Warner house] happen in Madison the Generals Residence. We toured the house one of the beams, one post needed to be replaced, he said. It was a cracked beam and there was a cave-in in the roof above it. It was all repairable. Weve seen and saved a lot worse. Maybe there would have been some other things, but not that big a deal. Gulick said homeowners may jump the gun when they decide to knock down an old house theyve just purchased. Often, people who dont understand historic restoration will say, Ill tear it down, because it has a crack in a post. Its so easy to replace those parts, he said. In the case where the new owner hates the old house, but loves the location, Gulick said, its really up to the community to step in by establishing historic districts. Whether a house is saved from the bulldozer can come down to where its located, he said. In Fairfield, that would never happen, he said about the razing of the Generals Residence. The differences in the different [Connecticut] towns is amazing, when it comes to historic preservation, he said. Even owners of old houses are not always knowledgeable, Gulick noted. Hed get a call from a client, saying, Oh, these sills are rotting out well, that must be a huge project. Well fix that in two days. People dont have any clue about old houses, he continued. People think theyre so much work, and its going to take forever and cost so much money. Really, a lot of times thats not the case. Some add value to the neighborhood Knight said some historic homes have a value that may not be obvious one that he calls character defining of a community or a street. Antique houses may have more of an intrinsic value than its sale price, he said. He made the analogy of a mature tree in a neighborhood and what its real worth is to the residents. Why not chop down the tree? What is the value of the tree in the neighborhood? Knight said. A healthy, mature tree adds value to the neighborhood that is not measured in dollars and cents, he said. If were talking about a mature tree, then I think it confers a sense of time, and a sense of place for which there is no substitute. I think it sounds like Pine Orchard might have lost a certain measure of character in demolishing that house, he said about the Warner House. He also said that tearing down a viable house is a destruction of resources in some cases. Its hard to justify the removal, the discarding of what appears to be a fairly viable home. Zoning can play a part It can be a challenge to preserving an historic home, especially in working within town zoning laws. Sometimes, the answer is not to restore it for its original use, Knight said. Whats challenging is the use restrictions that it might have, he said. If it can only be a single family house, its more complicated. He listed many uses for older houses and buildings, such as a bed and breakfast, multi-family housing, recreational use, shared use and community service use. Knight pointed to a New Haven project he is proud of, the restoration of the distinctive Tilton House, during which he worked with a really imaginative builder, Urbane New Haven. The builder, he said, bought a moribund, formerly glamorous, glorious [building] on the corner of Lawrence and Whitney Ave. The Tilton brothers had built two adjoining houses two L-structures that formed a U-shape. In recent years, the building was sharply divided up into office condominiums, and a medical society occupied it, he noted. Urbane bought the unusual house and recognized its value as a residential property, turning it into four residential condos, Knight said, that truly were magnificently attractive places to live. This type of repurposing old buildings is not new to Knight. Weve adapted department stores into residential buildings and old warehouses to help meet the demand for more residential housing in New Haven that were really on the way to the wrecking ball. These preservationists share a love of giving new life to old structures or simply conserving them. Travis Gulick talks about antique homes in this area. Were in New England this is the oldest part of the country. This is the character. This is our communities having this type of story. How were our towns built, how the cities were built, he said. There are so many stories that go along with the old bones, Travis Gulick said. PHOENIX (AP) Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Thursday called a special session of the state Legislature to boost wildfire funding as two large wildfires continue to burn in south-central Arizona. The Republican governor wants the Legislature to approve extra money to ensure that firefighters have the resources they need across the drought-ravaged state and to address the problems the fires will trigger once they are out. Now it's clear that weve got a lot more work to do and the response will not end even when these fires are out, Ducey said. When this years monsoon rains come, these burned areas are prone to landslides, mudslides and flooding, which pose another threat to this community." Arizona is not alone in reporting large wildfires this year, as much of the U.S. Southwest is deep into a prolonged drought. The National Interagency Fire Center on Thursday reported that so far this year, 23 large fires have burned across nearly 400 square miles (1,036 square kilometers) of wildlands in nine states. New large fires were reported Wednesday in California, Colorado, Michigan and Utah. The largest fires currently burning are in Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada, states hit exceptionally hard by the drought. About 1,600 firefighters are battling the two large Arizona fires that broke out early this month and have burned at least 245 square miles (636 square kilometers) of grass, chaparral and pinyon pine forest in rugged terrain. The fires are burning west of Superior, Globe, Miami and other mining towns about 75 miles (120 kilometers) southeast of Phoenix. The special session is expected to be held next week. The governor did not announce how much money he will request, besides mentioning it will be in the millions. Ducey made the announcement as he visited south-central Arizona after traveling with House Speaker Rusty Bowers and another lawmaker to the area where crews supported by aircraft are working to keep the fires out of Globe and several other communities in Gila and Pinal counties. Bowers lost his longtime family retreat home in the blaze on Monday, which was among five structures that were destroyed in one of the fires burning near Globe and Miami. He lives in Mesa, but he said his grandmother was a milkmaid in Globe when she met his grandfather and his family has deep roots in the community. "The governor mentioned our loss. But my wife and I, when we look at the friends and the folks that have tried to help us, that are helping you, this is the character of Globe-Miami right here, and beyond over those hills, and were grateful," Bowers said at a midday news conference. Were grateful for good neighbors. Bowers talked to the governor Monday and suggested the special session, saying the state's wildfire funds were depleted and that he was worried about flooding and mudslides to come. With what's happened up on the mountain, its gonna be a bad, bad summer if we get a heavy monsoon, which we need, Bowers said Thursday. And so, were here to help. We want to make sure the resources (are there) and work with your emergency management folks to get prepared, to get stationed, to get pre-positioned so that we can really help you in this flooding season thats going to come up. Ducey rode on an Arizona National Guard Black Hawk helicopter for an aerial tour of the two fires, then was briefed by fire officials and visited a Red Cross shelter for evacuees before holding a news conference. Whether Ducey actually needed to call a special session is doubtful. The Legislature remains in session as lawmakers try to get enough votes to pass a $12.8 billion budget and massive tax cuts Republican legislative leaders negotiated with Ducey. At least two GOP lawmakers and all Democrats oppose the tax cuts, leading to weeks of no movement on the budget. Ducey said a special session will help focus lawmakers on a single subject that has bipartisan support even as they are deadlocked on the budget. Its a way to just stop all the other noise that is necessary in any legislative session, to get big things done and to focus on the fire and the people of Gila County, Ducey said. The Legislature faces a June 30 deadline to pass a budget for the 2022 fiscal year that begins July 1. The governors January budget proposal noted that the state has consistently exceeded the $4 million annual appropriation to the state Fire Suppression Fund over the past several years and sought to increase that annual amount by $2.4 million in the coming budget year. The proposal noted that in the previous five budget years firefighting costs exceeded $39 million while appropriations were only about $20 million. The governor also sought to increase the amount of cash put into an emergency fund he controls and often uses to make up the difference in actual firefighting expenses. Depending on where fires burn in the state, firefighting efforts may be paid for with either state or federal funding. Ducey on Wednesday issued an emergency declaration for the two current large wildfires. The declaration will make up to $400,000 available for response efforts. Crews increased the containment of one called the Telegraph fire burning near Superior and Miami to 40% of its perimeter as of Thursday. Containment of the so-called Mescal fire southeast of Globe was at 36% as of Thursday morning. The Mescal fire has entered a mop-up stage. But residents shouldnt become complacent because embers could be blown over containment lines and start spot fires, fire management team spokesman David Shell said. If that happens, "were off to the races again, he said, ___ Associated Press writer Paul Davenport contributed. The Defense Department on Friday detailed how it plans to spend nearly $2.2 billion it recovered after canceling border wall construction projects that the Trump administration funded with money diverted from military projects. Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks included the plans in a memo dated Thursday, formalizing the Pentagon's intentions to redirect the money to 66 military projects in 16 countries, 11 states and three territories. The unobligated money the DoD was able to recover is a fraction of what had been steered toward the border wall. ABC News reported in April that a Biden administration official said that amounted to more than $14 billion. Read Next: Air Force Adjusts New Hair Standards for Women After Feedback The bulk of the recovered money -- nearly $1.3 billion -- will go to projects at overseas bases, including more than $125 million to replace elementary schools at Robinson Barracks and Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany, and nearly $135 million for Bechtel Elementary School and Kinnick High School in Japan. Other overseas projects include $70 million for an air traffic control terminal at the Army's garrison on Kwajalein Atoll, part of the Marshall Islands; $66 million for upgrades to a taxiway and apron the Navy uses for P-8A Poseidon aircraft in Italy; and $53 million for an electrical system upgrade for Navy facilities on Bahrain Island. Projects for military facilities in the U.S. territories of Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands will get more than $608 million. Among those projects, an aircraft maintenance hangar used by the Puerto Rico National Guard will receive $64 million, and the National Guard Readiness Center in Puerto Rico will get $50 million. The Air Force's munitions storage igloos on Guam will get $28.6 million, the memo states. Stateside bases will receive almost $300 million, including funds for roads, maintenance facilities for Navy ships and piers, fire stations and a dining facility, among others. Fort Greely in Alaska will get $10 million in funding for a missile field expansion to add two interceptors intended to stop a North Korean attack, the Office of Management and Budget said in a release. And an Air National Guard facility in Indiana will get $9.4 million for a small-arms range to improve marksmanship training. In a press briefing with reporters, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said that the Trump administration had canceled 123 military projects to redirect funds to the border wall. He added that the Pentagon consulted with the services and operational commanders before restoring funding to projects to make sure that requirements had not changed. "We did this all across the department to make sure that we chose those carefully," he said. Hicks canceled spending on the border wall in an April 30 memo, ordering the Army to end all border barrier construction projects, give up lands that the Interior Department set aside for those projects, and transfer jurisdiction of those properties to the Homeland Security Department. She also told Homeland Security that the DoD would not build any more fences, roads or lighting installations at the southern border under Section 284 of Title 10 of the U.S. Code, which can be used to authorize the military to perform such functions to support civilian law enforcement agencies as they block drug smuggling corridors across the border. "Canceling Section 284 border barrier projects is consistent with the President's determination that 'building a massive wall that spans the entire southern border is not a serious policy solution' to the security challenges at the southern border," Hicks said in the April memo. -- Stephen Losey can be reached at stephen.losey@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StephenLosey. Related: Pentagon Cancels Border Wall Projects, Will Recover Funding Diverted by Trump PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) Efforts by Cambodia to assuage U.S. concerns about China's right to use a naval base on the Gulf of Thailand suffered a setback Friday when an American diplomat invited to inspect it was allowed only limited access, according to the U.S. Embassy. The embassy said Defense Attache Col. Marcus M. Ferrara traveled to the Ream Naval Base in coordination with Cambodian authorities, but was denied full access to the facility, leading him to cut short his visit and ask for it to be rescheduled without any limits to what he could see. Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan said Cambodia fulfilled its commitment to allow a visit as requested, and if U.S. officials were not satisfied, they could request another visit as long as it did not involve spying or violating Cambodian sovereignty. Officials of Cambodia's Defense Ministry hit back at the embassy's statement. They are pretending. They should know that the kingdom has sovereignty and laws, but they have their hidden agendas for geopolitical gains, Gen. Nem Sowath, special adviser to Defense Minister Tea Banh, was quoted as saying by Fresh News, a website close to the government. What the embassy wrote has violated the truth. Fresh News quoted Lt. Gen. Suon Samnang, the deputy director of the Defense Ministrys foreign affairs department who accompanied Ferrara, as saying that after he was taken to several sites, He tried to search for other places that were not necessary and not in their requests. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen agreed in a June 1 meeting with visiting U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman to allow the embassys defense attache to make regular visits to the base, the embassy said in a statement. An earlier State Department statement about Shermans visit said she expressed serious concerns about Chinas military presence and construction of facilities at the base and sought clarification of why two U.S.-funded buildings there had been demolished without notification or explanation. Sherman said a Chinese military base in Cambodia would undermine its sovereignty, threaten regional security, and negatively impact U.S.-Cambodia relations, the statement said. Hun Sen and other Cambodian officials have consistently maintained that China has been given no special privileges at the base. Sherman later told journalists she had candid conversations with Hun Sen about the direction the country is headed, including Chinas presence at Ream and Cambodia's human rights and anti-democratic record. Hun Sen has been in power since 1985 and has a history of repression that in the past few years has focused on intimidation through the legal system of his critics and political opponents. Controversy over the Ream Naval Base sprang up two years ago when The Wall Street Journal reported that an early draft of a reputed agreement seen by U.S. officials would allow China 30-year use of the base, where it would be able to post military personnel, store weapons and berth warships. China is Cambodias biggest investor and closest political partner. Beijings support allows Cambodia to disregard Western concerns about its poor record in human and political rights, and in turn Cambodia generally supports Beijings geopolitical positions on issues such as its territorial claims in the South China Sea. Basing rights in Cambodia would extend Beijings strategic military profile considerably and tilt the regional balance of power, putting pressure on countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations whose security concerns historically been aligned more closely with the United States. Routine and frequent visits by U.S. and other foreign military attaches to Ream Naval Base can be an important step towards greater transparency and mutual trust, the U.S. Embassy statement said. Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan said his country has shown transparency and accountability by responding to the U.S. request for a visit. The Dodgers announced a trio of roster moves, with Andy Burns joining the active roster after the infielders contract was selected from Triple-A. Right-hander Dennis Santana was designated for assignment to open up a spot for Burns on the 40-man roster, and right-hander Mitch White was optioned to Triple-A. Burns big league resume consists of 10 games with the Blue Jays back in 2016. Since being drafted as an 11th-round pick in 2011, Burns pro career has been mostly spent in Torontos farm system, but he also spent parts of three seasons playing overseas in South Korea and Australia. After signing a minor league deal with Los Angeles last winter, Burns has been ripping up Triple-A pitching, with a .330/.427/.598 slash line over 117 plate appearances with Oklahoma City. As is typical with most Dodgers players, Burns offers defensive versatility. The 30-year-old has mostly played second and third base over his career, but also has quite a bit of experience at shortstop, first base, left field, and a handful of games as a right fielder. Burns joins Zach McKinstry and Matt Beaty as L.A. bench options who can handle multiple positions, while Albert Pujols remains limited to first base and pinch-hit duties. Santana has appeared in each of the last four seasons for the Dodgers, totaling a 6.42 ERA and 18.7% strikeout rate over 40 2/3 Major League innings. Control has increasingly emerged as a problem for Santana, with inflated walk totals at both the MLB and Triple-A levels in 2019 and 2021 this season, the righty has 11 walks against only eight strikeouts. A lot of us carry very little cash with us these days. Since we carry debit cards in our wallets, we rely on automated teller machines (ATMs) to withdraw cash as per our needs. Though this is so convenient, sometimes operating an ATM can be tricky. There are times when the ATM may run out of cash or may decline your transaction for some technical reasons. Sometimes, even if your transaction has been declined, you could receive a text message from the bank saying the transaction was processed and the money has been deducted from your account. One starts hyperventilating in such scenarios, more so if the amount happens to be a big one. A failed transaction is when an account gets debited but the payment is not registered; a pain point faced by many customers, especially while transacting online. Step 1: Call the Banks Customer Care Service Helpline: The first thing you need to do is call the banks (card issuing bank) 24-hour customer service helpline. After noting down your issue and recording your transaction reference number, the bank customer care executive will register your complaint and give you the complaint tracking number. The matter will then be thoroughly investigated. As per the new 2019 rules from Reserve Bank of India (RBI), any amount so debited must be re-credited to the customers account within five working days of the complaint filing. Otherwise, the bank is eligible to pay Rs100 per day of delay. Step 2: Visit Nearest Bank Branch and Submit Written Complaint In case this step does not work, you should visit the nearest branch and submit a complaint at the helpdesk. The helpdesk will share a new complaint tracking number. You need to note down the contact number of the executive you met so that it becomes easier to follow up later. Lets say you are withdrawing cash from X bank ATM and using Y bank debit card. File a written complaint with both banks: X and Y bank, since X bank is the bank you maintain your account in and Y is the bank from whose ATM you attempted to withdraw money. Make sure to carefully save all pieces of evidence, such as the transaction slips, so that you can produce them in your favour. The transaction slip contains the important information such as the issuing banks name (Y bank in this case), time of withdrawal, ATM code, and other additional details. The details on the transaction slip will help them detect the reason for the error. Step 3: Reach Out to the Senior People/ Bank Manager: If your complaint remains unresolved, you should speak to the manager of the branch where you hold your account. Often, contacting a senior person helps to resolve the complaint more quickly. One can also visit the banks website and register a complaint with the banks grievance cell which usually deals with complaints on top priority. Step 4: Take Up the Matter with the Ombudsman If, despite all these steps, your complaint remains unresolved, you should take up the matter with the RBI or the banking ombudsman. Such complaints may be submitted in writing either via post or online. However, you have to wait for 30 days from the date of complaint registration before taking this step. The RBI has initiated a public awareness campaign through its twitter handle regarding this problem which is faced by many. .@RBI Kehta Hai.. If the amount debited due to a failed transaction is not reverted to your account within a specified time, your bank would compensate you for the delay.#BeAware #BeSecure#rbikehtahai #StaySafehttps://t.co/mKPAIp5rA3 @SrBachchan pic.twitter.com/lYiM6GAUy6 RBI Says (@RBIsays) October 7, 2020 Some cases do require a bit more time, effort and follow-ups from the customers side. But, usually, these cases are resolved and do not require legal action. But if all this fails, you can approach the local consumer forum. Weather Alert ...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM MDT FRIDAY... * WHAT...High temperatures in the mid to upper 90s. Some areas may exceed 100 degrees at times. * WHERE...Portions of central, north central, and west central Montana. * WHEN...Until 9 PM MDT Friday. * IMPACTS...Hot daytime temperatures may cause heat illnesses. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Take extra precautions when outside. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing. Try to limit strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Take action when you see symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1. && Weather Alert ...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM MDT THURSDAY... * WHAT...Temperatures up to 105 degrees expected for multiple days. * WHERE...Bitterroot Valley, Missoula, Highway 93 Sula to Lost Trail Pass, Lolo Pass, Highway 200 Bonner to Greenough, Highway 83 Seeley Lake to Condon, and I-90 East Missoula to Bearmouth. * WHEN...From noon Tuesday to 8 PM MDT Thursday. * IMPACTS...Hot temperatures may cause heat illnesses to occur. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1. && June 12, 2021 Why Is There A Biden-Putin Summit And What Is It Supposed To Achieve? On June 16 the Presidents of Russia and the United States will hold talks: Biden ends the trip Wednesday with summit in Geneva with Russias Vladimir Putin. The White House announced Saturday that the leaders will not hold a joint news conference after meeting, removing the opportunity for comparisons to the availability that followed Trump and Putins 2018 Helsinki summit in which Trump sided with Moscow over his own intelligence agencies. Aides have suggested that the U.S. did not want to elevate Putin further by having the two men appear together in such a format. Others have expressed concern that Putin could try to score points on Biden, 78, who will be in the final hours of a grueling eight-day European trip. The real reason for not holding a joint press conference is of course that a senile Biden is likely to brabble some nonsense and ruin the summit spin his minders want to put out there. The U.S. initiated the summit which comes early in Biden's presidency. The not yet answered question is why, and what the U.S. wants to achieve with it? The short answer, discussed in length below, is that: The U.S. wants to take on China. The U.S. recognized that it can not take on China and Russia simultaneously. Russia must thus be split from its China alliance and brought back into Europe. Russia's new strategic weapon systems may enable a first strike on the U.S. A new strategic arms agreement is the only way to avert that existential threat. (It would also save a lot of money.) Both of these strategic aims are unlikely to get achieved because the U.S. foreign policy community is still misjudging the global situation as well as Russia's strength and position. It wants the summit to fail. Now the long version. In an essay published on his email list Prof. Michael Brenner, a regular reader of Moon of Alabama, gives his answer to our questions: Biden, long the absentee overseer of Ukraine under Obama, backed a plan to put an end to the secessionist, Russified provinces of Lugansk and Donetsk in the Donbass. It was seen as a way to discipline Vladimir Putin whose interference in Syria and blood-minded actions elsewhere irritated American policy-makers, to complete Russias isolation (along with an overthrow of the Belarus government), and to solidify NATO/EU control of the European continent. Washington expanded its program of arming and training the Ukrainian army arm and militias (including the neo-Nazi Azov battalion), gave President (and ex-comedian) President Vladimir Zielenski the green light to move his military to the contact line, and led an orchestrated denunciation of Russia and all its work loudly reinforced by the ever-obedient chorus of European dependents. Biden himself struck the tone in declaring that Putin was a killer. It was classic coercion via military intimidation although hardly classic in insulting your opponent unless you follow up with a bugle call for attack. The entire project is now in ruins a miserable failure. The why carries heavy if unrecognized lessons. The Kremlin had given clear signs that it no longer was going to turn the other cheek to what it saw as hostile, belittling Western moves. The eastward expansion of NATO right to Russias border, the Washington approved Georgian assault on South Ossetia by American trained/advised forces, the color revolutions culminating in the American instigated Nuland coup in Kiev that toppled a democratically elected President, undocumented accusations of meddling in the tranquil waters of American politics, the repeated sanctions, the relentless campaign to sabotage Nordstrom II etc. etc. Those clear signs were ignored, as are all other facts that dont conform with the self-serving, self-deluding Washington narrative. There, gross misinterpretations of conditions in Russia prevail. They truly believe that Navalny is the countrys great white hope when in truth his modest support lies only among the liberal intelligensia of Moscow and St. Petersburg. Putins popularity, especially in regard to relations with the West, is undiminished. The public fully backs Putin. Moreover, he is at the soft end of a continuum among political elites - including officials within his government. Hence, his response to the renewed threat to the Donbass was quick and decisive. He deployed 75,000 heavily armed army units with supporting air power to the border while Lavrov stated baldly that any offensive by the Ukrainians would be met with overwhelming force, and that would mean the destruction of the current Ukrainian regime. The call up of a five divisions strong battle ready force within 10 days, which NATO is unable to match in size and speed, had the desired effects: The United States and its allies had no counter; they had to back down. Within days, Biden made an impromptu call to killer Putin calling for a relaxing of tensions while looking forward to stable, predictable relations between their two countries. That week, Blinken flew to Kiev to bluntly tell Zelenski to call it all off. If that meant throwing him to the ultra-nationalist wolves in Kiev, he always had his comedian gig to fall back on. Great power politics as burlesque! There was a dawning awareness that contending with a fully aroused Russia, in Europe and elsewhere, was no piece of cake. It followed that the United States should not be conducting all-out Cold War with China and Russia simultaneously. Since China was the much greater challenger to American global hegemony, somehow working out a tacit modus vivendi, or, at least, ceasefire, with Moscow was called for. That should have been obvious for at least the past 12 years to anyone with a strategic brain. Instead, American leaders had done everything possible to solidify a Sino-Russian alliance as has materialized in their strategic partnership which grows in strength and confidence by the day. ... The abject failure in Ukraine (simultaneously with the thwarted attempt to overthrow Lukashenko in Belarus) shook Washingtons unbounded self-confidence enough for it to recognize the error of its ways. A series of moves in Europe signaled the intention to change course. The announced dispatch of a naval battle group to the Black Sea was summarily cancelled, pressure on Germany to prevent the completion of Nordstrom II was lifted, and the plans for a Ukrainian attack on the Donbass was abruptly dumped. Biden clearly intends next weeks meeting with Putin in Geneva as a crucial step paving the way for a tempering of the hostility that has marked relations between Washington and Moscow. The hope is that the gestures noted above combined with an expressed readiness to work together on handful of contentious issues can mollify Russian antagonism toward the West. That, in turn, could cool its enthusiasm for the strategic partnership with Beijing making it easier for the U.S. to concentrate on its struggle for global supremacy with China while weakening the latters hand. The ploy is doomed to failure. It indeed is. The last 30 years have shown that Russia can absolutely not trust Washington whatever it might promise. Its partnership with China though is solid. A quote in a recent New York Times piece seems to confirm Brenner's take: Charles A. Kupchan, a professor at Georgetown University who worked on European affairs in the Obama administration, said Mr. Bidens goal was to head off the creation of a Sino-Russian bloc against the West. That will require the help of allies, which is why he predicted Mr. Biden would not only listen to, but hear, the Europeans. Russia analyst Gilbert Doctorow has a slightly different take: [W]hy is Joe Biden pressing ahead with a meeting so early in his tenure in office? We are told that the objective is to achieve greater stability in bilateral relations. But I have not heard from our commentators what stability is to be addressed. ... In my reductionist approach, the summit has one driver behind it, namely to put a cap on an arms race that the United States is losing, if it has not already irrevocably lost, and to prevent the adverse shift in the strategic balance against America from getting still worse. The side benefit would be to strike down planned military expenditures budgeted for well over a trillion dollars to modernize the nuclear triad alone. This would thereby free funds for the massive infrastructure investments that Biden is presently trying to push through Congress. ... Since the U.S. withdrawal from the ABM treaty in 2002 under George Bush, US policy had aimed at enabling a first strike knocking out Russian ICBMs and then rendering useless Russias residual nuclear forces which could be shot out of the air by U.S. anti-ballistic missile systems. Russias new, maneuverable and ultra-high speed missiles could evade all known ABMs. According to Putins text in March 2018, the new Russian strategic arms relegated the hundreds of billions that the Americans had invested in achieving superiority to the status of a modern day Maginot Line. Whatever Washington could throw at Russia, the residual Russian forces would penetrate American defenses and wreak havoc on the American homeland. Russia's new weapons are something that Washington can only dream of. Announced in 2018 the new systems are now being introduced in frontline units. U.S. weapon development is at least 10 years behind Russia's. Nuclear parity has been restored (vid). Some of Russia's new system do not fall under the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty. If the U.S. does not manage to achieve a new agreement with Russia that limits its new weapon systems, Russia could soon achieve first strike capability. This would be an existential threat to the U.S. The Pentagon is surely not happy about the situation. That Biden needs to get a new strategic arms agreement as fast as possible may indeed be the reason why the summit is happening so early. Unfortunately a success, says Doctorow, is far from guaranteed: Mutual respect is what Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has demanded as a starting point for diplomatic negotiations with the Americans. Respect is not conferred on an interlocutor from a position of strength, the typical American approach to such talks. The problem for Washington is that no one on Capitol Hill or in the foreign policy community wants to acknowledge the obvious facts about Russia today. Everyone is happy with the vision of a slovenly, chaotic Russia ruled by a merciless dictator, whose regime is fragile and just needs a little push, like Nicholas IIs autocracy, to tilt over and collapse. This is rubbish and if it remains the foundation of U.S. policy towards Russia under Biden then we can expect nothing much to happen to reduce the dangers of nuclear war or move towards calmer waters in international relations. An example of the foreign policy community Doctorow describes is the former U.S. ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker who wants the summit to fail: It is surely not in the interests of the U.S., the EU, NATO, and other allies to see a summit in which Putin leaves convinced that he has blunted the United States and faces no consequences for his behavior. It would send a signal globally that authoritarians can get away with aggressive acts at home and abroad, and that the U.S. and the West will not take any meaningful action to stop them. ... For the U.S., therefore, the best possible outcome is not one of modest agreements and a commitment to predictability, but one of a lack of agreements altogether. Success is confrontation. The Canadian professor Paul Robinson takes aim at such lunacy but concludes: Now, you might say that this is just one guys opinion. We can ignore it. It doesnt mean anything. But Volker isnt just some guy. From 2017 to 2019, he was the US Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations so in effect Americas point guy for its relationship with Ukraine and for negotiations concerning a peace settlement for that countrys civil war. On the basis of this article, one shudders to think what advice he was giving the Ukrainian government. Certainly not advice conducive to peace, I imagine. Its more than a little scary. So, this is more than just one man. This article is a window into the way that an influential part of the American foreign policy establishment thinks. It rejects negotiation. It regards compromise as dangerous. It openly prefers conflict. Success is confrontation the worse the better. Wow! As long as they help to prevent war I am happy about each and every summit between superpowers. But I do not expect any great results from this one. U.S. policies do not turn on a dime and the borg is currently far from accepting compromises to which Russia can agree. Posted by b on June 12, 2021 at 17:03 UTC | Permalink Comments next page next page A 17-year-old girl is facing charges of involuntary manslaughter and reckless homicide in the 2017 death of a 3-month-old baby. You are the owner of this article. Moultrie, GA (31768) Today Thunderstorms this evening with a few showers possible overnight. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Thunderstorms this evening with a few showers possible overnight. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. West Texans are already familiar with the Empty Bowls fundraiser, which benefits the West Texas Food Bank, and now artists are looking at how that model can be used to further help other causes in the area. Local artists are now working together to create a new fundraiser using art and collaborating with small businesses to benefit the new Odessa Animal Shelter construction. University of Texas Permian Basin ceramics professor Chris Stanley has rallied the ceramists in the area to start making mugs and cups for the new fundraiser. We are going to call it Mugs for Mutts and Cups for Cats, Stanley said. It came out of a class I taught on public art. A certain section of the class talked about how the arts can become engaged in a community by solving problems or bringing awareness to certain issues. He was looking at creating a task that wouldnt be overly burdensome to artists. Stanley said making mugs and cups for ceramists is pretty equivalent to running scales for musicians because it is a practice used to improve hand-eye coordination skills. UTPB professors and students got together with Odessa College professors and students June 2 to host a throwing party to start inventory for the fundraiser. Although they are using a model similar to Empty Bowls, he would like to host a different type of event with the help of local small businesses, Stanley said. The group has already discussed the idea of having a high-end whiskey tasting event or bringing in baristas to make different types of coffee or tea drinks. Lately a big trend has been to drink whiskey from ceramic cups, he said. It would be interesting to see if we cant find a local bar or group of bars who would be interested in partnering with us to host this event. We think this could become a fundraiser that happens yearly to help animals, starting in Odessa, but possibly expanding to other areas in the Permian Basin as well. Stanley said that he hopes raising money for the city animal shelter is just the start. Once the animal shelter is built, he would like to see local artists creating art to go in the facility and make it a beautiful space for animals, employees and adopters. Personally, he said he was ecstatic that the city was dealing with the animal shelter issue. Stanley wants to host the fundraiser in the fall not to crowd Empty Bowls. He said that this new fundraiser has been beneficial in other ways. When the artists got together on June 2, that was the first time in 24 months that any of the artists had been together working. When I get in that room with those other incredible artists, there is a magic there because we dont have to communicate, we just work, he said. In that room anything becomes possible because we are allowed to get together like that. He said if anyone would like to get involved in the fundraiser, they can contact him at stanley_c@utpb.edu. File art of Chis Stanley 20200122_Empty Bowls_JJL_1.jpg 20200122_Empty Bowls_JJL_2.jpg BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) President Joe Bidens nominee to oversee federal lands in the U.S. West is facing Republican pressure to withdraw over her ties to environmental activists convicted of spiking trees to sabotage a national forest timber sale more than 30 years ago. U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, the ranking Republican on the Senate energy committee, said Friday that U.S. Bureau of Land Management nominee Tracy Stone-Manning should be disqualified for her collaboration with extreme environmental activists. As a 23-year-old graduate student at the University of Montana, Stone-Manning sent a letter to federal officials in 1989 saying spikes had been inserted into trees in Idahos Clearwater National Forest. The profanity-laced letter warned a lot of people could get hurt" if logging proceeded, according to court documents obtained by The Associated Press from federal archives. Spiking trees involves inserting metal or ceramic rods into trunks so they can't be safely cut down, and the tactic has sometimes been used to halt timber sales. Stone-Manning testified against two friends who were convicted in the case, saying she mailed the letter at the request of one of them and to prevent people from getting hurt. She was given immunity to testify and was never charged with any crimes. The case received extensive media coverage at the time, and Stone-Manning years later had to explain her involvement to Montana lawmakers prior to her confirmation to lead the states environment agency under former Gov. Steve Bullock. Its resurfacing comes as some Republicans have sought to undermine Stone-Manning's nomination, characterizing her as a partisan Democrat and environmental radical. Barrasso, of Wyoming, said after seeing the documents in the case that Stone-Manning's participation should disqualify her from heading the Bureau of Land Management, which regulates grazing, energy drilling, logging and other activities across 245 million acres (100 million hectares) primarily in the West. Tracy Stone-Manning collaborated with eco-terrorists, Barrasso said in a statement. She worked with extreme environmental activists who spiked trees, threatening the lives and livelihoods of loggers. While she was given immunity from prosecution to testify against her companions in court, her actions were disgraceful. Stone-Manning did not respond to telephone and text messages seeking comment. An administration official who asked not to be identified said officials knew about the criminal case and Stone-Manning's testimony prior to her nomination. She '"has always been honest and transparent about this matter, which has been covered by the media for decades," said the person, who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to discuss a pending nomination. During a Tuesday hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, GOP lawmakers including Barrasso grilled Stone-Manning over her record as a senior official at the National Wildlife Federation, where she was a frequent critic of the Trump administration's pro-industry agenda. The animosity toward her nomination reflects anger among some Republicans over Stone-Manning's role in the 2020 election. She served as treasurer and board member of the environmental group Montana Conservation Voters, which ran ads against Montana Republican Sen. Steve Daines when Bullock unsuccessfully challenged him in November. It seems like from your heart, you really dont care for Republicans," Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana said to Stone-Manning in the hearing. Bullock told the AP during an interview on Friday that the election is over" and Republicans were grasping at events from 30 years ago to try to sink her nomination. The former Democratic governor said he knew about the tree spiking case when he hired Stone-Manning. One of the friends she testified against was sentenced to 17 months in prison on federal charges. She helped send a guy to prison 30 years ago when she was a college kid, Bullock said. It's never been a secret at all. At the time of the tree spiking, Stone-Manning was a recently arrived environmental studies graduate student in Missoula. She also worked during that time as an informal spokesperson for the loose-knit environmental group EarthFirst!, whose members gained notoriety in the 1980s for espousing direct action such as blocking timber sales to protect the environment. As part of her involvement, she helped edit a newsletter called the Wild Rockies Review and participated in satirical skits aimed at drawing attention to timber sales, according to a transcript of her 1989 testimony. In 2013, when she was questioned by Montana lawmakers about her involvement with EarthFirst!, Stone-Manning responded that she had left because the group's members were angry. Anger doesn't do much. It doesn't solve problems. What I do is solve problems, she said, according to an article in the Missoulian. Beginning in 1999 Stone-Manning directed a nonprofit group that pushed cleanup of one of the countrys largest contaminated Superfund sites, Montanas Clark Fork River. She later worked as an aide to Sen. Jon Tester and chief of staff for Bullock. Tester introduced Stone-Manning during the Senate hearing and defended her after Barrasso criticized her environmental record. The vote on her nomination has not been scheduled. It would take every Senate Republican plus at least one Democratic lawmaker to block her nomination. ___ Follow Brown on Twitter: @MatthewBrownAP AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has offered no details on his plans to construct new barriers along the border with Mexico while also launching an aggressive campaign to arrest migrants moves that set up another clash with the Biden administration over immigration. Abbott did not say how much new barrier Texas would erect, where it would be installed along the state's 1,200 miles (1,930 kilometers) of border or what it would look like when he made the announcement Thursday in a room full of sheriffs in the border city of Del Rio. He promised more would be revealed next week. A top official in one of Texas' largest border counties, Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez, said Friday that he sees the goal as putting in place new barriers that would give state troopers grounds to arrest migrants who go around or damage it and then put them in jail for six months. I understand why he wants to do it. It's a tool that gets him to a Class B misdemeanor, Cortez said. He was skeptical of whether jail would deter migrants who travel hundreds of miles and risk death to get to the U.S. Abbott spokeswoman Renae Eze on Friday did not provide more details about the barrier plan and referred questions about arrests to a letter that Abbott and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey sent to other governors Thursday asking them to send their own law enforcement ranks to the border. The letter tells governors their officers would arrive with the power to arrest migrants who illegally cross the border into our territory. Legal experts said the U.S. Supreme Court has made clear that the power to enforce immigration law is in the hands of the federal government, including striking down efforts by Arizona Republicans a decade ago. U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas declined to comment on the Texas governors plans while visiting a city cybersecurity center in Los Angeles shortly after Abbott's announcement. Biden suspended construction of a border wall upon taking office, and on Friday, his administration announced a plan to divert funding from what was former President Donald Trump's signature project. Abbott, who is up for reelection next year and has not ruled out a White House run in 2024, has made immigration a central issue since Biden took office and taken increasing action over what he says is the new administration's failure to slow the flow of crossings. Long term, only Congress and the president can fix our broken border," Abbott said in Del Rio. But in the meantime, Texas is going to do everything possible, including beginning to make arrests, to keep our community safe, to keep the cartels and smugglers out, and to keep your community safe. While easing since March, large numbers showing up at the border have severely challenged the Biden administration. Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a message to those thinking of making the journey during a visit this week to Guatemala City: Do not come. Abbott earlier this month moved to shutter more than 50 shelters in Texas that house about 4,000 migrant children, arguing that the federal government cant force the state to keep issuing licenses in response to a federal problem. The Biden administration has threatened to sue unless that order is rescinded. The Trump administration built more than 450 miles (725 kilometers) of border wall, almost all of it replacing smaller designs or dilapidated sections. Cortez said he would support Abbott's help to build more jail capacity but would want the county kept in charge of the extra space. Farther down the border in rural Starr County, Judge Eloy Vera said his 270-bed jail is near capacity but still has room, and said Abbott's description of the border is not what he sees in his area. Stephen Yale-Loehr, who teaches immigration law at Cornell Law School, said the federal government likely would challenge whether the state has authority to construct barriers along the border. While states can do certain things under state law regarding immigration, erecting barriers along the border or arresting migrants is beyond the pale in my view, he said. ___ Associated Press writer Stefanie Dazio in Los Angeles contributed to this report. NORFOLK, Va. (AP) To hear a military prosecutor tell it, U.S. Marine Mario Madera-Rodriguez was tasked with smashing open the bedroom door of a U.S. Army Green Beret with a sledge hammer and then turning on some music. Another Marine was supposed to remove the Green Beret's mosquito netting from around his bed, the prosecutor said. A Navy SEAL would choke the Green Beret into unconsciousness, while a second SEAL would tie him up with duct tape. Their plan was to haze him that night, to humiliate him, Marine prosecutor Jason Samuel said Friday at the start of Madera-Rodriguez's murder trial at a U.S. Navy base in Norfolk, Virginia. But they killed him. The Green Beret, Staff Sgt. Logan Melgar, a native of Lubbock, Texas, died of strangulation. Madera-Rodriguez is one of four American servicemembers charged in Melgar's 2017 hazing death in Africa, where the men were serving together. Madera-Rodriguez, who belongs to a special operations group in the Marines known as the Raiders, is the only one of the four men to plead not guilty. The others have already made plea deals and may testify at his trial. By fighting the charges, Madera-Rodriguez has prompted what could be a weekslong court-martial that will dissect a night in which prosecutors say some of Americas most elite servicemembers betrayed one of their own. Capt. Samuel, the Marine prosecutor, said the men were angry over Melgar's perceived slights during their time in Mali. In particular, some were upset that they missed a party at the French embassy in the capital city of Bamako because Melgar and the others got separated in traffic. Their plan to teach Melgar a lesson grew as some of the angry servicemen retreated to a bar, then a club and then a shawarma restaurant, Samuel said. As the drinks began to flow, their designs for humiliation came to include a Malian guard at the base who would strip naked, wear a leash and a collar and pose next to an unconscious Melgar, Samuel said. The prosecutor walked the jury of sailors and Marines through what he said happened that night, from Madera-Rodriguez smashing the door and providing the soundtrack to Melgar's strangulation to his body going limp from the Navy SEAL's chokehold. These four men werent terrorists, Samuel said. They werent insurgents. They werent local criminals. They were American service members, special operators ... who betrayed their fellow comrade, their brother in arms." Madera-Rodriguez faces charges including conspiracy, murder and hazing. Opening statements made by his defense attorneys were closed to the public because they contained classified information. Defense lawyer Colby Vokey did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Friday afternoon. The case has already pulled back the curtain on alleged misconduct in America's special operations community, while offering a brief window into how some have addressed grievances outside the law. During his testimony in January, SEAL Tony DeDolph described the planned prank on Melgar as as a tape job." The plan had been to show Melgar a video of the incident sometime later. DeDolph, who had applied the chokehold, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter earlier this year and received a 10-year prison sentence. His attorney said he planned to appeal the punishment. Adam Matthews, the other SEAL, and Marine Kevin Maxwell Jr., made plea deals and were sentenced to shorter terms in military prison. Charging documents dont state why the service members were in Mali. But U.S. Special Forces have been in Africa to support and train local troops in their fight against extremists. FALMOUTH, England (AP) Turbulence from the divorce between the U.K. and the European Union provided an unwanted distraction at the Group of Seven summit taking place in southwest England, with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying Saturday that post-Brexit agreements will fail if the EU continues to take a theologically draconian approach to the rules. Johnson held meetings with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and the blocs top officials on the sidelines of the summit he is hosting. Afterwards, the prime minister claimed the EU was not taking a sensible or pragmatic approach to post-Brexit arrangements, and he threatened to use an emergency clause to suspend agreed upon rules if the bloc did not compromise. Britain and the EU are locked in an escalating diplomatic feud over Northern Ireland, the only part of the U.K. that borders the 27-nation bloc. The EU is angry over the British government's delay in implementing new checks on some goods coming into Northern Ireland from the rest of the U.K., while Britain says the checks are imposing a big burden on businesses and destabilizing Northern Irelands hard-won peace. U.S. President Joe Biden has gotten drawn into the spat, raising concerns about the potential threat to Northern Irelands peace accord. The new arrangements, designed to keep an open border between Ireland and its northern neighbor, have angered Northern Irelands British unionists, who say they weaken ties with the rest of the U.K. Tensions over the new trade rules were a contributing factor to a week of street violence in April, largely in unionist areas of Northern Ireland, that saw youths pelt police with bricks, fireworks and firebombs. European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen tweeted after meeting Johnson that Northern Ireland peace was paramount, and the binding Brexit agreement protected it. We want the best possible relations with the UK. Both sides must implement what we agreed on. There is complete EU unity on this, she said. Johnson told Sky News at the summit site in Carbis Bay, Cornwall, that the treaty we signed, I signed, is perfectly reasonable, but he added: I dont think that the interpretation or application of the protocol (by the EU) is sensible or pragmatic. The EU says Britain must fully implement the agreement, known as the Northern Ireland Protocol, that the two sides agreed and ratified. It is threatening legal action if the U.K. does not fully bring in the checks, which include a ban on chilled meats such as sausages from England, Scotland and Wales going to Northern Ireland from next month. Britain accuses the bloc of taking a rigid approach to the rules and urged it to be more flexible in order to avoid what has been dubbed a sausage war. U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Saturday that if the EU took a bloody-minded and purist approach, Britain would have to act to protect the U.K.s internal market and ensure that British-produced goods can be sold in every part of the country. Merkel said she made clear to Johnson at their meeting that nothing could change on the fundamentals of the agreement. But she hinted at compromise, saying that when it comes to practical questions...one should consider where things can be done better so it helps the citizens of Northern Ireland. Johnson said some European leaders seemed not to understand that the U.K. is a single country, a single territory. I just need to get that into their heads. If the protocol continues to be applied in this way, then we will obviously not hesitate to invoke Article 16, the British leader said, referring to an emergency brake allowing either side to suspend parts of their agreement. It is intended for use only in extreme situations, but the EU briefly threatened to invoke it in January amid a coronavirus vaccine spat, to stop doses from Ireland crossing the border. Speaking to Channel 5, Johnson said, I certainly think that the protocol is capable of being used and interpretedin a pragmatic way or a theologically draconian way. At the moment we are seeing...a lot of unnecessary difficulties, he said. Despite the tough talk, Johnson said he was optimistic of reaching a compromise, though British officials say its unlikely the issue will be solved during the G-7 summit, which ends Sunday. ___ Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin contributed to this story. EL PASO, Texas (AP) A Texas mom arrested for posing as her daughter at a middle school says she did it to push for better security on campus. Casey Garcia, 30, was arrested on one count each of criminal trespass and tampering with government records, El Paso County Sheriffs Office officials said. She also was arrested on an unrelated traffic warrant. Deputies were notified June 1 by San Elizario Independent School District officials of Garcia trespassing on school grounds and posing as a student, the sheriff's department said. READ ALSO: Zombie stars and the corporatization of the galaxy Several posts on social media showing her pretending to be a student led to an investigation, the El Paso Times reported. She was arrested at her home in San Elizario. In a YouTube video titled, Why I posed as my 13 year old daughter. A raw but real answer, she says she dyed her hair and used skin tanner. Garcia said she did it for a social experiment. Garcia made it to seven out of eight classes before being recognized by a teacher. She says she was only asked for her identification number before she was allowed inside the school building, and teachers and staff were more concerned about her phone being out than in who she actually was. I exposed the dangers of our schools and I am trying to protect my children and yours, she said, noting that she didn't do this for any other reason except to prove a point. Are you more concerned that I, a parent, was sitting next to your child or do we really want to wait for the next person taking their Second Amendment right to the extreme? she said. Garcia was booked on Friday into the El Paso County Jail on bonds totaling $7,908. A jail log shows she was released later that day. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Contact us Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription, or activate your access, to continue reading. Discuss this article with your neighbors or join the community conversation. Click here to get access WILLCOX, Ariz. (AP) Law enforcement officers fatally shot an an armed man outside a home in rural southern Arizona where he ran after shooting and wounding a state trooper during a traffic stop, officials said Friday. The trooper had started a pursuit maneuver to force the mans SUV to stop on Interstate 10 near Willcox on Thursday when the man shot a handgun at the trooper's vehicle and wounded the trooper while the mans vehicle was still spinning, the Cochise County Sheriffs Office said in a statement. TEHRAN, Iran (AP) Iran held a final presidential debate Saturday that showed the fissures within the Islamic Republics politics, as hard-liners referred to those seeking ties to the West as infiltrators and the races two other candidates brought up the unrest that surrounded Tehrans disputed 2009 election. Analysts and state-linked polling put hard-line judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi as the clear front-runner in Fridays upcoming vote, with the public now largely hostile to the relative moderate President Hassan Rouhani after the collapse of Tehrans nuclear deal with world powers. But that didnt stop Rouhanis former Central Bank chief Abdolnasser Hemmati from harshly criticizing Raisi, at one point getting up from his chair to hand him a list he described as naming individuals who havent paid back huge loans from state banks. He again tried to link Raisi to former President Donald Trump, whose decision to unilaterally withdraw America from Irans nuclear deal has seen the country crushed by sanctions. Mr. Raisi, you and your friends have played in Trumps ground with your extremist policies, Hemmati said. For his part, Raisi called Hemmati's move a stunt and said hed make sure the government returns to the nuclear deal. The deal would not be executed by you, it needs a powerful government to do this, Raisi said. The election Friday will see voters pick a candidate to replace Rouhani, who is term limited from running again. The vote comes amid tensions with the West as negotiations continue to try and resuscitate the nuclear deal, which saw Iran agree to limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. The debate took on the pattern of the previous ones, with hard-liners focusing their criticism on Hemmati as a stand-in for Rouhani. Hard-liner Alireza Zakani went as far to accuse Hemmati of committing a huge treason by sharing financial information to the International Monetary Fund. Hard-line former Revolutionary Guard chief Mohsen Rezaei described the Rouhani government as being run by infiltrators. Hemmati, who raised eyebrows in recent days after telling The Associated Press in an interview he'd be potentially willing to speak with President Joe Biden, said his government would not view Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as enemies. He also warned that without deals with the wider world, Iran's economy would see no growth. What will happen if the hard-liners have power?" Hemmati asked. "I tell you there is going to be more sanctions with global consensus. It remains unclear if the debates will affect voters' opinions. The state-linked Iranian Student Polling Agency suggested just 37% of Iranian adults watched the second debate. There also remains the larger concern about turnout in the election. Officials in the past have pointed to turnout as a sign of popular support for Iran's theocratic government. As of now, ISPA estimates turnout will be around 41% of Iran's over 59 million eligible voters. That would the lowest percentage since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. ISPA polling also puts Raisi as the front-runner with enough of a percentage to avoid a runoff. But unlike the earlier debates, both Hemmati and an inconspicuous reformist candidate named Mohsen Mehralizadeh brought up mass protests that directly challenged the government. Mehralizadeh at one point asked Raisi to intervene with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to pardon people still held after nationwide demonstrations in November 2019 over price rises of state-subsidized gasoline. Those demonstrations ended with one lawmaker suggesting 7,000 people had been arrested. Amnesty International put the death toll from the violence at at least 208, with the rights group saying security forces killed demonstrators. Iran has yet to offer any definitive account of what happened. Responding later to Mehralizadeh, Raisi said most of those arrested "have been pardoned by the supreme leader, except those who had relations with other countries or had other issues. He offered no figures for those pardoned and those still detained. The 2019 demonstrations were the deadliest since Iran's 2009 presidential vote that saw hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad re-elected amid a disputed result that gave rise to the Green Movement protests. What happened to our youth during these 12 years that changed their chants from Where is my vote? to No way I'm voting?' Hemmati asked at one point. ___ Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. This weeks wanted The following are being sought on arrest warrants, according to various sheriffs departments. The addresses listed are the last known addresses provided by the warrants and may be outdated. Howard S. Peewee Mitchell, 43, of 602 N. Clay Ave. is being sought on a warrant accusing him of failing to appear in court on a resisting a peace officer charge. He is a Black male standing 5 foot 8 and weighing 140 pounds. He has brown eyes. Tiffany R. Graham, 27, of 1176 N. Diamond St. is being sought on a warrant accusing her of failing to appear in court on charges of identity theft and possession of methamphetamine. She is a Black female standing 5 foot 5 and weighing 200 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes. . Submit tips anonymously at tipsubmit.com, by calling 217-243-7300 or by text messaging CRIMES (274637) with payout as the first word of the tip. Morgan County Sheriff ARRESTS, CITATIONS Harold M. Sheehan, 76, of 254 Boucher Lane, Franklin, was booked into the Morgan County jail at 6:21 a.m. Thursday on charges of domestic battery and aggravated assault. He was accused of using a cane to hit a woman and pointing a gun at her. VANDALISM A window was broken out on a car in the 100 block of Walnut Street in Franklin earlier this week, according to a report filed at 8:16 a.m. Thursday. Jacksonville Police ARRESTS, CITATIONS Cesar R. Martinez-Olivares, 32, of 514 E. Lafayette St. was booked into the Morgan County jail at 6:54 p.m. Thursday on an aggravated assault charge after being accused of trying to use a car to run over someone. Tre H. Tollefson, 19, homeless, was arrested at 5:31 p.m. Thursday on a criminal trespassing charge in the 600 block of Myrtle Street. Aaron D. Hyman, 36, of 340 E. Lafayette Ave. was arrested at 10:23 p.m Thursday on a domestic battery charge after being accused of hitting someone in the face. ACCIDENTS Michael R. Johnson Jr., 41, of Jacksonville was cited on a charge of failing to yield after the car he was driving and one being driven by Jamie L. Daniels, 42, of Jacksonville collided at 12:10 p.m. Friday in the 800 block of West Morton Avenue. Sheryl L. Henderson, 62, of Topeka, Kansas, was treated at Passavant Area Hospital after the car she was driving ran over a parking block and into a sign on the sidewalk of My Stop and Shop at 100 W. Walnut St. at 9:47 a.m. Friday. THEFTS, BURGLARIES A bicycle was reported stolen at 1:15 a.m. Friday from the 300 block of East Douglas Avenue. A man stole a lawn mower from Home Depot at 1601 W. Morton Ave. about 7:45 a.m. Thursday. A woman reported that her purse was stolen about 3:30 p.m. Thursday while she was at Walmart at 1941 W. Morton Ave. A pack of Marlboro Lights was stolen from a business in the 200 block of East Morton Avenue about 4:30 a.m. Friday. VANDALISM A glass screen door was shattered at a residence in the 300 block of North Webster Avenue on Wednesday, according to a report filed at 8:30 a.m. Thursday. Property was damaged in the 800 block of Northwood Lane, according to a report filed at 10:48 a.m. Thursday. A house in the 900 block of North Prairie Street was hit by a shot from a paintball gun, according to a report filed at 7:11 p.m. Thursday. OTHER REPORTS Police are investigating a report a man forced his way into a Shenandoah Avenue apartment at 12:59 a.m. Friday and refused to leave. South Jacksonville Police ARRESTS, CITATIONS Seamus M. Mclean, 36, of Overton, Texas, was booked into the Morgan County jail at 2:43 a.m. Friday on charges of disorderly conduct and resisting a peace officer. Pike County Sheriff ARRESTS, CITATIONS William J. Kochel, 35, of Key West, Florida, was arrested at 7:36 p.m. Thursday after a sheriffs deputy reported seeing a car stolen from Madison County. After a short pursuit, Kochel was arrested on charges of aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a peace officer, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, criminal damage to state-supported property, driving while license revoked, reckless driving, two counts of disobeying a traffic control device, speeding, and improper lane use. Compiled by David C.L. Bauer UKs health minister denies claim he lied during pandemic View Photo LONDON (AP) British Health Secretary Matt Hancock has defended his handling of the coronavirus pandemic following a series of damaging allegations from Prime Minister Boris Johnsons former top adviser. Facing questioning from lawmakers, Hancock said Thursday that he had no idea why Dominic Cummings had a dispute with him and that hed become aware that Cummings had wanted him fired. Im not responsible for anybody elses testimony, but Im really pleased to have the chance to come here to be able to tell you the truth, Hancock said. Two weeks ago, Cummings told lawmakers investigating the virus outbreak in the U.K. that Hancock should have been fired for a series of lies and for a litany of errors during the pandemic. Among the charges, Cummings said Hancock had claimed that during the early stages of the pandemic that people discharged from hospitals were being tested for the virus before going back to their nursing homes. Cummings had told lawmakers he would send them evidence to back up his claims. Hancock said it was telling that Cummings had not produced anything yet. Hancock denied that he had said anything to the prime minister that he knew to be untrue and added that Johnsons Conservative government was functioning better as a result of Cummings departure at the end of last year. I think the best thing to say about this, and this will be corroborated by lots of people in government, the best thing to say, is that government has operated better in the past six months, Hancock said. In his testimony, Cummings also lashed out at Johnson, saying he was unfit for the job of prime minister and that tens of thousands of people had died needlessly during the pandemic primarily because of delays in ordering a succession of lockdowns. The U.K. has recorded nearly 128,000 coronavirus-related deaths, more than any other nation in Europe. After a devastating winter surge of infections, deaths have fallen sharply following a strict months-long lockdown and the rapid rollout of vaccines. The improved backdrop has allowed lockdown restrictions to be eased in the U.K. over the past couple of months. However, there are concerns that the next planned easing on June 21, where social distancing restrictions were to be lifted, may have to be delayed because of a recent spike in new infections largely due to the delta variant that was first identified in India. The U.K. recorded 7,393 new infections Thursday, just down from the previous days more than three-month high. Though the number of people being hospitalized with the virus rose by 153 to 1,048, its still way down from nearly 40,000 at the peak of the second surge in January. The hope is that the rapid rollout of vaccines will dramatically break the link between new infections, hospitalizations and deaths. So far, the evidence suggests that a large proportion of the people being infected are in younger age groups, many of whom have yet to receive a first dose. Johnson will decide Monday whether the next easing can take place. Hancock also said he had been made aware in late-January 2020 that 820,000 people in the U.K. could die from COVID-19 in a worst-case scenario, but said ordering a lockdown a week or two before one was actually announced on March 23, 2020, would have gone against scientific advice. The clear advice at the time was that theres only a limited period that people would put up with it, would put up with lockdown, he said. Now that proved actually to be wrong. Hancocks claim that an earlier lockdown would have gone against the scientific consensus was dismissed by a leading British scientist. It is an old claim that has been comprehensively debunked, said Stephen Reicher, a professor of social psychology at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. ___ Follow all of APs pandemic coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine By PAN PYLAS Associated Press Sonora Police vehicle View Photo Sonora, CA Security camera footage washed up a burglars attempt to rob a Sonora business. Sonora Police dispatch got a call early Wednesday morning with the caller reporting that they were watching a man trying to break into a vending machine at the Corner Car Wash located in the 800 block of Mono Way. They also detailed that the subject was using a tool on the lock and provided a description of the suspect. When the officers arrived on the scene, they located a 34-year-old David Schrimp from San Diego who matched the description walking away from the business. He was detained and questioned. Officers then inspected the machine and discovered damage to the two locks on its front. Additionally, the center of the locks, where the keyhole is, appeared to have been forced into the body of the locking mechanism with some type of device, relay police. Also, there was damage to the center-keyed padlock that secured the front of the car wash selector panel. Officers subsequently searched Schrimps backpack turning up burglary tools. Schrimp was arrested for attempted theft, vandalism and possessing burglary tools. He was placed on a $15,000 bail. Israeli police say woman with knife shot dead in West Bank View Photo JERUSALEM (AP) Israeli police said a Palestinian woman carrying a knife ran toward an Israeli military checkpoint on Saturday and was shot dead by a private security guard. The shooting took place at the Qalandiya checkpoint near Jerusalem, one of the largest in the occupied West Bank. Police said the woman, identified as a 28-year-old resident of a West Bank refugee camp, had ignored calls by the guard to stop. Amateur video posted online showed the woman lying on the ground at the crossing. The Palestinian Prisoners Club, an advocacy group, said her name was Ibtissam Kaabneh and that she had previously served 18 months in an Israeli prison, after being arrested in 2016. Media reports said she had served time for an attempted stabbing. Kaabneh was the fifth Palestinian to be killed by Israeli security forces in the West Bank this week. On Thursday, three Palestinians, including two members of the Palestinian security forces, were shot dead during a raid by Israeli undercover troops in the town of Jenin. On Friday, a 15-year-old boy was killed by soldiers during protests against a settler outpost near the town of Beita. Starting five years ago, Palestinians launched a series of stabbing and car-ramming attacks against Israelis in the West Bank and Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem. Rights groups have alleged that Israeli troops often use excessive force against Palestinians. The violence takes place in the context of the unresolved Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Talks about setting up a Palestinian state alongside Israel faltered years ago, while Israeli settlement expansion on war-won land continues. The Palestinians seek a state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, territory Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war. Algeria election gets low turnout amid opposition boycott View Photo ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) Algerians voted for a new parliament Saturday in an election with a majority of novice independent candidates running under new rules meant to erase political corruption and open the way to a new Algeria. But the turnout was dismal for the first legislative election since the gas-rich North African nations longtime president was forced to resign two years ago. Tension surrounded the voting as activists and opposition parties boycotted the election amid a crackdown on weekly marches by the Hirak protest movement, which were all but banned under new rules for demonstrations. Pressure from Hirak marchers forced former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to resign in 2019 after two decades in office, a time marked by rampant political and financial corruption, unemployment and repression. Participants in the protest movement now want a transition period before elections. In its most recent update, given while polls still were open, Algerias electoral authority said that less than 14.5% of the countrys 24 million voters had cast ballots. Some regions, notably in Kabylie, a bastion of opposition east of the Algerian capital, had voter turnout under 1%. Some voting stations were vandalized, and scuffles between residents and police were reported in some towns in the region. The turnout figures arent trafficked like in the past where numbers were fixed in advance, the head of the electoral authority, Mohamed Charfi, said, adding that the new transparency gives credibility to this election, part of the wish to break with the old system. The final turnout was not immediately available after polls closed at 8 p.m. local time. Authorities began tightening the screws on the Hirak movement weeks ago with dozens of arrests and a rule obliging organizers of the marches without real leaders to declare them. Three prominent figures arrested Thursday, including two journalists one was press freedom advocate Khaled Drareni were released early Saturday ahead of the voting. The Constitutional Council announced Saturday that it would be 15 days before results of the balloting are known because of the number of candidates and the need to ensure against the fraud that marked past elections. We are looking for change, voter Mohammed Touait said at a polling station. I am 84 years old, and today I woke up at 8 a.m. because I still have hope for change. The election was supposed to exemplify President Abdelmadjid Tebbounes new Algeria, with an emphasis on young candidates and those outside the political elite. A huge number of candidates more than 20,000 ran for the 407-seat parliament, once dominated by a two-party alliance considered unlikely to maintain its grip on the legislature. Islamist parties all offered candidates. Tebboune was elected eight months after Boutflika was forced out. He vowed to remake Africas largest country but with no sign of abandoning the shadowy role of the army in governance. The president, at the start of the day, brushed off as irrelevant the number of people who vote. What is important is that those the people vote for have sufficient legitimacy, Tebboune said after casting his ballot in Algiers. The president also brushed off boycotts by the main opposition parties and Hirak supporters. These elections are another stage on the path to change and the construction of a new Algeria, with sovereignty for the people, Tebboune said. I respect the position of those who decided to boycott the elections, but they do not have the right to impose by force their viewpoint on others. Women made up half of the candidates for the first time. But women were largely invisible from the campaign their faces often blurred or concealed in campaign posters. Candidates had just 20 days to campaign, and Algerian media said real debate on major issues of concern, like unemployment, was mostly absent. With such a slew of candidates, the calculation of power is simple: to elect a patchwork assembly, without a majority, which will allow the president to create his own parliamentary majority with which he will govern, political scientist Rachid Grime said. Many candidates couldnt afford campaign posters. Independent candidates like Djamel Maafa, a former TV producer, used social networks to spread their messages, lacking access to the funds and logistical structure of big parties. Elections in Algeria have always proved that they are not the solution. The solution lies in democratic transition. It also lies in a dialogue around a table in order to solve the crisis, activist Sofiane Haddadji said. LONDON (AP) Fresh from charming leaders at the Group of Seven summit, Queen Elizabeth II was back at her residence at Windsor Castle on Saturday to view a military parade to mark her official birthday. The 95-year-old monarch sat on a dais to watch the ceremony that despite ongoing social distancing restrictions did not disappoint on the pomp and pageantry front. If she was tired after meeting G-7 leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, on Friday evening, it didn't show. The ceremony is a gift from the Household Division of army regiments, which has a close affinity with the monarch. It featured soldiers who have played an integral role in the COVID-19 response, as well as those who have been serving on military operations. She was seen beaming from ear to ear as the nine planes of the Royal Air Forces Red Arrows flew past in formation and let loose their red, white and blue smoke. The traditional Trooping the Color ceremony is normally staged in London and features hundreds of servicemen and women and thousands of spectators. However, for the second year running, that was not possible and it was a slimmed-down affair in the grounds of Windsor Castle, which is around 27 miles (44 kilometers) west of the capital. Dubbed a mini Trooping the Color, it featured soldiers in ceremonial scarlet coats and bearskin hats. The servicemen and women on parade numbered almost 275, with 70 horses, compared with the 85 soldiers who took part in the ceremony last summer. A small handful of seated guests lined part of the quadrangle a change from last year when only the military were present. The ceremony originated from traditional preparations for battle. The colors or flags were trooped, or carried down the lines of soldiers, so they could be seen and recognized in battle. Lieutenant Colonel Guy Stone, who planned the queens official birthday celebrations in Windsor Castles quadrangle, said he wanted to create a memorable and uplifting day for the monarch. The ceremony took place a couple of months after the death of her 99-year-old husband Prince Philip, whose funeral also took place at Windsor Castle. Though she has been mourning the loss of her husband of 73 years, the queen has carried on performing her duties, including delivering a government-scripted speech to mark the new session of parliament. On Friday, she was the star turn at a reception with the G-7 leaders and their spouses at the Eden Project, a futuristic botanical garden housed inside domes that features the worlds largest indoor rainforest. She drew laughter from her guests as she chided them during a group photo session: Are you supposed to be looking as if youre enjoying yourself? Though the queen's actual birthday is on April 21, she celebrates another one in June when the British weather it is hoped is more conducive to outdoor celebrations. It's a royal tradition that goes back to 1748 and the reign of King George II, whose actual birthday was in November. One of the major parts of the queen's official birthday is her award of honors to those deemed to have made a positive contribution to society. This year's honors list has celebrated those at the forefront of the U.K.s rapid rollout of coronavirus vaccines over the past few months, which has been credited with turning around the countrys pandemic response. Sarah Gilbert, the professor of vaccinology at the University of Oxford who was instrumental in the development of the vaccine being manufactured by pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, and Kate Bingham, the former head of the U.K. Vaccines Taskforce credited for the countrys successful procurement program, have both been recognized with damehoods. Though the U.K. has seen Europes highest virus-related death toll, with nearly 128,000 people having lost their lives, its vaccination program has been deemed one of the worlds speediest and most coherent rollouts. ___ This story has been corrected to show that the queen's actual birthday is April 21, not April 26. ___ Follow all of APs pandemic coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine Renters and homeowners in need of help paying for utilities may be able to get some help from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA). The TDHCA is offering help to those that have experienced financial impact from the COVID-19 pandemic through the Texas Rent Relief or the Comprehensive Energy Assistance programs. Funding became available by Congress for pandemic response assistance. There will soon be a new sidewalk system connecting 32nd and Kokomo east to Joliet and south to 24th. With all the construction currently going on between the 24th Street reconstruction project and the school districts bond projects, the city will add a 5-foot sidewalk connecting Thunderbird Elementary to Coronado Middle School, said Tim Crosswhite, director of public works for Plainview. Terra James had driven through the streets of downtown Plainview countless times and never gave much of a thought to the empty building at 509 Broadway at least until just over a year ago. Shed been looking to expand Hello Baby, a childrens clothing boutique located in downtown Plainview at 107 E. 7th Street. Having tapped out her real estate options, one day, something about the building just clicked. I was just driving down Broadway and I thought I love that building! What is that building? As I was doing research, Hello Baby just kept growing, James recalled. The building had been empty for at least 33 years and its recent owners had used it as more of a storage space. The water had been shut off since 2012. But it was the perfect location for a store front. The space is across from the Hale County Courthouse near the gazebo in the courthouse square and its between two operating businesses, which could draw in foot traffic. So James found the address of the owners and showed up and knocked on their door one day. I said my names Terra James. Would you be interested in selling it? He invited me into his home, James said. They spoke about the buildings condition and made plans for James to see inside. Things got serious in February 2020. We had a meeting with the city and Caprock Plumbing and my contractor and Mr. (Wayne) Moore, James recalled. They got a good look around the building to see what the project would entail. It was a pretty big project, James said, but the potential was too great to pass up. James closed on the building in September 2020 and got to work on renovations. The project entails the removal of asbestos, installation of an HVAC system, replacement of plumbing and facade improvements, in addition to the general cosmetic issues. She will honor the history of the building, she added. On Tuesday, the Plainview City Council officially awarded James a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) grant to help with the costs. A TIRZ zone was established in downtown Plainview in 2018 as a way to spur investment and revitalization within the district, which encompasses 4th St. to 11th St. and Denver St. to Elm St., according to Melinda Brown, a spokesperson for the city of Plainview and for the Plainview Downtown Association. A TIRZ district pools a portion of tax money generated from the businesses it encompasses and reimburses those dollars to the district. Those funds are exclusively available to that district. In December 2020, Andrea Glenn, owner of The Rusty Rose, became the first business owner to receive a TIRZ grant. Terra James is the second. The estimated costs of renovations to the future Hello Baby storefront is $125,000. The TIRZ grant will provide up to $60,000 of that up to $50,000 for interior renovations and up to $10,000 for facade improvements. This is a matching grant. James hopes to finish the work and be ready to open by at least November, just in time to participate in Downtown Districts Christmas Open House 2nd Saturday event, when businesses decorate for the holidays. Hello Baby normally hosts Santa, she noted. James said shes excited for the work to be complete and to see her plans for the new space come to fruition. The building is bigger than her current storefront location so she anticipates to have more items in-store, like strollers, pack-n-plays and other baby necessities. She also anticipates expanding the gift and book section, as well as the apparel inventory. Being a business owner has been a lifelong dream for the Round Rock-native turned Plainview transplant. She dabbled in a few (like catering and sewing) before receiving an opportunity to open Hello Baby on E. 7th in 2016. Her heart was always in either having a childrens boutique or a dog store, she said. She considers it a blessing to have been presented with the chance to try and to have succeeded with one of those ideas. This expansion is another one. Im grateful he (Moore) opened his residence door and talked to me, James said. As for her current storefront, James said shes not quite ready to reveal what shes got in mind for it. She expects to announce her plans at a later date. Plainview is set to celebrate the 156th anniversary of Juneteenth next Saturday at Givens Park. The event is being put on by Plainview AHEAD. Scheduled activities include a softball tournament, BINGO, music, free food, prizes, a bounce house and community outreach agencies will also be on hand. Desayuno is the most important meal of the day, and now you can get your fill of Mexican favorites from the folks at El Mirasol. The lauded San Antonio staple announced the launch of their new breakfast menu now available Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to noon at their 1604 location. Find breakfast clasicos such as menudo for those late nights, huevos rancheros, migas AND chilaquiles (so you can see and taste the difference between both dishes), and a slew of breakfast tacos. Wash it down with a $5 mimosas, $7 bloody marys, $6 Modelo draft micheladas or El Mirasol's signature Chispa made with fresh orange juice. Courtesy of Lone Star Beer West Texas inspires new brew Lone Star Beer is nurturing our wanderlust and making us long for a trip out west. The latest in their culture series, High Desert Days, is a wheat-style beer brewed with white wheat, Pilsen malt and finished with agave and hibiscus. At a 4.6 percent ABV, it's a crushable summer companion that won't derail your day-drinking plans. The Marfa-inspired brew joins Das Bier Y'all and Rio Jade in Lone Star's culture series, and can be found in six packs at HEB, Total Wine & More, and others Tea up more flavors Hibiscus is in. Special Leaf, a specialty tea company based out of San Antonio that uses olive leaves for its creations, released a new flavor to round out its offerings. Heavenly Hibiscus joints Keep It Simple, Pomberry, and When Life Gives You Lemons, with a mix of hibiscus, blueberry and mint flavors. Monk fruit sweetens the deal, keeping the new drink keto-friendly. Find Special Leaf at Huebner Oaks Farmers Market on Saturday and Alamo Heights Farmers Market on Sunday or order here. Hopscotch fires up June lineup There's always something shakin' at Hopscotch, the Austin-transplant immersive art experience located in downtown San Antonio. These days, the ball pit is opening for the first time on June 18. On June 17, the venue will showcase Juneteeth with San Antonio's Black Freedom Factory, live music and more with The Future is Freedom. Saint City Supper Club will host a second iteration of their Awkward Prom event on June 24 with proceeds benefiting the Saint City Culinary Foundation. Third Eye Awakenings return the fourth Saturday of the month on June 26 for a Pride rendition. Movies by Moonlight return to Travis Park on June 15 and guests are invited to hang out for happy hour from 5 to 9 p.m. Oh, and did we mention there are two new cocktails? The Fiesta Frozen adds a twist to the mangonada, and the Pride Paloma complete with rainbow gummy bear garnish. They're both $12 with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Pride Center San Antonio. So you're drinking for good. Catch it all here. Courtesy of Krause's Sounds of the Hill Country Summers are made for Hill Country jaunts. Pop over to Krause's Cafe and Biergarten for their free live music series this month. Catch Rochelle & The Sidewinders Friday, June 18 or Lederhosen Junkies, and Off The Grid Band on Saturday, June 19. Reggae sounds will flood the patio with Mighty Mystic and Jah Sun & The Rising Tide on June 24, or take in the smooth sounds of the Soul Sessions on June 25. Have any food news? Send it our way: mysa@mysa.com. Foodies, a local fast-growing barbecue business is moving into its first brick-and-mortar on the city's Northwest Side. David Andrews, 38, and his fiancee Violet Murillo, 35, started their food company, Fat Bastards, in 2019, selling their now-popular pulled pork sandwiches out of a tent at markets around the city. In March 2020, the two bought a trailer, upgrading to meals-on-wheels. In July, the pair will have made their dreams come true, as they plan on opening their restuarant on 7530 Bandera Road. READ ALSO: What's Brewing reopens dine-in option at original location in San Antonio "This was always the plan," Andrews, who has been working in the restaurant and catering industry for 22 years, says. "We used to talk about it all the time, and now it's happening. We are excited." Since he was 11, Andrews says he's always had the goal of being an entrepreneur in the restaurant industry. He says he's been working on the recipes on his menu for quite a while, which is why he says they are like no other. On the menu, Andrews says the most popular item at the moment is the Mac Daddy a seasoned pulled pork sandwich with macaroni 'n' cheese on top. The menu also has lemon pepper ribs and a delicious tenderloin that is stuffed with jalapeno, cornbread and cranberry and topped with honey glaze sauce. "We got stuff that's different from your normal barbecue," he says. "We have our own style of cooking. It's barbecue but we spice it up." 5 1 of 5 Fat Bastards BBQ and Grill Show More Show Less 2 of 5 Fat Bastards BBQ and Grill Show More Show Less 3 of 5 4 of 5 Fat Bastards BBQ and Grill Show More Show Less 5 of 5 Customers can look forward to the food but the energy and service as well, Andrews says. He says he wants others to be excited to eat and mingle at Fat Bastards which was named because it's something that catches your attention (it sure does, and we can't wait to try out the new place). The Latest on the Group of Seven nations meeting being held in England: FALMOUTH, England Queen Elizabeth II has hosted the Group of Seven leaders at an evening reception where Britains royals mingled with some of the worlds most powerful politicians. The event, which was closed to most media, saw royals, world leaders and their spouses enjoying drinks at Cornwalls Eden Project, an attraction that features the worlds largest indoor rainforest within giant domes. Three generations of the monarchy attended the event, held on the first evening of a three-day summit in Cornwall, southwest England. Prince Charles and his wife Camilla were joined by Prince William and his wife Kate, who were taking part in G-7 events for the first time. The leaders and their partners, including U.S. President Joe Biden and wife Jill Biden, will have a dinner of roasted turbot, Cornish new potatoes and greens with wild garlic pesto cooked by a local chef. ___ CARBIS BAY, EnglandU.S. President Joe Biden had a pull-aside meeting Friday with French President Emanuel Macron ahead of their Saturday meeting. The White House says the two leaders discussed the coronavirus pandemic, the counterterrorism efforts in the Sahel region of Africa, the transatlantic alliance and the partnership between the United States and France. The White House says Biden had productive conversations at the Group of Seven summit with a focus on creating a more inclusive and fairer global economy. ___ FALMOUTH, England U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres has welcomed commitments by the U.S. and Britain to share millions of coronavirus vaccine shots with struggling countries. But he says its not enough. Without a global effort, Guterres says the coronavirus could spread like wildfire in much of developing world. Leaders from the Group of Seven wealthy democracies are expected to commit to share at least 1 billion vaccine shots with poorer countries, with half the doses coming from the U.S. and 100 million from the U.K. Guterres says to defeat the virus, countries producing vaccines need to form an emergency task force to coordinate an effective response to COVID-19. We need a concerted effort, we need a global vaccination plan, says Guterres, who will join the summit. If not, the risk is there will still be large areas of the developing world where the virus spreads like wildfire. Guterres stressed we are on the verge of the abyss regarding climate change. He says leaders of developing economies need to urgently commit to net zero emissions by the middle of the century. ___ FALMOUTH, England British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that the Group of Seven wealthy democracies must learn lessons from the pandemic, and not repeat errors made over the past 18 months and during the recovery from the 2008 global financial crisis. Opening three days of talks with fellow G-7 leaders in Cornwall, southwest England on Friday, Johnson said there was a risk the pandemic could leave a lasting scar as inequalities may be entrenched. He said it's vital that governments and international institutions don't make the same mistakes they did after the financial crisis, when the recovery was not uniform across all parts of society. The British leader said the goal should be to level up across our societies and build back better. Leaders of the G-7, which include Britain, the United States, Germany, France, Italy, Canada and Japan, are expected to commit to sharing at least 1 billion vaccine doses with countries that are struggling to secure enough shots. The pledge includes commitments from U.S. President Joe Biden to share 500 million doses and from Johnson for another 100 million shots. ___ CARBIS BAY, England British Prime Minister Boris Johnson greeted leaders from the Group of Seven nations and the European Union on a wooden boardwalk on the freshly raked sand of Carbis Bay to open the G-7 summit on Friday. Johnson wore a charcoal gray suit and light blue tie. The prime minister's wife, Carrie Johnson, was in a hot pink mid-length dress. The couple greeted leaders with elbow bumps and small talk about social distancing and the weather, under typically moody English skies. Johnson, who wed the former Carrie Symonds last month, later joked it was like walking down the aisle. Reporters asked U.S. President Joe Biden what his message was for Russian leader Vladimir Putin, whom Biden is scheduled to meet with next week. The president replied, Ill tell you after Ive delivered it. The G-7 leaders posed for a group photo. As the group walked away, led by Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron threw his arm around Bidens shoulder and began an animated discussion. Macrons office said the French leader and Biden discussed China, agreeing there should be no confrontation but Western democracies must defend their values and interests. The two men, who were meeting for the first time, talked for several minutes while heading to a meeting room. ___ PARIS Leaders of European Union nations who are attending the Group of Seven summit in England gathered before the official start of the event with top EU officials. French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian Premier Mario Draghi, EU Council President Charles Michel and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen talked about relations with China. They plan to discuss the topic later with U.S. President Biden, who also is at the summit. The European position is clear: China is a systemic rival, a partner on global issues and a competitor, Macron's office said in a statement. The European leaders also discussed ways to finance and donate COVID-19 vaccines, with the aim of getting 60% of the people living in the world's poorest countries vaccinated by March 2022, according to Macrons office. ___ FALMOUTH, England Hundreds of people have gathered for climate change protests near the site of the Group of Seven leaders' summit in southwest England. Ahead of the official start of the three-day talks, some activists sent a barge carrying inflatable caricatures of U.S. President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson floating off the coast of Cornwall on Friday. The figures had messages written on their hands reading Wave of Hope and Crack the Crises. Later, around 500 people joined a rally in St. Ives organized by the Extinction Rebellion climate activism group. Protesters wore blue and green gowns and headdresses while holding flags that read G7 drowning in promises and Action not words. Climate change is a top issue on the G-7 summit agenda, along with recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Dozens of young people also joined a protest on behalf of Fridays for Future, a youth climate movement kicked off in 2018 by activist Greta Thunberg. Im inspired by the youth who are leading Fridays for Future. I think they are amazing, and if we have any hope, the hope is with them and not with our rich, greedy, lying leaders of the world meeting for the G-7, said Jill Eastland, 56, who joined the protest. ___ CARBIS BAY, England German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she hopes Group of Seven leaders achieve very good results on coronavirus vaccines and show the world were not just thinking of ourselves. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said ahead of a leaders' summit starting Friday that he expected the G-7 to commit to sharing 1 billion doses with countries around the world. Germany has said it plans to donate 30 million of its vaccine doses by the end of the year, part of a commitment of 100 million by the European Union. Merkel's government has noted that Germany has been a major donor to the U.N.-backed COVAX facility, which is supplying doses to poorer countries, and that the EU has been a major exporter of vaccines. Merkel said after arriving at the summit: I hope that we will achieve very good results to show that were not just thinking of ourselves, but were also thinking of those who dont yet have the opportunity to get vaccinated -- above all, African countries, but others, too. She didnt elaborate on what those results would be. ___ CARBIS BAY, England German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she expects the Group of Seven to send a strong signal for values-based multilateralism, but she cautioned that problems such as climate change wont be solved without China. Merkel said after arriving at a G-7 leaders' summit in southwest England on Friday that U.S. President Joe Biden represents the commitment to multilateralism that we have been missing in recent years. The chancellor added: We will put in a strong word here for multilateralism here, and for values-based multilateralism. She said that puts the G-7 Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States - at odds with Russia and also in some aspects with China. Merkel is attending whats expected to be her last G-7 summit after nearly 16 years in power. We need everyone in the world -- we want to work together, particularly in the areas of climate protection and biodiversity. We will never achieve solutions there without China, she said. ___ FALMOUTH, England British police say seven people were arrested after officers found two vehicles carrying paint, smoke grenades and loudspeakers close to the Group of Seven summit venue in southwest England . Police said Friday that officers searched a car and a van about seven miles (11 kilometers) from the Carbis Bay Hotel on Thursday afternoon and found the items inside. Four men and three women were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit public nuisance and possessing an article with intent to commit criminal damage. All seven remain in police custody. Police said they support safe and legal protests but criminal activity and public disorder are not tolerated. Security is tight around the G-7 venues near St. Ives, England, where leaders of the world's wealthy nations are gathering for three days of talks. Armed soldiers guarding the main sites and some 5,000 extra police officers from around the U.K. deployed to the area. ___ HAYLE, England U.S. first lady Jill Biden and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, are touring a preschool in southwestern England and learning how the children care for some rabbits. The women also plan to take part in a talk about early childhood education. The White House says its the first time theyve met. Biden and the former Kate Middleton are visiting with 4- and 5-year-olds at Connor Downs Academy in Hayle, England. Biden carried a bowl of carrots when they went outside to see the bunnies. Biden is a longtime English teacher who focuses on education, as does Kate, a mother of three young children. The first lady is traveling with her husband, President Joe Biden, who is attending a Group of Seven summit of the worlds largest economies opening Friday in Carbis Bay. ___ CARBIS BAY, England Workers are carefully raking the sand on the beach where British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will greet Group of Seven leaders at the start of their summit in southwestern England. The backdrop for the greetings and family photo on Friday is an idyllic view of Carbis Bay, with the event's huge security operation just out of sight. A Royal Navy destroyer is moored in the bay, and armed police and snipers are ringing the seaside resort where leaders of seven wealthy nations are meeting for the first time in two years. The G-7 nations are f Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. ___ PLYMOUTH, England U.S. President Joe Biden is going to be hosting German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House next month. White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced Friday that Merkel, who is leaving office later this year, will visit Washington on July 15. Psaki, in a statement, said the meeting will affirm ties between the two nations and the leaders will discuss the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and international security. Merkel will be the first European leader to visit the White House. She and Biden were set to meet later Friday at the Group of Seven summit, a gathering of some of the worlds wealthiest nations, taking place in England. ___ FALMOUTH, England The mother of a British teenager killed in a road accident involving a U.S. diplomats wife says she is hopeful of progress in the stalled case after Prime Minister Boris Johnson raised the case with President Joe Biden at the G-7. Harry Dunn, 19, died in 2019 when his motorcycle collided with a car driven by Anne Sacoolas near a military base in England used by the U.S. Sacoolas claimed diplomatic immunity and returned to the United States after the crash. She has been charged in England with causing death by dangerous driving but is refusing to come back to Britain. The U.K. government said Johnson discussed the issue with Biden when they met Thursday, and reiterated that the U.K. wants to see justice done for the family. Johnson said the president was extremely sympathetic to the familys plight. Dunns mother, Caroline Charles, said she hoped Bidens personal experience of similar tragic loss would help U.S. authorities take a different view of the case. Bidens first wife and their 1-year-old daughter died in a car accident in 1972. It is almost two years since we lost Harry in August 2019 and it would be lovely to think that all parties can now come together to help bring this living nightmare to an end so that we can try to rebuild our shattered lives, Charles said. ___ BERLIN The German government says a member of the countrys advance team to the G-7 summit has gone into precautionary quarantine after a coronavirus case was reported in their hotel in the Cornish town of St. Ives. The government said in a statement Friday that the incident would have no impact on German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her delegations trip to the summit in Carbis Bay. Cibolo City Council announced Wayne Reed as its new city manager following a brief executive session at its June 8 council meeting. Reed, currently the assistant city manager in Georgetown, Texas, was on hand and thanked the council for the opportunity to step into the citys leadership role. Im very excited to be here. I want to thank each of you for your confidence in selecting me as your next city manager, Reed said when introduced following the unanimous council vote. It is a privilege to be your city manager. That is to be my role, to be of service to you and to help guide this community to be what it wants to be and what it can be, he added. Reed spent the past five years as assistant city manager for development in Georgetown, where he was responsible for oversight of city organization including building inspections, community services, engineering, human resources and organizational development, planning and public works. It has been a privilege to be a part of the Georgetown team these past 5 years, Reed stated in a city of Georgetown news release. I have been provided opportunities by David Morgan to lead diverse service areas and oversee initiatives to improve the culture and performance of the organization. While at Georgetown he led development-related departments, including planning public works, systems engineering, permitting and inspection as well as human resources and community services, the release said. Reed, 54, a Texas A&M University graduate with a masters degree in urban planning and a bachelors degree in environmental design, brings more than 25 years of local government experience from careers in Colorado and Texas. Before his Jan. 1, 2016, arrival in Georgetown, he served as deputy city manager in Centennial, Colo. (first hired Oct. 1, 2012). He first joined Centennials administration on May 1, 2000, as its community development director. He held the position of planning director for the Town of Berthoud, Colo., and served as a planner for the cities of Arvada, Colo., and Denton, Texas. Reed also served as a sergeant with the U.S. Army Reserve. He is a certified planning professional and a member of the International City/County Management Association, American Public Works Association, American Institute of Certified Planners and the American Planning Association. Reed will arrive in Cibolo from a city experiencing similar growth issues. Georgetown, currently a city of near 80,000 residents, had a population of 28,339 in 2000 and 47,400 in 2010. Im excited by the opportunity to help a small but fast-growing community implement its vision and become a high-performing organization by working with the City Council to set a course for the future of the community, like we are continuously striving to do in Georgetown, he stated. Reed offered a brief message to city staff and Cibolo residents gathered at City Hall. My family and I are already packing our house, Im making great curb appeal, and were excited to move down here, he said. I am looking forward to walking in the first day to work and to work with all of you. Thank you again for this opportunity. jflinn@express-news.net When former President Donald Trump endorsed Gov. Greg Abbott for reelection last week, it was a boon to a governor who, by all appearances, has been working assiduously to neutralize any problems he may have in his next Republican primary. But one line from Trumps statement in particular may have been the sweetest victory to Abbott. No Governor has done more to secure the Border, Trump proclaimed. That is because there is no issue that Abbott has been more openly focused on this year and competition has been stiff. There has been the coronavirus pandemic, the winter weather crisis and a host of Republican priorities at the state Capitol, including the elections bill that Democrats killed last month and Abbott has promised to revive in a yet-to-be-called special session. Abbotts intense concentration on the border reached an apex Thursday evening, when he traveled to Del Rio to make several announcements related to border security including that Texans would soon build its own border wall. He offered no details beyond that a plan would come next week, and many questions remain about where hed get the money, land and authority to take such a drastic action. But the context was clear: Abbott is maneuvering to establish himself as a national Republican leader on border security and the top foil to President Joe Biden on the issue. Politically, the focus also comes as Abbott faces an electorate persistently worried about the border, a contested 2022 primary for reelection and the lead-up to a 2024 presidential race from which he still has not removed himself from consideration. The border security summit that Abbott held in Del Rio capped months of ramped-up activity by the governor on the border. He fought with the Biden administration in March about letting in migrants with coronavirus. He ratcheted up the state law enforcement presence on the border through an initiative known as Operation Lone Star. He asked border-area counties to provide estimates of the financial stress they are under so he can request federal reimbursement. He called for the closure of San Antonio migrant shelter over what he said were complaints of child abuse. Earlier this month, he ordered the state to revoke licenses issued to shelters that house unaccompanied migrant kids, drawing a threat of legal action from the Biden administration. Abbott has sharply blamed Biden every step of the way, taking him to task for doing things like pausing border wall construction and ordering a review of the Trump administrations Migrant Protection Protocols, also known as the remain in Mexico policy, which requires asylum seekers to wait in Mexico until their hearings in U.S. immigration courts. The number of people stopped by federal law enforcement at or near the border for trying to enter the country illegally has climbed sharply in the first year of Bidens term. The number reached 180,000 in May, which was the highest in more than two decades. Democrats say Abbott is being hypocritical after not being nearly as outspoken about border problems under Trump. JERRY LARA / San Antonio Express-News He did not seem too concerned about the border when Donald Trump was putting kids in cages and separating families and just doing the horrible things he did, said Gilberto Hinojosa, chairman of the state Democratic Party. Given the great Christian man that he claims to be, he never cared one iota about the suffering that these children were going through, and thats just terrible. In between all the border-related announcements, Abbott has become a more regular presence than ever on Fox News and other conservative outlets. After the border security summit, Abbott did an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham from the same stage at the Del Rio Civic Center. In the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll, conducted in mid-April, border security and immigration reigned supreme as the top concerns for Texans. Thirty-seven percent of voters picked them as the leading problems facing the state today. Among Republicans, the number was 65%, and no other issue came close. (Coronavirus got 3%.) It shouldnt surprise anyone that Greg Abbott is a border security hawk, said John Wittman, a former longtime spokesperson for the governor. He ran on this in 2014 and has continued to follow through on this. Wittman argued Abbott was not playing politics but being responsive to the current situation under Biden. Of course, Abbotts critics in both parties see it differently. Abbott primary challenger Don Huffines has been campaigning on Texas building its own border wall, and in a cheeky statement after Abbotts border security summit, Huffines thanked the governor for joining my campaign. The wall should have been built years ago and the only reason Governor Abbott is now discussing it is because he's facing a primary challenge that threatens his political power, Huffines said in a statement for this story. Allen West, the outgoing Texas GOP chairman who is considering challenging Abbott, also had a response to the governor Thursday evening. Looking forward to Governor Abbott finishing the #borderwall for #Texas, West tweeted, sharing a video of him last month touring a border-wall section near El Paso. Some of Abbotts critics inside his party noted that if he was serious about Texas finishing Trumps border wall, he could have supported legislation by state Rep. Bryan Slaton, R-Royse City, to do so during the regular session earlier this year. The legislation, House Bill 2862, was referred to a committee in March but never got a hearing. In a Facebook post Thursday evening, Slaton urged Abbott to add the proposal to any special session agenda. How competitive Abbotts 2022 primary will be remains to be seen, especially after Trumps endorsement. But it is hard to dispute that Abbott this year has been acting like an elected official acutely concerned with his right flank not just due to his border security fixation, but also his embrace of hard-right legislative priorities like the permitless carry of handguns in which he had previously shown little interest. Bryan Snyder is the chairman of the Republican Party in Maverick County, which is along the border and two counties over from where Abbott appeared for his border security summit. Snyder said the overall reaction from local Republicans to Abbotts border handling this year has been very positive. He does not think Abbotts 2022 primary will be competitive, especially after Thursday evening. Honestly no, I really dont, Snyder said, and I think this really seals the deal for him too. Some suspect Abbott is looking beyond even 2022 with his intense focus on the border and to a potential presidential campaign two years later. On Friday morning, the League of United Latin American Citizens issued a statement in which its president, Domingo Garcia, accused Abbott of using refugee children as political pinatas to cynically launch his run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Hinojosa said Abbott was politicizing things that he feels will help him be in a better position to run for president. In an interview last week, Abbott continued to keep a 2024 campaign on the table. He said he was still prioritizing issues from the regular legislative session and would only be focused on 2022 when he starts campaigning again but did not rule out a presidential campaign after that when given the opportunity to do so. The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans and engages with them about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. In today's endless scroll of content, the days of a finite number of TV channels sounds downright quaint. There's so, so, so many things to watch now that Netflix has even implemented a special feature to combat choice paralysis. Instead of investing millions of dollars in R&D, we here at SFGATE have gone a simpler route. We've compiled all of our best TV content into one simple package sorted by genre. Click through to read the full article, and for more streaming content every week, sign up for our new Remote Control newsletter. (Natural News) Acupressure is a traditional Chinese practice that is often used to address minor health complaints. Its even used to relieve sleep disorders like insomnia. If you are having trouble sleeping, try activating the six acupressure points listed below for better sleep. Acupressure and qi Some studies show that acupressure can be used as an alternative treatment for sleep disorders. Acupressure was developed to promote the movement of qi (pronounced chi), the vital energy that circulates throughout the body. The ancient Chinese believed that qi flows through channels called meridians. Blockages in these meridians can disrupt the flow of qi, and this can cause chronic illnesses, pain and sleeplessness. But if you apply pressure on acupoints along your body, you can get rid of blockages and allow qi to flow freely through your meridians. These acupoints have assigned numbers and organs. While acupressure and acupuncture are guided by similar principles, the latter uses needles to stimulate acupoints. Meanwhile, acupressure practitioners use massage and firm touch. In a 2017 study, researchers worked with 112 volunteers to compare the effects of acupuncture and sleep medication on insomnia. They found that both treatments helped improve sleep quality in the participants after a month. However, acupuncture proved more effective than sleep medication, suggesting that acupressure may offer the same benefits. To do acupressure at home, apply gentle but firm pressure with your hand, fingers, fist or a massager. Try activating these six acupressure points to improve your sleep quality. An Mian An Mian refers to acupoints traditionally used in acupressure and acupuncture to treat insomnia. These points can also be used to relieve other symptoms like anxiety, headaches and vertigo. The An Mian points are located on either side of your neck. To find these points, place a finger behind each earlobe, then move your fingers just behind the bony protrusion. Use light pressure. HT7 (Shen Men) HT7 is located on the underside of your wrist, just under the bottom of your hand. Bend your hand forward slightly and look for the crease. Apply pressure to the outermost part of this crease. In a 2010 study, researchers worked with 50 older adults from a long-term care facility who were suffering from insomnia. They divided the participants into two groups. The experimental group received acupressure on the HT7 point on both wrists for five weeks, while the control group received only a light touch in the same place. The researchers reported that the acupressure group had significantly better sleep scores than the control group throughout the trial and up to two weeks afterward. This suggests that applying acupressure on the HT7 point is an effective natural treatment for insomnia. (Related: Self-administered acupressure helps relieve migraine symptoms, improves sleep quality: Study.) KD3 (Taixi) Stimulating the KD3 point can also help relieve insomnia. This point is located just above your heel on the inside of your foot. In a 2014 study, researchers reported that using acupressure on points KD3 and HT7 helped improve sleep quality in middle-aged and older adult volunteers with hypertension. Activating the two points also helped restore their blood pressure to healthy levels. LV3 (Tai Chong) LV3 can help relieve unexplained insomnia along with stress and anxiety-related sleeplessness. This acupoint can be found where the skin of your big toe and the next toe connect. Apply firm and deep pressure on the spot. In a study involving breast cancer survivors, researchers examined the effects of acupressure on fatigue and sleep quality. They found that applying pressure to the LV3 point for three minutes helped improved sleep in the volunteers. SP6 (San Yin Jiao) Point SP6 can help relieve insomnia, menstrual cramps, urinary issues and other pelvic problems. You can locate SP6 by finding the highest point of your ankle on the inside of your leg. Start at the top of your ankle and measure four finger-widths up your leg. Apply deep pressure just behind the bone above your ankle. In a 2016 study, researchers asked breast cancer survivors to adopt a relaxing acupressure routine that included applying pressure to SP6 for three minutes. The volunteers reported that this routine helped improve their sleep and quality of life. However, acupressure researchers caution that pregnant women should avoid applying pressure to the SP6 point. Yin Tang The Yin Tang point is located in the center of your eyebrows, just above the nose. Apply pressure to this point to help relieve insomnia and other issues like agitation, fear and restlessness. For best results, try using other sleep strategies with acupressure, such as: Not using your electronics two hours before your bedtime. Waking up and going to bed at the same time every day. Darkening your bedroom and keeping it cool and quiet. Listening to soothing music. Meditating before bed. According to research, at least 10 to 30 percent of people experience insomnia. Being sleep-deprived will negatively affect your overall health and well-being. Acupressure is a natural and low-risk alternative to sleep medication. If you plan on using acupressure to address insomnia, consult with a natural health practitioner, an acupuncturist or a massage therapist to understand how to maximize its benefits. Sources include: MedicalNewsToday.com Health.harvard.edu (Natural News) Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, has made another public appearance, this time on American Media Periscope where he talked with host John Michael Chambers, whom he met at the recent Tulsa Health Freedom Conference, about the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) death jab and what we can all expect from it in the coming days. After parsing out the latest revelations concerning the true origin of the Chinese Virus, which appears to have come from a Wuhan lab rather than infected bats at a wet market, the two talked about the injections being delivered at warp speed as part of the new normal. Adams explained to Chambers and the viewing audience how we now know that the jabs are spreading the deadly spike proteins that are causing people to get sick or die. The real shocker is that the vaccine contains the spike protein, and so the vaccine is causing this wave of hospitalizations and deaths from covid which are really symptoms that occur when someone is injected with spike protein, which even the Jonas Salk Institute, which is one of the leading institutes of vaccines throughout the history of Western medicine, they admit that the spike protein causes vascular damage and contributes to blood clots and cell damage across the body, Adams stated. It even interferes with the mitochondria of cells causing lethargy, fatigue, and an inability to function. Adams went on to differentiate between the two different types of vaccines being administered: the viral vector shots from Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca, and the messenger RNA (mRNA) injections from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. The former, Adams revealed, inject people with actual spike proteins that immediately enter the bloodstream and attach themselves to ACE2 receptors, including in the ovaries of women and the testes of men. The second type, Adams went on to explain, is the mRNA vaccines that invade your bodys cells, take over the protein synthesis engines of those cells, and cause your body to churn out spike proteins like a bioweapons factory. Those people, we believe, are shedding or transmitting spike protein. Its a nanoparticle that is the spike protein thats being transmitted from vaccinated people to unvaccinated people and its causing blood clots in the unvaccinated. Those who are vaccinated are, in my view, walking biological timebombs, he added. Health Ranger: Youre playing roulette with your life if you take this vaccine The truth of the matter is that these injections should not even be called vaccines at all because that is not what they are. They are experimental gene therapy medications, the long-term effects of which are completely unknown. Adams describes them as operating systems similar to what a computer has, allowing various software programs to be installed. In the case of the injections, they are laying a type of groundwork for the later installation of viruses, parasites and other malignant components. These operating systems, Adams further warns, have unknown consequences, no long-term safety testing, and no approval for safety and efficacy by the FDA. You are the experiment if you take these interventions, and its a brand-new technology platform that may even, in fact, alter your DNA through a process called transfection, he explained. In summation, this is all a massive biological weapons experiment and the subjects are unwitting people who have been so programmed into fearing infection that they are willing to do whatever the government and Big Tech tells them to do in order to stay safe. Be sure to watch the full segment at this link to hear the rest of this important conversation, and be sure to share it with your friends and loved ones. You will also discover more of the latest news about Chinese Virus deception at Pandemic.news. Sources for this article include: AmericanMediaPeriscope.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) For over a year, we were told that SARS-CoV-2 was a natural occurrence, that laboratory experiments on coronaviruses did not exist. But gain-of-function virus engineering has been real for more than a decade. US and Chinese scientists have enjoyed grants from the National Institutes of Health to enhance the lethality of viruses and to exploit human immune cells. Despite Dr. Faucis repeated public dismissal of this unethical research, his newly released emails reveal his intentions to conceal it. For over a year, healthy people have been locked down, threatened and blamed for covid deaths, all to rollout tyrannical Vaccine Passports worldwide. These systems of digital surveillance and control are a tool to discriminate and segregate the human race, giving permanent power to the criminals who inflicted this misery upon the world. The abusive human experiments have only just begun The sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 proves it was no accident, and vaccine passports are no coincidence, either. The US government created a set of rules by which researchers could receive NIH grants to create and use potential pandemic pathogens for the development of vaccines. In fact, the HHS framework classifies a potential pandemic pathogen as safe for research purposes only if its being used to develop and test new diagnostics and vaccines. After all, the NIH stated that its scientists created stabilized coronavirus spike proteins for the development of vaccines against coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, and the government consequently has sought patents to preserve the governments rights to these inventions. According to NIH and Moderna licensing agreements, Faucis National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease jointly owns experimental mRNA-1273 vaccine technology and will collect royalties on the Moderna vaccines. So why would public health leaders like Dr. Anthony Fauci dismiss the governments involvement in gain-of-function research? Why would coronavirus gain-of-function researchers like Dr. Peter Daszak email his funder (Dr. Fauci) in the beginning of a pandemic and thank him for dismissing the lab origins of SARS-CoV-2? Why would NIH director Dr. Francis Collins email Fauci, warning him about sequencing studies on SARS-CoV-2 that prove laboratory interference in the creation of the spike protein? Instead of coming clean about the research they were involved in, these men tried to hide it. For this, they are partially culpable in the deaths of human subjects who have been caught up in a live experiment worldwide. These evil entities have deflected blame for their sinister and oppressive actions by locking healthy people down, depriving them of their rights, and blaming them for covid deaths. The NIHs paranoid and panicked emails, Faucis manipulative and prevaricating interviews, and their controlling and destructive actions provide enough evidence of their malfeasance. So far, these evil entities have escaped judgment for experimenting on humans, locking people down and controlling movement, but their crimes against humanity have only just begun. The remainder of their maniacal experiment is currently underway, as their engineered spike proteins are replicated in human cells, causing inflammatory conditions and autoimmune attacks in the cardiovascular system and in the physical brain of terrorized, coerced and submissive human subjects. The remaining people who reject this experimental abuses and see through these wicked, controlling schemes, will also be victimized, in a different way. The vaccine passport is part of the experiment, forcing compliance to their wicked schemes, bringing discrimination and segregation to the world. The Vaccine Passport has also been planned for years The Vaccine Passport has been planned for some years. The executive branch of the European Union published a report on April 26, 2018, titled Proposal for a Council Recommendation on Strengthened Cooperation against Vaccine Preventable Diseases. The framework lays out a plan to implement vaccine portals and vaccine passports as a precondition to travel and live. The commission expressed interest in controlling cross border movement of people within the EU and to look into options to address them, including developing a common EU citizens vaccination card/passport, compatible with electronic immunisation information systems and recognised for use across borders. The Commission desires to establish a European Vaccination Information Sharing system that will coordinate with national public health authorities to facilitate a merger of national vaccine schedules and enforce broad uptake of vaccine using a common vaccination card. The commission even mentioned vaccine hesitancy and why its important to target any information online that hinders total vaccine compliance. Now Europe is rolling out Digital Green Certificate, forcing citizens to show digital proof they comply with the experiments and all the vaccine industrys demands. India, China and Israel have followed suit with their own vaccine passport system. In Israel, the unvaccinated are only allowed in essential places and are barred from the rest of society. When travelers abroad arrive in Israel, they are outfitted with freedom bracelets that dictate their travel and whereabouts. The US is allowing this tyrannical discrimination and segregation, too. In New York, citizens are unable to attend sporting events without complying with the Excelsior Pass and its bodily requirements. The US CDC is trying to force cruise ships to require proof of vaccination as well and rolling out recommendations requiring unvaccinated persons to wear masks in indoor settings. Whether its the AOK Pass, Common Pass, the Vaccination Credential Initiative, Good Health Pass Collaborative or the IATA Travel Pass, medical tyranny is here, and it beckons for every one of us to resist at all costs. Sources include: CreativeDestructionMedia.com NaturalNews.com DocumentCloud.org Axios.com NaturalNews.com HealthImpactNews.com NaturalNews.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) ST. LOUIS, Missouri, June 9, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) Amidst an atmosphere of sweeping censorship by Big Media and Big Tech, along with a smattering of government intimidation, a highly accomplished chiropractor has pledged to defend himself in a lawsuit levied by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) which claims he and his company, Quickwork LLC, have participated in deceptive marketing practices regarding the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. (Article by Patrick Delaney republished from LifeSiteNews.com) Im not just standing up for myself, Im standing up for my patients, Im standing up for other doctors who have been oppressed and suppressed, Dr. Eric Nepute told LifeSiteNews in an exclusive interview. I just cannot let my children [and grandchildren] grow up in a world where medical tyranny rules. The lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on behalf of the FTC charges Nepute with violating the COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act (CCPA) which was passed last December and renders it illegal to engage in deceptive marketing related to the treatment, cure, prevention, mitigation, or diagnosis of COVID19, according to an FTC statement. The FTC claims Nepute and his company deceptively marketed products containing vitamin D and zinc as scientifically proven to treat or prevent COVID-19, and as being as, or more, effective than vaccines that are currently available. Thomas Renz, who was also part of the interview and has been the lead attorney in several major cases across the country related to COVID-19 lockdowns, mask mandates, business closures, and more, responded directly citing the website of the National Institute of Health (NIH) which itself acknowledges the relationship between zinc and a healthy immune system in several places. As stated here, the NIH website affirms that zinc deficiency depresses both innate and adaptive immune responses. Also from the website, Renz read, Vitamin D has other roles in the body, including [proper] immune function. Pointing out how NIH reportedly owns half of the patent for the Moderna injections, Renz asked, Why do you think that theyre promoting the vaccine and suppressing what people like [Nepute] are saying? Its on their website, that vitamin D affects the immune system. Its on their website that zinc affects the immune system. And yet theyre going to say that [Nepute] shouldnt be saying that zinc and vitamin D might affect your immune system in a positive way?! Theyre saying it! How is it a violation of the law for him to say it?! Its not. They just want to suppress anything they can with this because they need to push this stinking poison [the experimental vaccines] into as many peoples arms as they can this is one of the most corrupt, egregious violations of rights Ive ever seen. With regards to the FTCs charge that Missouri-based primary care provider encouraged others to not receive the gene-therapy vaccine due to its not stopping the spread of COVID-19, Nepute said, The vaccine doesnt stop the spread of COVID-19. It says it in the EUA [Emergency Use Authorization]. It says it in Modernas papers, it said it in Pfizers papers. COVID-19 are symptoms. SARS-CoV-2 is the virus. It doesnt attack the virus. It only attacks the spike protein. The federal government is trying to put a gag order on me In this first legal action under the new CCPA, the FTC is seeking to to impose monetary penalties on Nepute and Quickwork, and to grant a preliminary injunction against the defendants, including prohibiting their making such health claims unless they are true and can be substantiated by competent and reliable scientific evidence. The Commission also seeks to bar the defendants from falsely claiming to have scientific evidence about the effects of vitamin D and zinc on COVID-19. I would love to talk about the science, the journals, the medical papers that support my claims. But right now, the federal government is trying to put a gag order on me so that I cant discuss that stuff, Nepute said. The things the federal government are accusing me of are absolutely unbelievable. When you look at the science, he said. We are pushing back so that we can actually get the science out to the people. With a touch of irony, Nepute highlighted that everything weve talked about from the beginning of COVID-19 has completely become true, totally true, [based on] science and not opinion. But the other side is basing their decisions off of the opinions of other people. We could easily do a walk away, take a settlement that they offered and just take a slap on the wrist [and] act like nothing ever happened, he shared prior to recording. But we cant do that. [With our legal defense] we will be able to prove without a shadow of a doubt that the-powers-that-be weaponized the federal government to suppress, silence and censor doctors, he said. And, therefore, the goal is to stop censorship. Censorship literally kills people. Without knowledge, My people will perish, Nepute said, referencing Hosea 4:6. In April, Dr. Peter MCullough testified that had censorship not occurred regarding effective early treatments such as ivermectin, zinc, and vitamin D for COVID-19, 85 percent of the over 500,000 deaths in the United States could have been saved. Dr. Simone Gold from Americas Frontline Doctors concurred with Neputes conclusion on this matter affirming that over the last year, its a demonstrable that, Censorship kills. Click HERE to help Dr. Eric Nepute in his legal battle! There are well over three hundred plus documented hospitals and facilities across the country that use [vitamin] D, zinc, ivermectin, etc. in their protocols, Nepute said in defense of his recommending the same. And the Department of Defense also uses it in the VA systems across the country. I dont know how you back-out of that fact. FTC lacks legal authority: Supreme Court After giving his opinion that the FTCs lawsuit was based on its merits terrible and heading into the toilet if youre the federal government, Renz said that a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision ruled that the FTC does not have authority to seek the enormous monetary penalties they are levying against Nepute and Quickwork. A week following FTCs April 15 announcement charging Nepute with violating of the CCPA, the U.S. Supreme Court issued their 9-0 decision on AMG Capital Management LLC v. FTC, which ruled that the law does not permit the Commission to seek such fines from businesses. Theyve come after us for almost eight million dollars, Nepute explained. Thats ridiculous that theyre trying to come after us for that. And by the way, all because theres two paragraphs that was passed in this omnibus law [in December], five thousand plus pages that nobody read the whole thing. Trying to make an example of him I mean, theyre doing so many things to scare doctors, to not talk about [these important heath issues], he said. When asked if he thought the federal government was simply trying to intimidate and silence doctors with this lawsuit, Renz said Absolutely, in my opinion, they are absolutely doing that. I think what theyre doing is nothing more than trying to make an example out of him [Nepute]. In 2012, an Obama administration official, Al Armendariz, was forced to resign after proposing that his agency, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), should adopt a policy of crucifying random citizens in order to terrorize the population into compliance with harsh regulations. Armendariz said, The Romans used to conquer little villages in the Mediterranean. Theyd go into a little Turkish town somewhere, theyd find the first five guys they saw and they would crucify them. And then you know that town was really easy to manage for the next few years. As one commentator observed, this officials rant confirms what many of us already knew about the Obama Administration: they imagine themselves to be the rulers of conquered territories populated by restless barbarians who must be subjugated at any cost, complete with indiscriminate and severe exemplary punishments. A call for Christian unity and help to stop a government takeover of medicine Reflecting on Neputes situation, Renz said, its scary when someone like the federal government who has infinite money and infinite resources says, Im coming after you, Im going after you, and Im going to after you hard. Thats scary. I mean, you know, I feel terrible for what hes dealing with. Its absolutely horrendous. He took an oath to do no harm. He is doing what he believes is right. Hes doing what he believes is moral. And Im going to tell you the courage it takes to stand up against this is enormous, he said. For a non-attorney to stand up to these guys the way that he is and to say, Listen, Ive got to stand for whats right for my patients, for my people, [is extraordinary]. I beg everyone listening to this, please support this guy, said the Ohio attorney. This has to be a line in the sand. This has to be! If our doctors are not capable of taking care of our health without political interference, without buyoffs, without corruption, where are we left? The issue here is the takeover of medicine, the politicization of your health, the fact that your life is no more than an opportunity for someone to earn a few extra bucks. We have got to take a stand. We have got to support each other. Weve got to come together, Renz stressed. Assessing his predicament, Nepute said, What Ive got thats powerful is God on my side. Theres no question about it. And weve got facts and we got faith. Were going to win with that. But the federal government has unlimited resources. They literally just print more money to go after us. And what theyll do is theyll try to drag this out into court for years and years and years and just try to drain us dry from it. So [for] people that want to help support, heres what you can do. We have a website. Its real simple: StopMedicalTyranny.com. They can go there. They can learn how to donate, he said. And if we get to that point and everybody watching can help support this and help us stop this medical tyranny, were going to be able to get this information to the masses. And whats going to happen when people find out the absolute truth of whats really going on, is literally the whole house of cards is going to crumble, he concluded. Read more at: LifeSiteNews.com (Natural News) In a preliminary report submitted Tuesday, June 1, to Israels Ministry of Health, researchers found a probable link between the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and cases of heart inflammation following vaccination. The ministry first heard of the issue in April after health officials reported at least 60 cases of myocarditis or inflammation of the heart muscle in young men. Most of them received the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine a few days before they developed the condition. The reports prompted the ministry to appoint a panel of experts to investigate the issue. The panel included public health experts and infectious disease specialists from Tel Aviv University, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and the University of Haifa. Experts find likelihood of connection between cases of heart inflammation and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine Between one in 3,000 and one in 6,000 men aged 16 to 24 years who were vaccinated with the vaccine from Pfizer developed myocarditis, according to the report. However, most of the cases were mild and were resolved within a few weeks. Even so, the report suggests that the vaccine puts young men at an increased risk of developing myocarditis. The condition affected 275 of the five million people who received the vaccine over the last six months. Most patients who developed the condition were under 30 years of age. Many were male patients. Symptoms of myocarditis include tightness in the chest, shortness of breath, fever, palpitations and fatigue. Though often mild, myocarditis can lead to life-threatening outcomes, such as heart attack and stroke. Based on their findings, the Israeli researchers concluded that there is a likelihood of connection between receiving the second dose of the vaccine by Pfizer and the onset of myocarditis in men aged 16 to 30 years. The connection also appears to be stronger in young people aged 16 to 19 years compared to other ages. The likelihood of developing myocarditis following vaccination also seems to decrease as age increases. Dror Mevorach, head of one of the COVID-19 units at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem in Jerusalem and head of the panel, said their analysis is very suggestive of a causal nature between the two. He added that he is convinced there is a relationship. Peter Liu, a cardiologist with the University of Ottawa Heart Institute who wasnt part of the panel, said its important to investigate the potential link between receiving the second vaccine dose and the onset of myocarditis, even if there is only a hint of a signal. However, Liu said scientists should also look into other population groups in order to be certain that the link does exist. In a statement, Pfizer said it has not observed a higher rate of myocarditis than would normally be expected given a large population. The pharmaceutical giant also said it was aware of the Israeli panels findings. However, Pfizer said the findings established no causal link between the vaccine and myocarditis. BioNTech, on the other hand, said more than 300 million doses of its vaccine have been administered globally. The company also said that the benefit-risk profile of its vaccine remains positive. (Related: BioNTech CEO: Third dose of coronavirus vaccine necessary after a year, followed by annual booster shots.) In a statement, BioNTech said a careful assessment of the reports of myocarditis is ongoing. It has not been concluded. Adverse events, including myocarditis and pericarditis, are being regularly and thoroughly reviewed by the companies as well as by regulatory authorities, the company said. Health officials in the United States are also investigating cases of myocarditis in young men who received a COVID-19 vaccine. In a report posted on its website last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the cases occurred within four days of being injected with the second dose of an mRNA vaccine. Males reported more cases than females. However, the CDC said it has yet to determine whether the onset of myocarditis and the COVID-19 vaccines are related and how, if so. Vaccines.news has more articles about the adverse side effects linked to COVID-19 vaccines. Sources include: LifeSiteNews.com NaturalHealth365.com Weather Alert ...DANGEROUS HEAT CONTINUES... Temperatures will remain unseasonably warm through the rest of the week. Highs will cool slightly by the end of the week, however dangerous heat will prevail with many areas continuing to see highs in the triple digits. ...EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM PDT SUNDAY... * WHAT...Dangerously hot conditions with temperatures 95 to 105 degrees. * WHERE...In Washington, Lower Columbia Basin of Washington. In Oregon, Lower Columbia Basin of Oregon. * WHEN...Until 8 PM PDT Sunday. * IMPACTS...Extreme heat will significantly increase the potential for heat related illnesses, particularly for those working or participating in outdoor activities. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...There is the possibility that all time record high temperatures will be reached or exceeded during this heat wave. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1. && ...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY... .Very hot temperatures are expected for the remainder of the week. However, there will be some slight cooling over the next couple of days. The atmosphere will become more unstable starting this afternoon and through the next couple of days, and moisture from the southwest will cause mainly isolated thunderstorms over central and northeast Oregon. In addition, winds will increase through the Columbia River Gorge and portions of the Lower Columbia Basin. ...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM PDT THURSDAY FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES OR639, OR641, WA639, AND WA641... * AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zones 639 East Slopes of the Northern Oregon Cascades, 639 East Slopes of the Southern Washington Cascades, 641 Lower Columbia Basin of Oregon and 641 Lower Columbia Basin of Washington. * WINDS...West 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 12 percent. * HAINES...As high as 5. * IMPACTS...Rapid fire spread is likely under gusty winds. In addition, the atmosphere will be unstable which could lead to extreme fire behavior. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now....or will shortly. A combination of strong winds...low relative humidity...and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior. && John Kovach / Hearst Connecticut Media NEW CANAAN A 15-year-old female pedestrian was struck by a vehicle on Richmond Hill Road in New Canaan Friday night, according to a press release from the New Canaan Police Department. The New Canaan Police Department, EMS, and Fire Department responded to the area at approximately 10:29 p.m. regarding a pedestrian struck by a motor vehicle. The female was observed sitting on the grass on Richmond Hill Road, according to the press release. STAMFORD A city man accused of fraudulently obtaining almost $3 million in loans through the Paycheck Protection Program will be released on $450,000 bond, the U.S. Attorneys office said Friday. Moustapha Diakhate, 45, faces federal charges of bank and wire fraud under the allegations. He has remained in custody since May 7, when he was arrested at his home in Stamford. The U.S. attorneys office said the bond agreement was co-signed by five family members. As part of the agreement, Diakhate will have his movements monitored by GPS and will reside with his brother in Hamden, who will also serve as his third-party custodian. The role generally involves the person, often a family member, serving as the eyes and ears of the courts to ensure the person awaiting trial complies with the terms of their release. A federal judge rejected a bond proposal brought forward by Diakhates attorney after his arrest last month. That proposal would have made Diakhates wife the third-party custodian, a deal Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Schmeisser expressed concern about, in part because prosecutors claim Diakhate used money from the loans for personal expenses, including luxury cars. The government argued those purchases raised questions about Diakhates wifes knowledge of the alleged fraud involving the loans. The PPP program was created to help businesses during the first round of COVID-19 relief funding signed into federal law last spring. Investigators with the federal agency overseeing the loans alleged that Diakhate got loans for five businesses he owned, totaling $2,897,100. Federal authorities said Diakhate used the funds he received from the fraudulent loans to pay for cars, including buying a Mercedes and a BMW as well as paying off what was owed on a 2010 Porsche sport utility vehicle. Prosecutors alleged that Diakhate also gave some money to relatives and to pay back rent owed on his Stamford home. During a court appearance in May, Schmeisser also argued Diakhate was a flight risk, with family ties to at least two other countries. Diakhates Washington Management Group was at the center of a drawn out development of the former Farrel headquarters in Ansonia, which finally ended in bankruptcy and foreclosure. The company had planned to develop the vacant building into luxury apartments and business spaces. Prosecutors allege the company is one of the entities Diakhate used to obtain a PPP loan. NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) The Yale University graduate student whose body was found on a street next to his car in February had been shot multiple times and at close range, according to court documents released Friday. Kevin Jiang had gunshot wounds to his head, chest and extremities when he was found on February 6 in New Haven, according to an arrest warrant filed for Qinxuan Pan, the man charged with murder in connection to Jiang's death and who was arrested in Alabama last month. At that court appearance, a judge set bail for him at $20 million. Pans attorney, William Gerace, has applied for the amount to be reduced. Asked for comment about the court documents, Gerace said in an email, Mr. Pan is presumed innocent." The arrest warrant and search warrants outlined that Jiang, 26, had just left the apartment of his fiance, Zion Perry, after a day of fishing. She told authorities that she heard gunshots but didn't think of Jiang because she assumed he had already left the area. In the documents, authorities said audio and video surveillance records showed Jiang getting out of his car after what sounded like a collision and approaching a vehicle behind him. Then the sounds of gunshots is audible. The warrants also include authorities saying a short time later, police in nearby North Haven had to tow a car from railroad tracks where it had gotten stuck. The driver was Pan, who told them the car was a rental but couldn't produce any documentation. Authorities said he disappeared after being taken to a motel, which police discovered when they went to find him the next day. They had gone looking for him after workers at a restaurant next door reported finding a bag with a gun, ammunition, license plates and a briefcase outside. One of the officers recognized the bags as having been in Pan's car the day before. An analysis by authorities determined that bullet casings found near Jiang's body were not connected to the gun recovered by restaurant workers. Investigators discovered that Pan and Perry were connected on social media, and had met while at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where both had graduated from and Pan was working as a researcher. According to the documents, Perry told authorities they never had a romantic or sexual relationship, they were just friends, but she did get a feeling that he was interested in her during that time. The documents did not outline how authorities found Pan in Alabama, where prosecutors said he had rented an apartment under a false name, and was found with $19,000 in cash, his fathers passport and several cellphones. New Castle, PA (16103) Today Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to showers and a possible thunderstorm overnight. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to showers and a possible thunderstorm overnight. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Newburyport, MA (01950) Today Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to cloudy skies after midnight. Low 71F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to cloudy skies after midnight. Low 71F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: A low base helped skyrocket Indias industrial activity with output levels growing 134.4 per cent in April (highest in the 2011-12 base period series) when compared to a near-washout April 2020. Most economists, however, have warned that the high numbers must be interpreted with caution as it comes on the back of nil production last year. The real growth story, they said, remains humble as the economy is still struggling to match pre Covid-19 period. To be sure, the April figures were up by just 0.08 per cent from the pre-pandemic levels of April 2019. On a sequential basis, IIP contracted 12 per cent in April, reflecting a hit on the manufacturing sector owing to the lockdowns imposed in most states to curb the spread of the second wave of Covid-19 cases. The manufacturing sector, hit hardest by the national lockdown over April 2020, recorded a 197.1 per cent uptick this April, though it was still 0.9 per cent lower than April 2019 levels. Electricity output rose 38.5 per cent in April 2021 from a year ago, and was 6.81 per cent higher than the pre-Covid-19 levels of April 2019. Similarly, Mining output grew 37 per cent year-on-year in April, but was only 0.2 per cent higher than the same month in 2019. Last year, output had come to a standstill in most sectors. Therefore, the growth numbers for April which are exceptionally high need to be ignored. A similar situation would arise in May too and it would be only from June that there could be reasonable numbers forthcoming, said Madan Sabnavis, chief economist at CARE Ratings. Even the National Statistical Office (NSO) stressed that the numbers are not strictly comparable with April 2020 when the country was in the midst of a national lockdown. Aditi Nayar, chief economist, ICRA said what is concerning is that capital goods and consumer durables output trailed the April 2019 levels by 14.3 per cent and 11.6 per cent, respectively, which suggests weakening consumption. The level of industrial output of April 2021 does not provide an encouraging picture overall. 134.44% IIP growth Apr21 vs Apr20 0.08% IIP growth Apr21 vs Apr19 (-) 12% IIP growth Apr21 vs Mar21 By PTI AURANGABAD: It will not be business as usual after the COVID-19 pandemic and we need to bring more "simplicity" in the ease of doing business by doing away with the current maze of rules, NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said here on Saturday. He was speaking to reporters after visiting the Aurangabad Industrial City and Marathwada Auto Cluster at Waluj near here. To a question about proposed reforms after the pandemic, Kant said, "It is very clear that business will not run as usual after the pandemic. We need to bring reforms as much as we can, after COVID. "We have made many rules, regulations and procedures. By removing them, we need to bring more simplicity to ease of doing business," he added. The country also needs to "grow the technology and leapfrog along with it," Kant said, adding that the Union government is working in this direction. Talking about Aurangabad and the surrounding areas, he said this part of central Maharashtra needs a regional master plan for development with consideration for possible growth in the next 25 years. "This area has a potential and can come up as one of the fastest growing region in the country from the tourism and industry point of view," he said. Bismah Malik and Bala Chauhan By Express News Service BENGALURU: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has served a showcause notice to the directors of Indias largest cryptocurrency exchange, Wazir X Nischal Shetty and Sameer Mhatre on Friday for contravention of FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act), 1999 involving cryptocurrency transactions worth Rs 2,790.74 crore. The investigation agency said that it has initiated the probe on the basis of the ongoing money laundering investigation into Chinese-owned illegal online betting applications. During the course of the investigation, it was seen that the accused Chinese nationals had laundered proceeds of crime worth Rs 57 crore by converting the INR deposits into cryptocurrency Tether (USDT) and then transferring the same to the Cayman Island-based bitcoin exchange Binance on instructions received from abroad, the ED said in the statement on Friday. WazirX CEO Nischal Shetty, however, said that the company is yet to receive any notice from the investigating agency. WazirX is in compliance with all applicable laws. We go beyond our legal obligations by following Know Your Customer and Anti Money Laundering (AML) processes and have always provided information to law enforcement authorities whenever required. Should we receive a formal communication or notice from the ED, we will fully cooperate in the investigation. he said, adding the funds are safe at WazirX and their is no need to worry. Global cryptocurrency exchange Binance had acquired WazirX in 2019 which enabled Wazir X users to directly purchase digital asset Tether on binance.com using Indian currency. Siddharth Menon, chief operating officer, WazirX, said that both Binance and WazirX accounts are operated by the same owner and are linked by the same email and there are no third-party transfers, unlike blockchain transfers. He added that KYC details are mandatory for any withdrawals from the accounts. WazirX, ED alleged, does not collect the requisite documents in clear violation of the basic mandatory AML and combating financing of terrorism norms and FEMA guidelines. By Express News Service BENGALURU: In a major win for small retailers, who have been alleging that foreign firms are violating the Competition Act and Foreign Direct Investment Act, the Karnataka High Court on Friday allowed the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to probe the anti-competitive practices by e-commerce giants Amazon and Flipkart. The HC dismissed the e-tailers petitions seeking quashing of a probe ordered by the CCI last January based on a complaint by the Delhi Vyapar Mahasangh. The e-comm giants are accused of making special agreements with select sellers, having stakes in Indian companies selling on their platforms, and deep discounting. Earlier, the CCI had approached the Supreme Court, which told the Karnataka HC to decide on the matter in six weeks. Amazon told TNIE that it will review the judgment and decide on the next step. Flipkart didnt respond to queries. Senior lawyer Abir Roy, who appeared for the Delhi Vyapar Mahasangh, said the CCI can continue the ongoing probe against the companies. However, the e-comm giants may appeal before a larger bench. The CCIs lawyers informed the court that it was in possession of emails exchanged between Amazon, Flipkart and sellers offering to incur a part of the discounts during big sale events as well as allegations of common directors at Amazon, Flipkart and seller firms like Cloudtail, Omnichannel Retail, Appario which merits investigation. ED lens on Amazon Enforcement Directorate is investigating allegations of FEMA violations by Amazon after the Union commerce ministry asked the agency to take necessary action By PTI NEW DELHI: Vedanta on Saturday announced commissioning of its second state-of-the-art 100-bed Covid Field Hospital in Hubli, Karnataka. Vedanta's first COVID Field Hospital in the state was recently inaugurated at Chitradurga, the company said in a statement. Vedanta Cares COVID Field Hospital at Hubli was inaugurated on Saturday by union coal and mines minister Pralhad Joshi. Vedanta Chairman Anil Agarwal was also present virtually on this occasion. The COVID Field Hospital at Hubli is equipped with medical infrastructure, including oxygen and ventilators for critical patients. The two Vedanta Cares hospitals in Karnataka with 200 beds are in line with the company's commitment to set up 1,000 COVID care beds across the country to support combating COVID-19. "Vedanta Group has been very efficient and aggressive and has set up two Covid Field Hospitals in the record time in the state of Karnataka. Even during the first wave, Vedanta had been very prompt to provide medical equipment infrastructure support, medicines etc," Joshi said. "We are fully committed to our philosophy of giving back. The second wave of the pandemic has disrupted lives and livelihoods and we are doing all that we can to support the Centre and the state governments in the battle against COVID-19," Agarwal said. By Express News Service BENGALURU: Kannada film actor Chetans derogatory statement on Brahmins and Brahminism has snowballed into a controversy with a police complaint being lodged against him and minister Shivaram Hebbar demanding his arrest. Recently, the actor had tweeted, Brahminism is negation of the spirit of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity. We must uproot Brahminism- #Ambedkar. While all are born as equals, to say that Brahmins alone are highest and all others are low as untouchables is sheer nonsense. It is a big hoax - #Periyar. Besides, he had said Brahminism has killed the ideas of Basava and Buddha, and that Buddha had fought against Brahminism, in one of his videos. A day after the Karnataka Brahmin Development Board filed a complaint with the Bengaluru Police Commissioner against the actor Chetan on Wednesday, an FIR has been registered against him at Basavanagudi police station. The FIR was registered following a complaint by Pawan Kumar Sharma, president of the Vipra Yuva Vedike. On Friday, Minister Shivaram Hebbar said the actors statement is against the Constitution. It looks like a publicity stunt and he will appeal to the Chief Minister to take suitable action, he said. Express News Service BENGALURU: Students pursuing scientific discipline and researchers across the country can now have access to Swedens COMSOL a multi-physics software suite at no cost. This became possible after the I-STEM, an initiative of the office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Union government, entered into a collaborative arrangement with the COMSOL group. I-STEM is located in the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. Students only have to register themselves with I-STEM, which is an online repository of information pertaining to science research equipment available in the country, and use the variety of computer simulations that the suite offers. IIScs Dr Sanjeev Shrivastava, national coordinator of I-STEM, said that an added advantage of getting legal access to this software was that researchers can get their papers published from the data they derive. He said that the tool will now reach researchers and students from across various streams in Science and Engineering who need the simulators and are remotely connected. Iffath Fathima By Express News Service BENGALURU: A doctor from a private hospital in Bengaluru was assaulted by the family of a patient who died of COVID-19 while on ventilator support. According to sources, the chief consultant from medical intensive care unit*(ICU) was assualted on Satuday afternoon by relatives of a COVID patient whodied after spending 35 days on ventilator. The patient admitted had come through government quota and unfortunately didn't do well. Though the bad prognosis was communicated on a daily basis, the doctor was assaulted. The doctor was said to be verbally abused and though a mobile phone was also thrown at him, as he was wearing a face shield it prevent him from a major injury. The person who assaulted the doctor was apparently locked in the room and the police was called and an FIR was registered at Puttenahalli police station. "We have filed an FIR and legal action will be taken against the accused on the same," said a senior police officer. #violenceagainstdoctors A respected senior intensivist of a reputed tertiary hospital in Bangalore was assaulted today by relatives of patient who succumbed to Covid. This doctor has worked relentlessly thro 1st & 2nd waves looking after Covid patients saving 100s of lives. Somalaram Venkatesh (@serioustaurean) June 12, 2021 Dr Somalaram Venkatesh, chief of Cardiology department at Aster-RV Hospital tweeted, "#violenceagainstdoctors A respected senior intensivist of a reputed tertiary hospital in Bangalore was assaulted today by relatives of patient who succumbed to Covid." This doctor has worked relentlessly through both waves of the pandemic while looking after Covid patients and saving many lives. Meanwhile such incidents of assualts have been frequently happening and it is alleged that the government has not done anything regarding it. Two years there was an assualt on a doctor working for Minto Eye Hospital after which many resident doctors protested for days to provide security to the doctors and even wore black bands as a mark of protest. Recently the Karnataka Association Of Resident Doctors wrote a letter to chief minister BS Yediyurappa, where they highlighted about 12 cases of assault on doctors in the past 8-10 months which have gone unnoticed and unregistered. They demanded the formation of a State Level Legal Cell to fight such cases of assault on healthcare workers. Recently a paediatric doctor was grievously injured in an attack by four men in Chikkamagaluru on May 31 in Tarikere. Nirupama Viswanathan By Express News Service CHENNAI: As part of the city corporation's 'Singara Chennai 2.0' initiative, the city's beaches may soon get a makeover under the 'Project Blue' project. According to a corporation official, introducing beach vending carts was one of the proposals along with creating a shady and calming pathway along the service road for walkers and joggers. With inclusivity being a major part of the project, enabling access for Persons with Disabilities to the waves and setting up viewing decks will also be a part of the beach development project, said officials. Along with this, ideas were floated for a water fountain on the Adyar river, visible from the Western side of the Thiru Vi Ka Nagar bridge. ALSO READ | Tamil Nadu Siddha graduates jobless amid huge demand for alternate medicine "We are still in the process of discussing ideas and their feasibility. Ideas from various departments were encouraged during a recent meeting to discuss proposals," said a senior corporation official. A meeting was held last week with the Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi and senior engineers from the Works department of the city corporation. Apart from beach beautification schemes, the project will also involve heritage, culture, education and health aspects of the city infrastructure. New parks, construction and renovation of flyovers and subways will be an integral part of the renewed project, said corporation officials. The Singara Chennai initiative was originally introduced by Chief Minister MK Stalin when he was city mayor during 1996-2001. He later said in 2010 that he was able to achieve only 50% of his vision for this project and beseeched M Subramanian, the then Mayor, to continue the project with public cooperation. ALSO SEE: The Tamil Engineer doing his bit to make Chennai a more beautiful city By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said the central government should work with the states rather than fighting with them. The country will progress when 130 crore people, all the state governments and the Centre work together as Team India. Abusing so much is not good, Kejriwal tweeted. In response to Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasads allegations over the AAP governments door delivery of ration scheme, the chief minister said in a tweet, Today people want to see such a leadership at the Centre which, instead of abusing and fighting the state governments all day, takes everyone along. Kejriwal had on Sunday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi why the doorstep ration delivery scheme by his government was stalled by the Centre. He appealed to him to allow its implementation in the national interest. Later in the day Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia responded to the allegations of the Union minister and said several problems faced by Delhi, including medical oxygen shortage and blockage of doorstep delivery of ration, are because of the BJP-led central government. They said oxygen supply was not done properly by the states but everyone knows who was responsible for the mess. It was after the Supreme Court intervened that the situation was brought under control. Students wanted board exams to be cancelled but after the Supreme Court came in the picture, the government said they are cancelling the exams, the deputy CM said. The entire central government and BJP are targeting chief ministers of three-four states. Sometimes, they abuse the West Bengal CM, sometimes Delhi CM and sometimes they fight with the Jharkhand CM, said Sisodia. By PTI NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday cautioned that the chances of the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic were quite real, while he asserted that his government was preparing on a "war-footing" to combat it. Indications are coming from the UK on the fear of the third wave. Cases are rising there, despite 45 per cent of vaccination. So, we cannot afford to sit idle, he said. Kejriwal was speaking at an online event during which he jointly inaugurated 22 new PSA oxygen plants at nine hospitals across Delhi. ALSO READ | Herd immunity: Will it save Delhi from next Covid-19 wave? "These new oxygen plants at nine hospitals across Delhi being added today to strengthen our preparations to fight Covid," he said. The chief minster in his address cautioned that the chances of the "third wave of the coronavirus pandemic were quite real" "We cannot afford to sit idle and our government is preparing on a war-footing to combat it," he said. The Delhi government also procuring oxygen tankers to equip system to fight Covid in case of third wave, Kejriwal added "People of Delhi have come shoulder-to-shoulder in combating the second wave of Covid, and our gratitude to industry sector too for joining the fight," he said. Kejriwal congratulated people of Delhi, saying they have together faced the Covid second wave with struggle and discipline and "succeeded in controlling it". "We pray that the third wave of Covid doesn't hit us, but if it happens, Delhi has to again fight together," he added. By ANI NEW DELHI: Two Special Branch officers were allegedly assaulted by a group of protesting farmers at Singhu Border, informed Delhi Police on Saturday. After an increase in the number of protesters who came from Panipat two days back, Delhi Police officers of Special Branch were doing ground analysis at the Narela border. "A woman came to us questioned what we were doing there. Then others came and surrounded us. They all seemed to be drunk. They attacked us. My colleague sustained a fracture in his hand. Somehow we managed to save ourselves," one of the police personnel said. According to Delhi Police, two assistant sub-inspectors of Special Branch were clicking pictures of the protest site at Singhu border on June 10. Following this, unknown protestors attacked the police personnel. ALSO READ | To mark 'undeclared emergency', farmers call for gherao of Raj Bhawans across country on June 26 An FIR against unknown protestors has been lodged at the Narela police station. Meanwhile,Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait denied farmers attacking police personnel. "They (Police) must have been in civil dress & farmers might have mistaken them for channel people (media) who portray their movement in bad light. We don't engage in violence," said Tikait on farmers allegedly assaulting two policemen for clicking photos on June 10. Two assistant sub-inspectors of Delhi Police's Special Branch were allegedly assaulted by a group of demonstrating farmers after they clicked photos of the protest site at Singhu border on June 10; FIR registered at Narela Police Station (file photo) pic.twitter.com/wYGmYNHOHK ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2021 "Police and government want to instigate farmers. If they (police) have been visiting the site for days, contact should have been established. They can file FIR, but there should be something to write in it," he added. Farmers have been protesting at the different borders of the national capital since November 26 against the three newly enacted farm laws - 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. By ANI NEW DELHI: Five showrooms were damaged in a fire that broke out in a market area here on Saturday morning, officials said, adding no injuries were reported. The incident took place in south Delhi's Lajpat Nagar Central Market area, they said. According to the fire department, a call about the blaze was received around 10.20 am, following which 16 fire tenders were rushed to the spot. "When fire tenders reached the spot, four showrooms were on fire and later (the blaze) spread to the fifth shop. It must have started early morning in one of the shops and then spread to the rest," Delhi Fire Service Director Atul Garg said, adding its origin and cause were unknown. He said the firemen were able to prevent the blaze from spreading further with a timely response to the call. "Our firemen showed great presence of mind and saved the fire from spreading to the residential areas behind the showrooms," Garg said the operation to douse the blaze began from a lane between the rear gates of the showrooms to residential quarters. A total of 30 fire tenders and over 100 firefighters were on the spot to bring the fire under control, he said. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted: "I am constantly monitoring the situation and in constant touch with the fire department officials." By Express News Service NEW DELHI: A pregnant woman on Friday moved a plea in the Delhi High Court seeking direction to the Centre to include pregnant women in Covid vaccination drive on priority basis. The high court was informed by the Centres counsel that the government is seized of the issue and will take a decision on the same. Noting the statement made by the Centres counsel, Justice Amit Bansal said no further orders are required and disposed of the petition. Advocate Vasudha Zutshi, representing the petitioner, said the petitioner is in advanced stage of pregnancy and desires to get vaccinated on priority basis. She sought direction to the government to issue a fresh notification to include pregnant women in the vaccination drive on priority basis. Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma and central government standing counsel Anurag Ahluwalia said National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) has issued a notification on May 28 in which various recommendations were made including that all pregnant women visiting antenatal care may be informed about the risks and benefits associated wi th the Covid-19 vaccines available in the country. Based on the information provided a pregnant woman may be offered the available Covid-19 vaccine at the nearest centre and the vaccine can be given anytime during the pregnancy, the NTAGI recommendations said, adding that all lactating women are eligible to receive Covid-19 vaccines any time after delivery. Nikita Sharma By Express News Service Reshma Qureshi, 28, survived an acid attack by her own brother-inlaw in 2014, and had been living at a rehabilitation centre in Lado Sarai since, undergoing surgeries at AIIMS, Delhi. In 2019, she got her confidence back after Permanent Makeup Specialist Dr Shikha Baghi Bhandari gave her permanent eyebrows. The specialist, with her non-profit initiative Timeless Promise, has pledged free permanent makeup services to acid attack survivors. With clinics in Gurugram, Noida, South Delhi, Jalandhar, and Amritsar, Timeless Promise offers other treatments such as Permanent Lip Color and Scalp Micropigmentation. Bhandari has an experience of six years in permanent make-up that entails applying pigment (colour) to the upper layer of skin to produce natural looking features. She wants to raise awareness and put a stop on these violent acts. An interview with Bhandari, who is the Founder & Managing Director of Timeless Aesthetics: What made you start Timeless Promise? I founded Timeless Aesthetics in 2019, with the intention to promote Facial Aesthetics and Permanent Makeup. However, I felt something was missing. During that time, I heard about several acid attack cases in India and how the survivors were left to live with irreparable damages. So, I took a leap of faith and started a non-profit, Timeless Promise. Who was the first person you gave the services to? Share the story. I came in contact with acid attack survivor Reshma Qureshi from Delhi through a friend in June 2019. She was more than happy to go ahead with the treatment. But there was a 50/50 chance that I might not be able to use my machines due to the extent of damage. Her skin had become very thin, no sign of eyebrows, eyelashes, check contours were also gone, hairline was damaged and so was a large part of her scalp. In such cases, not all things can be rewinded, however there are certain elements that are ideal for perm a n e n t makeup. In Reshmas case, it was her eyebrows. Since Reshma had lost an eye in the accident, the skin had become paper thin with multiple creases and scars on the open area. Out of many types of Permanent Brows, only Ombre Brows could be done for her. The toughest part was when the needle had to make contact with the skin. I felt what if she doesnt like them or wanted them removed. But Reshma loved them. This made me realise, this is the best point of my life. Are these eyebrows artificial? Permanent Eyebrows are usually done on individuals who either have thin, scanty, scarred brows or if theres loss of hair due to chemotherapy or Alopecia. treatm e n t (Micropigmentation) mimics the real brows to project a natural look. There are no artificial elements in the application and the final look. How many sittings are needed for all treatments? Every case requires at least two sittings, but for acid attack survivors, I suggest three. At times, it is the damage that doesnt allow me to apply pigment the way I want, so I have to improvise. Touch ups are required after two months, and then after an interval of 12 months. Do these treatments need a lot of aftercare? Patients have to follow my instructions. Elements like direct sunlight, use of medicated ointment or unregistered cosmetics can cause inflammation or skin issues. However, with simple steps like keeping the treated area clean, washing it according to our instructions and following the transition period without panicking, these problems can be solved. But the best part is that these treatments dont take much time, and apart from having to get touch ups done once in a while, there are no other hassles. Do you feel acid attack survivors are looked down upon in society? Acid attack survivors have told me their stories of how they get stared at. How people get scared or turn away their kids faces. All this is a mental harassment. But these procedures do bring about a beautiful change in their lives. It helps them look better, and when they look better, they feel confident. To ensure they are comfortable, I have them stay with me at my home for the treatment. Have you done any such treatments during Covid? Majorly. All these girls I worked with were given treatments during the Covid time. We take utmost precautions and hygiene measures in our set-up. Future plans. This non-profit is not only limited to women. All age groups are welcome. I shall launch a sixth clinic in Ludhiana, and this way more people can receive free treatments at all of my facilities. I even offer to train these girls free of cost, and grant them a job offer then and there. By Express News Service HYDERABAD: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) was instructed to conduct a survey on encroachments that have come up all along the nalas and water bodies after a review meeting with State Ministers, GHMC office bearers and officials to tackle the monsoon. The Minister for Animal Husbandry Talasani Srinivas Yadav along Home Minister Mahmood Ali, Hyderabad Mayor Gadwal Vijayalaxmi, Deputy Mayor Mote Srilatha Shobhan Reddy held a meeting with officials at the GHMC head office on Friday regarding the desilting of nalas in GHMC limits. Talasani suggested GHMC officials prepare a plan for a permanent solution to prevent inundation, instead of repeating the same works and wasting public money. He also suggested the use of latest machinery in desilting works wherever possible and minimise the deployment of manpower, keeping in view of the safety of workers. He asked officials to visit the areas at the field level along with the local MLA, MLC, corporator and other public representatives from June 14 to 20. By PTI LONDON: Oscar-nominated actor Riz Ahmed has called out Hollywood for the stereotypical and "toxic" portrayal of Muslim community in its films. Ahmed, who became the first Muslim to get a best actor Oscar nomination, recently launched the initiative, the Blueprint for Muslim Inclusion, to increase the community's representation in cinema. The initiative was launched in partnership with the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, the Ford Foundation and Pillars Fund. In a video posted on his social media handles, Ahmed said, "The problem with Muslim misrepresentation is one that can't be ignored any more." The 38-year-old British-Pakistani actor said it was a "bittersweet" moment for him when he was nominated at the 2021 Oscars for his performance in "Sound of Metal". "I simultaneously wore that slightly dubious accolade with a sense of gratitude personally. I also felt tremendous sadness. How was it that out of 1.6 billion people - a quarter of the world's population - none of us had ever been in this position until now? "I asked myself, if I'm the exception to the rule, what must the rule be about people like me? What must the unwritten rule be about Muslims - a quarter of the world's population - and their place in our stories, our culture and their place in our society, if any?" Ahmed said. The actor asserted that the problematic portrayal of Muslims in cinema is something that cannot be fixed by a "handful of prominent Muslims in the business". "The progress that's being made by a few of us doesn't paint an overall picture of progress if most of the portrayals of Muslims on screen are either nonexistent or entrenched in those stereotypical, toxic, two-dimensional portrayals," he added. Ahmed singled out Oscar-winning movies -- "American Sniper", "The Hurt Locker" and "Argo" -- as "frankly racist". "(These) films dehumanise and demonise Muslim characters, insofar as they are the perpetrators or victims of violence, unworthy of empathy or incapable of empathy," the actor said. Similarly, he criticised Amazon's smash hit series "The Boys". "(It is) a show that I loved and binged. A very self-aware, modern kip show. One with a gigantic cast, multi-racial multi-species. (But) I can't tell you how gutted I was when halfway through that show Muslim's turn up, the first and only time, to hijack a plane." "Oh actually, they turn up another time in the first series, to play super-villains whose superpower is to suicide bomb people," Ahmed said. Such a thing would not happen to any other minority group, the actor said, citing the example of "Black Panther". "Even a film like 'Black Panther', one of the most woke progressive mainstream moments in our culture in recent years. And Muslims turn up in the start of that film as terrorists to kidnap school girls and then disappear," he added. Alongside the release of The Blueprint for Muslim Inclusion, a study by the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, titled "Missing and Maligned", found that Muslims rarely appear on screen, or are shown in a negative light if they do. It examined a total of 8,965 speaking characters across 200 top-grossing movies between 2017 and 2019 from the US, UK, Australia, and New Zealand. The study found that just 1.6 percent of characters were Muslim. They were mostly shown as outsiders, threatening or subservient, and about one-third were perpetrators of violence. More than half were targets of violence. By ANI MUMBAI: Bollywood actor Sonam Kapoor Ahuja on Saturday expressed grief over the demise of the late flight attendant Neerja Bhanot's brother Aneesh Bhanot. Taking to Instagram, Sonam wrote, "Om Shanti. Rest in peace Aneesh Bhanot. Thank you for everything. #Neerja #NeerjaBhanot." Social media users have also paid condolences to the family of the deceased. "May his soul rest in peace," a user commented on Sonam's post. "I have read his book about his sister.. he was a brilliant writer," another one wrote. Along with it, Sonam posted a throwback picture of her hugging Aneesh Bhanot, who reportedly had heart ailments. Neerja had sacrificed her life while saving passengers from terrorists on board a hijacked flight to Karachi, Pakistan. She was only 22 when she breathed her last in 1986. Neerja's bravery had inspired the 2016 biopic 'Neerja', wherein Sonam essayed the titular role of the former. Speaking of Aneesh Bhanot, he was a philanthropist and had written books on his sister Neerja's life -- including 'Neerja Bhanot - The smile of courage'. By IANS MUMBAI: Actor Ayushmann Khurrana, who is Unicef's celebrity advocate for their global campaign EVAC (Ending Violence Against Children), has spoken about the practice of child labour as a total violation of child rights, on the occasion of World Day Against Child Labour on Saturday, "Child labour robs children of their childhood and is a complete violation of their rights. Covid-19 has made children, especially girls and migrant children, more vulnerable, exposing them to greater risks. Closure of schools, increased violence at home, death of parents, and job loss within families is driving children to child labour," Ayushmann said. "Join hands to prevent this from happening. Advocate for social protection schemes for the poorest families. Highlight that all children should safely go back to schools when they re-open. Dial ChildLine 1098 if you see any child in distress," he appealed to all. By IANS BENGALURU: Kannada actor Rakshit Shetty is all set for the release of his upcoming film "777 Charlie". Besides in Kannada language, the film will also release in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam languages. "Bearing the vitality and the pertinence of the subject in mind, the making of '777 Charlie' had been wisely planned and executed in a way that the film feels relatable to audiences across borders. Owing to the universality of the subject, the team has conformed to the idea of presenting the film on a pan-India scale," Rakshit tells IANS. He adds: "Good content has a universal language. This has been proven time and again in the last 18 months, as people have been consuming creative content presented from around the world on OTT platforms. Great content always strike the right chords. We are therefore certain that our film will be well received by the audience across the country and beyond." says the actor, who was last seen on screen in Kannada film "Avane Srimannarayana". "777 Charlie", directed by Kiranraj K., explores the bond between humans and animals. Rakshit, who plays the character of Dharma, reflects on the relationship humans have with their dogs. "Dogs bring happiness and affection into our lives. Since the pandemic the world has seen a steep rise in the number of adoptions. People have become increasingly open to inviting pet pals into their lives. The story of Dharma and Charlie (his dog) will add to the girth of the profoundness of the relationship that we share with our pets," he says. While the makers haven't yet finalised the release date yet, the film is expected to be somewhere in September. Mukesh Ranjan By Express News Service RANCHI: A group of young professionals in their twenties is providing cooked food and dry ration to the poor in the state capital. According to Prerna Kumari, the team leader, the team is reaching out to more than 200 people every day during the lockdown. Prerna, who works for a multinational company, wanted to do something for society but was not getting a platform. Later, she got to know about the 'Vishalakshi Foundation' through Instagram. Initially, there was no one to support me except my family. Later, a few people joined and today we are a group of 40 members out of which 20 are very active, said Prerna. As most of the team members are still pursuing higher education, they take out time for studies. To save labour cost, we cook and distribute it among the poor. We target a particular area on the basis of leads received by our volunteers. Besides, we also provide dry ration to people who have lost jobs due to the ongoing Covid pandemic, said Prerna. The team appeals to the donors through social media and the money received is used for buying groceries and vegetables. The food is distributed in packets. Mansi Goyal, another volunteer, said they prefer distributing dry ration on weekdays. On weekends, we make it a point to cook on our own and distribute the food among the poor, Mansi, who is a law student, said. To reach out to the maximum number of people, we put up posters saying Anybody who comes across any such person or family who need food or ration may contact us. This has helped us providing us leads. Abilasha works for Wipro and is posted in Bengaluru. At present, she is working from home in Ranchi. If I could help a single person, I would consider that my life has been a success. Initially, my parents opposed me but later they got used to it, said Abhilasha, who joined the team in January. ALSO WATCH | Why youngsters are more vulnerable in second Covid-19 wave ? Vaishali Vijaykumar By Express News Service CHENNAI: Lifes most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others, said Martin Luther King. While a similar question lingers in most of our minds, its what we do about it that truly counts. The pandemic, it seems, has presented an opportunity for many community workers to walk the talk. Demonstrating their exceptional generosity of time, energy and solidarity, volunteers across the city have been responding to calls for help. Following all hygiene protocols, these good Samaritans have mobilised the community to turn their attention to the less-privileged and make a civic connection through food, medical supplies and other essentials. After all, it takes a village to build a better planet, doesnt it? Here are a few from the village of crusaders. G Clement, founder and trustee, Anbin Pathai Trust Its been a decade since G Clement and his team started working with underprivileged people and children. The COVID-19 pandemic has only amplified their work for a larger social cause. With a team of over 100 volunteers, they have been distributing free meals to the homeless in Santhome, Mylapore and Kodambakkam. They have also been rescuing the homeless, who are injured and arranging for their treatment. To volunteer or donate, call: 9941642120 Paul Pradeep, founder, Trash Troopers Run by Paul Pradeep, Trash Troopers is a waste management company. But, since the lockdown, the team of 15-20 volunteers has been distributing free homecooked food to conservancy workers, migrant labourers and the homeless. From 60 packets a day, they now distribute 1,000 food packets. They have also supplied dry ration kits to 80 transgenders. To help, call: 9841166554 Manikandan, auto driver An auto driver by day and social worker by night, Manikandan has been raising funds to provide food to migrant labourers and pavement dwellers. Volunteering with the Greater Chennai Corporation, he has been involved in the relief work in areas such as Kannagi Nagar, Thoraipakkam, Perumbakkam and Karapakkam. His team offers food to the abandoned and the elderly. They also prepare and provide meals to homeless people in these localities. To volunteer or contribute, call: 7358687525 D Arul Raj, founder, Karunai Ullangal Trust Arul Raj, along with a few community service-oriented friends, has been rescuing homeless people for over five years now. During the pandemic, they have been arranging groceries and ferrying people to hospitals for free. With the spike in the number of deaths during the second wave, they have extended their service by offering dignified burial for those who cannot afford it. To volunteer or contribute, call: 9841776685 or 7010882991 Gayathri, founder, Samarpana Samarpana, a not-for-profit organisation, is raising funds to procure 420 oxygen cylinders with 420 regulators and trolleys, 240 oxygen concentrators, 120 high flow meters, 500 NRBC and oxygen masks. They have been able to help the families of 2,500 folk artistes, provide assistance to 100 underprivileged families and ensure good quality education for 30 children with health complications. To contribute or volunteer, call: 9884458008 Grace Banu, trans activist Along with like-minded members from her community, Grace Banu has been raising funds to support 500 transgenders across rural areas of Tamil Nadu with emergency ration supplies, home rent and medical support. This includes trans folk artistes and HIV-infected trans persons who are left with neither food nor wages in these difficult times. To help, call: 7708789616 AHAARA - Fight Hunger AHAARA - Fight Hunger was started by actors Ramya Krishna and Arjun Gowda. Krishna is now distributing grocery kits for people around Chennai. AHAARA operates in all areas of Chennai with the help of three volunteers. People in need can contact them by phone and expect their grocery kit by the following day. To donate or volunteer (only if you have taken the first shot of vaccination), call: 9036724154 Allen Samuel, founder, Help on Hunger It all began when Allen Samuel witnessed homeless people thronging his lane and knocking on doors for food. Digging into their own pockets to pool funds, Allen and his wife offered home-cooked food. What started as 20 packets a day increased to 10 and more. To cater to the surplus demand, Help on Hunger came into being with six good Samaritans. Catering to the underprivileged and homeless people from OMR to Guduvanchery, Allen and team supply lunch and dinner every day. They have also been distributing grocery kits to leprosy-affected families. To volunteer or contribute, call: 9962077780 Hari Krishnan, social activist From being an independent social activist to government-appointed volunteer coordinator for COVID-19, Hari Krishnans immense contributions have received accolades from the government. Hes currently a part of the Covid War Room. Along with a team of volunteers in the city, hes been helping with bed arrangement, food requests, blood donation and raising funds for the underprivileged. Their team is spread out based on district, zone and area to ease operations and reach more people. To volunteer or contribute, call: 9087293339 Murshitha Sheereen, photographer Collaborating with home chefs and caterers, who are not on Swiggy or Zomato, photographer Murshitha Sheereen has created Bit.ly/chennai-food-help. The glide app allows users to find paid food services in their area. In case of request for free meals or food for people under quarantine, she connects them to home chefs and caterers. Shes looking for volunteers. To help, reach out to her on Instagram @catpuresbymurshitha Giridhar Venkat, entrepreneur With the surge in cases during the second wave, a whole brigade of youngsters has been coordinating for availability of beds, medicines, oxygen cylinders and raising funds on social media platforms. Giridhar Venkat is one among them. With the help of his resources and by pooling in funds from well-wishers and friends, he has been distributing groceries and dry ration in remote parts of Tamil Nadu like Vedaranyam and Tiruvannamalai. To contribute or help, call: 8870686861 Mahima Poddar, founder, The Kindness Foundation Generous gestures made by charitable organisations and NGOs has gained momentum in the COVID-19 relief work. One among them is The Kindness Foundation run by Mahima Poddar. The foundation has been working in tandem with organisations such as Aram Porul and Aranya Foundation to reach a larger crowd and make a bigger impact with their services. They are currently raising funds and supplying medical equipment such as masks, PPE kits and oxygen cylinders to hospitals. They are also helping the underprivileged with groceries. Besides these, theyve been running campaigns to spread awareness on vaccination. To volunteer or contribute, call: 9344502996 (With inputs from Sahana Iyer) Manish Anand By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The BJPs attempts to energise its organisation and governments at the Centre and Lucknow gained pace on Friday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi holding extensive discussions with Union home minister Amit Shah and party chief J P Nadda. They got into a huddle after UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath met Modi and Nadda separately, amid indications that the party brass will take full command of the poll preparations in the battleground state. The much delayed Cabinet expansion at the Centre, filling of vacancies in the BJP Parliamentary Board and organisational issues in the specific context of UP, were learnt to be on the meeting agenda. The BJPs attempt to make course corrections by wooing smaller parties that were previously allies but drifted away due to differences with Adityanath, could be reflected in the Cabinet expansions both at the Centre and UP, sources said. While the Prime Ministers Office completed its performance appraisal of the Union ministers early last year, the expected shake-up in the team was put off primarily because of the Covid challenge, said sources. They added that the BJP is now keen to give visibility to NDA allies. The list of the Union Cabinet hopefuls has grown, with former Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal joining the likes of Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sushil Kumar Modi, besides NDA ally JD (U). And the Parliamentary Board has four vacancies. A common theme emerging out of consultations between RSS and BJP leaders recently is the need for an image makeover of the government at the Centre with the induction of new faces. Rajesh Kumar Thakur By Express News Service PATNA: National president of the Janata Dal (United) RCP Singh said on Saturday that his party, being a constituent of the NDA, deserves to get a birth if the Centre decides to expand the Union cabinet. Whenever there is an expansion, JD-U must get a share in the cabinet, Singh, who is considered to be next to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in the party, said. Singh further demanded that every constituent of the NDA be given their due share. We are a part of the NDA...all constituents deserve a respectable share (in the Narendra Modi government, Singh told journalists. Where is the question of demanding? It is a matter of understanding. It has to be natural, Singh told reporters. Sources within the NDA said the Centre may expand the Union cabinet as the ruling BJP wants to bring in some allies. ALSO READ: PM Modi meets Amit Shah, JP Nadda amid buzz on Cabinet expansion at Centre too According to them, the JD-U may be given two berths in the Union cabinet in view of the forthcoming election in Uttar Pradesh. In eastern part of the state, Kurmi voters are in a strong position. The BJP, after its dismal performance in West Bengal, is also said to be considering the inclusion of JD-U in Union cabinet, so that JD-U may not contest against the BJP in Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. There is speculation within the NDA that two ministries The Consumer Affair, Food and Public Distribution and The Commerce and Industry Ministrywhich are currently held by the Railway minister Piyush Goyal as additional charges, may go to the JD-U. The JD(U) has 16 MPs in the Lok Sabha and five in Rajya Sabha. Mayank Singh By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The standoff in Eastern Ladakh since May 2020 stimulated the road construction and bridge laying on all the sensitive points. Also, the road formation going towards Northern Borders saw a major push. Sources confirmed an important bridge towards Doka La in Sikkim has been launched by the Border Roads Organisation, and Yangtse in Arunachal Pradesh has been linked with roads. Launch of Indigenously-developed (by GRSE) 140 double lane Class-70 modular bridge in Sikkim (to Dokala) is complete, and forward location of Yangtse in Arunachal Pradesh is now connected with road. said the source. Doka La in Sikkim, Yangtse in Arunachal, and Dungti in Ladakh are all forward areas near Line of Actual Control (LAC) and all these have been the locations of standoff and skirmishes in the past. Indian Army post of Doka La in Sikkim is close to the Dolam Plateau where on June 16, 2017, the Chinese had tried to construct a road and it had led to a major stand-off (Doklam Standoff). It got over after 73 days. This road will help in faster reaction in case of any unilateral step taken by the Chinese Army, said a senior Army officer. It was the Yangtse area where a large number of Chinese soldiers had congregated in July 2018 and a scuffle had taken place. The source added that the all-around approach led to fast road construction in this difficult area. The new road constructed towards the Yangtze was going on at an approximate rate of 0.5 km per year. We inducted 3 new excavators and 3 new dozers, and completed 12 km formation work between Mar to Oct 2020 and quickly connected this road which is in direct Chinese observation. He said. The Dungti-Hena road has also been completed. In 2018, intelligence agencies found evidence of a strong Chinese presence in Zeo La near Mount Sajjum, a strategic location across the LAC, which has the potential to cut off the entire Dungti-Demchok axis on the Indian side. The sources said over 1,200 km of formation works and about 3,000 km of surfacing works has been completed during Financial Year 2020-21. Out of 1,200 km formation, 162 km is in Rajasthan. The rest is distributed all along the Northern border from J&K to Arunachal Pradesh. The source said. By PTI KOLKATA: Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Saturday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to treat large-scale river bank erosion in Malda and Murshidabad districts of West Bengal as a national disaster and release adequate funds for mitigation. In a letter to the prime minister, the senior Congress leader, who is also the party's state unit chief, said that large chunks of fertile lands have been lost to the Ganga, which flows through the two minority-dominated districts, rendering lakhs of people homeless and making them "neo- refugees". "They become landless and lose their livelihood. Sometimes, poverty leads to an increase in crimes. It creates neo-refugees with many social problems," the letter read. Citing an example of the problems faced by the erosion-affected people, Chowdhury said a colony of such people from Malda has come up in Mumbai's Byculla area, where they are branded as Bangladeshi infiltrators as they have also lost their documents to the erosion. "During the UPA regime, a large fund was sanctioned for the above issue. I request you to kindly release adequate funds to check the land erosion and protect the life and livelihood of the affected people," he said. Chowdhury represents Berhampore Lok Sabha constituency in Murshidabad district. Ganga flows through Malda before entering Murshidabad, where it splits into Bhagirathi that flows south through West Bengal and Padma which flows east into Bangladesh. Prasanta Mazumdar By Express News Service GUWAHATI: More cases of crime against women were recorded in Assam during the five years of Sarbananda Sonowals BJP government compared to the previous five years of Tarun Gogois Congress government. Sharing the data of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India Index and Dashboard 2020-21, the Congress in Assam said 82,957 cases of crime against women were recorded during Gogois last term (2011-16) compared to 1,00,835 cases during Sonowals term (2016-2021). The crimes included rape, trafficking, dowry deaths, cruelty by husband, kidnapping, molestation etc. Overall, 4,46,119 cases of crime were recorded in the state during 2011-2016 compared to 5,97,095 during 2016-2021. It is an increase of 1,30,976 cases. ALSO READ | COVID-19: Assam forms 2,000 teams to vaccinate 3 lakh people daily The report released on 4th June by NITI Aayog on SDG performance reveals that Assam ranked near the bottom among the large states of the country. The duties and the responsibilities of an elected government are to ensure safety and security which can well be meaningful when the criminal activities are down and controlled, the Congress said. But unfortunately, the reality is that in Assam, the criminal activities related to women have gone up sky-touching during the tenure of BJP government, the Congress said. The party also said Beti Bachao Beti Padhao was one of the principal slogans using which the BJP earned big public support but it turned into a big joke and jumla as crime against women continued unabated. Another tragic point is that Assams maternal mortality rate is 215 against per one lakh population. It is only 43 in Kerala. The global SDG target aims to reduce it to less than 70 by 2030, the Congress said. Similarly, the party said, Assams infant mortality rate is 47 against 1,000 children compared to Keralas 10. By PTI GUWAHATI: Assam Health Minister Keshab Mahanta on Saturday said that the state government has formed 2,000 teams to vaccinate three lakh people every day provided an adequate number of doses are available. He said the state administration has an adequate stock of Covaxin for administering the second dose to people in the 18-44 years age group. "We have kept ready 2,000 teams who could vaccinate four lakh people every day. But, for now, we are targeting to inoculate three lakh people daily if we get the vaccines. We hope that the availability of vaccines will increase in the coming days," he told reporters. Mahanta, in a tweet on Friday night, he said that the state has a total stock of 3,80,900 vaccines, including 2,43,460 for those above 45 years of age and 1,37,440 for the 18-44 years age group. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had earlier said that the state had a capacity to inoculate 1 lakh people every day but it had to vaccinate less than half its capacity on most days since the beginning of the vaccination drive due to a shortage of supply. Mahanta said the Health Department is now focussing more on administering the second dose to people in the 18-44 years category, while the drive for those above 45 years of age is also underway. "We had issues regarding the second dose of Covaxin due to short supply. We requested every district to let us know about their requirement for the second dose and are supplying them the vaccine accordingly," he said. The health minister said that the government will be able to administer the second dose of Covaxin to 1.92 lakh people in the 18-44 years category within the stipulated time frame as it has received the required stock from the manufacturer. He said that 6.06 lakh people of the 12-lakh population of Guwahati have already been vaccinated. "We have launched a special vaccination drive in the city from today and hope to cross the seven lakh mark within the next two days. After that, only around three lakh eligible people will be remaining," he said. After a gap of 13 days, Assam vaccinated more than 50,000 people on Tuesday, with 62,198 people getting the jabs. The number, however, fell again to 41,565 the next day, a National Health Mission bulletin said. On Thursday, the state saw the highest vaccination after 39 days at 93,514 jabs, which came down to 83,054 doses on Friday, it added. By PTI NEW DELHI: Diesel price on Saturday breached the Rs 100 per litre mark in Rajasthan after yet another increase in fuel rates, which also led to Karnataka becoming the 7th state to record Rs 100 a litre petrol. Petrol price was hiked by 27 paise per litre and diesel by 23 paise, according to a price notification of state-owned fuel retailers. The hike -- 23rd since May 4 -- pushed fuel prices across the country to new historic highs. In Delhi, petrol hit an all-time high of Rs 96.12 a litre, while diesel is now priced at Rs 86.98 per litre. Fuel prices differ from state to state depending on the incidence of local taxes such as VAT and freight charges. And because of this petrol retails at over Rs 100 per litre mark in six states and union territories -- Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Ladakh. Karnataka got added to that list with many places in the state including Bidar, Bellary, Koppal, Davanagere, Shimoga and Chakmangalur recording over Rs 100 per litre petrol. Petrol in the state capital Bengaluru is priced at Rs 99.39 per litre and a litre of diesel comes for Rs 92.27. Sri Ganganagar district of Rajasthan near the India-Pakistan border was the first place in the country to see petrol hit Rs 100 a litre mark in mid-February and on Saturday it also earned the distinction of diesel crossing that psychological mark. Petrol in the city is sold at Rs 107.22 a litre - the highest rate in the country, and diesel comes for Rs 100.05. Premium or additive laced petrol in the town sells for Rs 110.50 a litre and same grade diesel at Rs 103.72. Rajasthan levies the highest VAT on petrol and diesel in the country, followed by Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Mumbai on May 29 became the first metro in the country where petrol was being sold at over Rs 100 a litre. Petrol now costs Rs 102.30 a litre in the city and diesel comes for Rs 94.39. After Leh, Srinagar too is witnessing near Rs 100 a litre petrol (Rs 99.27). Hyderabad too is in the same league with petrol costing Rs 99.96. Petrol sells for Rs 101.73 a litre in Leh and diesel costs Rs 93.66. The hike on Saturday was the 23rd increase in prices since May 4, when state-owned oil firms ended an 18-day hiatus in rate revision they observed during assembly elections in states like West Bengal. In 23 increases, petrol price has risen by Rs 5.72 per litre and diesel by Rs 6.25 a litre. Oil companies revise rates of petrol and diesel daily based on the average price of benchmark fuel in the international market in the preceding 15 days, and foreign exchange rates. International oil prices have firmed in recent weeks in anticipation of demand recovery following the rollout of vaccination programme by various countries. By PTI NEW DELHI: Congress leader Digvijay Singh's comments in a clubhouse conversation that the revocation of Article 370 and stripping Jammu and Kashmir of statehood was an "extremely sad" decision and his party will have a "relook" at the issue have triggered a row, with the BJP accusing him of speaking against India and in agreement with Pakistan. Singh's remarks to a person, who the BJP said was a journalist of Pakistani origin, was seized by the saffron party leaders to hit out at the opposition party with its spokesperson Sambit Patra demanding statements from Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi on the issue. "The decision of revoking Article 370 and reducing the statehood of J&K is extremely, I would say, sad decision, and the Congress party would certainly have a relook on the issue," Singh said, according to bits of conversation available on social media. He was responding to a question about the "way forward" on the issue once the Modi government is gone. As the BJP attacked him, Singh posted a tweet in Hindi in an apparent jibe at the ruling party. "This bunch of illiterate people cannot probably differentiate between 'shall' and 'consider'," the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister said. Attacking him, Patra told reporters, "We have all seen how Digvijay Singh is spitting venom on India and speaking in agreement with Pakistan. This is the same person who had dubbed the Pulwama attack as an accident and described the 26/11 Mumabi attack as RSS conspiracy." The BJP leader cited old comments of other Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Mani Shankar Aiyar, to allege that Singh's remarks were part of a larger pattern of the party being "hand in glove" with Pakistan. "This is all part of the toolkit which the BJP had exposed," Patra said in a reference to a controversial document rejected as fake by the Congress. The Congress would go to the extent of collaborating with China and Pakistan to spread "hate" against Modi and India, he alleged. "The Congress should change its name from INC (Indian National Congress) to ANC, Anti-national Clubhouse. This is such a clubhouse whose members have begun hating India while hating Modi," he alleged. Patra asked Sonia Gandhi and Rahul to make their party's stand clear on the issue. He claimed that Rahul Gandhi is the leader of these Congress politicians, adding that Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan had used his criticism of Article 370 as part of his country's dossier against India on the issue in the UN. Union ministers Giriraj Singh and Kiren Rijiju were among other BJP leaders who targeted the Congress in their tweets over the issue. Singh alleged, "Congress's first love is Pakistan. Digvijay Singh conveyed Rahul Gandhi's message to Pakistan. Congress will help Pakistan in grabbing Kashmir." By PTI AHMEDABAD: Gujarat on Saturday crossed the 2 crore mark in the administration of COVID-19 doses which is a new milestone, the state health department said. A total of 2,00,30,392 vaccine doses have been administered to beneficiaries from different age groups so far, including 45 lakh second doses, it said. "The two-crore vaccine dose milestone was crossed with 2,94,583 beneficiaries getting inoculated in a single day on Saturday," the department said in a release. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani congratulated staff members of the health department on this achievement, said a release issued by the Chief Minister's Office. "Gujarat has expanded the COVID-19 vaccination drive by inoculating 3 lakh people every day, with the state leading in per million vaccination ranking," the CMO said. With this, a total of 19,42,897 beneficiaries in the priority group of health workers have received their first dose of the vaccine and 11,01,568 have received the second dose so far. In the priority group of the people in the age group of 45 years and above, a total of 99,41,234 people have received their first dose and 33,82,627 people got their second dose as well, the department said. "For the people in the age group of 18 to 44 years, 36,02,832 received their first dose and 59,234 their second dose (so far). 2,09,171 out of the 2,94,583 people who received their vaccine dose on Saturday were from the 18-44 category," it said. As of Saturday, Gujarat's COVID-19 tally stood at 8,19,866 while the death toll was 9,991. The state now has 10,863 active cases. By PTI NEW DELHI: The Indian Medical Association will hold a protest on June 18 against assault on doctors, with the slogan of 'save the saviors'. In a statement, the apex medical body asked all its state and local branches across the country to observe the protest by wearing black badges, masks, ribbons, shirts and running awareness campaign against violence targeting healthcare professionals. The IMA said press conferences will also be organised and they will also meet local NGOs and voluntary service leaders. It termed "extremely disturbing" a series of violence against doctors in the last two weeks in Assam, Bihar, West Bengal, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and other places. It demanded the implementation of central hospital and Health Care Professionals Protection Act with IPC and Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), standardisation and augmentation of security in each hospital, and declaring hospitals as protected zones among others. "Action Committee of IMA, after considering all the aspects and to express our concern, anger and solidarity, has decided to observe the 18th June 2021 as IMA National Protest Day with demand to stop assault on the profession and the professionals with the slogan 'Save the Saviors'," the medical body said. It further said that June 15 will be observed as a National Demand Day and Press Meets will held across the country by branches. On yoga guru Ramdev's alleged recent disparaging remarks against allopathy, the IMA said the legal course is underway and it will be followed up. "Ramdev has now publicly issued the new statement saying that 'DOCTROS ARE DEVDOOTS' and he will personally also go for vaccination. But the mental agony/verbal violence inflected on us, is unforgettable," it said. ALSO WATCH | Why youngsters are more vulnerable in second Covid-19 wave ? By PTI AHMEDABAD: The BJP government in Gujarat has hailed the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme as a "lifesaver" for the migrant workers, who returned to their native villages in the state due to the lockdown last year. The state government praised the scheme in its report 'Implications of COVID-19 on Gujarat on Energy, Emissions, Climate and Development Perspectives', which was released by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani last Saturday on the occasion of World Environment Day. MGNREGA is the Centre's work guarantee scheme for rural people with predetermined minimum wage. It was launched by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in 2006. "The MGNREGA scheme of guaranteed employment has been a lifesaver for labourers, compelled to return to their homes following the COVID-19 pandemic," the report said. Although in comparison to what these migrants were earning in cities, the wages under MGNREGA are minimum, they still consider it to be sufficient to sustain their families during such crisis situations induced by COVID-19, it said. "Under the MGNREGA, the minimum wage paid is Rs 224 per day, which has been increased from earlier wage of Rs 198 per day. On a brighter note, living in their own village made them save more money, which otherwise was spent in travelling and rents," said the report, which was prepared by the state's climate change department together with IIM Ahmedabad and IIT Gandhinagar. The report cited the "positive role of MGNREGA in helping people vulnerable to pandemic sustain livelihood" through examples of villages in tribal-dominated Dahod district, which offered the largest number of employment under the scheme during that time. A contractual worker managed to enrol himself to MGNREGA, and "although the maize cultivated on his small farm was sufficient to feed his family, employment under MGNREGA provided him with a better livelihood support, it said. However, skilled workers in a village called Pavdi in the same district, despite being pleased to have some source of income support through MGNREGA, were still hoping for the factories to resume operation. Insufficient use of their skill under the minimum wages programme was their major concern, said the report. Dahod district (2.38 lakh - number of labourers engaged under MGNREGA) reported the highest labourer engagement under MGNREGA, followed by Bhavnagar (77,659) and Narmada (59,208), the report said. A majority of the projects were under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and state's Sujalam Sufalam Jal Sanchay Yojana. The report called for "re-strategizing" the MGNREGA to include "skill-mapping, long-term risk coverage and income assurance" as a crucial policy response towards prioritising agriculture as a part of the solution when it comes to migration. It said so while highlighting how agriculture was able to "cushion migrant workers from the COVID-19 crisis by providing them with some subsistence earnings" and their return "helped in managing shortage of agricultural labourers." Citing the example of Saurashtra, where several migrants working in diamond polishing units in Surat returned during the lockdown, the report said they engaged themselves with land tilling activities and as farm labourers. The report also suggested that the government should allow wage increase to match the demand for labour in the agricultural sector with that of the migrant labourers. "Agriculture should be prioritised as a part of the solution and should not be overlooked when it comes to migration. There is a need for a long-term strategy that takes into account underlying causes of migration including the links between agricultural policies and causes for migration," it said. By Express News Service RANCHI: A maoist was gunned down by security forces in Kuku-Pir jungles under Garu PS in Latehar. Accorsing to police, fire arms have also been recovered from the spot along with the body. "One Maoist was killed during an encounter with a joint team of 214 Battalion or CRPF and CoBRA in Kuku-Piri jungles under Garu police station in Latehar," said highly places sources in CRPF. The encounter took place at 8:50 am with the squad of Maoist Regional Commander Chotu Kherwar, it added. Other Maoists escaped into the dense forest. Intensive search is still on to track the Maoist squad. CRPF sources added that at least four fire arms have been recovered from the spot. Identity of the dead Maoist, however, is yet to be ascertained, they said. Fayaz Wani By Express News Service SRINAGAR: Healthcare workers have launched a night vaccination drive against Covid in three remote villages of Bandipora in north Kashmir, where males usually go out for grazing cattle during the day and return in the evening. Block Medical Officer (BMO) Bandipora Dr Masrat Iqbal told this paper that the drive is aimed at 100% vaccination of the north Kashmir district. Three villages Kudara, Sumlar and Chandaji have been chosen for the 7-11 pm slot since most males in these villages return only in the evening. We changed our strategy rather than they coming to us, we decided to reach their doorstep at night for their convenience, he said. Health workers have to walk many kilometers to reach these three villages and stay overnight to be able to vaccinate the villagers. Had we not launched night vaccination, we would not have been able to vaccinate a large population of the district, the BMO said. He said of the total 500 villagers falling in the 45-plus age group, 370 have been vaccinated during the night vaccination drive. The left-outs will also be vaccinated in the coming days to achieve the 100% vaccination target, said Dr Masrat. For vaccinating those in the 18-45-year age group, he said the administration was registering such people. After completing their registration, we will be vaccinating them too. About 1,000 villagers in the three villages fall in the category of the 18-45 age group, said Dr Masrat. He said the night vaccination drive has received a good response from villagers as they dont have to travel to vaccination centres. He said due to rumours, there was some hesitancy among villagers initially, but with proper counseling and awareness, they have chosen to get vaccinated. The remote Weyan hamlet in Bandipora district was the first village in India where all adult population was vaccinated against the pandemic. It was all possible due to our door-to-door vaccination campaign, he said. Rajesh Asnani By Express News Service JAIPUR: The Rajasthan government has devised a major scheme to provide financial help to COVID orphans and women who have been widowed due to the pandemic. The Rajasthan government has announced a financial relief package on Saturday for children who lost their parents to the coronavirus. Under this special package, announced by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, a provision of Rs 1 lakh has been made as immediate grant for children who lost their parents to COVID . In addition, COVID orphans will be provided a monthly assistance of Rs 2500 till these children reach the age of 18 years. Also a one-time assistance of Rs 5 lakhs will be given to COVID orphans on completion of 18 years and they will be given free education till higher secondary besides other benefits under the Mukhyamantri Corona Bal Kalyan Yojna. Significantly, women who lost their husbands to the Corona infection will be given an ex-gratia of Rs 1 lakh and a pension of Rs 1500 per month under this financial relief package. In addition, children of these COVID-19 widows will be given a monthly assistance of one thousand rupees per child and 2,000 rupees a month for school books and dress will also be provided. The Rajasthan government will conduct a special survey in all 33 districts of the state to identify COVID orphans and widows. Additional director of the Child Rights department Reena Sharma remarked, "The NCPCR has asked for all information about such children to be put up on the Bal Swaraj portal. Through information from all districts, entries of over 700 COVID orphans have already been uploaded. In addition, we have information that there are another 3,000 children who have lost one parent to the COVID pandemic." Over the past few months, The New Indian Express has been reflecting many stories about COVID orphans and there are several such stories from Rajasthan. Among the countless orphans of COVID-19 are Supriya (16) and Bindiya (13) who lost their father and mother in the space of just three days in April this year. COVID-19 first struck their 45-year old father Vijay Joshi on April 24. Three days later, their mother Ranjana's condition also took a turn for the worse. After wailing endlessly for a few days, the sisters are now being taken care of by their uncle and Vijay's elder brother Munna Joshi. The announcement of the package has brought great relief to Munna, who asserted, "This package has come as a huge relief for our family. It has ended nearly 50 per cent of our tension. Both girls were studying in a private English-medium school and we can now continue to educate them in the same school. Once they become 18 and get the additional 5 lakhs, it would be useful for their higher studies," said Munna who also thanked the TNIE report on COVID orphans for highlighting the issue. Child rights activist Vijay Goyal was also delighted over the package. He remarked, "Many states have provided help for COVID orphans but the Rajasthan package is really much better as it will take care of all needs of such unfortunate children till they turn adults." "In addition, the help for COVID widows and their children is a most welcome initiative and will greatly help families who have lost their earning members to COVID crisis," he added. By PTI NEW DELHI: The Congress on Saturday hit out at the government for continuing to tax goods and equipment necessary in Covid treatment or used to protect against the virus, and termed the reduction on some such items a "lip service" post a severe second wave of the pandemic. Just as "justice delayed is justice denied, relief delayed is also relief denied", Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said on Twitter. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council in its meeting on Saturday has slashed tax rate on COVID-19 drugs such as Remdesivir and Tocilizumab as well as on medical oxygen and oxygen concentrators but ignored demands for a reduction in taxes on vaccines. Hand sanitiser, pulse oximeter, BiPAP machine, testing kit, ambulance and temperature check equipment were among 18 items on which GST rates were lowered. Surjewala also said that "as lakhs died between Feb-May 2021, Modi Govt-FM-GST Council ignored repeated pleas to reduce GST rates". "Post the mayhem and deaths, the belated wake-up call is empty lip service," he said. His party colleague, Jairam Ramesh, said the entire GST structure has been distorted to the extent of being destroyed, while West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra alleged that the GST council has seen the slow death of the only body of cooperative federalism. "GoI (government of India) led the anti-people move and imposed GST on the vaccine, mask, hand sanitiser, oxygen, PPE (personal protective equipment), oximeter, Covid test kit, Remdesivir, RT-PCR machine. Since my voice ignored, I have recorded my dissent by letter. Unprecedented. "Slow death of the only body of cooperative federalism," Mitra tweeted. Ramesh said, "My colleague Manpreet Badal, the Punjab FM (finance minister), expresses his anguish at today's GST Council meeting." "The entire GST structure has been distorted badly, its original intent destroyed," he tweeted. Punjab Finance Minister and Congress leader Manpreet Badal also tweeted, "Once in a century crisis, GST Council's GOM should stop acting like a shahenshah." He said, "COVID-19 GST should be zero-rated, don't end COVID-19 exemptions in August 2021." Badal, who is a member of the GST council, said it is preposterous that the Congress, the principal opposition party of India in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha has been excluded in GST's group of ministers . He also sought operationalising the position of vice-chairperson of the GST council at the Council meeting and said the council must have its own secretariat, and dispute resolution mechanism. "How would a consumer feel seeing GST reflected on an invoice on COVID-19 treatment" he asked. "GST on COVID-19 preventive materials, and masks, PPEs, hand sanitisers, medical grade oxygen, testing kits, ventilators, BiPAP machine, and pulse oximeters is insensitive. Attempt to pick and choose exemptions on the grounds of inverted duty structure or cheaper imports would destroy the foundation of GST," Nadal said in a series of tweets after the council's meeting. "COVID-19 exemptions should not end on August 31, 2021. Is COVID-19 going to be over by then," he asked. By ANI SONEPAT: Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) will stage demonstrations outside Raj Bhawans across the country on June 26 and observe the day as "Kheti Bachao, Loktantra Bachao Diwas". "June 26, 1975 was a black day in India's history as on this day the government had announced the Emergency. The present situation is not far from that. It is like an undeclared emergency. Our agitation against the Centre's three farm laws completes seven months on June 26. We will observe the day as Kheti Bachao, Loktantra Bachao Diwas. We will protest outside Raj Bhawans across the country," said Inderjit Singh, vice president, All India Kisan Sabha, Haryana. According to SKM, memorandums addressed to the President of India will be handed over to state governors. Farmers protesting against the Centre's farm laws have been agitating for over six months. Many have camped at the borders of the national capital. Despite several rounds of talks between the Centre and the farmer leaders last year, the deadlock remains. Farmers have been protesting at the different borders of the national capital since November 26 against the three newly enacted farm laws - 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. By PTI RINAGAR: Two policemen and as many civilians were killed and at least three others injured on Saturday when militants opened fire targeting security forces in Sopore town of Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said. Militants fired upon a joint party of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and police near Main Chowk Sopore in north Kashmir district around noon, they said. The officials said in the firing, two police personnel and two civilians were killed. At least three others, including a policeman, were injured in the attack, they said. The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital from where the injured policeman was taken to the Army's 92 Base Hospital here, the officials added. The security forces have cordoned off the area and further details are awaited, they said. #UPDATE | Jammu & Kashmir | Two policemen and two civilians lost their lives in a terrorist attack in Sopore. Two other police personnel are injured. Lashkar-e-Taiba is behind this attack: Kashmir IG Vijay Kumar to ANI (Visual deferred by unspecified time) pic.twitter.com/rWQIGiTX0a ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2021 Omar Abdullah condemns militant attack National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Saturday condemned the militant attack on security forces in Sopore town of Baramulla district. "Terrible news coming in from Sopore. Such attacks must be condemned without reservation. Prayers for the injured & condolences to the families of the deceased," Abdullah said in a tweet. The former chief minister was reacting to the militant attack on security forces in Sopore that has left two police personnel and two civilians dead and several others injured. By PTI MUMBAI: A day after election strategist Prashant Kishor met NCP chief Sharad Pawar, a spokesperson of the party on Saturday said there is a need to have a "wider alliance" of political parties against the ruling BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sbha polls. Kishor met Pawar at the latter's residence in Mumbai on Friday. The meeting, which lasted around three hours, sparked speculation in political circles. However, what transpired during the meeting could not be known. NCP leader and Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik said, "There is a need to form a wider alliance of political parties against the BJP ahead of the next general elections. NCP president Sharad Pawar had himself spoken about the need to have a national alliance of all parties to take on the BJP, and had said he would try to bring together all such forces." ALSO READ | Political strategist Prashant Kishor meets Sharad Pawar; sets off political speculation "Political strategist Prashant Kishor is well-versed with the data and statistics....During their three-hour long deliberations, this surely has come up for consideration," he said. Last month, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut had stressed the need to have an alliance of opposition parties at the national level and said that he had discussed the issue with Sharad Pawar. Prior to that, he had also said that there is a need to restructure the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) so that it emerges as a strong alternative to the BJP, and the new front should be led by a senior leader like Pawar. By PTI NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called for adopting a "one earth, one health" approach to effectively deal with the coronavirus pandemic globally during a virtual address at a session of the G7 summit. Calling for global unity, leadership and solidarity to prevent future pandemics, Modi emphasised the special responsibility of democratic and transparent societies to deal with the challenge. The prime minister also sought support of the G7 for a proposal moved at the WTO by India and South Africa for patent waiver on Covid related technologies. "The prime minister committed India's support for collective endeavours to improve global health governance. He sought the G7's support for the proposal moved at the WTO by India and South Africa, for a TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) waiver on COVID related technologies," an official statement said. "Prime Minister Modi said that today's meeting should send out a message of 'One Earth, One Health' for the whole world," it said about his address at the outreach session. The Group of Seven (G7) comprises the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States. As chair of the G7, the UK invited India, Australia, South Korea and South Africa to the summit as guest countries. Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddys trip to Delhi has had political circles abuzz in Andhra Pradesh, with his supporters and opponents sparring over its purpose, in particular his meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The official agenda this time was not much different from his earlier visits. There were the regular requests for approvals, whether for the Polavaram irrigation projects revised cost estimates, shifting the High Court to Kurnool or disbursal of dues. Not to forget, the demand for special status to the state, besides other pending promises made in the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, such as the establishment of a petrochemical complex in Kakinada. The question that arises every time the chief minister goes to Delhi is, why should the state be begging forever for what is its right? Especially since most of the items on his list are part of the Reorganisation Act. Take for instance the petrochemical complex. The rider that the state should bear the viability funding gap of close to Rs 1,000 crore for 15 years wasnt specifically mentioned in the Act. It is understandable that the Centre might drag its feet on shifting the High Court to Kurnool as it could require judicial consent. The funding for Polavaram too has become a knotty problem with the project cost escalating over the years to more than Rs 55,000 crore. The onus is surely on the Centre to expedite approvals and find amicable solutions without burdening the state. More so in the case of Polavaram as there is every possibility of the project getting caught up in a vicious circle of delays and cost escalation. Special status for the state is now just a political issue. There is no way the Centre is going to grant it as it was not part of the Reorganisation Act in the first place. As for the political aspect of the chief ministers visit, it is believed he could have raised the issue of a well-planned conspiracy to destabilise his government and sought Shahs support. The ruling YSRCP is convinced there is one. Well, politics is, after all, a cloak-and-dagger game where nothing is what it seems. The recent incident of nine Asiatic lions getting infected with Covid and one subsequently dying in Chennais Vandalur Zoo has put the spotlight on the Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation (AIWC) in the Tamil Nadu state capital that has been lying unused. The centre, proposed in 2019, had been approved by the Tamil Nadu State Planning Commission. But till now it remains just another fancy abbreviation in the government portal, awaiting the paltry Rs 1.5 crore funding that it had been promised. The AIWCs research was aimed, among others, at pre-screening of animals for pathogenic diseases and the study of zoonoses and reverse zoonoses. Had the centre been functioning, it would have carried out the Covid tests of the samples of lions, speeding up their treatment and avoiding the fatality. The lack of a local facility had forced the Vandalur zoo officials to send the swab samples of the lions on May 24 and May 29 to the National Institute of High Security Diseases, Bhopal. But the results came only on June 3, the day the lioness died. The project was ideated after H1N1, Nipah and other diseases had wreaked havoc in many parts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. A country like India has more chances of zoonoses or transmission of diseases from animals to humans because of its huge population of both. According to a paper published in the Indian Journal of Community Medicine in March 2020, there has been an increase in zoonotic diseases globally. It says that of the 1,407 human pathogens detected, 816 were found to be zoonotic. Many elephants have died in Tamil Nadu, as have tigers and leopards in various national parks. In a complete lack of interest in detecting zoonoses, the Tamil Nadu forest department has not even sent a single swab sample to check for any virus variant in the wild. The emergence of a series of zoonotic diseases threatening public health and the economy in recent times has highlighted the need for a comprehensive strategy to combat the transmission of pathogens from animals to humans, with focused research on genome sequencing. C A Itnalmath By Express News Service ATHANI: Badachi, a small village in Belagavi district, has reported as many as 60 deaths in a span of one month, and residents fear that most of them succumbed to Covid-19. Badachi, located in Athani taluk, has a population of a little over 7,000.Residents say that most of the people who died showed symptoms of Covid-19 and that they were unable to avail treatment in multi-speciality hospitals owing to poverty. Also, a few did not approach any hospital, fearing social stigma and discrimination associated with Covid-19. The village elders rue that the deaths are still a matter of concern and the number of cases, too, are increasing. They blamed health department officials and Anganwadi workers for failing to create awareness on Covid-19 among the villagers. According to norms laid out by the government, Anganwadi teachers and health workers should survey the village and raise awareness on Covid-19 among the residents. The authorities concerned failed to perform their duties, says a resident of the village. Speaking to TNIE, Panchayat Development Officer (PDO) L S Bhagennavar admitted that 60 people died in the village in the past month. He, however, said only four of them died due to Covid-19 and the rest due to other diseases and old age. Bhagennavar, however, said he was not satisfied with the efforts put in by health and Anganwadi workers deputed on Covid-19 duty in the village. Athani Tahsildar Dundappa Komar said he has received several complaints from villagers about the negligent attitude of the health and Anganwadi workers, and he has directed the PDO to conduct and inquiry. Komar said he will initiate action only after the PDO submits the report. By Express News Service BENGALURU: The Congress chapter of Karnataka was abuzz with talk when the party's state in-charge and general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala donned the attire of a lawyer in a sessions court. Surjewala pleaded for a farmer who was slapped with a string of cases in Jind (Haryana) for protesting against the farm laws. He appeared before a sessions judge seeking bail for the protesting farmer. Surjewala, a practising advocate, had virtually stopped court appearances ever since he took to full-time politics as head of the Indian Youth Congress and later as head of the national media cell. KPCC president DK Shivakumar said, "Our party has a tradition -- whenever there is a need, our leaders would don the legal costume to fight for basic rights. Our history books will tell you that Pandit Nehru appeared for Subhash Chandra Bose and the INA. "There are innumerable instances of Congress leaders not hesitating to fight for the rights of the people. Here, our party general secretary has appeared before the court and fought for the rights of a farmer." When contacted, Surjewala told The New Indian Express, "It is my duty to do so." Anusha Ravi By Express News Service BENGALURU: The Karnataka Government on Friday issued guidelines for relaxation of lockdown norms in 19 districts, starting Monday. While Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa announced most of the key relaxations on Thursday after a meeting of ministers and officials, the official guidelines listed out additional relaxations. Existing restrictions on inter-district passenger travel will continue. Currently, inter-district and inter-state travel is allowed only for pre-scheduled trains and flights or in the case of emergencies and no travel pass is required for it. Movement of goods, however, can continue unhindered. Movement of trains and air travel are permitted. Movement of public transport, private vehicles and taxis to and from airports, railway stations and bus terminals/stops/stands is allowed for facilitating the movement of air, rail and road passengers. The movement will be allowed only on displaying valid travel documents/tickets, the order said. ALSO WATCH | By Express News Service KOCHI: A day after the Kochi City police arrested Martin Joseph, who is accused of raping and torturing a 27-year-old fashion designer after detaining her in a luxury flat in the city for nearly a month, City Police Commissioner C Nagaraju on Friday admitted that there were lapses on the polices part in investigating the sensational case promptly. He said the police became serious only after the news hit the headlines. Although we started an investigation into the case, we admit that we didnt give much attention to it earlier. Only limited resources were used to find the accused. But we came to understand the seriousness of the issue when the news regarding the case hit the headlines, Nagaraju said at a press conference. He said a department-level inquiry will be carried out to find out the causes of delay in launching the investigation. Despite the grave charges in the complaint, there were some lapses on the part of the officers in informing the top officers. A team headed by ACP K P Philip will head the department-level inquiry. This is to prevent recurrence of such incidents in the future, said the commissioner. He also added that all legal procedures have been initiated. There were no procedural lapses in the case. We were able to cancel the bail when Martin approached the district court, commissioner added. The police have drawn flak for their failure to arrest the prime accused in the case though the victim had filed the complaint on April 8. The case suddenly came under the spotlight when photographs of the woman from Kannur with bruises all over her body surfaced on social media. Despite it being a heinous crime, the police had sat on the complaint for almost two months. The delay was attributed to the election duty and lockdown, following a spike in Covid cases in the city. By Express News Service CUTTACK: A special squad of Drug Controller of Odisha seized huge quantity of fake Covid-19 drug Favipiravir during a raid on a wholesale medicine store at Kanika Chowk in the city on Thursday. Acting on an intelligence input from Haryana, the special squad raided the medicine store and seized 170 boxes containing around 17,000 fake Favipiravir tablets. The drug is prescribed for treatment of Covid-19 patients. The fake medicines were seized before the stock was released in the open market in Odisha, informed State Drug Controller, Annada Sankar Das. During verification, it was found that the medicine wholesaler had sent 4,060 strips of the fake Favipiravir to Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh in May. Hence, we have intimated the matter to Drug Controller of Madhya Pradesh and alerted them about supply of the fake drug to a medicine store in Gwalior, said Das. The seized fake Favipiravir tablets were procured from Goutam Buddha Nagar in Uttar Pradesh. Though the printed information on the medicine strips suggested the drug was manufactured at Solan in Himachal Pradesh, during verification it was found that there is no such medicine manufacturing company there. Das said samples from the seized stock have been collected and will be sent for examination to a laboratory. If we fail to test the samples at our laboratory, they will sent to the Central Drug Laboratory in Kolkata, he said, adding necessary action would be initiated against the accused after the sample test report is received. By Express News Service UMERKOTE: When 10 acres of land of Ajit Nayak from Duduriguda village, Ratnakar Mali from Churahandi village and Paresnath Bisoi of Tentulikhunti in Nabarangpur district were chosen for a first of its kind experiment in mint cultivation, it raised hopes among the other farmers to earn good even during the lean period between Rabi and Kharif cultivation. Now as reaping has begun, the two Japanese varieties - Kosi and Kranti - sown in January on a pilot basis, have so far yielded 30 tonne, 80 pc has been sold. Promising to pay back Rs 50,000 for Rs 15000 spent per acre of land, Lucknow-based Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), a frontier plant research laboratory of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), has lent technical support and training to the farmers with the involvement of district administration. Two tank based boiler systems have been set up at Duduriguda by district administration for mint oil extraction and other value addition purposes that can augment farmers income. The unit has so far yielded 58 litre of mint oil of which 37 litre has been sold to pharmaceutical plants by the district administration at Rs 1,500 a litre. While mint leaf is high in demand in the markets, its oil is used for medicinal purposes across the globe. Grown between January and June in the lean period of paddy and maize, the aromatic plant can be grown with moderate amount of water in interval of 8-12 days. Normally, it produces 3 tonne of fresh biomass per acre which is expected to produce 45-55 litre of oil per acre. The price of oil from biomass fetches Rs 1,300-Rs 1,500 per litre. Experts say, retail selling of biomass will fetch greater profits as well. Collector Ajit Kumar Mishra said the processing plant was installed as mint oil has a huge demand in the international market and will boost the profit margin. This is the first of its kind agro experiment in the district as well as the State. Now as many as 123 farmers have signed up for mint cultivation in Nabarangpur, he said. By Express News Service BHUBANESWAR: Enrolment of foreign students in universities of Odisha recorded nearly 125 per cent increase in 2019-20 academic year, reveals the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) - 2019-20 released by the Ministry of Education on Thursday. As per the report, as many as 1,159 foreign students enrolled in different higher education institutions across the State in 2019-20 - a 124 per cent increase over previous years enrolment of 516. With this the State has inched closure to the foreign student enrolment figure of neighbouring West Bengal which stood at 1,211 the same year. While Karnataka registered the highest enrolment of 10,231 students from abroad, Andhra Pradesh recorded 2,094 students from outside India. Enrolment of foreign students in neighbouring Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand remained 108 and 47 respectively. Of the total foreign students enrolled in different private and public universities of the State, 780 are male and 379 female. A total of 943 foreign students including 309 female joined under graduate courses while 58 foreign students, 34 male and 24 female students are pursuing PhD in the States universities. There was no enrolment in MPhil courses while the number of students opting for post graduate courses stood at 158 which include 112 male and 46 female students. The survey report suggested that the total number of foreign national students enrolled in India in 2019-20 was 49,348, around 2,000 more than 2018-19 academic year. While students from 168 countries enrolled in the university, Nepal contributed 28.1 per cent of the total followed by Afghanistan at 9.1 per cent, Bangladesh at 4.6 per cent and Bhutan 3.8 per cent. Private universities in the State have enrolled the maximum number of foreign students. Sources in the Higher Education department said that the figure may have fluctuated as enrolment of students from outside India in the State has been hugely impacted by the outbreak of Covid-19. By Express News Service BHUBANESWAR: Development Commissioner PK Jena urged people to build their houses keeping safety and disaster resilient aspects in mind instead of wasting money on beautification. Speaking in a webinar on Post Disaster: Cyclone Resilient House Construction in Coastal Odisha organised by Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC), Jena stressed for a housing support service hub in all disaster-affected blocks of the State. The hub can provide technical assistance, ensure credit linkage from banks and micro-finance institutions and undertake re-skilling of construction workers, he said. Principal Secretary of Finance department Ashok K Meena opined that a strong movement was necessary to sensitise people on safety aspects during house construction and integrate sanitation and rain water harvesting structure, wherever possible. He called upon the financial institutions to extend support through innovative products for affordable housing. Chairman of ICC Odisha State Council JB Pany urged the corporate and industry leaders to join the disaster-resilient housing movement in the State. Convener of CSR and Sustainability Committee Jagadananda emphasised the need for a social movement on kutcha to pucca housing besides making people aware about safety and security. By Express News Service THOOTHUKUDI: Sleuths attached to the Q-branch arrested alleged drug trafficker John Thorn alias Jonathan (47) at Trespuram here on Friday. The investigation agency suspected him of attempting to illegally move to Sri Lanka by sea. The Q Branch sleuths have registered a case under section 12(1)(b)r/w sec 3 of the Passport Act, 1967 and remanded him. Sources said that Thorn was staying at a local residency hotel for the past two days. He reached Vivekandar Nagar near Trespuram beach late on Thursday in a bid to cross the sea and reach Sri Lanka. However, local fishermen, who had noted his suspicious movements, informed the police and the Q branch sleuths had secured him, said sources. Another source said that some local person had dropped him at the Vivekanandar Nagar beach in Thoothukudi in order to board a fishing boat waiting at mid-sea to sail to Sri Lanka. Police privy to the investigation said that Thorn, hailing from Little Hampton in the UK, holds an Overseas Citizenship of India and had settled in Goa with his Indian partner. He is allegedly notorious for drug trafficking and Mumbai police had registered a case against him in this regard in 2018. Thorn was not cooperating with inquiries throughout the day and did not unlock his mobile phones for police to analyse his contact details. He had plans to move Sri Lanka by sea, and from there to overseas countries, the sources said. Thoothukudi police admitted him at Thoothukudi Medical College Hospital for a health check before producing him before the court. He was later remanded in custody. S Godson Wisely Dass By Express News Service THOOTHUKUDI: A research study has found presence of microplastics in the salt manufactured in Thoothukudi district. The food safety officials concerned have assured they will look into the microplastic contamination seriously as periodic sample tests had also revealed the presence of extraneous matters. Thoothukudi is the second-largest producer of salt in the country next to Gujarat, with an average estimated production of 25 lakh tonnes of salt every year. Roughly 25,000 acres of land along the coastline are brought under salt pans which employ at least 30000 labourers, with a majority being women. The salt manufacturing process in Thoothukudi involves pumping of saline groundwater into evaporation pans which are left to crystallise under direct sunlight in strictly monitored conditions so as to obtain fine quality of sodium chloride. Exposure of the seawater to wind without moisture and strong sunlight quickens the formation of salt crystals by increasing the evaporation rate. The salt collected from the pan is processed with the addition of iodine and also refined to achieve free-flowing texture before being packed. The research conducted by six geologists including a foreigner Sang Yong Chung of South Korea, has been published in Elsevier's Marine Pollution Bulletin. The researchers had collected 25 samples from different salt pans between Vembar and Tiruchendur along coastal areas. The microplastics were extracted by several methods underscored in many studies including atomic force microscopy (AFM). The presence of microplastic particles was confirmed by a micro-Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, the researchers said. The lead author of the study S Selvam, assistant professor in VOC College, Thoothukudi told TNIE that the study had revealed the presence of microplastics such as nylon, cellulose, polyethylene and polypropylene, and some non-plastic particles in the salt. The microplastics measuring less than 100m formed the major part of the salts, accounting to 60 percent of the microplastics among the total pollutants, he said. Selvam also observed higher levels of microplastic waste in the salt samples collected at a bridge near the Thoothukudi thermal power plant, Muthaiyapuram, near Roach park, near SPIC area, near heavy water plant area and at Mullakadu, incidentally these areas are in the periphery of Thoothukudi corporation. The domestic waste materials were found to be the main source of polyethylene and polypropylene contaminants, he said. Selvam added that this is a baseline study since there is no previous research in the microplastic contamination of salts. The researchers could not compare the level of contaminations over the years, due to the lack of previous studies on the salt pan in Thoothukudi, he said. However, the researchers had managed to compare the polymer type of microplastic contamination with the sea salt manufactured in China and Spain, he said. Accordingly, the total contamination of the Thoothukudi salt constitutes 41.5 percent of polyethylene, which was 12.5 percent in the salt manufactured in China and 3.3 percent in Spain. While the presence of polypropylene in Thoothukudi salt was 22.7 percent, it was 18.8 percent in China and 6.7 percent in Spain. The contaminations of cellulose and nylon respectively constituted11.2 percent and 8.7 percent in Thoothukudi salt, which was nil in China and Spain. Similarly, the presence of unidentified particles was 11.2 percent in Thoothukudi salt as against 3.8 percent in China and 1.2 percent in Spain, the comparative analysis reveals. The researchers attributed the plastic pollution around the salt pans to improper disposal of polyethylene products in the form of tea cups, milk packet covers, medicine wrappers and plastics along the seashore. Nylon has been a chief pollutant along coastline due to discarded fish nets and nylon ropes. Whereas, the cellulose sponge clothes waste was derived from textile industries around the salt pan stations, they said. Selvam reiterated that the main objective of the study is to highlight the microplastic contamination in salts produced in Thoothukudi salt pans, as such detailed studies on the presence of microplastic salt and its impact over human health lacks in India, Selvam added. As minimum presence of microplastics in the edible salts could pose a threat to human health through food consumption, the researchers had recommended controlling littering plastics around salt pan areas, particularly in the periphery of urban Thoothukudi which is a major salt producer region. When asked, officials attached to the food safety and drug administration said that no laboratory tests on salt samples had reported micro plastic contaminations before. The 229 samples lifted between the fiscal 2013-14 and 2020-21, had reported 62 samples as substandard and mis-branded, while three samples as unsafe for consumption due to high presence of insoluble matters. According to Food Safety designated officer Dr Mariappan, the extraneous matters are the insoluble substances, which are allowed to an extent of one percent of its dry weight, as per FSSAI Act. An edible salt must contain 96 percent of Sodium Chloride (NaCL), with moisture content not exceeding 6 percent and iodine not less than 15 ppm, besides the presence of insoluble matters are permitted for one percent, he said. "We will take random samples to rule out the presence of micro plastics and ensure hygienic practice", he said. Meanwhile, the salt producers argue that they don't use seawater directly even as the authors affirm with the fact that the microplastics are present in the salt manufactured using bore water along the coastline. Denying the presence of microplastics, a manager of a private salt processing unit which converts crystal salt into free flow salt, told TNIE that they find only an increased amount of sand particles in the raw salts during period lab tests. These sand particles accumulate in salt pans due to continuous rainfalls, he opined. A co-author of the research article C Singaraja, assistant professor in Presidency college, Chennai, told TNIE that the plastic wastes reaches the sea (Gulf of Mannar) through various ways in Thoothukudi, with the main source being the Puckle canal that merges with the sea at Trespuram. Since the salt finds use in food every day, the authorities should increase deployments of experts such as geologists and hydrologists to observe the factors affecting the seawater quality, and increase random sample testing, so that the microplastic contaminations could be controlled, he said. By Express News Service CHENNAI: It has been 30 years since AG Perarivalan was taken into custody for interrogation in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case on the night of June 11, 1991, with a promise that he would be sent back the next morning. However, in due course, he was made one of the accused and later convicted. The other six who were also arrested have also spent almost spent 30 years in prison. Renewing her appeal to the State government for the release of Perarivalan due to ill health, his mother Arputham Ammal on Friday said, The government should not send Perarivalan back to the prison, who is now on a 30-day ordinary leave. I appeal to Chief Minister MK Stalin to consider this. Arputham Ammal also referred to the confession of V Thiagarajan, a former CBI officer who recorded Perarivalans statement in 1991, who said that he had omitted a part of his statement wherein he had no idea why the two nine-volt batteries were bought. Thiagarajan was referring to the batteries he gave Sivarasan, which was used in explosives that killed Rajiv Gandhi and many others. Meanwhile, PMK founder S Ramadoss recalled the legal battles and the efforts taken by the State government for many years for the release of Perarivalan and others. Ramadoss said Chief Minister MK Stalin had made an appeal to the President to release these seven convicts. But the State government has to knock the doors of the Governor and not that of the President since the Governor cannot reject the recommendation made by the AIADMK government for the release of the seven convicts. How it unfolded Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on May 21, 1991 during an election campaign at Sriperumbudur Poonamallee TADA Court awards death sentence to all 26 accused on January 28, 1998 Later, the Supreme Court commuted the death sentence of three as life sentences and acquitted 19 others while upheld death sentences for Nalini, Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan The four convicts went on an appeal and their petitions were dismissed by the SC on October 8, 1999 The State Cabinet meeting chaired by the then Chief Minister M Karunanidhi held on April 19, 2000, advised the Governor to commute the death sentence of Nalini and uphold the death sentence of other three. The Governor accepted the State Cabinets advice on April 21, 2000 and confirmed the death sentence for Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan The DMK government forwarded the mercy petitions of the three to the President on April 28, 2000 The President rejected mercy petitions on August 12, 2011 TN Assembly, on August 30, 2011, adopted a resolution moved by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa requesting the President to commute the death sentence of the three convicted The SC, on January 21, 2014, commuted the death sentence of 15 persons including four aides of forest brigand Veerappan stating that there has been delay in deciding their mercy petitions, thus giving a ray of hope for the Rajiv case convicted The Supreme Court, on February 18, 2014, commuted the death sentence of three convicts in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case and said the Tamil Nadu government can exercise its remission powers under Section 432 and 433 Cr.P.C to release the convicted Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa chairs TN Cabinets emergency meeting on February 19, 2014 and decides to release all seven convicted in the Rajiv assassination case. She told the House that if the Centre fails to respond to the Tamil Nadu Cabinets decision within three days, the State government would go ahead and release them as per Section 432 of the CrPC However, the then UPA government moved the SC against the decision In February 2014, the Supreme Court stayed the release of all seven convicts as announced by Jayalalithaa and directed the State government to maintain status quo On March 2, 2016, the AIADMK government decided to release all the seven convicts and sought views of the Centre on the decision June 15, 2018: President Ram Nath Kovind rejected the State governments plea to release the seven September 9, 2018: The AIADMK government recommends to Governor Banwarilal Purohit them March 20, 2020: Nearly after 18 months of State Cabinet recommending the release of seven convicts, the Governor said a decision on the release could be taken based on the report to be submitted to Supreme Court by the Multi Dsiciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA) which is probing the conspiracy angle of the assassination May 20, 2021: Chief Minister MK Stalin urges President Ram Nath Kovind to accept State governments recommendation made in 2018 for the release of the seven convicts and pass orders to remit the sentences of all these convicts and also release them immediately T Muruganandham By Express News Service CHENNAI: The Minister for the HR and CE temples (managed by the Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments department) PK Sekar Babu on Saturday hinted that women who wish to take up the job of a temple priest, would be given training for that. The Minister said in response to a woman reporter after holding detailed discussions with senior officials of the HR and CE department from across the State. Sekar Babu had earlier said that the all-caste archaka scheme would soon be implemented in HR and CE temples in the state. Asked whether the government would accept women coming forward to work as priests, the Minister said, "If women wish to work as priests, training will be provided to them and steps will be taken to appoint them as priests. This will be done after getting the approval of the Chief Minister." There has been a long-drawn debate on female priests in Hindu temples. Social reformers have been advocating it to establish gender equality in the job of priests too. Minutes after the remarks of the Minister, there were criticisms against this move in social media. In the coming days, this topic is likely to become a point of debate. ALSO READ | Tamil Nadu Siddha graduates jobless amid huge demand for alternate medicine On Tamil archana in temples, the Minister said "Already, Tamil archana is being performed in HR and CE temples. In 47 big temples in the state, a board will be displayed with the words "Tamil Archana will be performed in this temple." Also, training will be given to the priests in performing archana in Tamil. Responding to a question, the Minister reiterated that the 'All-caste archaka' scheme would come into force within 100 days of assumption of office of this government. You will see archakas from castes functioning in the temples." The Minister said recently the Madras High Court has given 75 recommendations to temples which included preventing idol theft, maintenance of ancient temples, etc. and they were discussed during the meeting. Already, the government started implementing a few of them while other recommendations would be enforced in due course. Answering a question regarding the appointment of a new Jeeyar in Srirangam temple, the Minister said, "The procedure followed for appointment of a new Jeer so far will be followed in the present case too. The Chief Minister has advised that as far as religious matters are concerned, the sentiments of any section of the people should not get hurt. We have discussed various plans to be implemented for the temples and its administration. These plans would be implemented in three phases: Plans that need to be implemented immediately; and those required to be enforced during the second and third phases. Chief Minister MK Stalin will make appropriate announcements for these plans to be implemented, Sekar Babu added. By Express News Service A 2011-batch IAS officer Dr Aneesh Sekhar is well-known among the Madurai residents for his surprise inspections during his stint as Corporation Commissioner from June 2017 to February 2019. Taking charge as a district collector for the first time in his career, Aneesh Shekar tells Vinodh Arulappan about the strategy he adopted in containing the Covid pandemic and his vision for Madurai. When you took charge the number of Covid-19 cases was at its peak in Madurai. What is the strategy you adopted? On May 19 I took charge. On May 26, it reached its peak. We had 1,500 cases a day and today we have 300 cases per day. When I joined the urban cases were more or less coming down, the rural cases were increasing. We understood that that was going to be challenging and made a focused decision. In rural areas, we found people having a casual attitude. We involved local bodies and pressed 3,800 self-help groups into action. There are around 4 lakh households in the rural areas and we allocated 100 to 150 houses to each woman. We checked each house twice a week and identified the cases as quickly as possible. We have data on whether they are vaccinated or not. Further, the stricter lockdown has helped us break the chain. We made sure that all the essentials are available to people so that they don't come out of the houses. We also made a conscious decision to identify the patients at an early stage and tested them early. There were complaints that people were finding it difficult to find 108 ambulances, particularly in rural areas where there are only 37 ambulances each for a whole block. Is there any plan to improve ambulance services in rural services? Yes, we have planned for this. All these were relevant issues when we had 1,500 cases. Still, we identified 10 additional ambulances and converted them into Covid ambulances. They are available even now. There are complaints from several quarters against the private hospitals for charging exorbitant fees and demanding huge sums as advance before starting treatment. What actions have been taken so far? There is a fee structure fixed by the government. We are closely monitoring the private hospitals. We have taken action against the hospitals and recovered excess charges collected by them and returned it to the patients. We warned these hospitals that they will be closed if such complaints arise again. Has the pandemic affected the regular development work of the district? Yes, of course. The regular life of people has been affected. The priority of the district administration also changes accordingly. Now our primary objective is to contain this wave. Once the pandemic settles, our focus will shift to other regular development activities. People should be vigilant and self-aware and should not get try to treat themselves. What will be the strategy adopted after the relaxation of lockdown in the district? We will continue our surveillance activity. House to house inspection will be done. Our primary aim is to identify the cases at an early stage so that we can avoid deaths. We will keep track of active cases and patients in home isolation. Now we are reporting 300 cases a day and we are trying to bring it to zero. Being a doctor, what do you think about predictions of a third wave? It may or may not come. Nobody can predict that. But we have to be prepared. Whatever happened in the western countries has happened in India after a gap of two or three months. We have increased our bed capacity. We are setting up eight to 10 oxygen-generating plants to become self-sufficient in terms of medical oxygen. We are proactively trying to get a dedicated children's ICU and wards done, as there is a notion that the third wave could affect children too. Also, we are planning for an aggressive vaccination drive for vulnerable sections, whenever we receive our district's share of vaccines. We are working on increasing the ICU beds too. What are your plans for Madurai? Madurai has a lot of potential to become a good tier 2 city. My focus would be on bringing more investment into this district and making it an economic hub. We have all the resources for that and at present we are on the right path for that. The Rs 1000 crore Mullaiperiyar project will satisfy the water needs of Madurai. My focus will be on the service sector. Be it, tourism, hospitality, medical tourism, we have space and infrastructure. The Chennai-Kanniyakumari corridor will by itself make Madurai an industrial corridor. AIIMS is on the way. We have an airport and ports are near. We have good social infrastructure and it will be utilised properly in an organised manner. All these will put Madurai on the national map. By Express News Service HYDERABAD: Former Health and Finance Minister Eatala Rajender submitted his resignation as an MLA on Saturday. He paid floral tributes to Telangana martyrs at the Martyrs' Memorial at Gun Park located opposite the Assembly. On submitting his resignation letter to the Assembly Speaker's office, Rajender is now all set to join BJP on June 14, in the presence of BJP president JP Nadda. Speaking to reporters today, Rajender said that his agenda was to end the feudal rule of K Chandrasekhar Rao in Telangana and cited the same as the reason for joining BJP. Rajender, representing Huzurabad Assembly segment, was sacked from the Cabinet a month ago, following allegations, of grabbing assigned lands, against him. The State government ordered a probe into the allegations. However, Rajender challenged the government probe in the High Court. The bypoll for the seat may be held within six months, once the Election Commission of India has notified the vacancy. Though, TRS MLAs were known for their en masse resignations during the separation Telangana movement, this is the first time that a TRS MLA submitted his resignation after the formation of Telangana in 2014. By Express News Service HYDERABAD: A study published in nature journal Scientific Reports has highlighted the need to focus on the relationship between Covid-19 disease severity and genetic make up of the South Asians, especially keeping in mind the various castes and tribal populations. A major finding of the study is that a particular DNA segment that has been found to be strongly associated with the Covid-19 severity among Europeans, does not have any association with disease severity when it comes to the South Asian population. This is despite the fact that the particular DNA segment is present in around 50 per cent of the South Asian population, as against 16 percent the European population. The study was led by Dr Kumarasamy Thangaraj, Director of the Hyderabad-based Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD) and Chief Scientist at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), and Prof Gyane shwe r Chaubey of Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. Dr Thangaraj says: In this study, we compared infection and case fatality rates with South Asian genomic data over three different timelines during the pandemic. We especially looked into a large number of populations from India and Bangladesh. Prajival Pratap Singh of the Cytogenics Laboratory at BHU and first author of this study said, Our result reiterates the unique genetic origin of South Asian populations. A dedicated Genome-wide Association Study on South Asian Covid patients is the need of the hour for us. By PTI CAMBRIDGE: The delta coronavirus variant, which was first detected in India, is now the dominant variant in the UK. Some experts warn that the delta variant may be 100 per cent more transmissible than the previously dominant variant, alpha. But we don't think that transmissibility alone explains delta's dominance. Successful variants often have a biological advantage -- through mutation -- that helps them spread more easily among the population. And it's the variants with these mutations that natural selection acts on, ensuring they out-compete other, less transmissible strains. The delta variant may, however, have a more complicated relationship with people than those that came before it. It is even possible that it was government policies, rather than the variant's inherent increased transmissibility, that led to its success and dominance in the UK. To illustrate why, it's helpful to distinguish between several powerful forces that propel evolutionary change. The first, natural selection, occurs when one type of organism out-competes another -- either within or between species -- leading, over time, to the success of one and the demise of the other. An example might be when one cheetah, slightly faster than another, outruns its rival and is thereby better able to catch prey, survive and reproduce. The slower cheetah is out of luck. It may either not find enough food to survive or be unable to attract a mate, both of which would prevent its successful reproduction. The second force, artificial selection, is a subset of natural selection. It involves a person intentionally choosing which organisms survive and multiply. An example of this is a horse breeder. Horses that have desired qualities -- speed and submissiveness, for example -- are allowed by the breeder to mate with others, raising the odds that the next generation of horses will have the same qualities. A third, less wellknown force called unconscious selection, is where human interactions with the environment have accidental evolutionary effects. This further subset of natural selection is an important force across the world and is becoming increasingly important as populations grow and people change the global environment. Antibiotic resistance, where bacteria evolve defences against modern medicines, is a good example. As we continue to prescribe antibiotics to kill bacteria, we unconsciously select for bacteria resistant to our treatments. Another example is how farming practices have been implicated in how diseases spread among plants. The way people clump trees together may help diseases spread more effectively. Some researchers even argue that the 2009 swine flu outbreak, and possibly even the COVID-19 pandemic, occurred for similar reasons. The way we arrange our world -- planting trees too close to each other or delaying vaccine shots, say selects for changes in our world. And many of these changes, such as antibiotic-resistant "superbugs" or scary new variants --can be harmful to us. The forces driving delta Returning to the delta variant, its ability to infect people who are partly vaccinated against it may explain its rise to dominance. While people who have received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine may have around 88 per cent protection, this figure is as low as 33.5 per cent with one dose of either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine, according to Public Health England. Viewed from the perspective of evolutionary selection, it seems that the UK government's decision to lengthen the period between first and second vaccine doses provided delta with an extra window to infect people. While delta is likely to have evolved in India through natural selection, unconscious selection may have ensured its survival in the UK. It is possible that other factors, including the crowded living conditions of Bolton -- the town in north-west England where the delta variant first became widespread -- as well as its higher transmissibility, were responsible for its success. And the government's decision, even if it did contribute to the variant's dominance, may not have been the wrong one: hospitalisations and deaths appear to be lower, even as cases drastically rise. What is important, however, is to think about the implications of the artificial selection hypothesis -- if it is true. Rather than making blanket claims about the overall transmissibility of different variants as they arise, it will become increasingly important, particularly as different parts of the world are vaccinated at different rates, to think about the way different variants -- which have been selected, naturally or unconsciously will interact with new populations as they spread. The US, for example, has focused on providing two doses in a shorter timeframe. And assuming that because the delta variant has been successful in the UK it will create the same problems in the US, is not necessarily justified: selection is likely to have different effects in the two populations. More broadly, this evolutionary perspective suggests that we need to look to selection, however it takes place, to make better predictions about which variant features are likely to lead to success in different populations. Uniting evolutionary theory with population health sciences is likely to be essential for improving our responses to disease, now and in the future. By PTI NAIROBI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived in Kenya on Saturday on a three-day visit during which he will hold several meetings meant to strengthen India's relations with the major East African country. Jaishankar was received by Ababu-Namwamba, the Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) for Foreign Affairs, Republic of Kenya, on his arrival here. "He will hold a series of meetings meant to strengthen relations with Kenya, starting with a meeting with CS @ForeignOfficeKE Amb Raychelle Omamo today (Saturday)," the Indian High Commission here tweeted. He will chair, along with his Kenyan counterpart, the 3rd meeting of the India-Kenya Joint Commission meeting which will review all aspects of the bilateral relationship. The last meeting of the Joint Commission was held in New Delhi in March 2019. Jaishankar will also meet with other ministers of the Kenyan government to take forward the India-Kenya relationship. "The development partnership is an important aspect of the relationship between the two countries which the visit will seek to deepen," the Ministry of External Affairs said in New Delhi ahead of the visit. The minister will also interact with the thriving Indian-origin community, an important bridge between the two countries. Kenya has a vibrant community of persons of Indian origin presently numbered around 80,000 including an estimated 20,000 Indian citizens. India and Kenya are currently serving in the United Nation Security Council. They are also members of the Commonwealth. Kenya is an active member of the African Union, with which India has longstanding ties. By Associated Press WASHINGTON: 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. The Pine Island Glacier's ice shelf loss accelerated in 2017, causing scientists to worry that with climate change the glacier's collapse could happen quicker than the many centuries predicted. The floating ice shelf acts like a cork in a bottle for the fast-melting glacier and prevents its much larger ice mass from flowing into the ocean. That ice shelf has retreated by 20 kilometers between 2017 and 2020, according to a study in Friday's Science Advances. The crumbling shelf was caught on time-lapse video from a European satellite that takes pictures every six days. "You can see stuff just tearing apart," said study lead author Ian Joughin, a University of Washington glaciologist. "So it almost looks like the speed-up itself is weakening the glacier....And so far we've lost maybe 20 per cent of the main shelf."Between 2017 and 2020, there were three large breakup events, creating icebergs more than 8 kilometers long and 22 miles 36 kilometers wide, which then split into lots of littler pieces, Joughin said. There also were many smaller breakups. "It's not at all inconceivable that the whole shelf could give way and go within a few years," Joughin said. "I'd say that's a long shot, but not a very long shot." Joughin tracked two points on the main glacier and found they were moving 12% faster toward the sea starting in 2017. "So that means 12 per cent more ice from Pine Island going into the ocean that wasn't there before," he said. The Pine Island Glacier, which is not on an island doesn't have pine trees, is one of two side-by-side glaciers in western Antarctica that ice scientists worry most about losing on that continent. The other is the Thwaites Glacier. Pine Island contains 180 trillion tons of ice the equivalent of half a meter of sea level rise and is responsible for about a quarter of the continent's ice loss. "Pine Island and Thwaites are our biggest worry now because they are falling apart and then the rest of West Antarctica will follow according to nearly all models," said University of California Irvine ice scientist Isabella Velicogna, who wasn't part of the study. While ice loss is part of climate change, there was no unusual extra warming in the region that triggered this acceleration, Joughin said. "These science results continue to highlight the vulnerability of Antarctica, a major reservoir for potential sea level rise," said Twila Moon, a National Snow and Ice Data scientist who wasn't part of the research. "Again and again, other research has confirmed how Antarctica evolves in the future will depend on human greenhouse gas emissions." By PTI NEW YORK: Megha Rajagopalan, an Indian-origin journalist, along with two contributors has won the Pulitzer Prize for innovative investigative reports that exposed a vast infrastructure of prisons and mass internment camps secretly built by China for detaining hundreds of thousands of Muslims in its restive Xinjiang region. Rajagopalan from BuzzFeed News is among two Indian-origin journalists who won the US' top journalism award on Friday. Tampa Bay Times' Neil Bedi won for local reporting. Bedi along with Kathleen McGrory has been awarded the prize for the series exposing a Sheriff's Office initiative that used computer modelling to identify people believed to be future crime suspects. About 1,000 people were monitored under the programme, including children. Bedi is an investigative reporter for the Tampa Bay Times. What Kathleen and Neil unearthed in Pasco County has had a profound impact on the community, said Mark Katches, Times executive editor. This is what the best investigative journalism can do and why it is so essential. Rajagopalan's Xinjiang series won the Pulitzer Prize in the International Reporting category. In 2017, not long after China began to detain thousands of Muslims in Xinjiang, Rajagopalan was the first to visit an internment camp at a time when China denied that such places existed, BuzzFeed News said. In response, the government tried to silence her, revoking her visa and ejecting her from the country, BuzzFeed News wrote in its entry for the prize. It would go on to cut off access to the entire region for most Westerners and stymie journalists. The release of basic facts about detainees slowed to a trickle. Working from London, and refusing to be silenced, Rajagopalan partnered with two contributors, Alison Killing, a licensed architect who specialises in forensic analysis of architecture and satellite images of buildings, and Christo Buschek, a programmer who builds tools tailored for data journalists. The blazing Xinjiang stories shine desperately needed light on one of the worst human rights abuses of our time, said Mark Schoofs, editor-in-chief of BuzzFeed News. Minutes after she won, Rajagopalan told BuzzFeed News she wasn't even watching the ceremony live because she wasn't expecting to win. She only found out when Schoofs called to congratulate her on the victory. I'm in complete shock, I did not expect this, Rajagopalan said over the phone from London. She said she was deeply grateful to the teams of people who worked with her on this including her collaborators, Killing and Buschek, her editor Alex Campbell, BuzzFeed News' public relations team, and the organisations that funded their work, including the Pulitzer Center. Rajagopalan also acknowledged the courage of the sources who spoke to them despite the risk and threat of retaliation against them and their families. I'm so grateful they stood up and were willing to talk to us, she said. It takes so much unbelievable courage to do that. The three of them set out to analyse thousands of satellite images of the Xinjiang region, an area bigger than Alaska, to try to answer a simple question: Where were Chinese officials detaining as many as 1 million Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and other Muslim minorities? For months, the trio compared censored Chinese images with uncensored mapping software. They began with an enormous dataset of 50,000 locations. Buschek built a custom tool to sort through those images. Then, the team had to go through thousands of images one by one, verifying many of the sites against other available evidence, BuzzFeed News wrote in its prize entry. They ultimately identified more than 260 structures that appeared to be fortified detention camps. Some of the sites were capable of holding more than 10,000 people and many contained factories where prisoners were forced into labour. The groundbreaking technological reporting was also accompanied by extensive old-fashioned shoe leather journalism. Barred from China, Rajagopalan instead travelled to its neighbour Kazakhstan, where many Chinese Muslims have sought refuge. There, Rajagopalan located more than two dozen people who had been prisoners in the Xinjiang camps, winning their trust and convincing them to share their nightmarish accounts with the world. Pulitzer prizes are awarded yearly in twenty-one categories. In twenty of the categories, each winner receives a certificate and a USD 15,000 cash award. The winner in the public service category is awarded a gold medal. PTI AKJ NSA 06121316 NNNN By PTI FALMOUTH: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has held meetings with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of a G-7 summit, as post-Brexit turbulence strains relations between Britain and the EU. Johnson also met the bloc's leaders, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel, on Saturday at the Carbis Bay resort where G-7 leaders are gathering. The two sides are locked in an escalating diplomatic feud over Northern Ireland, the only part of the UK that has a land border with the bloc. The EU is angry at British delay in implementing new checks on some goods coming into Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK, while Britain says the checks are imposing a big burden on businesses and destabilizing Northern Ireland's hard-won peace. The spat has drawn in US President Joe Biden, concerned about the potential threat to Northern Ireland's peace accord. The EU is threatening legal action if the UK does not fully bring in the checks, which include a ban on chilled meats such as sausages from England, Scotland and Wales going to Northern Ireland from next month. Britain accuses the bloc of taking a purist approach to the rules and urged it to be more flexible in order to avoid what has been dubbed a sausage war. By PTI NEW DELHI: The Dominica High Court has denied bail to fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi in the case of illegal entry into the island country after his mysterious disappearance from neighbouring Antigua and Barbuda where he is staying as a citizen since 2018, local Caribbean media reported. The high court on Friday (local time) gave the ruling by concluding that Choksi was a "flight risk", did not have any ties with Dominica and the court could not impose any conditions which will stop him from leaving the country, news outlet AntiguaNewsroom said. Choksi had approached the high court after the magistrate had rejected his bail petition. The 62-year old diamantaire, who has an Interpol Red Notice against him, had mysteriously gone missing on May 23 from Antigua and Barbuda where he has been staying since 2018 as a citizen after fleeing from India. ALSO READ: Rights of Mehul Choksi will be respected, says Dominica PM as fugitive businessman names 'friend' Babara, Indian agents in his 'abduction' complaint He was detained in the neighbouring island country of Dominica for illegal entry after a possible romantic escapade with his rumoured girlfriend. Choksi's lawyers had filed a habeas corpus petition calling his arrest illegal and alleging that he was abducted, tortured and handed over to Dominica authority to deny him rights available to him in Antigua and Barbuda as a citizen. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the External Affairs Ministry have sought to implead in the habeas corpus petition by filing two affidavits in the Dominica High Court, officials said here. The central agency will focus on establishing criminal culpability of Choksi, fugitive status, pending warrants against him, Red Notice and charge sheets, while the External Affairs Ministry will argue that Choksi continues to be an Indian citizen, they said. The affidavits, if admitted, will pave way for noted lawyer Harish Salve to plead Indian case in Dominica, they said. Choksi, promoter of Geetanjali Gems and other famous diamond brands in India, had fled the country weeks before Rs 13,500 crore fraud in Punjab National Bank (PNB) allegedly involving him and his nephew Nirav Modi surfaced. His lawyers alleged that he was kidnapped from Jolly Harbour in Antigua by policemen looking like Antiguan and Indian and brought to Dominica on a boat. ALSO READ | Mehul Choksi disposed some documents into Caribbean sea before getting busted: Report Choksi was also brought before a Roseau magistrate, on the orders of High Court Judge Bernie Stephenson, hearing the habeas corpus matter, to answer charges of illegal entry where he pleaded not guilty but was denied bail. His lawyer in London Michael Polak has filed a complaint with Scotland Yard seeking a probe into alleged abduction and torture of his client. Polak said Choksi was removed from Antigua and Barbuda, where as a citizen he enjoys rights to approach the British Privy Council as the last resort in cases on his citizenship and extradition, to Dominica where these rights are not available to him. "The aim was to remove him from Antigua to Dominica to diminish his protection under the law. Choksi has ongoing proceedings in Antigua in regards to attempts by the prime minister to remove his citizenship, the only citizenship that he possesses, and to extradite him to India," he had said. By ANI WASHINGTON DC: Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he is not worried about being called "killer" by his US counterpart Joe Biden. "Over my tenure, I've gotten used to attacks from all kinds of angles and from all kinds of areas under all kinds of pretext and reasons and of different caliber and fierceness and none of it surprises me," US broadcaster NBC quoted Putin as saying in an interview ahead of his meeting with Biden next week. According to the channel, Putin called the "killer" label "Hollywood macho." On the Russia and US bilateral ties, he said that the relationship between the two sides is at its lowest in recent years. "We have a bilateral relationship that has deteriorated to its lowest point in recent years," Putin said in an interview to US broadcaster NBC ahead of his meeting with the American counterpart Biden next week. Answering a question on former US leader Donald Trump, Putin said that he was a colorful individual radically different from his successor Joe Biden, whom he labeled as "a career man." "Well even now, I believe that former US president Trump is an extraordinary individual, talented individual, otherwise he would not have become US President. He is a colorful individual. You may like him or not. And, but he didn't come from the US establishment, he had not been part of big time politics before, and some like it some don't like it but that is a fact," US broadcaster NBC quoted Putin as saying. Putin described the incumbent as "a career man." "He has spent virtually his entire adulthood in politics. That's a different kind of person, and it is my great hope that yes, there are some advantages, some disadvantages, but there will not be any impulse-based movements, on behalf of the sitting US president," he said. Furthermore, Putin dismissed US media reports that Russia is preparing to offer Iran an advanced satellite system. By PTI WASHINGTON: Former President Donald Trump has made no secret of his long list of political enemies. It just wasn't clear until now how far he would go to try to punish them. Two House Democrats disclosed this week that their smartphone data was secretly obtained by the Trump Justice Department as part of an effort to uncover the source of leaks related to the investigation of Russian-related election interference. It was a stunning revelation that one branch of government was using its power to gather private information on another, a move that carried echoes of President Richard Nixon during Watergate. On Friday, the Justice Department's internal watchdog announced that it was investigating the records seizure. And Democratic leaders in Congress are demanding that former top Justice officials testify before a Senate committee to explain why the iPhone records of Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell, both Democrats, and their family members were secretly subpoenaed in 2018. The records of at least 12 people were eventually shared by Apple. The dispute showed that the rancorous partisan fights that coursed through the Trump presidency continue to play out in new and potentially damaging ways even as the Biden administration has worked to put those turbulent four years in the past. White House spokesman Andrew Bates said the conduct of Trump's Justice Department was a shocking misuse of authority. Attorneys general's only loyalty should be to the rule of law - never to politics, he said. The disclosure that the records had been seized raised a number of troubling questions. Who else may have been targeted? What was the legal justification to target members of Congress? Why did Apple, a company that prides itself on user privacy, hand over the records? And what end was the Trump Justice Department pursuing? The revelations also are forcing the Biden Justice Department and Attorney General Merrick Garland to wade back into a fight with their predecessors. The question here is just how did Trump use his political power to go after his enemies - how did he use the government for his political benefit, said Kathleen Clark, legal ethics scholar at Washington University in St.Louis. The effort to obtain the data came as Trump was publicly and privately fuming over investigations by Congress and then-special counsel Robert Mueller into his 2016 campaign's ties to Russia. Trump inveighed against leaks throughout his time in office, accusing a deep state" of working to undermine him by sharing unflattering information. He repeatedly called on his Justice Department and attorneys general to go after the leakers, including singling out former FBI Director James Comey and Schiff, now chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. In May of 2018, he tweeted that reports of leaks in his White House were exaggerated, but said that nonetheless, leakers are traitors and cowards, and we will find out who they are! Schiff and Swalwell were two of the most visible Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee, then led by Republicans, during the Russia inquiry. Both California lawmakers made frequent appearances on cable news shows. Trump watched those channels closely and seethed over the coverage. There's no indication that the Justice Department used the records to prosecute anyone. After some of the leaked information was declassified and made public during the later years of the Trump administration, there was concern among some of the prosecutors that even if they could bring a leak case, trying it would be difficult and a conviction would be unlikely, one person told The Associated Press. That person, a committee official and a third person with knowledge of the data seizures were granted anonymity to discuss them. Federal agents questioned at least one former committee staff member in 2020, the person said, and ultimately, prosecutors weren't able to substantiate a case. For decades, the Justice Department had worked to maintain strict barriers with the White House to avoid being used as a political tool to address a president's personal grievance. For some, the Trump administration's effort is more disturbing than Nixon's actions during Watergate that forced his resignation. Nixon's were done in secret out of the White House, while the Trump administration moves to take the congressmen's records were approved by top Justice Department officials and worked on by prosecutors, who obtained secret subpoenas from a federal judge and then gag orders to keep them quiet. The fate of Richard Nixon had a restraining effect on political corruption in America, said Timothy Naftali, a Nixon scholar and former director of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum. It didn't last forever, but the Republican Party wanted to cleanse itself of Nixon's bad apples and bad actors. The Republican Party is far too aligned with Trump to do that now, but it doesn't mean Biden should let it go, Naftali said. The reason to do this is not revenge, Naftali said. It's to send a signal to future American lawyers they will be held accountable. While the Justice Department routinely conducts investigations of leaked information, including classified intelligence, opening such an investigation into members of Congress is extraordinarily rare. A less rare but still uncommon tool is to secretly seize reporters' phone records, something the Trump Justice Department also did. Following an outcry from press freedom organizations, Garland announced last week that it would cease the practice of going after journalists' sourcing information. The subpoenas were issued in 2018, when Jeff Sessions was attorney general, though he had recused himself in the Russia investigation, putting his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, in charge of Russia-related matters. The investigation later picked up momentum again under Attorney General William Barr. Apple informed the committee last month that the records had been shared and that the investigation had been closed, but did not give extensive detail. Also seized were the records of aides, former aides and family members, one of them a minor, according to the committee official. The Justice Department obtained metadata - probably records of calls, texts and locations - but not other content from the devices, like photos, messages or emails, according to one of the people. Another said that Apple complied with the subpoena, providing the information to the Justice Department, and did not immediately notify the members of Congress or the committee about the disclosure. And the people whose records were seized were unable to challenge the Justice Department because the subpoenas went to Apple directly. The gag order was renewed three times before it lapsed and the company informed its customers May 5 what had happened. Apple said in a statement that it couldn't even challenge the warrants because it had so little information available and it would have been virtually impossible for Apple to understand the intent of the desired information without digging through users' accounts. Patrick Toomey, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, said the seizure of congressional records was part of a series of Trump-era investigations that raise profound civil liberties concerns and involve spying powers that have no place in our democracy. By PTI WASHINGTON: India remains the world's largest democracy with a strong rule of law but some of the Indian government's actions, including restrictions on freedom of expression, have raised concerns that are inconsistent with the country's democratic values, a top US official has told lawmakers. Acting Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Dean Thompson's remarks came during a Congressional hearing on Democracy in the Indo-Pacific on Wednesday at the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia and Nonproliferation. "India remains the world's largest democracy with a strong rule of law and independent judiciary and enjoys a strong and growing strategic partnership with the United States," Thompson said. "However, some of the Indian government's actions have raised concerns that are inconsistent with India's democratic values," he said. "This includes increasing restrictions on freedom of expression and the detention of human rights activists and journalists," he said. Thompson said the US regularly engages in and on these issues, including the important work of civil society. India has previously rejected criticism by foreign governments and human rights groups on allegations that civil liberties have eroded in the country. The government has asserted that India has well established democratic practices and robust institutions to safeguard the rights of all. The government has emphasised that the Indian Constitution provides for adequate safeguards under various statutes for ensuring the protection of human rights. Responding to a question from lawmakers, Thompson said the US has been concerned in Pakistan and Bangladesh about some of the restrictions on journalists that have been there. "Similarly, at times, that has happened in India; though, I think, India, we can say, has a very vibrant press overall that reports very freely on its government," he said. Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan, who represents a Congressional district from Pennsylvania, raised the issue of Kashmir during the Congressional hearing. "Although of course, they're two great democracies, democracies including ours and India's are not without their flaws and problems. I do have a pretty big (number of) Kashmiris in my community and there is, of course, concern about the treatment of the Kashmir people," she said. "What is the dialogue that is ongoing between the administration and the Indian government on these human rights issues broadly, if you could share a little bit there?" she asked. Thompson said that the Biden administration routinely raises issues related to a vast array of rights and democratic issues with India. "Kashmir is one area where we have urged them to return to normalcy as quickly as possible, including we've seen some steps taken: The release of prisoners, the restoration of 4G access, things of that nature. There are other electoral steps we'd like to see them take and that we have encouraged them to do and will continue to do so," Thompson said. Congressman Steve Chabot said that by many accounts, the US and India, as the world's two largest democracies, are uniquely poised to join forces in promoting democratic values in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. "And I'm assuming that this administration would agree with that. If so, what initiatives does this administration intend to pursue to take advantage of that unique relationship between the US and India as the two largest democracies?" he asked. "We are, right now, through our global comprehensive strategic partnership with India looking at areas where we can work together to strengthen across the region the effects of the ability of countries to push back on malign influence and through the Quad initiative where we brought in Japan and Australia, as well," Thompson replied. Initiated in 2007, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad is an informal grouping of the US, India, Australia and Japan. The Quad member countries have resolved to uphold a rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific amid growing Chinese assertiveness in the region. The US has a tremendous opportunity to work together with four like-minded countries, all democracies, that are looking at ways we can help deliver tremendous relief in the wake of COVID-19, Thompson said. "They can look at how we set standards and work together on critical technologies and diversifying supply chains. And finally can fight climate change and work on improving the environmental situation across the region," he said. Congresswoman Houlahan said the United States and India, the world's two largest democracies, are uniquely placed to join forces in promoting a democratic system and democratic values in the Indo-Pacific region, specifically, and probably beyond. The United States, Thompson said, has a global comprehensive strategic partnership with India. The US is looking at ways to both strengthen India's ability to be a positive player and influencer throughout the region, including the Quad. "The Quad relationship is extremely important because of the ASEAN centrality and the vast regional reach that it has for us to be able to bring these kinds of democratic ideals across the board," he said. "Our ability to leverage each other's assistance programmes and complement one another where relationships may be stronger between us in a country versus India in a country or vice versa, there's a great, leveraging opportunity there," said the State Department official. "As is the case around the world, the Chinese government uses a combination of economic levers and soft power to pressure South Asian countries to align with its interests, and smaller countries are especially vulnerable to this pressure," Thomson said. By Associated Press CARBIS: French President Emmanuel Macron says it's good that US President Joe Biden is able to lead through cooperation, adding that the United States is 'definitely' back as Europe's partner. Biden and Macron met on Saturday as part of the Group of Seven summit in southwest England, where they and other leaders of the world's wealthy democracies are discussing the coronavirus pandemic, the environment, national security, relations with China and economic issues. Former US President Donald Trump took an adversarial approach with NATO allies, but Macron said Biden has shown that "leadership is partnership". The desire for cooperation cuts both ways. Biden described the European Union as "incredibly strong and vibrant", which he said not only helps with tackling economic challenges but also provides a backbone for NATO. By PTI BEIJING: China is opposed to US plans to deploy missiles and defensive systems in neighbouring countries that could undermine strategic stability and has called for advancing international arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation processes. Addressing the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva via video link on Friday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi proposed jointly maintaining global strategic stability, abiding by international arms control treaties, addressing the non-proliferation issue via negotiations and improving global security governance in new frontiers. "China opposes the development and deployment of regional and global missile defence systems by a certain country that undermine strategic stability, and China opposes the deployment of land-based intermediate-range ballistic missiles in the neighbourhood of other countries," Wang said. Though Wang has not named the US, China in the past has threatened to take countermeasures if the US deploys intermediate-range missiles in Asia opposed Washington's move to deploy the high tech Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) in South Korea over concerns that the American system will monitor China's missile movements. In the text of his address posted on the Chinese Foreign Ministry website, Wang said the five permanent members of the UN Security Council should reaffirm the important formula that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought, strengthen cooperation in strategic risk reduction and deepen strategic dialogue on a broader range of strategic security issues to enhance strategic trust. He said that China is committed to a policy of not using or threatening to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states and nuclear-weapon-free zones unconditionally. Without disclosing the numbers of China's arsenal of nuclear weapons, he called on the US and Russia to reduce their nuclear weapons. "China always keeps its nuclear capabilities at the minimum level required for national security, and does not compete with any other country in the size or scale of nuclear force," he said. China so far has not disclosed how many warheads it has, but an assessment by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute put the number at 320, in comparison to Russia's 54,000 or the 70,000 US warheads, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported. China is also resisting US efforts to include it in the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Moscow and Washington. Free access for current print subscribers As a home delivery subscriber, you get free unlimited digital access to news-daily.com including stories, photos, obituaries, e-edition and more on your computer, tablet or phone. All you need is your print subscription account number and your last name. Don't know your subscription number? Email access@news-daily.com with your delivery address. Activate your account now. Champaign, IL (61820) Today Scattered thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with more showers at times. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with more showers at times. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Champaign, IL (61820) Today Variable clouds with showers and scattered thunderstorms. Storms more numerous this evening. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Variable clouds with showers and scattered thunderstorms. Storms more numerous this evening. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Perry Village Mayor James Gessic, left, administers the oath of office to new Village Councilwoman Rebecca Shimko on June 10. After being sworn in, Shimko participated in council's regular meeting for the month of June. She was selected by council last month to fill a vacant seat on the panel left by the death of Murray "Buddy" Semple in February. Glorieta Adventure Camp counselor Kole Linville, of Kentucky, trains on a zip line on May 21 in Glorieta, N.M. The 3,000-bed camp outside Santa Fe opened up at a third of its normal capacity under pandemic restrictions after being closed last year. Campers and staff will be kept in pods of 10 or less, wear masks outside their sleeping quarters, and eat outdoors to prevent outbreaks. Every day, around 15000 children under the age of five die from causes that could have been prevented. But the children of highly educated parents survive more often than others. This statistic applies worldwide, according to a newly published sweeping systematic review in The Lancet. The mother's level of education is particularly important for their children's survival. One year of extra education for the mother is associated with an approximately three per cent reduction in mortality on average." Professor Terje Andreas Eikemo, NTNU's Department of Sociology and Political Science This finding points to the great importance of education for girls. An estimated 750 million adults cannot read or write, and two-thirds of these are women. "The findings provide a strong argument for continuing the effort to ensure that girls complete primary and secondary education, especially now that the pandemic risks setting back progress," says Kam Sripada, a neuroscientist and one of the first authors of the study. The study is also one of the largest ever to show that the father's education also plays a major role. Here, a child's risk of dying before their fifth birthday was 1.6 per cent lower per year of schooling that the father has. Eikemo heads CHAIN - the Centre for Global Health Inequalities Research at NTNU. This group has led the international cooperative efforts. The group has reviewed previous research in the field, a total of 300 study articles including data at the individual level, from just over three million births. "We collected all the data and all the articles in all languages that look at parents' education and the importance of child mortality. Our study reviewed the mortality rates at one month, one year and five years," says Professor Eikemo. The importance of the parents' education becomes more critical as the children get older. The higher the parents' education level, the better their children do on average. "Good health in children's first five years is important for more than just survival. The brain also develops the fastest in that phase. That's why it's crucial to invest in the school system - from the earliest years all the way through higher education. Good conditions can be transferred from one generation to the next, and the opposite is also true," says Sripada. Mortality among children under the age of five has halved worldwide since 1990, as a result of international, national and local efforts. But infant mortality rates vary greatly from country to country. In developing countries, just over ten per cent of children die before the age of five. In Norway, the percentage is 0.3 per cent. The global average is now just under 5 per cent. The main reasons for children dying before the age of five are premature birth, pneumonia, various infections, diarrhea, malnutrition and malaria, in addition to various complications during and immediately after birth. The causal relationships are complicated. Level of education, for example, is related to both income and social status, which in turn is related to factors such as lifestyle and access to health services. "There may be various factors that explain the findings in our study. Parents' health literacy, health-seeking behaviors and consanguinity are among the potential links between parents' education and child mortality," says Sripada. The researchers found no limit to where the benefit of more schooling flattened out. The more education, the better. "We didn't find any flattening where more education means less. Every year of extra education gives an increased chance of survival," Eikemo says. Researchers also recognize the benefits of education when they adjust for socio-economic status, which more or less overlaps with the more politically charged concept of social class. "Rich countries have less infant mortality, but also in these countries it's linked to parents' education," says Eikemo. The study focuses attention on the connection between social inequalities and health. "This is a scientific breakthrough. It is the result of fantastic team work from multiple intersecting disciplines," says Eikemo. The University of Washington Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), Princeton University, the University of California Los Angeles, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, and the RAND Corporation think tank have been involved in the work. The NTNU participants were the Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences, the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and the NTNU University Library. Researching intricate geometric and arithmetic objects is the goal of the new Collaborative Research Centre Transregio 326 (TRR 326), coordinated by Goethe University. On 25th May, the German Research Foundation (DFG) announced that the TRR 326 would be funded with 9.2 million euros for the next four years. The CRC 1039 "Signalling by fatty acid derivatives and sphingolipids in health and disease", for which Goethe University is spokesperson, will be continued and receive 9.6 million euros for the third funding period. Two other TRRs in which Goethe University is involved will also be funded by the DFG: In the TRR 211 "Strongly interacting matter under extreme conditions", the spokesperson will switch from Goethe University to the Technical University of Darmstadt (9.2 million euros). Finally, scientists from Goethe University are also significantly involved in TRR 301 "The tropopause region in a changing atmosphere" (spokesperson: Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 12.3 million). Professor Enrico Schleiff, President of Goethe University Frankfurt, congratulates the scientists on their success: "Goethe University's commitment, particularly in the Transregio Collaborative Research Centres, demonstrates our excellent scientific networking in the region, especially in the natural sciences and medicine. The association of the Rhine-Main universities of Frankfurt, Mainz and Darmstadt, have given this regional cooperation a framework: There are now more than 30 research associations and networks in this strategic alliance, and last year we established the RMU degree programme so that talented students can also benefit from RMU." The mathematical exploration of complicated geometric and arithmetic spaces with the help of uniformization is the research topic of TRR 326 "Geometry and arithmetic of uniformized structures - GAUS". Together with coordinator Goethe University Frankfurt, the Technical University of Darmstadt and Heidelberg University successfully applied for TRR 326; associated institutions are the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and the Technical University of Munich. The concept of uniformization goes back to ideas of Felix Klein and Henri Poincare from the 19th century and seeks a uniform description of certain geometric objects. A very simple example uniformization can be illustrated with the slinky, a metal spiral toy which is able to "run" down a staircase doing "somersaults". When pressed together, it has - seen from above - the geometry of a circle. This circle can be uniformized by pulling the metal spiral apart. It becomes particularly simple when the spiral is completely unwound and, geometrically, is only a simple wire. In order to preserve the information of the slinky, each spiral turn on the wire is marked with a colour dot, which gives the wire a shifting symmetry (you change levels in the spiral). A globally complicated geometric space (in our example, the circle of the slinky) is replaced by a much simpler space (here a straight line) without changing the local structure. The original complexity is described by internal symmetries (illustrated in the example by periodic markings) of the simpler space. In TRR 326 GAUS, mathematicians deal with uniformization of very complicated geometric spaces - this includes modern geometric concepts, in particular tropical and p-adic geometries - and with analogous applications of the uniformization technique to arithmetic (number-theoretic) questions. Here, the researchers try to identify fundamental connections, for example to moduli spaces, automorphic forms, Galois representations, and cohomological structures. With the SFB Transregio GAUS, we are building on the extremely successful collaboration between TU Darmstadt and Goethe University in the LOEWE priority 'Uniformed Structures in Arithmetic and Geometry' and the DFG research group 'Symmetry, Geometry and Arithmetic' at TU Darmstadt and Heidelberg University. I am very much looking forward to doing joint research with so many outstanding colleagues." Professor Jakob Stix, Mathematician at Goethe University and GAUS Spokesman The Collaborative Research Centre 1039 "Signalling by fatty acid derivatives and sphingolipids in health and disease," which Goethe University is now continuing together with the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Bad Nauheim, is entering its third funding period. The scientists are studying a group of poorly water-soluble biomolecules, the lipids. As lipid bilayers, they prominently form the membranes that surround our cells and also divide the interior of the cells. As fats, they serve as energy storage for our bodies. However, CRC 1039 is investigating a function that is still comparatively under-researched: Lipids are part of many signalling pathways through which cells regulate growth and metabolism and communicate with their environment. Dysregulated lipids are apparently decisively involved in the development and progression of diseases such as diabetes, cancer, inflammation, and neurodegenerative diseases. After fundamental work in the first two funding periods, the third funding period focuses on understanding the whole organism. Professor Josef Pfeilschifter, pharmacologist at Goethe University and spokesman of SFB 1039, explains: "We want to understand the lipid signalling network as a whole and thus develop innovative ways to diagnose and treat a wide variety of diseases related to dysregulated lipids. In doing so, we can rely on a long-standing and broad expertise in 'lipid signalling', which is also founded on the establishment of sophisticated analytical methods based on mass spectrometry." Scientists from Goethe University are significantly involved in two other CRC Transregios: How matter behaves under conditions of extreme pressure and temperature, in which atoms overlap and fuse with each other is being investigated by TRR 211 "Strongly interacting matter under extreme conditions", which is entering its second funding period. For extremely short periods of time, such states of matter can be created in particle accelerators, revealing something about the strong interaction that holds atomic nuclei together. In the cosmos, such extreme states of matter occur when, for example, neutron stars collide with each other. BesidesGoethe University, the Technical University of Darmstadt, which is the new host university, and Bielefeld University are also involved in this collaborative research centre. In the new TRR 301 "The tropopause region in a changing atmosphere", atmospheric scientists will study the tropopause region: the zone in the atmosphere that separates the lower "weather layer" (troposphere) from the stratosphere above. The research focus is on the physical and chemical processes of this region and their influence on planetary circulation and climate. The main locations are the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (spokesperson) and Goethe University Frankfurt. Also involved are the Technical University of Darmstadt, the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz, the Julich Research Centre and the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) in Oberpfaffenhofen. The eleventh edition of the Art of Neuroscience competition is won by Yas Crawford, an associate of the Royal Photographic Society and independent artist. With her artwork 'Cognition IX', Crawford looks at neurological interoception in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E) patients. The winner was chosen by a jury out of 293 entries from over 20 countries. The 'Cognition IX' artwork belongs to a series of images entitled 'The 8th Sense' and was created by using digital and analogue photography, video and camera-less experiments. Crawford: "interoception is considered to be the 8th Sense, a link between bodily sensation and emotional reactions. In recent decades the idea of how the body processes information and bodily sensations has created the idea of the experienced phenomenologically lived body as the basis of consciousness". The jury praised the perfectly composed image, full of movement, dynamic and with a lot of flow. One jury member said it clearly "represents the explosion that takes place inside our heads". Honorable mentions Sarshar Dorosti, a student at the Tehran University of Art in Iran, receives an honorable mention for the video 'Fractal Brain', in which the incident of non-symmetric natural phenomena and a mathematical set can appearance the chaos in behavior. The jury liked the attempt to visualize AI's role on a western-centered perception of emotions by means of animation. Adrienne Lee, an independent artist from the US, was praised for her submission 'Change of Heart'. She used the malleability of steel to speak to the recurrence of movement in her personal history via Purkinje cells of the cerebellum. The artist also incorporated Hangul, the Korean alphabet, as a tangible gesture linked to her ethnicity. The jury was enthusiastic about the originality and praises its playfulness. 'Brainwave Project, helping patients with disorders of consciousness' by Qi Chen a teacher at Wuhan Textile University, impressed the jury by its personal story. The Brainwave Project is a functional artwork in which Chen applies a scientific, visual and personalized auditory stimulation solution to help a specific fraction of people in a micro-conscious state that can be awakened to carry out effective daily rehabilitation training. The jury considered the submission: "a well-intentioned documentary about a collaborative art process involving imaging technology and neuroscience to produce visuals by patients who are not considered to be conscious according to medical standards". Guihan Lu was awarded for the submission 'Self evolution', which is a projection mapping installation including a mind wave "mobile" and "processor". In this project, the artist regards "Self" as a species, which can evolve spontaneously with machine learning fed with brainwave signals of the audience. The idea was inspired by a cartographer, Abraham Ortelius, who published the first modern uniform Atlas in 1570, naming "The Theater of the World". Competition Art of Neuroscience started in 2011 at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience as a competition for inspiring and provocative imagery from neuroscience labs. The goal has been to make the research from neuroscience labs more tangible, but also aims for scientists to evaluate their own work from a different perspective. In previous editions it has welcomed artists to also submit work inspired by the brain to stimulate the cross-over between neuroscience and art. More submissions can be found on the website of the Art of Neuroscience. Jeffersonville, IN (47130) Today Scattered thunderstorms this evening becoming more widespread overnight. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms this evening becoming more widespread overnight. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. (Newser) Saudi Arabia has expanded the rights of women, by changing a law so that they no longer need the approval of a male guardian to live alone. A provision has been removed from the guardianship laws that said an adult woman who is single, divorced, or widowed is to be turned over to a male, Gulf News reports. The new wording says: "An adult woman has the right to choose where to live. A woman's guardian can report her only if he has evidence proving she committed a crime." And women who are sentenced to jail will no longer be turned over to a male guardian when they're released. International human rights groups had denounced the old restrictions, per the Independent. Courts won't take up cases involving a family's opposition to a woman's decision, per Dawn. story continues below "Families can no longer file lawsuits against their daughters who choose to live alone," a lawyer said. An "absenteeism" law allowed parents to file a police report if a woman had left or was living independently without a guardian's permission. Mariam Al Otaibi, 32, a writer, won a three-year court fight last year over her family's lawsuit filed under the "absenteeism" law. Her lawyer said the historic decision means it's not a crime for a woman to live alone. Human rights groups have said progress is limited, saying activists are still silenced. "The world is being told that Saudi Arabia is modernising on womens rights," a Human Rights Watch researcher wrote last year. "But the reality is that with no organized women's rights movement or environment in which women can safely and openly demand their rights, there is little room for further advances." (An activist was freed earlier this year after being caught behind the wheel.) (Newser) President Biden is set to meet with Vladimir Putin on Wednesday in Geneva, and the Russian leader prepped for that sit-down with an NBC News interview on Friday, offering his views on his US rival, as well as on the man who used to beformer President Trump. "Even now, I believe that ... Mr. Trump is an extraordinary individual, talented individual, otherwise he would not have become US president," Putin told journalist Keir Simmons. "He is a colorful individual. ... He didn't come from the US establishment." As for Biden, Putin called him a "career man" who's "radically different" from Trump. "He has spent virtually his entire adulthood in politics," Putin noted of Biden. "That's a different kind of person, and it is my great hope that, yes, there are some advantages, some disadvantages, but there will not be any impulse-based movements on behalf of the sitting US president." story continues below Putin also addressed Russia-US relations, telling the network the countries' relationship "has deteriorated to its lowest point in recent years," per Al Jazeera. As for accusations made by Biden and others that he's a "killer," Putin shrugged them off. "This is not something I worry about in the least," he told Simmons, calling the label a form of "Hollywood macho," per NBC. He added that this "macho" behavior, while "part of US political culture ... is not considered normal here" in Russia, the Guardian reports. Simmons didn't let the killer subject drop, irritating Putin, who then called the line of questioning "verbal indigestion," per NBC. "You've mentioned many individuals who indeed suffered and perished at different points in time for various reasons, at the hands of different individuals," he said. More portions of the interview are set to air Monday on MSNBC, as well as on NBC's Today show and on Nightly News With Lester Holt. (Read more Vladimir Putin stories.) (Newser) The Cape Cod Times calls Michael Packard's tale a "truly biblical" story, but for the 56-year-old Massachusetts man, he just considers it an incredibly lucky one. Packard, a lobster diver who's been working out of Provinceton for four decades, tells CBS Boston he was about 45 feet down in the waters off of Herring Cove Beach on Friday morning, when "all of a sudden, I just felt this huge bump." He said things then went completely black, and his first thought was that he'd been attacked by a shark. "Then I felt around and I realized there was no teeth," he tells WBZ. "Then I realized, 'Oh my God, I'm in a whale's mouth ... and he's trying to swallow me.'" He tells the Times he could actually feel the whale's mouth muscles squeezing him, and at that point he started to give up hope. "I thought to myself, 'Theres no way I'm getting out of here. I'm done, I'm dead,'" he says, adding that he immediately thought of his 12- and 15-year-old sons and his wife. story continues below The whale apparently didn't like how the gear-fitted Packard felt, however, and it soon surfaced and started shaking its head in displeasure. "He started throwing his head side to side, and the next thing I knew I was outside [in the water]," he says. Packard thinks he was in the whale's mouth for a total of about 30 seconds. He was picked up by a nearby fishing charter boat, rushed back to shore, and taken to Cape Cod Hospital, where he thought he'd be told his legs were broken. That wasn't the casehe was left with bruises and "a lot of soft tissue damage," but he'll otherwise be fine and back to diving when he's healed. Peter Corkeron, a senior scientist at the New England Aquarium, tells WBZ that what happened to Packard was a "very unusual accident," explaining that humpback whales eat by "gulp feeding," opening their mouths extremely wide to take in their sustenance. "I couldn't believe I got out of that," Packard tells CBS. "I made it." (Read more whales stories.) (Newser) Taking a picture of your adorable dog and posting it so other people can admire her, too, is usually its own reward. But Atsuko Sato, a kindergarten teacher in Japan, is also getting a record-setting $4 million worth of Ethereum after selling it as an NFT, NBC News reports. Her dog, or should we say doge, is the famous shiba inu who launched an entire category of memes. You might recognize her sweet pup Kabosu as the face of Dogecoin, too. Sato first posted the famous photo of Kabosu to her personal blog in 2010. The image found its way to Reddit soon after, where it blossomed into a meme featuring the dog's sweet, wide-eyed expression paired with adorably puzzling syntax (Newser) Separate bombs hit two minivans in a mostly Shiite neighborhood in the Afghan capital Saturday, killing at least seven people and wounding six others, the Interior Ministry said. The attacks targeted minivans on the same road about 1.25 miles apart in a neighborhood in western Kabul, a ministry spokesman said. It wasn't immediately clear what type of bombs were used, and no one immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks, per the AP. The Islamic State group has carried out similar bombings in the area, including four attacks on four minivans earlier this month that killed at least 18 people. The first explosion on Saturday killed six people and wounded two, and the second explosion in front of Muhammad Ali Jinnah Hospital, where a majority of COVID-19 patients are admitted, killed one and wounded four. story continues below The area where the explosions happened is largely populated by the minority Hazara ethnic group, who are mostly Shiite Muslims. Shiites are a minority in mostly Sunni Afghanistan, and the local Islamic State affiliate has declared war against them. Hundreds of Afghans are killed or injured every month in violence connected to the country's constant war. But Hazaras, who make up around 9% of the population of 36 million people, stand alone in being intentionally targeted because of their ethnicity and their religion. Violence and chaos continue to escalate in Afghanistan as the US and NATO continue their withdrawal of the remaining 2,500 to 3,500 American soldiers and 7,000 allied forces. The last of the troops will be gone by Sept. 11 at the latest. (Read more Afghanistan stories.) (Newser) If President Joe Biden has any private words with Russias Vladimir Putin at their meeting next week, US interpreters and diplomats will be standing by to document their high-stakes encounter, per the AP. Its a decades-old system meant to ensure that senior officials, and ultimately historians, have a record of what American presidents say to international leaders. And it's one that held upmostlyeven under former President Donald Trump, including when he confiscated the notes taken by his American interpreter at a meeting with Putin in 2017. Trump's determination to keep his talks with the Russian president confidential sparked concerns about what might have occurred in those private meetings, particularly given Trumps cozy relationship with Putin. story continues below Former US officials acknowledge the unusual and concerning nature of Trump's desire for secrecy, which a former official familiar with the matter says also included Trump routinely waving away the usual immediate debriefings by aides after his one-on-ones with world leaders. But in the run-up to Biden's own first session with Putin as president in Geneva, the US official described the swift steps taken to preserve records of Trump's private talks with Putin. That included the veteran State Department interpreter for Trump at his hours-long private talk with Putin in Helsinki, Finland, in 2018 alerting senior US officials instantaneously after the meeting to concerning details, including that the two men had broached invoking an existing treaty that could have allowed Russians to take part in interrogations of US officials, the former official said. (Read more Joe Biden stories.) Jacinda Ardern wants a new film in development about the aftermath of the 2019 Christchurch terror attacks to focus on someone else. The movie, They Are Us, has caused outrage since its announcement on Friday. Among the criticisms are that it's too soon, the victims and Muslim community weren't adequately consulted, and that it will perpetuate the 'white saviour' narrative by putting Ardern at the centre. "The project follows Ardern's response to the tragic events and the remarkable achievements of her government and citizens who rallied behind her message of compassion and unity to ban assault rifles in New Zealand," Deadline - which broke the news - reported. Australian actress Rose Byrne will portray the Prime Minister, whose response to the atrocity was widely praised worldwide. "While it's for the community to speak for themselves, it's my view March 15 remains very raw for New Zealand," Ardern told Newshub in a statement. "There are plenty of stories from March 15 that could be told, but I don't consider mine to be one of them." Is the Queen and her army of officials about to "fight back" against the "rabble-rousing" Prince Harry and Meghan Markle? Experts say it's possible, with the Royal Family becoming "increasingly fed up" with the pair's behaviour. Two events this week have spurred rumours that Buckingham Palace may be becoming less tolerant of the US-based Harry and Meghan. First, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were pushed down the list of royals on the Royal Family website, below the Wessexes and even the scandalous Prince Andrew. Then, it emerged in a BBC report that the pair may not have consulted the Queen about their decision to name their newborn baby after her. Harry and Meghan have pushed back on that, with their lawyers even calling the article "false and defamatory", but Buckingham Palace hasn't publicly backed them or set the record straight. Despite the lawyers being called in, the BBC's story remains online - albeit with Harry and Meghan's response now included. It grows like a weed in arid mountainous areas. But the seemingly innocuous plant, known as 'Oman' or the 'ephedra' plant, is causing misery not only in Afghanistan itself, but across the globe. "It's clear that they're starting to grow the main ingredient, the ephedra plant, to facilitate the manufacture of meth," Customs NZ investigations manager Bruce Berry tells Newshub. When dried, ephedrine can be extracted from the plant. The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Addiction spoke to ephedrine cooks in Afganistan who said "this is easy, everyone can learn it". "The manufacture of meth is a quick and easy supply of money to organised crime groups," Berry says. And crime groups with links to Afghanistan are looking our way. Using traditional heroin smuggling routes, the raw ephedrine product is trafficked via Pakistan or Iran to India and then on to a number of Southern and Eastern African countries including South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia and Mozambique. From there, the finished Afghani product is being sent to New Zealand. Do you know more? Send an email in confidence to michaelmorrah@tv3.co.nz Mexican crime groups like the Sinaloa cartel have been flooding New Zealand with meth. The Afghan meth presents a new threat. "It's traditionally been coming from Mexico, from South America. But recent trends have shown it's coming on a different supply route - coming to New Zealand from South Africa and potentially from Afghanistan to South Africa," says Dana McDonald, Customs general manager of intelligence, investigations and enforcement. In November last year, Customs seized a shipment of statues from South Africa, which included a concrete Rhinoceros filled with five kilos of meth. Customs has gone from no seizures in 2018, to finding more than 25 kilos out of South Africa last year. A Customs intelligence report states "the recent increase in methamphetamine seizures may represent meth manufactured in Afghanistan". It's not just coming in by air, Customs is putting more resources on the water. "We're throwing as much as we can to keep our borders safe, particularly around the movement of drugs. It's just an ongoing challenge and we just got to stay ahead," says Customs Minister Meka Whaitiri. Vessels like the just-launched Rapua 2 are being introduced to help stop motherships dropping off drugs around New Zealand. "Similar sort of thing out of Central America and South America. It's vessels and craft and even submarines being built to smuggle across to Europe. So it's no different here," says Customs maritime unit acting chief officer Nick Sparey. The key to slowing the flow of meth down is vigilance, intelligence and resources - but the tide of meth coming here won't be one stopping anytime soon. The heat was on in the capital on Saturday for New Zealand's best young chefs as they competed at the Cordon Bleu Cookery School for the title of Jeune Chef de Rotisseurs. "I like the pressure, I like the creativity, I like working with food," said chef Josh Ross. And he's good at it - 25-year-old Ross won today's competition and a chance to compete overseas. "It's the first time I've done a competition like this. It's kinda like watching Master Chef all these years and seeing them do black boxes there, and now it's the real thing," Ross said. While it's all action here, in Auckland Chand Sahrawat is closing down her three restaurants for two weeks in July. "We have this acute critical shortage of staff. Our team has been giving us 150 percent so we just need to stop, let them have time with family," she says. Sahrawat has just lost her head chef to Australia. "They are definitely poaching because I'm being targeted on Facebook with ads." It's becoming a more frequent story - as some chefs here are being offered $20,000 or $30,000 to move across the Tasman. "They're being offered a lot more money and they're really targeting them," says Restaurant Association president Mike Egan. "They can go over there and get a sign-on bonus right away or airfares paid." More than a third of all hospitality jobs advertised online are for chefs. The shortage is resulting in junior chefs moving up the ranks faster than ever. "There are some young chefs now that are head chefs, and getting paid appropriately. But it's a big step up for them that's quite tough on them and maybe they're not ready for it, but some are," Egan says. The hospitality sector is disappointed the government isn't extending the essential skills work visa again - saying it could lose 15 percent of its workforce as a result. Many restaurants have told Newshub they've already cut back opening hours to cope. Including Capitol in Wellington, which has reduced its hours and boosted wages. "The only way we can attract staff from a very meagre pool of people looking for work is to pay them more," owner Kate Hutchison says. The industry hoping more Kiwis will choose a culinary career. Under 2C of warming, New Zealand will see "more frequent and more severe droughts, more frequent and more severe storms, flooding, fires like the ones you saw on the Port Hills a few years ago or in the Nelson region", Shaw - the Climate Change Minister - told Newshub Nation on Saturday. "The impact on that is mostly on our agricultural sector. The really severe drought we saw in 2014 knocked about $1.5 billion off our agricultural exports." Asked if he thought 2C of warming is inevitable, Shaw seemed resigned. "I think our chances as a planet of staying within 1.5C are very thin. That's why I'm so concerned we actually crack on and get this job done." The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says at current rates, we'll pass 1.5C of warming by 2040 - well before New Zealand's legislated goal of being carbon-neutral by 2050. Shaw said a recent IPCC report said countries need to do most of the decarbonisation as soon as possible - in the next 10 years. The independent Climate Change Commission this week delivered its advice, which the Government has to respond to by the end of the year. "If they don't accept the recommendations, they've got to come up with something better that produces the same outcome otherwise they are in violation of the law," said Shaw. Watch Newshub Nation 9:30am Saturday/10am Sunday on TV3, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Newshub Nation is supported by NZ On Air. James Shaw says he has confidence Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern can deliver on climate change - because if she doesn't, she'll literally be breaking the law. The independent Climate Change Commission delivered its advice earlier this week, and Cabinet is obligated to do what it says or find another way to achieve the same emissions reductions, the Climate Change Minister told Newshub Nation on Saturday. "If they don't accept the recommendations, they've got to come up with something better that produces the same outcome otherwise they are in violation of the law." The Zero Carbon Act, passed in 2019, established the Climate Change Commission, required the Government to set emissions budgets and set rules for how the Government must respond to the commission's recommendations. If the Government decides to go against the commission's advice, it has to explain why. "The law says we have to stick within that 1.5C pathway, to stick within those emissions budgets," said Shaw. "If they don't accept the series of policy recommendations for how to fit into that, they've got to come up with something that does do that, otherwise the Government itself is in violation of its own law." O'Connor said, while virtual technology had enabled talks to continue during the pandemic, he was looking forward to the face-to-face engagement. "Being able to meet with my counterparts - albeit socially distanced - will help us move towards concluding a high quality, comprehensive and inclusive free trade agreement. "Regarding the UK, following completion of the fifth round, which might be at the end of this week or weekend, I'll be reinforcing expectations that we have a high-quality, comprehensive and inclusive deal with the UK. Central to this will be a commercially meaningful goods market access offer from the Brits. "In Brussels I'll be reinforcing New Zealand's expectations that key outstanding issues in the FTA talks, including market access, trade and sustainable development and intellectual property need to be worked through." The Minister said he hoped to make solid progress on negotiations during his time overseas but there was still a way to go before any deal was sealed. "At this stage of trade negotiations we are still some way from the finish but hopefully in some of the tricky areas we have reached political agreement." O'Connor said so far the UK's offers had fallen "well short" of New Zealand's expectations and while he wanted to make progress, he would not sacrifice quality for speed. He said the United Kingdom was under pressure to secure free trade agreements post-Brexit. "They've openly said that they want to get out and negotiate trade agreements. Clearly that's part of the post-Brexit strategy they have and I think it's been said a number of times in the UK that if they can't do a deal with New Zealand and Australia then who can they do one with?" This week Scottish food producers sent a letter warning UK Trade Secretary Liz Truss about the free trade agreement being developed by Australia. The proposed agreement's main criticism is that a zero-tariffs, zero-quotas deal the government in Canberra is demanding would undercut British farmers and businesses. Speaking to New Zealand's position, O'Connor said he was only looking for "reasonable access" to the United Kingdom and European Union markets. "In total, we can probably feed 40 million people. Clearly China is our number one market, South East Asia and other markets consume a lot of our produce. "The amount left to go into the UK and EU is not that great and has done a reasonable job over the years of complimenting what those European and UK producers put into the market." O'Connor wouldn't comment on reports of the Australian government possibly walking away from their latest offer, other than to say New Zealand was working on its own agreement. 'I think we both aspire to have a high-quality, commercially meaningful trade negotiation and conclusion. We're very similar in our approach in almost all of these trade deals. "We're trusting that, their aspirations, while they have a different portfolio of trade links with the UK, in the end I'm sure their trade deal won't be exactly the same as ours. We're mindful that we both need to try and get high standards and outcomes." O'Connor will be accompanied by MFAT deputy secretary and chief negotiator for the EU free trade agreement Vangelis Vitalis. New Zealand's Dublin-based chief negotiator for the UK-NZ free trade agreement Brad Burgess will join O'Connor for the London leg of the trip. O'Connor will visit London, Brussels and Singapore en route to Paris on his trade trip before quarantining in an MIQ facility for 14 days. RNZ Starving and angry, residents of Nawaka in Nadi took to the streets on Saturday, despite rising COVID cases in their town. "If the government wants to do another two weeks lockdown, they should bring us food," one protester said. Lockdown means Fijians can't go to work - they have no income to buy food and supplies. An aid worker says the COVID crisis there has turned into another kind of crisis. "Parents are sleeping hungry so they can have at least some food for the next day for their children, and in some cases they are just living off water or tea," says Shairana Ali, from Save The Children Fiji. New Zealanders have donated $36,000 to Save the Children in the past week, to deliver food parcels to 1000 families. But demand is expected to triple. "We do anticipate that the numbers will increase to more than probably 2000-3000 people," Ali says. Fiji's been battling a deadly COVID outbreak for almost two months - with 51 cases reported on Friday, it's only getting worse. So too is the economic impact. "People have not been able to work, they are not earning, and whatever savings they had, they have already exhausted," Ali says. It's front of mind for Fiji's Prime Minister - Frank Bainimarama poured cold water on calls for a month-long lockdown of the entire main island, saying it would cause irreparable damage. "People's jobs may never return, we'd suffer structural unemployment through the permanent loss of industries and I cannot allow that to happen and I will not," he said. But he is urging people to follow the rules in cluster containment zones, after 57 people were arrested for drunkenly breaking them in the past 24 hours. A Texas Congressman has been mocked after asking whether the problem of climate change could be solved via changing the orbits of the moon or Earth. Louie Gohmert, a Republican, made the odd suggestion during a hearing earlier this week. Gohmert's bizarre question wasn't posed to an astrophysicist or engineer, but a forestry official. "I understand from what's 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 there's 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 moon's orbit, or the Earth's orbit around the sun? "Obviously that would have profound effects on our climate." Shamokin, PA (17872) Today Variable clouds with showers at times, and perhaps a rumble or two of thunder, especially this evening. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Variable clouds with showers at times, and perhaps a rumble or two of thunder, especially this evening. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%. Let us know what you're seeing and hearing around the community. Submit here The Daily News-Miner encourages residents to make themselves heard through the Opinion pages. Readers' letters and columns also appear online at newsminer.com. Contact the editor with questions at letters@newsminer.com or call 459-7574. Community Perspective Send Community Perspective submissions by mail (P.O. Box 70710, Fairbanks AK 99707) or via email (letters@newsminer.com). Submissions must be 500 to 750 words. Columns are welcome on a wide range of issues and should be well-written and well-researched with attribution of sources. Include a full name, email address, daytime telephone number and headshot photograph suitable for publication (email jpg or tiff files at 150 dpi.) You may also schedule a photo to be taken at the News-Miner office. The News-Miner reserves the right to edit submissions or to reject those of poor quality or taste without consulting the writer. Letters to the editor Send letters to the editor by mail (P.O. Box 70710, Fairbanks AK 99707), by fax (907-452-7917) or via email (letters@newsminer.com). Writers are limited to one letter every two weeks (14 days.) All letters must contain no more than 350 words and include a full name (no abbreviation), daytime and evening phone numbers and physical address. (If no phone, then provide a mailing address or email address.) The Daily News-Miner reserves the right to edit or reject letters without consulting the writer. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com The University of Bahrain announced the launch of a masters programme in real estate development and property management. The programme would start with the first batch of students in September 2021. The course aims at providing codified scientific material for real estate studies covering planning and development of land, laws, marketing and valuation sciences, and real estate management. Head of the Department of Architecture and Interior Design, Dr Sheikha Haifa bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, stated that the programme attracts architects and workers in real estate and investment and those who wish to enter the world of real estate and investment industries. The Head of the Department of Economics and Finance, Dr Hana Saeed Bawazeer, stressed the importance of offering such programmes in graduate studies. The UAE, Albania, Brazil, Ghana and Gabon were on Friday elected to serve on the UN Security Council for two-year terms beginning next year in a vote in which all candidates ran unopposed. Each candidate needed two-thirds of the votes in the 193-nation UN General Assemblys secret ballot. The UAE received 179 votes. Albania got 175 votes, compared to 181 for Brazil, 185 for Ghana and 183 for Gabon. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation said that the Emirates was ready to "shoulder its share of responsibility for the worlds most pressing challenges". "I hope that our history as a trusted partner and intermediary will enable us to make a lasting contribution during the two years we serve on the Security Council," Sheikh Abdullah said. "We recognise the significant responsibility associated with membership on the Security Council and the extensive challenges the council faces, and we affirm that the UAE will strive to contribute to peace and security with great diligence and determination. The UAE, Albania and Brazil were the only candidates from their respective regions. Ghana and Gabon won the two seats allocated to Africa after the Democratic Republic of the Congo withdrew from the race. The 2022-2023 term will be the UAEs second stint on the council after serving from 1986 to1987. Brazil has served on the council 10 times, and Gabon and Ghana three times each. Albania has never served on the council. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, said on Twitter that the country's diplomats would "pursue the same spirit of global engagement and collaboration that has guided the UAE since its founding". The 15-nation Security Council has 10 seats for temporary members but is dominated by its five permanent members Russia, China, the US, Britain and France which hold the power of veto. Welcoming the vote, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, said it reflected the UAE's active diplomacy, international position and development model. Its case file includes Syria, Yemen, Libya, Iraq, Lebanon, Ukraine, Ethiopia, North Korea and other hotspots, as well as the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Iranian weapons programmes. To be adopted, council resolutions need at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes from permanent members. The council is often deadlocked on issues where the permanent members disagree, such as Syria, Myanmar and Ukraine. Its candidacy was endorsed by the Arab League in 2012 and by the UN group of Asia-Pacific nations last year. Thank you for trusting us for your local news coverage. You have reached the maximum number of free articles per month. Subscribe today for unlimited access to News-Press NOW. It's a fast and easy way to support local journalism. Experience, performance and their communitys affluence are among the factors local school boards consider as they set their superintendents salaries. Superintendent average compensation in Fairfield County is higher than in other parts of the state, a Hearst Connecticut Media analysis found. The highest salaries are in southwestern Connecticut. But we also have to realize that property is much more expensive in that end of the state, so it costs more for living expenses, etc, said Fran Rabinowitz, executive director of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents. It is also a municipalitys ability to pay, which goes into property taxes and all of that, she added. It really is dependent on the wealth of the community. School board chairs and other officials said they thought the superintendent salaries in their communities were fair. Its fairly compensated, said Peggy Katkocin, New Fairfields school board chair. I know we walk a delicate line because its taxpayer money. Superintendents sometimes get various perks. For example, in Bethel, Superintendent Christine Carver received a $10,000 stipend upon the completion of the renovations to Rockwell and Johnson elementary schools. Rabinowitz said shes seen that in other districts. A superintendent spends an incredible amount of time outside of the normal duties of a superintendent working on a renovation project, she said. To become a superintendent, educators must complete a certification program approved by the Connecticut Board of Education. A doctorate degree is not required, but many districts pay more if the superintendent has a Ph.D. There is high demand for top quality superintendents, so the wages clearly reflect that, Redding First Selectwoman Julia Pemberton said. For a school district like Redding, we want in a superintendent one of the best educators in the state and even the nation. Superintendents in Danbury, Brookfield, Bethel, Ridgefield, New Fairfield, Newtown, Sherman, and Easton, Redding and Region 9 have doctorate degrees. You need to get really qualified people who are not only good educators, but good administrators and incredibly good communicators to do these jobs, Brookfield First Selectman Steve Dunn said. Pay per student The pay per student varies greatly in the Danbury area, with Shermans Superintendent-Principal Jeff Melendez earning about $887 per student, compared to the around $20 per student that Danbury Superintendent Sal Pascarella gets. More Information Superintendent pay per student Sherman: $887.42 Region 12: $298.59 New Fairfield: $107.94 Brookfield: $93.73 Region 9: $90.04 Bethel: $75.26 Region 15: $67.03 Ridgefield: $57.95 Newtown: $54.45 New Milford: $52.08* Danbury: $20.10 Per a Hearst Connecticut Media analysis of 153 superintendent contracts in the state *This figure reflects the superintendents salary when she was the interim leader Danbury area superintendent salaries Ridgefield Susie Da Silva: $264,000 (No. 11 in the state) Brookfield John Barile: $240,240 (No. 21 in the state) Danbury Sal Pasarella: $237,874 (No. 23 in state) Region 15 Josh Smith: $235,487 (No. 27 in state) Bethel Christine Carver: $232,492 (No. 29 in state) New Fairfield Pat Cosentino: $230,125 (No. 31 in state) Easton, Redding, Region 9 Rydell Harrison: $225,000 (No. 34 in state) Sherman Jeffrey Melendez: $223,631 (No. 35 in state) Newtown Lorrie Rodrigue: $220,692 (No. 39 in state) Region 12 Megan Bennett: $205,428 (No. 55 in the state) New Milford Alisha DiCorpo: $194,400* (No. 85 in the state) Per a Hearst Connecticut Media analysis of 153 superintendent contracts in the state *This figure reflects the superintendents salary when she was the interim leader See More Collapse The salary for Danburys superintendent appears quite low given the number of students that there are and the number of challenges, Rabinowitz said. Superintendents still have many of the same responsibilities, regardless of district size, Rabinowitz said. Most superintendents work at least 60 hours a week, she said. The work is the work, said Christine Carver, superintendent in Bethel who makes about $232,000 and runs a district of around 3,000 students. It doesnt matter if you have 18,000 students or 3,100 students. But she noted urban districts have a tremendous amount of increased needs. Dunn said he was initially surprised superintendents in bigger districts like Bridgeport or Hartford didnt earn two to three times Brookfields superintendent. John Barile earns about $240,000, which is almost $94 per student. But Dunn said he realized smaller towns have the capability to attract really qualified people. To do that, youve got to pay more money, he said. He said Bariles salary is fair. I dont think we should be paying ours less, Dunn said. I think Hartford should be paying more. Barile has done a superb job in Brookfield and recently signed another three-year contract, Dunn said. I dont see these as out of place, Dunn said. These salaries are what they should be. Superintendent Pat Cosentino earns about $230,000 to run the about 2,000-student New Fairfield school system, while Rydell Harrison gets $225,000 from the 2,500-student district of Easton, Redding and Region 9. Newtowns Lorrie Rodrigue makes less than $221,000 in the around 4,000-student district. Megan Bennett earns about $205,000 running the 688-student Region 12, which serves Bridgewater, Roxbury and Washington. She said she has a smaller office staff than larger districts. Youre doing more roles in a smaller district, she said. Alisha DiCorpo, who became New Milfords superintendent in February, earned about $194,000 running the about 3,700-student district when she was interim superintendent. A contract signed in March put her salary at $202,000, with an additional $2,000 annuity. You really cant compare one superintendency to another, said Greg Cava, chair of the Region 12 school board. No. 1, they are different levels of experience. No 2, they are different levels of taxation expectations. No. 3, they have different jobs. Superintendents in Connecticut do different things from town to town. School budgets in Region 12 have stayed fairly consistent over the years, Cava said. I dont think anyone is saying we cant pay the superintendent X dollars because the taxpayers wont stand for it, he said. Factors in pay New Fairfield looks at the superintendents ability to lead and engage with the community, as well as how she has met her goals and how students rank academically against other schools in the state, among other factors in setting the salary, Katkocin said. Unfortunately, I think sometime people think you should only evaluate superintendents on whether they make everyone happy, she said. That's impossible for any leader anywhere. In Newtown, the board considers the superintendent's performance and local and general economic factors, said Michelle Ku, school board chair. Its also what the community supported in terms of a budget increase when they came out and voted, she said. Typically, the Newtown school board does not have information about what other districts pay, she said. When Region 12 hires a new superintendent, the school board examines the candidates experience, market factors and what the board is trying to accomplish, Cava said. Raises for existing superintendents are based on how he or she fulfilled previously set goals. This is not something where you sit down and check off a box and do an evaluation, he said. Its a little bit more subjective than that. Student achievement may be one of those goals in districts, but it doesnt play a large role in the superintendents compensation, he said. I dont think people pay a superintendent because they achieve a certain level of testing, unless there were some huge deficiency you were trying to correct, Cava said. Thats not a factor here. District size and the superintendents background is considered in New Fairfield, too, Katkocin said. You certainly wouldnt pay a brand new superintendent what you would with a superintendent with more experience, she said. The way superintendents managed the coronavirus pandemic is likely to be another factor, Katkocin said. Im sure every Board of Education is looking at how their superintendents functioned in this very difficult year, she said. Attracting strong candidates to tough job The average tenure of a superintendent in Connecticut is four years, Rabinowitz has said. Thats not good because the quality of education suffers when there is superintendent turnover, said First Selectwoman Julia Pemberton, a former member of the Region 9 school board. Im not concerned about super salaries per se, she said. What I am concerned about is that our superintendents are being put in positions that lead to them leaving their jobs and going elsewhere. I think we see that around Fairfield County, it is like musical chairs. Social media has made superintendents jobs harder, and parents expect to have constant access to the superintendent, Pemberton said. Youre doing the job of public relations and youre also the educator in chief of the community, she said. Those barriers have fallen. Thats a good thing, but I think our superintendents in many districts become overworked. Superintendents are responsible for everything in their district and are always on call, officials said. Any time there is an incident in their school, any time a fire alarm goes off, everything falls on the superintendent's desk, Katkocin said. They need to answer to everything. Superintendents have advanced degrees, are experts in their fields and manage a complex system, Carver said. There are some people who still think I dont work during the summer, she said. When I tell you its 24-hour, seven-day-a-week job, you can just talk to my husband. I rarely take a vacation where I dont have to be constantly responding to things. DANBURY The YouTuber behind a video showing city polices response to a situation at the public library has filed an intent to sue a city sergeant involved. The response by police is not only raising questions about their actions, but also over whether it should be allowable for someone film or record inside a public building. The Danbury Police Department launched an internal investigation this past week into the officers actions on Wednesday after the video surfaced and the YouTuber filed a complaint with the department. Four police officers and later the sergeant were called to the Danbury Public Library on Wednesday after the YouTuber, SeanPaul Reyes, refused to stop recording video in the building, despite a library policy banning filming or photography without permission from the library director. Im engaging in a First Amendment protected activity, Reyes says in the video. Im gatherings content for a story. I have freedom of the press. This is a public building. Im allowed to be here and Im allowed to record. Regardless of what their policy says, policy does not trump law. Reyes, who is from Long Island, films similar videos for his YouTube channel, Long Island Audit, with the goal to educate officers and spread awareness about First Amendment rights, he said. He plans to make more videos in Connecticut, he said. Ill definitely be exposing any tyranny out here, he told Hearst Connecticut Media on Friday. My intention is not to antagonize the police. My intention is to exercise my rights peacefully and educate the police. Danburys town clerk and city attorney confirmed an intent to sue was filed with the city on Thursday. Sgt. John Dickinson, the supervisor called to the library, is the only person named, said Laszlo Pinter, deputy corporation counsel for Danbury. Mayor Joe Cavo said the city is reviewing the footage from the newly purchased body cameras to get a better picture of what happened, as well as claims the YouTuber made about First Amendment violations. There is a lot of investigation that has to happen right now, he said. Reyes said he intends to add the library director and three more of the five officers who responded. Others could be named, as well. He plans to represent himself in the suit and ask for a to-be-determined amount in monetary damages, as well as apologies from the officers and more training sessions for cops. Chief Patrick Ridenhour said in a Thursday statement he has significant concerns with how the officers and sergeant handled the situation. He did not return requests for comment on Friday about whether the officers are on duty, the full names of the officers involved, and other details about the investigation. Hearst Connecticut Media has requested the footage from the body cameras, as well as a copy of the police report and the records of the involved officers. The citys library director did not return a request for comment. First Amendment A growing number of people are filming at libraries with the intent to argue they have the right to do so and to share on social media their interactions with police, security and other public officials, according to the Office for Intellectual Freedom of the American Library Association. In a blog post, the association recommends libraries not engage with First Amendment auditors who are not violating policy. Allowing them to film without incident means that they will not obtain the videos that support their social media accounts, writes Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the intellectual freedom office and executive director of the Freedom to Read Foundation. Reyes said he has watched First Amendment Audit videos for years and was inspired to do his own following George Floyds murder. He started making the videos in March of this year and has about 22,800 subscribers. He said he got a bad reaction from an officer in his first video in Suffolk County, N.Y., but that officials in his area are learning and being educated on our First Amendment right to film. He said he has filmed in some places for 10 to 15 minutes and officials have not had a problem. The Connecticut Library Association has been aware of the issue nationally for several years, said Tom Piezzo, president. It has been quite infrequent in CT to date, he said in email. A case in New Jersey found that libraries are a limited public forum, which means they are only mandated to permit the public to exercise rights that are consistent with the nature of libraries, the court found. Libraries have the right to regulate photography and recording because of the potential threat of harassment, a possible chilling effect on patrons use of the library, and a threat to patrons right to privacy, Caldwell-Stone writes. Connecticut state statutes allow library boards of directors to adopt bylaws, rules and regulations for the government of the library and reading room. Danbury Librarys policy states that filming or photography is not allowed inside the building without permission from the library director. Patrons may not take photos or videos of other library users without their permission. Its a limited public forum, so its not open to every kind of activity that you want Pinter said. In the video Reyes claims two of the officers touched him at different points during the incident. The YouTuber and some of the officers mock each other throughout the video, which appears to be edited. Reyes calls the officers bozos and tyrants in the video. Im not harassing anybody, Reyes says almost 27 minutes into the 34-minute video. Im a journalist gathering content for a story. Youre a journalist, Officer Tibbitts says. Get a real job. Reyes claimed to Hearst Connecticut Media that Officer Tibbitts grabbed and pushed him after the YouTuber started to leave the building at the request of the sergeant and under threat of arrest. The video does not show whether Tibbitts did so. Dont touch me, Reyes says about 17 minutes into the video. Hold on, Tibbitts says. We need your ID. No you dont. No you dont, Reyes says. We have to identify you, Tibbitts says. I have not committed a crime, the YouTuber says. Yes, you have, the officer says. No, I havent, Reyes says. Listen, man, youre touching me. A few minutes later, Reyes tells Tibbitts again to stop touching him. In the video, Tibbitts arms are down. Later outside, Reyes claims to Hearst Connecticut Media that Officer Utter grabbed his wrist and twisted it with the intention of turning the camera on him. The footage does not show whether the officer is touching him, but the video shakes slightly as the cop leans his head closer to the camera and says, Youre wrong. At one point inside the library, Reyes and Tibbitts quibble. Im sorry that I know the law more than you, Reyes said. Its very sad. Youre sad, Tibbitts says. The sergeant puts up his hand. You really are, another officer says off camera. Its pathetic. Stop, the sergeant says before addressing Reyes. Youre going to talk to me now, all right. Other incidents For other videos, Reyes said he normally sees this many officers show up to incidents like this. The response is disproportionate to the crime or the alleged crime that is taking place, he said. Its just a show of force. Reyes claimed he filmed a similar video at the Post Office in Waterbury and was arrested. Court records show he was charged with criminal trespassing in the first degree on May 19 in Waterbury. He has not posted a video from the incident because his phone and camera were seized by police, he said. Waterbury Sgt. Robert Davis confirmed Reyes camera and things were turned in as evidence in the case. The Waterbury internal affairs department is investigating the incident, as well, Davis said. Hearst Connecticut Media has filed a Freedom of Information Act request for the police report in the Waterbury case. Reyes was also arrested in Hartford County, Maryland in May after filming during a traffic stop there, according to Fox 45 Baltimore. The deputy pulled out his stun gun, but did not fire it at Reyes, the TV station reports. Reyes said he expects to post another video soon potentially on Saturday showing his visit to Danbury City Hall to file his intent to sue. He refused to give his name to the security guard at City Hall, so three officers and a supervisor were called, Reyes said. These officers were a lot different than the officers that responded at the library scene, Reyes said. They werent escalating it. They werent trying to be bullies. They were like, Hey, we really dont know. City Hall is asking for visitors names in order to contact trace in case of a COVID-19 outbreak, Cavo said. I didn't really hear much about the City Hall visit, he said. I was at the high school graduation all afternoon when that transpired. I do know he had some interaction with the guard and the police came and he left. Reyes said he is thankful and proud Ridenhour has launched an internal investigation and hopes to speak to him about training sessions for officers. Thats the only way change is going to come through education and, unfortunately, legal actions, such as civil lawsuits, he said. For starters, lets get a few things out of the way: Quaffing bleach will kill you. The COVID-19 vaccine will not turn you into a giant magnet and The vaccine does not contain microchips by which Bill Gates can track you. (Frankly, you are boring, and Gates, who is in the midst of what is turning out to be an ugly divorce, has other things on his mind.) Please join me in playing whack-a-mole as we bat away online lies, misinformation, and outright stupidity perpetrated by people who should know better. We need you in the trenches, keyboard warriors. As COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths decline in states like Connecticut, the World Health Organization has been warning of a co-current pandemic, an infodemic of misinformation. We are awash in misinformation about the pandemic, vaccinations, and the spread of COVID. At a time when we should be celebrating getting through 15 horrible months, we are, instead, swimming in ignorance. In this case, ignorance isnt bliss. Its deadly. This matters, a lot. One study early in the pandemic said 6,000 hospitalizations could have been avoided worldwide had we relied on serious sources. Lies have extended this pandemic, thanks to an army of bots enabled by gullible people. A new study from the University of California San Diego, George Washington University and Johns Hopkins University says that bad bots online products of artificial intelligence that are programmed to sow mistrust and misinformation are the primary sources for nonsense about the pandemic. They are effective in part because bots move with lightning speed to share information. The study said that Facebook bots average about 4.28 seconds between link shares, compared to an average of 4.35 hours among humans. Bots played a destructive role in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, and they remain a living parasite that feeds on fear and ignorance. The vaccine is information from reliable sources. The study looked specifically at misinformation around the wisdom of wearing masks to stymie the virus spread. Masks seems to be the latest focus of bots and their human enablers and for more on that, lets go to Facebook. Connecticuts legislative session just ended, and Gov. Ned Lamont won some and he lost some. Pandemic-wise, though, the state has been at the forefront for adopting pandemic protocols, and for vaccinating its residents. But on social media, you couldnt tell that. Lamonts office issues daily Facebook posts about COVID tests, hospitalizations, and deaths and the comments mostly lean toward remonstrations that the Connecticut governor is playing with peoples [sic] lives and requiring (horrors!) children to wear masks. (We pause here briefly to salute the likes of righteous people who get in there and try to inject facts into these discussion. If you follow Lamonts page, thank people like the Connecticut third-grade teacher who recently waded into the sludge to try to insert both levity and facts. She chooses to remain anonymous because teacher friends of hers have gotten into trouble trying to do the same thing on social media. Youre welcome for the herd immunity, she wrote recently. Sincerely, those of us who got vaccinated. She was immediately swarmed but she maintained her good humor when one poster mentioned the experimental shot (it wasnt experimental) and the posters own natural immunity from having contracted the virus (for now, sure). OK, wrote the teacher. Thanks to the 5% who contracted COVID.) If a machine spat out sludge on a street corner, we would call the authorities, but this is information and so its protected, even if its nonsense. And in this case, the tide of lies is further spread by a homegrown parade of anti-maskers who equate good health practices with Big Pharma/Nancy Pelosi/Hillary Clinton taking away their freedom. Well add those folks to our prayer lists when we find some time. For what its worth, its not just Lamont (who needs no help from me) who gets swarmed. Recently, Gov. Charlie Baker, Massachusetts Republican governor, posted a photo of a little boy who helped raise money for cancer research. His post was met with impassioned pleas to end mask lockdowns. It doesnt stop there. Gov. Daniel J. McKee, of Rhode Island, posted about D-Day, and got, from a responder with a profile picture of what looks like a young Zero Mostel: And now we shut down our entire states [sic] Economy for a virus with a 99+ percent survival rate. (No, Zero. That is an inaccurate statement, but you do you.) When he posted about D-Day, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu got, from a man named Dan: They fought for the right to have a governor control them and tell them to wear a mask and not go to church. (Key tell that a bot is posting: Bad grammar, misspellings and utter lunacy, but not necessarily in that order.) That same week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo was live from the Javits Center giving a New York COVID update, to which Michelle hit caps lock and posted TAKE THE MASKS OFF OUR CHILDREN!! (Le sigh.) The truth will set us free and, ironically, it will also allow us to eventually remove our masks. Online lies can be still countered with facts, but that takes all of us. DARPA research says reading posts aloud can help you detect if the language sounds like it was created by a machine. Apply your native intelligence. Check the posters timeline and profile. And then feel free to report the account whatever the platform as fake. You arent tattling. You are striking a blow for truth and democracy and bringing this sorry chapter to its much-needed close. WESTVILLE, Ind. (AP) Authorities are investigating the recent deaths of two inmates at a northwest Indiana prison, state correction officials said. Richard L. Canada, 39, died Wednesday at the Westville Correctional Facility, while Daniel R. Todd, 36, died May 29 at the prison, said Indiana Department of Correction spokeswoman Annie Goeller. BERLIN (AP) A Berlin university on Thursday stripped a prominent former German minister of her doctorate following a long-running saga over plagiarism allegations that led to her resignation last month. Franziska Giffey quit as Germany's minister for women and families in mid-May, but the center-left Social Democrat is still a leading candidate to become Berlin's mayor in an election in September. Berlin's Free University said it had concluded that Giffey's doctorate was obtained with deception over the independence of her academic achievement. It said her thesis used texts and references from other authors without sufficiently labeling them as such. Doctorates are highly prized in Germany and have caused senior politicians trouble before. In 2011, then-Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg lost his doctorate and quit when it emerged that large parts of his thesis werent his original work. Two years later, then-Education Minister Annette Schavan resigned after a university withdrew her doctorate. Allegations of plagiarism led to the Berlin university reviewing Giffeys 2010 dissertation on the policy of the European Unions executive body, the European Commission. Giffey said in 2019 that she would resign from the government if her Ph.D. was revoked. The university initially decided to issue a reprimand, but not to revoke her title. In November, the university said it would reconsider the decision after an experts report raised questions about whether it was entitled only to issue a reprimand. Giffey said then she would stop using the academic title doctor. I still stand by my statement that I wrote the work I submitted in 2009 to the best of my ability, Giffey said Thursday. She added that mistakes she made weren't intentional or planned, but she accepts the university's decision, news agency dpa reported. The senior party leader said this in a conversation on Clubhouse, an audio-based social media app. The audio of the alleged conversation was released on Twitter by the national president of the IT cell of Bhartiya Janata Party, Amit Malviya. In an alleged conversation with a Pakistan-based journalist, Shahzeb Jillani, Digvijay Singh, the General Secretary of Congress party and Rahul Gandhis top aid, said on Saturday that if Congress comes to power, they will relook at the decision of abrogating Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir. The senior party leader said this in a conversation on Clubhouse, an audio-based social media app. The audio of the alleged conversation was released on Twitter by the national president of the IT cell of Bhartiya Janata Party, Amit Malviya. The audio, which dates back to May 12, includes several audio clips wherein Digvijay Singh is heard criticizing the abrogation of Article 370. In the conversation with Shahzeb, he said, Democracy was missing in Kashmir when they abrogated Article 370, Insaaniyat was missing as they had put everyone behind bars. Kashmiriyat is one of the fundamentals of Secularism as a Hindu King worked in harmony in a Muslim-majority state. There was a reservation for the Kashmiri Pandit. Therefore, the abrogation of Article 370 and reducing the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir is a sad decision. The Congress Party will relook at this issue when it comes to power. Also Read: Mehul Choksi case plot thickens: NewsX speaks to Preeti Choksi Shahzeb Jillani, who is currently residing in Germany expressed his astonishment at the changing landscape of politics and the Indian Society under the governance of Narendra Modi. He also pointed out that the relationship between India and Pakistan has strained further due to the decision. The opposition leaders including BJP MP Shandilya Giriraj Singh took to Twitter to take a dig at Digvijays conversation with Shahzeb. Digvijay Singh, in the same conversation, also said, I genuinely believe that religious fundamentalism is dangerous to society. It only leads to hatred, which results in violence. The decision to abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution of India was taken by the Narendra Modi-led government on August 6. The decision bifurcated Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories, namely UT of J&K and UT of Ladakh. After Yogi's departure, the BJP's top leaders got together, signaling that some significant changes seem to be on the way in the state to mitigate any harm to the party's reputation caused by the Yogi government's approach to the Covid-19 situation. Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, visited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president J P Nadda on Friday, following a two-day visit to Delhi that hit the headlines and fueled rumours of a rupture with the Centre. Insiders say that the party has made it point very clear to Yogis opposition that the chief minister would continue to be the current partys image in the upcoming Assembly elections. But, in a substantial change, Shah will be back in the same position, where he turned the partys prospects around before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Yogis discussion with Modi lasted about an hour, and he spent about 90 minutes with Nadda. Following these high-profile conversations, however, there was no media engagement or press conference. After Yogis departure, the BJPs top leaders got together, signaling that some significant changes seem to be on the way in the state to mitigate any harm to the partys reputation caused by the Yogi governments approach to the Covid-19 situation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP Chief J.P. Nadda on Friday amid speculation about a cabinet meeting, which the PM has not conducted since establishing the administration for the second time in May 2019. As rumours spread of a change in the Union Cabinet and a similar reshuffle in UP, Amit Shah, and J.P. Nadda conferred with Modi. Both changes will be made in light of the next state elections in 2022, which will take place in five states: Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Gujarat, and Himachal Pradesh. The topmost BJP leaders gathered at the prime ministers residence a day after Shah met with party allies from Uttar Pradesh, notably Apna Dals Anupriya Patel, who served as a minister during the first Modi cabinet but was not re-instated in the second. According to the sources, in the coming days, Modi will speak to Union ministers in groups, reflecting a feeling of concern in the saffron party, which is still dealing from its defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections. The SIM cards were used in China to hack accounts of Indian people and also commit numerous financial frauds. Han was trying to enter the Indian territory after he failed to get an Indian Visa. The Border Security Force, South Bengal Frontier Friday apprehended a Chinese national, who was identified as Han Junwei, a 35-year-old, while he was illegally trying to cross the India-Bangladesh Border to enter the Indian territory. Han Junwei, a resident of Chinas Hubei province, admitted that he smuggled more than 1300 Indian SIM cards acquired by forged documents to China in his undergarments. Han was intercepted by the BSF personnel at Border Out Post Malik Sultanpur, Malda district. Also Read: Covid-19 origin probe gets murkier: Twitter account of Dr Faucis whistleblower deactivated The SIM cards were used in China to hack accounts of Indian people and also commit numerous financial frauds. Han was trying to enter the Indian territory after he failed to get an Indian Visa. His business partner Sun Jiang was recently arrested by the Anti-Terrorism Squad, Lucknow, in a case of fraud. Han told the interrogators that he has previously traveled to India several times and also runs a 100-room hotel in Gurugram, named Star Spring. His hotel staff includes many Chinese nationals. Han Junwei has been a wanted criminal. He had acquired more than 1300 Indian SIM cards to carry out financial frauds and hackings. A Blue Corner Notice was issued against him after his accomplice Sun Jiang was arrested by the ATS team Lucknow, said a BSF personnel who was a part of the interrogating team. 2 iPhones, a Mac Book, 1 Bangladeshi SIM, 1 Indian SIM, 2 Chinese SIM, 2 pen drives, 3 batteries, 2 small torches, 5, money transaction machines, 2 ATM cards, and several currencies including that of India and Bangladesh were recovered from Junweis possession. Under the governance of Narendra Modi, this is the third consecutive time that India is being invited to the G7 summit. The summit chaired by France in 2019 was the first time PM Modi was invited to the summit, which was followed by Donald Trumps invitation in 2020. The Group of Seven Summit (G7) kicked off yesterday in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The virtual summit, hosted by the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, is the first time since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic that the leaders of the worlds most advanced economies have gathered. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually participate in the G7 summits outreach sessions on June 12 and June 13. The UK, as the chair of G7, has invited India, Australia, South Africa, and South Korea to the summit. The theme for this year is Build Back Better and will involve discussion on global covid recovery, climate change, championing shared values and open societies, and trade. Also Read: NATO need to know who its enemies are, says Macron; Is he hinting at China? Due to the dire COVID-19 situation in India, PM Modi had to call off his in-person visit to the Cornish Coast, Britain. According to the reports, the G7 summit at Cornwall will focus on a new probe into the novel coronavirus origin and the leaders will pledge one billion doses of vaccines for nations across the globe. India offered its support to a follow-up inquiry by the World Health Organization (WHO) for a transparent and new investigation regarding the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the governance of Narendra Modi, this is the third consecutive time that India is being invited to the G7 summit. The summit chaired by France in 2019 was the first time PM Modi was invited to the summit, which was followed by Donald Trumps invitation in 2020. Before this India had received the invitation in 2003 under the leadership of Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and in 2005-2009 under the leadership of Former PM Manmohan Singh. India is at the brink of strengthening its global footprint with the QUAD initiative and the G7 summit in the picture. Recently, Russia and China criticized the QUAD by tagging them as Asian NATO. The nations claim that the QUAD is an attempt to subdue Beijings influence in the Indo-Pacific Region. ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) Algerians voted for a new parliament Saturday in an election with a majority of novice independent candidates running under new rules meant to erase political corruption and open the way to a new Algeria. But the turnout was dismal for the first legislative election since the gas-rich North African nation's longtime president was forced to resign two years ago. Tension surrounded the voting as activists and opposition parties boycotted the election amid a crackdown on weekly marches by the Hirak protest movement, which were all but banned under new rules for demonstrations. Pressure from Hirak marchers forced former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to resign in 2019 after two decades in office, a time marked by rampant political and financial corruption, unemployment and repression. Participants in the protest movement now want a transition period before elections. In its most recent update, given while polls still were open, Algeria's electoral authority said that less than 14.5% of the country's 24 million voters had cast ballots. Some regions, notably in Kabylie, a bastion of opposition east of the Algerian capital, had voter turnout under 1%. Some voting stations were vandalized, and scuffles between residents and police were reported in some towns in the region. The turnout figures aren't trafficked like in the past where numbers were fixed in advance, the head of the electoral authority, Mohamed Charfi, said, adding that the new transparency gives credibility to this election, part of the wish to break with the old system." The final turnout was not immediately available after polls closed at 8 p.m. local time. Authorities began tightening the screws on the Hirak movement weeks ago with dozens of arrests and a rule obliging organizers of the marches without real leaders to declare them. Three prominent figures arrested Thursday, including two journalists one was press freedom advocate Khaled Drareni were released early Saturday ahead of the voting. The Constitutional Council announced Saturday that it would be 15 days before results of the balloting are known because of the number of candidates and the need to ensure against the fraud that marked past elections. We are looking for change, voter Mohammed Touait said at a polling station. I am 84 years old, and today I woke up at 8 a.m. because I still have hope for change. The election was supposed to exemplify President Abdelmadjid Tebbounes new Algeria, with an emphasis on young candidates and those outside the political elite. A huge number of candidates more than 20,000 ran for the 407-seat parliament, once dominated by a two-party alliance considered unlikely to maintain its grip on the legislature. Islamist parties all offered candidates. Tebboune was elected eight months after Boutflika was forced out. He vowed to remake Africa's largest country but with no sign of abandoning the shadowy role of the army in governance. The president, at the start of the day, brushed off as irrelevant the number of people who vote. What is important is that those the people vote for have sufficient legitimacy, Tebboune said after casting his ballot in Algiers. The president also brushed off boycotts by the main opposition parties and Hirak supporters. These elections are another stage on the path to change and the construction of a new Algeria, with sovereignty for the people, Tebboune said. I respect the position of those who decided to boycott the elections, but they do not have the right to impose by force their viewpoint on others. Women made up half of the candidates for the first time. But women were largely invisible from the campaign their faces often blurred or concealed in campaign posters. Candidates had just 20 days to campaign, and Algerian media said real debate on major issues of concern, like unemployment, was mostly absent. With such a slew of candidates, the calculation of power is simple: to elect a patchwork assembly, without a majority, which will allow the president to create his own parliamentary majority with which he will govern, political scientist Rachid Grime said. Many candidates couldnt afford campaign posters. Independent candidates like Djamel Maafa, a former TV producer, used social networks to spread their messages, lacking access to the funds and logistical structure of big parties. Elections in Algeria have always proved that they are not the solution. The solution lies in democratic transition. It also lies in a dialogue around a table in order to solve the crisis, activist Sofiane Haddadji said. John Raoux/AP President Joe Biden said on the fifth anniversary of a mass shooting at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida, that he will sign a bill naming the site as a national memorial. The deadliest attack on the LGBTQ community in U.S. history left 49 people dead and 53 people wounded as Latin Night was being celebrated at the club. Biden said in a statement Saturday that he has stayed in touch with families of the victims and with the survivors who have turned their pain into purpose" and described the club as hallowed ground. SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) It's official: Most of California's coronavirus rules governing public gatherings will disappear on Tuesday after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Friday afternoon that heralds the end of the pandemic's hold on much of public life for the nation's most populous state. Newsom's action on Friday ensures the state will end the stay-at-home order and its various amendments on Tuesday after more than 15 months on the books as more than 70% of adults in the state have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine. Starting Tuesday, there will be no capacity limits or physical distancing requirements for businesses. People who are fully vaccinated won't be required to wear a mask including indoors. While much of public life will officially return to normal on Tuesday, the state will still be under a statewide declaration of emergency. That means Newsom retains his authority to alter or suspend state laws indefinitely, either until he decides to end the emergency declaration or the state Legislature does it for him. That latter option is not likely because Democrats dominate the Legislature by a wide margin and are allied with the Democratic governor. That has angered Republican lawmakers, who note state law requires the governor to end the state of emergency at the earliest possible date that conditions warrant. This week, three Republican lawmakers sent Newsom a letter pressing him on why a state of emergency still exists despite declining rates of new infections and hospitalizations. Newsom has issued a total of 58 executive orders since the pandemic began, altering or suspending hundreds of state laws. Ann Patterson, Newsom's legal affairs secretary, said if Newsom ended the emergency declaration now all of the executive orders go away. It's like the Jenga tower, you pull out the brick at the bottom it all comes down immediately without any notice to anyone, she said. This has to run through an orderly fashion so we get out of this safely and without disruption to businesses or public services. The governors office said Friday that 90% of Newsom's executive orders issued during the pandemic will be lifted by the end of September. The first batch will end June 30, including an order that waived license applications for manufacturers so that companies could quickly start making new things like hand sanitizer to address shortages during the pandemic. The second batch of orders will lift July 31, including an order that suspended in-person visits by state workers who care for vulnerable communities. The final batch will end Sept. 30, including an order that suspended portions of the state's public meetings law to let local governments meet and vote virtually during the pandemic. A smaller number of orders will remain indefinitely, including directives making state fairgrounds available for pandemic response and allowing pharmacy technicians to administer doses of the coronavirus vaccine. Also on Friday, Dr. Tomas Aragon, California's public health officer, issued a new order that, among other things, puts in place new requirements for mask wearing that take effect Tuesday. The new rules say fully vaccinated people don't have to wear a mask in most places, either indoors our outdoors. But the state is still requiring people who have not been vaccinated to wear a mask in public places. We've met our metrics, we feel prepared, Dr. Mark Ghaly, California's Health and Human Services Agency secretary, told reporters on Friday. Things in California, from a COVID transmission perspective, are going reasonably well. CHICAGO (AP) A Chicago police officer charged with breaching the U.S. Capitol and entering a senator's office during the Jan. 6 insurrection texted photos of himself inside the building while wearing a police department sweatshirt after telling someone he was going to Washington to save the nation. Karol Chwiesiuk, 29, was arrested Friday and faces five misdemeanor counts, including entering a restricted building, disrupting government business and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds with the intent to impede a congressional proceeding. Prosecutors allege in a criminal complaint that Chwiesiuk was among a mob of people who broke into and damaged the office of Sen. Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat. They also say that days before he traveled to Washington to attend a rally supporting then-President Donald Trump, Chwiesiuk said in a text to a friend that he was going "to save the nation and was Busy planning how to (expletive) up commies." He later sent photos of himself inside the Capitol, according to prosecutors. Chwiesiuk was on medical leave from the Chicago Police Department when he traveled to Washington for the attack, the complaint states. Along with text messages, he also sent photos of himself inside and outside the Capitol. In them, Chwiesiuk is grinning and wearing a sweatshirt with a Chicago Police Department emblem underneath an unzipped coat. We inside the capital lmfao, he texted, using an abbreviation indicating he thought it was funny, according to the complaint. Chwiesiuk appeared via telephone in federal court in Chicago on Friday. His attorney, Tim Grace, said Chwiesiuk has been a Chicago police officer since 2018 and that he previously served as a Cook County sheriff's deputy. He was stripped of his police powers this week and is on desk duty, Grace said. Police Superintendent David Brown said during a news availability Friday that Chwiesiuk had his police powers stripped on June 2 after the department learned of his participation in the attack. Brown said that if the allegations are true, it is a betrayal of everything we stand for." What happened in D.C. on Jan. 6 was an absolute disgrace, he said. The fact that a Chicago police officer has been charged in that attack on American democracy makes my blood boil. We have a zero tolerance for hate and extremism of any kind within the Chicago Police Department, Brown said. And if you harbor such ignorance in your heart, you should take off your star now and find another line of work, or Ill do it for you. Five people, including a Capitol police officer, died in the attack and hundreds of people were injured. Two other officers killed themselves afterward. More than 450 people from throughout the country have been criminally charged. Chwiesiuk was arrested Friday morning at his parents' Chicago home, where he lives, the Chicago Tribune reported. U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel Fuentes ordered him released on bond. Chwiesiuk was ordered to surrender any firearms and his firearm owners identification card. He spoke only once, answering Yes I do when the judge asked if he understood the conditions of his bond. WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) An Iowa man who threatened to have Democratic U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York assassinated has been sentenced to 15 months in federal prison. Kenneth Dean Brown, 57, of Waterloo, was sentenced Friday for threatening Nadler in a phone call on Dec. 18, 2019, federal prosecutors said in a news release. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) Saudi Arabia announced Saturday this year's hajj pilgrimage will be limited to no more than 60,000 people, all of them from within the kingdom, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The announcement by the kingdom comes after it ran an incredibly pared-down pilgrimage last year over the virus, but still allowed a small number of the faithful to take part in the annual ceremony. A statement on the state-run Saudi Press Agency quoted the kingdom's Hajj and Umrah Ministry making the announcement. It said this year's hajj, which will begin in mid-July, will be limited to those ages 18 to 65. Those taking part must be vaccinated as well, the ministry said. The kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is honored to host pilgrims every year, confirms that this arrangement comes out of its constant concern for the health, safety and security of pilgrims as well as the safety of their countries," the statement said. In last years hajj, as few as 1,000 people already residing in Saudi Arabia were selected to take part in the hajj. Two-thirds were foreign residents from among the 160 different nationalities that would have normally been represented at the hajj. One-third were Saudi security personnel and medical staff. Each year, up to 2 million Muslims perform the hajj, a physically demanding and often costly pilgrimage that draws the faithful from around the world. The hajj, required of all able-bodied Muslims to perform once in their lifetime, is seen as a chance to wipe clean past sins and bring about greater humility and unity among Muslims. The kingdoms Al Saud ruling family stakes its legitimacy in this oil-rich nation on overseeing and protecting the hajj sites. Ensuring the hajj happens has been a priority for them. Disease outbreaks have always been a concern surrounding the hajj. Pilgrims fought off a malaria outbreak in 632, cholera in 1821 killed an estimated 20,000, and another cholera outbreak in 1865 killed 15,000 before spreading worldwide. More recently, Saudi Arabia faced danger from a different coronavirus, one that causes the Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS. The kingdom increased its public health measures during the hajj in 2012 and 2013, urging the sick and the elderly not to take part. In recent years, Saudi officials also instituted bans on pilgrims coming from countries affected by the Ebola virus. Saudi Arabia had closed its borders for months to try and stop the spread of the coronavirus. Since the start of the pandemic, the kingdom has reported over 462,000 cases of the virus with 7,500 deaths. It has administered some 15.4 million doses of coronavirus vaccines, according to the World Health Organization. The kingdom is home to over 30 million people. ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) The 49 people killed in a mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Florida were honored in Orlando and around the world on Saturday, the fifth anniversary of the attack. Speakers at an evening remembrance ceremony on the grounds of former Pulse nightclub said a rainbow appeared as survivors of the shooting, family members of those who died and first responders gathered. The site, south of downtown Orlando, was turned into an interim memorial lined with photos of the victims and rainbow-colored flowers and mementos. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, who donated blood recently in honor of the people who were killed, said the dead must continue to be remembered with real change. He promised to help foster a community where everyone feels equally valued and protected. Brandon Wolf recalled walking into Pulse on June 12, 2016, arm in arm with his best friend, Drew Leinonen. Six days later, he helped walk Leinonens casket down the aisle at his funeral. Wolf admitted to the crowd that he felt like running away after the massacre but instead made a promise to his late friend: to never stop fighting for a world he would be proud of. Now the media relations manager for the LGBTQ civil rights organization Equality Florida, Wolf said the anniversary of the shooting should remind people to recommit themselves to taking action. Bigotry and hatred are not asleep. They still move around us, he said. And if we are going to snuff them out, we must make the same defiant choice we made on this site five years ago today, and that is to embrace the power of community and reject the temptation to come apart at the seams of our differences. Members of the onePULSE Foundation, a nonprofit incorporated by the owners of the nightclub, said a memorial and museum is in the works. The group also offers educational programs and legacy scholarships. President Joe Biden said Saturday that he will sign a bill naming the nightclub as a national memorial. He emphasized in a statement that the country must do more to reduce gun violence, such as banning assault weapons and closing loopholes in regulations that enable gun buyers to bypass background checks. At Saturday evening's memorial, family members read the victims names as a slideshow showed their photos. City of Orlando officials say more than 600 places of worship worldwide tolled their bells 49 times to honor each victim who died in the Pulse Nightclub shooting. The First United Methodist Church of Orlando gathered loved ones and community members and read the victims names. The deadliest attack on the LGBTQ community in U.S. history left 49 people dead and 53 people wounded as Latin Night was being celebrated at the club. Gunman Omar Mateen was killed after a three-hour standoff by SWAT team members. He had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. Deputy Orlando Police Chief James P. Young, an openly gay man who reported to the scene the night of the shooting, said hes seen friendships strengthen and the community unite over the past five years. If we use our shared experiences and our shared values, including those of strength and unity, love will always win, Young said. Saudi Arabia has barred travellers from Nigeria and other countries from performing 2021 Hajj over coronavirus concerns. This is as ... Saudi Arabia has barred travellers from Nigeria and other countries from performing 2021 Hajj over coronavirus concerns. This is as Saudi Arabia announced Saturday it will allow 60,000 vaccinated residents of the kingdom to perform the annual hajj. The hajj ministry said this years pilgrimage would be open for nationals and residents of the kingdom, limited to 60,000 pilgrims, according to the official Saudi Press Agency. With this, travellers from Nigeria have been barred from performing hajj for the second time in a row. Last year, the kingdom also hosted downscaled hajj amid the coronavirus pandemic, preventing thousands of Nigerian pilgrims from participating. The pilgrimage, scheduled to be held at the end of July, would be limited to those who have been vaccinated and are below 65 years of age with no chronic illnesses, it said. The hajj a must for able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime typically packs millions of pilgrims into congested religious sites and could be a major source of contagion. Only up to 10,000 Muslims took part in last year, a far cry from the 2.5 million who participated in the five-day annual pilgrimage in 2019. In a relaxation of coronavirus curbs last October, Saudi Arabia opened the Grand Mosque for prayers for the first time in seven months and partially resumed the all-year-round umrah pilgrimage. The limit on umrah pilgrims is 20,000 a day, with a total of 60,000 worshippers allowed to perform daily prayers at the mosque. The umrah usually attracts millions of Muslims from across the globe each year. Authorities said the umrah would be allowed to return to full capacity once the threat of the pandemic has abated. Read Also Saudi Arabia orders mosques to use loudspeakers for only calls to prayer Saudi king mourns Attahiru, others Saudi Arabia issues 60,000-person limit, age restriction for hajj The revered Black Stone in the Kaaba which is customary but not mandatory to touch during the pilgrimage remains out of reach. In light of what the whole world is witnessing with the coronavirus pandemic and the emergence of new variants, the relevant authorities have continued to monitor the global health situation, the hajj ministry said Saturday. Considering the large crowds that perform hajj, spending long periods of time in multiple and specific places required the highest levels of health precautions, it added in the statement carried by SPA. A scaled-down hajj represents a major loss of revenue for the kingdom, already reeling from the twin shocks of the virus-induced slowdown and a plunge in oil prices. The hajj and the year-round umrah pilgrimages together rake in some $12 billion (10.3 billion euros) annually. Last year, the foreign press were barred from the hajj, usually a huge global media event. Saudi Arabia has so far recorded more than 460,000 coronavirus infections, including 7,536 deaths. The health ministry says it has administered more than 15 million coronavirus vaccine doses, in a country with a population of over 34 million. Hosting the hajj is a matter of prestige for Saudi rulers, for whom the custodianship of Islams holiest sites is their most powerful source of political legitimacy. But a series of deadly disasters over the years, including a 2015 stampede that killed up to 2,300 worshippers, has prompted criticism of the kingdoms management of the pilgrimage. Popular comedian, Debo Adebayo, more popular as Mr Macaroni, has joined Lagos residents protesting at the Gani Fawehinmi Park in the Ojota... Popular comedian, Debo Adebayo, more popular as Mr Macaroni, has joined Lagos residents protesting at the Gani Fawehinmi Park in the Ojota area. Police had earlier dispersed the June 12 protesters with tear gas and gunshots. However, they converged again in front of a motor park, approved by the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, with placards. The crowd chanted Buhari must go, demanding good governance and an end to insecurity in the country. Addressing journalists, Mr Macaroni wondered why President Muhammadu Buhari, who contested presidential elections at least four times before he was voted into office, is the same person causing pains to Nigerians. In February 2021, Mr Macaroni was arrested for protesting at the Lekki toll gate, where he demanded that justice be served to the victims of the October 20, 2020 #EndSARS protests at the toll plaza. As the nation celebrates June 12 as Democracy Day, Governor Dapo Abiodun has urged residents of Ogun State not to join any protest. Gov Abio... As the nation celebrates June 12 as Democracy Day, Governor Dapo Abiodun has urged residents of Ogun State not to join any protest. Gov Abiodun feared that resorting to protest could breed violence, saying such protests could be hijacked by those he called hoodlums and enemies of democracy, harbouring ulterior motives. In a statement made available to newsmen by his new media aide, Emmanuel Ojo, the governor charged Ogun people to celebrate June 12 peacefully. This, he said, became necessary to avoid any act that could threaten the security of the State and the nation at large. According to the statement signed by Abioduns Chief Press Secretary, Kunle Somorin, it was stated that June 12 is a day for the celebration of democracy and we should not do anything to tarnish the day and what it stands for. He noted that, M.K.O Abiola, the symbol of June 12 celebration abhorred violence. Meanwhile, some individuals are already mobilizing for the protest scheduled to commence on Saturday morning. Our correspondent gathered that the protesters from the three senatorial districts of Ogun State have agreed to converge on the NUJ Secretariat, Iwe-Iroyin, Abeokuta by 7am. Chief Executive Officer of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, on Saturday, tweeted the green-white-green Nigerian flag as the West African country mark... Chief Executive Officer of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, on Saturday, tweeted the green-white-green Nigerian flag as the West African country marked its 2021 Democracy Day. Dorseys tweet, which was posted hours to the ongoing nationwide protests in Nigeria, has since attracted thousands of retweets. Many tweeps including known faces such as @HenshawKate and @mrfestusogun have since hailed the co-founder of the micro-blogging platform for showing solidarity with Nigerian citizens amid the struggle for good governance, a better economy and an end to the security challenges plaguing over 200 million people living in Nigeria. Reacting, lawyer and activist, Ayo Sogunro, tweeted In 2019, I mocked people who went to meet-and-greet Jack when he visited Nigeria. Im like that: I hate the way we patronise rich white men in Africa. But if I meet Jack today, I will thank him for not rolling over for the Nigerian govt at the expense of the people. #KeepitOn The Twitter CEO has not been in the good books of the Nigerian government since last October over an allegation that he was complicit in the promotion of the #EndSARS protests that ended in the destruction of lives and billions of property in Nigeria. Last week, the regime of the Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari, suspended Twitter, citing the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigerias corporate existence. The Federal Governments action followed a deletion of a controversial civil war post by the President. The Buhari regime has since come under fire for what many termed as a restriction of the right of expression. The international community including the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, amongst others have since knocked the Buhari regime for the action but the Federal Government has been unyielding in its stance insisting that the sovereignty of the West African nation must be respected by the San Francisco tech giant. Millions of content creators in Nigeria, who earn their living from the microblogging site, have been affected as they are forbidden from using Twitter. Some of them have since embarked on a journey of diversification while exploring other social media platforms. Nigeria, with over 200 million people, had about 33 million active social media users as of January 2021. WhatsApp is the most popular platform used in the country, with over 90 million users according to Statista. Also according to Statista, about 61.4 per cent of Nigerian social media users use Twitter, 86.2 per cent use Facebook, 81.6 per cent use YouTube, 73.1 per cent use Instagram, and 67.2 per cent use Facebook Messenger. Some persons who held a rally in Abuja to support President Muhammadu Buhari amid the June 12 protests have claimed they were promised mon... Some persons who held a rally in Abuja to support President Muhammadu Buhari amid the June 12 protests have claimed they were promised monetary compensation. As Nigeria celebrated Democracy Day on Saturday, protesters stormed major cities nationwide to demand better governance and improved living condition for citizens. But some of them have been attacked by both the police and opposing groups, including in Abuja where the pro-Buhari group mobbed a lone protester. In a video interview with RootsTV Nigeria, two ladies wearing T-shirts with the inscription, I stand with Buhari, what about you? said they were offered N1000 to protest in favour of the president. But they did not mention anyone who made the purported deal with them. One thousand naira brought us here, one of them said. The reporter asked them the money was to support who and one replied, Baba Buhari I came here for one thousand naira. As they smiled to the camera, both ladies said they were yet to receive their money. The interview was, however, interrupted by a male voice (probably the coordinator of the group) who asked the ladies to stop talking. Nobody asked you to grant an interview. Please stand there, the man said. Other members of the group were seen chatting in small clusters. Watch video below.. Supporters of President Muhammadu Buhari who stormed Unity Fountain, Abuja on Saturday morning, were seen fighting over the method of shar... Supporters of President Muhammadu Buhari who stormed Unity Fountain, Abuja on Saturday morning, were seen fighting over the method of sharing money. According to reports, the group was out to counter those protesting against bad governance across the country. Eyewitnesses revealed that leaders of the group were seen in a heated exchange over the sharing of monetary resources meant for organising the counter protests. The Federal Capital Territory, Abuja has been plunged into palpable tension over protests happening in major parts of the city. Earlier, police operatives clashed with some protesters at Gudu Junction causing tension in the area. Similar demonstrations are currently ongoing in major parts of the country including Lagos State. Watertown, NY (13601) Today Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 63F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 63F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Mayor LaToya Cantrell this week ramped up an aggressive social media campaign to counter the growing opposition to her plan to move City Hall Southwest Airlines said Friday it will introduce a new direct flight from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport to Oklahoma City on Sept. 12, as it continues to bring its flight schedules back toward pre-pandemic levels nationwide. The airline, the largest in the U.S. by passenger traffic, also said Friday that it will resume its daily New Orleans to San Diego flights on Nov. 7. The Oklahoma City flights will be limited to Sundays only and run through the end of October. The Southwest flights are the latest news of renewed passenger traffic at the airport, which has bounced back strongly in the past few months from the deep slump created by pandemic restrictions. The vaccination rollout has boosted passenger traffic since the spring break and through Memorial Day, which has enticed not only the resumption of suspended flights but the introduction of new routes and several new carriers to the airport. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up The latter have included Breeze Airways, a new low-budget carrier started by JetBlue founder David Neelemean, who announced last month that New Orleans would be one of the main four cities for the airline. Breeze is offering routes from smaller cities, like Oklahoma City and Columbus, Ohio, to tourist destinations like New Orleans and Charleston, South Carolina. As of Thursday, Southwest said it has resumed almost all of the routes that were operational before the pandemic hit last March. It said it planned to have all but one route back by November. Those will include 56 departures from New Orleans, flying to 25 cities: Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Cancun, Chicago (Midway), Dallas (Love Field), Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Houston (Hobby), Houston (Bush), Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles (LAX), Miami, Nashville, New York (LaGuardia), Oklahoma City, Orlando, Phoenix, Raleigh-Durham, San Antonio, San Diego, St. Louis, Tampa, Washington (Reagan). Apart from San Diego, which will return in November, the only direct flight not to resume is to Oakland. Additionally, the new flights to Houston, Miami, and now Oklahoma City, have been announced. Correction: Please note an earlier version of this story misidentified the airport that Southwest is resuming flights to. Also, it has been updated to clarify that the full roster of departures will be back by November. New Orleans police monitor Susan Hutson resigned Friday, barely a month after she began a leave of absence to run in the Oct. 9 election against Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman. The resignation was announced in an email and takes effect Monday, leaving Hutsons small agency, which oversees internal investigations at the Police Department, in the hands of an interim chief. Hutson didnt explain her decision but hinted it was connected to her bid for sheriff. +4 A new sheriff in town? Susan Hutson, longtime NOPD monitor, to run against Marlin Gusman After more than a decade as the New Orleans Police Departments independent monitor, Susan Hutson wants to make the switch from watchdog to to I have poured my heart and soul into this office to serve this amazing community, Hutson said. Yet with all that this office, our community and a bevy of stakeholders have achieved in the past 11 years, the work to emphasize justice over criminal in the criminal justice system is far from over. Now, more than ever, our system of justice requires a new level of civic engagement. Qualifying for the ballot begins July 14. Gusman has said he plans to run for a fifth full term, while Hutson seems poised to run against him as a progressive alternative. Hutsons term as independent police monitor expires at the end of the year. She would have needed approval from the Ethics Review Board to serve another. +2 New Orleans independent police monitor gets good marks from review panel The Office of the Independent Police Monitor rates high marks for its work overseeing New Orleans' police force last year, according to a revi In April, she said she would take leave from the Office of the Independent Police Monitor until the sheriffs race was decided in either the Oct. 9 primary or Nov. 13 runoff. At a May 10 Ethics Review Board meeting, board members praised her tenure. But Chairman Michael Cowan also wondered aloud whether the length of Hutsons absence would hurt a perennially short-staffed office, and whether the board should seek a new monitor. Were really behind the eight ball on getting someone in place, Cowan said. What I propose to the board is that we initiate a search for police monitor, and if Ms. Hutson wants to be part of that in a timely way, then I would be really happy if she would. After crowd tear gassed, NOPD pledges to tweak use-of-force policies; critics say it's not enough Eight days after New Orleans police threw tear gas and fired hard rubber balls at people protesting police brutality near the Crescent City Co Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Hutson said the office would be run well by its interim director, Stella Cziment, who previously served as her deputy. The board didnt vote last month on Cowans proposal. The agenda for Monday's pending meeting doesnt include a vote, but it is expected to include further discussion about how to respond to Hutsons absence. The boards executive administrator, Dane Ciolino, said none of its members pushed Hutson to resign. I was unaware of anybody bringing any pressure upon her to do anything, Ciolino said. The board did receive at least one outside complaint, however. Rafael Goyeneche, president of the Metropolitan Crime Commission, said in a May 11 email to Cowan that Hutsons independence would be irreparably compromised if she ran for sheriff, lost and returned as top monitor. Goyeneche suggested that if a group such as the Fraternal Order of Police endorsed Gusman, as it did in his 2014 race, that could taint her credibility upon a return to the police monitors office. A spokesman for Hutson said she resigned in order to give her more leeway in terms of the next steps, and promised an announcement Monday. Susan wants to make sure that the campaign that she may be embarking on in the days to come is clear and above board and there are no obstacles to the message she wants to convey, said the spokesman, Mason Harrison. Cziment said Friday that the office will continue taking complaints about the Police Department and watchdogging police investigations. Susan will be missed, but I dont want anyone to believe that theres going to be a gap in services to the community, she said. She trained us and prepared us for the idea of an eventual departure, and we feel ready. A years worth of state sales taxes paid in New Orleans and four suburban parishes, combined with money from a future state budget surplus, would be used to reduce Louisianas bill for post-Katrina hurricane levees from more than $3 billion over 30 years to just $1.2 billion over the next two years. Thats the goal of a measure approved Thursday in the waning hours of the Legislatures 2021 regular session. An accompanying resolution asks local levee districts and their parent levee authorities to chip in even more money to reduce the states share of the bill. +7 Corps of Engineers plugging last hole in New Orleans river levee at its own building A contractor has resumed building a floodwall to plug a major low spot in the Mississippi River levee at the Army Corps of Engineers' own Ne Louisiana owes the Army Corps of Engineers $1.2 billion for construction, plus $576 million in interest that has accrued during more than 10 years of work. That bill comes due later this year, after the Corps informs the state that construction is complete. The state had already reduced its required 35% share of the estimated $14 billion cost of the levee system improvements by providing land, and paying for borrow material and relocation of pipelines as part of the construction process. Under an agreement signed by the state at the start of construction, Louisiana may pay off its debt over 30 years, which the Legislative Fiscal Office estimates would require annual payments of $101 million and total more than $3 billion. +4 Louisiana wants billions for hurricane risk reduction included in federal appropriations bill Louisiana coastal officials are pushing the states congressional delegation to support an expected emergency supplemental appropriation bill But thanks to lobbying by the states congressional delegation, Congress last year agreed to let the Corps forgive the interest portion of the states bill - if the state would repay the construction costs over three years. That would require an initial payment of $400 million by Sept. 30 and the remainder by Sept. 30, 2023. In May, state officials agreed to use $355 million in surplus money for the fiscal year that ends June 30. Another $45 million in the fiscal 2021 budget was already set aside towards the first payment. On Thursday afternoon, the House and Senate approved legislation sponsored by Rep. Jerome Zee Zeringue, R-Houma, and House Speaker Clay Schexnayder, R-Gonzales, to help pay the second installment. It calls for the state again to dip into an expected budget surplus at the end of fiscal 2022. It specifies dedicating 38% of the surplus, as determined by the Revenue Estimating Conference, to the Corps repayment account. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up The bill also would redirect all state sales tax revenue collected between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023 in New Orleans and St. Charles, Jefferson, St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes to the second Corps payment. Those five parishes saw post-Katrina hurricane protection construction. However, the bill limits the amount from both sources to $400 million. Passage of the bill all but ensures that the five parishes won't have to pay the first year's installment on the debt, as was proposed in a measure sponsored by Sen. Mack "Bodi" White, R-Central. Still, the House and Senate adopted a Zeringue resolution that requests the individual levee districts and their parent east bank and West Bank levee authorities to chip in money to pay a share of the state reimbursement bill. Zeringue argues that while the five parishes receive all the benefits from the huge federal expenditure, forcing the state to pay the local share of construction costs means the citizens of the state's remaining fifty-nine parishes are saddled with the cost for a storm drainage and protection system that does not directly impact them, their property or their livelihoods. Zeringue has pointed out that Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes have been funding construction of the 98-mile, $3 billion Morganza-to-the-Gulf levee system with local sales taxes, raising $400 million so far while waiting for Congress to appropriate the federal 65 percent. The state has provided about $100 million of that levee systems costs. Officials with the two Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection authorities say they have each spent $35 million, funded by local taxpayers, to pay for the cost of elevating earthen segments of the New Orleans system, and that should be considered as part of the levees construction expenses. Late Friday, Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne said Gov. John Bel Edwards has not yet decided whether to sign the Zeringue-Schexnayder bill. If he does, it would still be up to the Legislature to appropriate money out of the new fund for use on the second payment. The Legislature might also determine that the second payment could simply come from future budget surpluses, Dardenne said. Whichever method is used, Dardenne said, the goal is to avoid having to borrow money via bonds to pay the Corps. That would require interest charges. The wife of a former lawmaker, a political novice and two state representatives will face off at the ballot box Saturday in an election to fill the west bank state Senate seat of U.S. Rep. Troy Carter. The contenders for Senate District 7 are Democrat Joanna Cappiello-Leopold, Democratic state Rep. Gary Carter Jr., Democratic state Rep. Mack Cormier and Republican Patricia Patty McCarty, who founded a transportation and security firm. As Cappiello-Leopold, Cormier and McCarty all hail from Belle Chasse, the issue of the freshwater diversion the state has proposed to build coastal land which has drawn the ire of some residents and those who make their living from seafood from the Gulf of Mexico has emerged as a top issue in the race. Candidates have also argued over who is best positioned to take on the issues of economic development and securing funding for projects in the area. Polls will be open on Saturday from 7 a.m. and anyone in line before 8 p.m. is allowed to vote. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, a runoff will be held on July 10. Cappiello-Leopold, Cormier and McCarty all brought up the proposed Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion when asked about their reasons for running. The $2 billion project, a keystone of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authoritys $50 billion Master Plan, would divert water from the Mississippi River to the Barataria Basin to allow sediment to rebuild land lost to coastal erosion. The project was first proposed more than two decades ago, and aims to build 27 square miles of land and prevent the loss of many more over its life, and is part of the broader work being done to slow the land loss along the Louisiana coast. But as the planning process nears its end, the project has started to attract opponents since the freshwater it would introduce would kill off some oyster and shrimp and endanger dolphins that live in the area. Cappiello-Leopold said that planners have given residents too little time to weigh in on the project following the release of an environmental report from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers earlier this year. I think that at this point in time the permitting needs to be delayed so it can be re-evaluated, were all for coastal restoration, Cappiello-Leopold said. I think all of Louisiana including all the fishermen and the oystermen are for coastal restoration, it has to be done in a responsible way. Cormier described himself as the only person who had fought against the project in the legislature. The main thing about me is Ive taken on the biggest fights but they were necessary, Ive clashed with the governor over the diversions and the CPRA, he said. McCarty said the plan would destroy both wildlife and the economy of Plaquemines Parish. The only thing this diversion is good for is a cheap way to get some sediment for the rest of Louisiana but youre sacrificing the economy for the United States and the hardworking people of Plaquemines, she said. Carter, who is from Algiers, took a more moderate view, saying that the state needs to work to ensure the project does not come at the expense of fishermen and the seafood industry. We have to make certain that all concerns are addressed, that this process is transparent and that alternatives are studied and considered, he said. The district covers portions of the west bank in Plaquemines, Orleans and Jefferson parishes, stretching from Algiers Point past Belle Chasse and including portions of Gretna, Harvey and Woodmere. The seat opened up earlier this spring when Troy Carter, who held the spot for six years, was elected to Congress to replace Cedric Richmond. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Richmond left the seat he had held for a decade to take a job in the Biden administration. The race has been a low-turnout affair so far: fewer than 2,400 of the nearly 68,000 voters in the district showed up during early voting or have submitted absentee ballots. Thats fewer than half as many voters as cast ballots ahead of election day the last time the seat was contested in 2015. Other issues have been key in the race as well. Carter, a civil attorney who is the nephew of Troy Carter, said he was focused on bringing resources and funding to the district. He touted bills he had passed to require low-graded schools to hold meetings with parents and to create a funding source for the Algiers ferry. He said his time on the House Appropriations Committee and his focus on working with other legislators would be crucial to securing resources for the district. We need early childhood education and increased pay for our teachers and better broadband and the best and latest technology available for our kids and our students, Carter said. I think the state of Louisiana should invest heavily in education. Its about what our economy looks like and the future of our state looks like. Cappiello-Leopold, who worked in logistics for Chevron, is also the wife of former State Rep. Chris Leopold, who served two terms in the state House before being defeated by Cormier in 2019. She said though the two are married, her politics are very different from that of her conservative husband. She said she was focused on the need for increased funding for mental health care and the need to create job opportunities that will convince kids who grow up in Louisiana or go to college here to stay in the state. Louisiana doesnt have enough job opportunities to keep these kids in state, and I think we have to reevaluate why that is, she said. Cormier, a lawmaker, said his varied careers ranging from a teacher to working offshore gave him a range of experiences to draw from. In addition to the diversions, he said he would continue to fight against the toll bridge in Belle Chasse and stressed his position as a moderate who was against abortion and gun control. Im not moderate in being pro-life, pro-Second Amendment and pro-religious freedom, he said. McCarty, who founded Cachet Security and Transportation, said that in addition to focusing on the diversions, she would aim to improve economic development in the district and would be active in helping advocate for residents on issues outside the scope of the legislature, like aiding Algiers residents with their complaints about new bike lanes. She also said she would work against plans for the toll bridge, which she said would destroy the economy of Plaquemines. Thats going to stymie development of Plaquemines Parish for a couple generations to come. Thats not the way you treat a parish that has critical national infrastructure, she said. Staff Writer Reese Gorman covers elections, local politics and the COVID-19 pandemic for The Norman Transcript. He started as an intern in May of 2020 and transitioned into his current position as a staff writer in August of 2020. Hammondsport, N.Y. -- Glenn H. Curtiss Museum officials announced on Friday that their new Art at War Exhibit will open to the public on Saturday, June 12, and will remain open through the fall of 2021. The exhibit focuses on aviation insignias from around the world that have been collected over 60 years, with some of the collection's items dating back over 100 years. The Art of War: Squadron Insignia from the Curtiss Collection Exhibit started as part of a relatively simple, yet tedious effort to catalog the museum's collection. While working, some forgotten archival boxes containing a series of canvas rolls were rediscovered. As curators carefully unrolled each canvas, several images started to peek out for the first time in decades: a parrot, a hound, a duck with an umbrella, an alligator, a ladybug; it was only then that museum staff realized the scale of their aircraft fabric art collection. While they had a tremendous collection, they lacked information about each item. In early 2020, the Curtiss museum reached out to the National Naval Aviation Museum to begin a deep dive into aircraft insignia history. The pieces discovered in the collection were indeed authentic vintage aircraft insignia, mostly from the golden age of early naval aviation when open-cockpit biplanes launched from the decks of the earliest aircraft carriers, U.S. Navy forward bases, and even some battleships. Many of the insignias can be directly traced to Navy units from the 1920s to as late as 1940. Boeing, Vought, Martin, and of course Curtiss are all represented in the collection. Some of the insignias collected to ships are equally fascinating: the USS Lexington, USS Saratoga, USS Ranger, and, oddly, the USS Arizona. There are six images representing French squadrons from World War I, roughly dating from 1914 1918. All but one are in fantastic condition for their age. Squadron numbers and iconic early manufacturers include Salmson, SPAD, Farman, Breguet, Fokker, and Nieuport. In total, our collection of original aviation insignia has grown to nineteen unique pieces (with a few duplicates), each a window into the past, explained Benjamin Johnson, Executive Director of the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum. As an unrepentant aviation history nerd since childhood, I am genuinely astonished by what we found. From French airfields to the decks of the Saratoga, from interwar Hawaii to the seaplane hoist of the USS Arizona, these pieces survived over a century to end up in Hammondsport, N.Y. What stories they could tell! It is the finest collection of its type that I have ever seen in over 40 years, and I would be amazed if there is anything that currently exists that could rival it, notes Robert R. Buddy Macon - Deputy Director, National Naval Aviation Museum. The fact that the collection has survived over 100 years and is being preserved to be made available for the next 100 is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. Everyone should take the time, make the pilgrimage to the Glenn Curtiss Museum and take it all in. No matter how long one works in this field, the opportunity to identify a collection like this doesnt happen very often, adds Johnson. Though unseen for decades, they resurfaced at the exact right time, when the right combination of people and resources came together. Never meant to survive long-term, squadron insignias were usually roughly painted on fuselage canvases. The paintings showed everything from pelicans to cartoon characters and mythical creatures, which united crew members, represented the emotions of war, and served as a representation of the lives of pilots and crew members. Some of the most famous American designs from the period were the Indian Head of the Lafayette Escadrille and the iconic Hat in the Ring of Eddie Rickenbackers 94th Aero Squadron which represented Uncle Sam throwing in with the Allied nations. During the war, the War Department approved the emblems of 45 squadrons that served in France. Harrisburg, Pa. - During a Capitol press conference on June 8, House and Senate Democratic Leaders were joined by Gov. Tom Wolf to call for reforms and updates of the state's school funding system. The current system is based on student enrollment as of 1992 rather than current enrollment numbers, which the legislators called unfair for growing school districts. School funding in Pennsylvania is still based on enrollment from 30 years ago and hasnt been updated in a generation, said Gov. Wolf. This unfair school funding system is failing students, teachers, and communities, and thats unacceptable. We need to fix the mistakes of the past and make a comprehensive investment in education funding that actually works," the governor continued. When the state underfunds school districts, property taxes rise to compensate for funding deficiencies. A "fair funding formula" was signed into law in 2016, but it only applies to new funding; last year, only 11 percent ($700 million) of state funding used the formula. The remaining 89 percent continued to use the old formula. We have an opportunity here to bring education funding into the 21st century where it belongs, said Wolf. To do that, we need to run all current state basic education funding through the fair funding formula, and we need to make sure that no school district loses a single dollar in state funding because of this adjustment." House Democratic Leader Joanna McClinton, Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa, House Democratic Appropriations Chairman Matthew Bradford, Senate Democratic Appropriations Chairman Vince Hughes, and additional Democratic legislators, education experts, and stakeholders gathered on the capitol steps to offer their support for the reform. I am honored to stand with the dedicated legislative leaders who are calling for our commonwealth to invest in our students, Wolf continued. "Every student in our commonwealth deserves an opportunity to succeed. Thats what parents want for their children, and its what Pennsylvania needs for our future. In addition to pushing for funding reform, state legislators are pushing for bipartisan charter school accountability reform that would set performance standards for charter schools and change the way that they are funded, saving an estimated $395 million per year. On Friday, June 11, the Jakey Hollow Natural Area in Columbia County was added to the Old-Growth Forest Network, with Worlds End State Park in Sullivan County joining it on Saturday. Joan Maloof, the founder and director of the Old-Growth Forest Network, made a trip to Jakey Hollow Natural Area and presented a plaque to District Forester Tim Ladner, Pennsylvania DCNR Deputy Secretary John Norbeck, and State Forester Ellen Shultzabarger. Columbia County Coordinator Brittney Hartzell also joined the event. Following the ceremony, participants took a hike into the forest. Jakey Hollow Natural Area, part of the Weiser State Forest, is a small but unique site in Central Columbia County near Bloomsburg. Several massive old growth white pine and hemlocks remind visitors of what Pennsylvania must have been like in the past. The 59-acre area is home to an excellent mixed stand of second growth eastern hemlock, old eastern white pine, hardwoods, with a small area of virgin hemlock. Some of the other tree species at this site include sugar maple, red oak, white oak, American beech, black birch, and black cherry. The shrub layer and herbaceous layer includes mountain laurel, ferns, Solomons seal, and purple trillium. The rich variety in plant life attracts and helps sustain multiple wildlife species, especially birds. Barred owls, blue-headed vireo, black-throated green warbler, scarlet tanager, and pileated woodpeckers can be seen there. This dedication marks the fourth in a series of Pennsylvania State Lands dedications into the Old-Growth Forest Network that will span 2021 and 2022. On Saturday, June 12, Worlds End State Park in Sullivan County will also be formally inducted into the Old-Growth Forest Network. Joan Maloof, the Founder and Director of the Old-Growth Forest Network, will present a plaque to park manager Bill Kocher, Pennsylvania DCNR Deputy Secretary John Norbeck, and State Parks Director John Hallas. The ceremony will take place at the parks outdoor chapel and be followed by a short hike along the Double Run Nature Trail guided by Friends of Worlds End State Park Board Member Dave Kowalewski. For directions and ceremony information, please click here. Worlds End State Park surrounds a narrow S-shaped valley of the Loyalsock Creek, including an impressive gorge vista that may have inspired the name of the park. The 780-acre park boasts a maturing canopy of ash, sugar maple, and black cherry with many wildflowers growing at ground level. Though there is a history of logging in this area, the park is now able to recover and become an old-growth forest through its protection as a Pennsylvania State Park. This dedication marks the fifth in a series of Pennsylvania State Lands dedications into the Old-Growth Forest Network that will span 2021 and 2022. Earlier in the week, Henrys Woods of Jacobsburg State Park in Northampton County was added to the Network, and Fall Brook Natural Area in Salt Springs State Park, Susquehanna County will be inducted on Sunday, June 13. The mission of the Old-Growth Forest Network (OGFN) is to connect people with nature by creating a national network of protected, mature, publicly accessible, native forests. The goal is to preserve at least one forest in every county in the U.S. that can sustain a forest, estimated to be 2,370 out of a total of 3,140 counties. OGFN works to identify forests for the Network, ensure their protection from logging, and inform people of the forest locations. Founded in 2012 by Joan Maloof, PhD in ecology and professor emeritus of Salisbury University, the network currently has 130 forests in the Network across 24 states. The latest four parks join 16 other Pennsylvania forests already in the Network. OGFN also recognizes exceptional forest advocates, educates about the extraordinary ecological benefits of old-growth forests, and speaks out regarding immediate threats to specific ancient forests. Learn more and find out how to volunteer at oldgrowthforest.net. Dr. Maloof states, We look forward to adding more forests to the Network in the future. We depend on a volunteer in each county to help us identify candidate forests. In addition to creating a network of forests, we are also creating a network of people who care about forests." Williamsport, PA (17701) Today Isolated thunderstorms this evening, then cloudy with rain likely late. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Isolated thunderstorms this evening, then cloudy with rain likely late. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Muncy -- Lawrence G. Larry Wertman, 72, of Muncy lost his battle with cancer on Wednesday, June 2, 2021, at The Muncy Place. Born February 27, 1949, in Muncy, he was the son of the late Harold and Victoria (Selian) Wertman. Larry was a graduate of Muncy High School (67) attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania and ROTC. He owned and operated Wertmans Bait & Tackle located in Muncy for 50 years. In his early years, he was a Firefighter/EMT, enjoyed racing stock cars, and an avid Hamm radio operator (W3LGW). Larry enjoyed Lionel Trains, you could often find him buying and selling them at the Lewisburg flea market. Larry is survived by his Stepson Brian Clayton as well as his closest friends Charles Long, Franklin Pidcoe, and Julie Foresman. Larry would have liked to thank the doctors and nurses that took such good care of him. In keeping with his wishes there will be no services at this time. In the near future there will be a Celebration of Life held at Trout Pond Park. The Family is being assisted by Grenobles 121 S. Main St., Muncy Expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.grenoblefuneralhome.com. To plant a tree in memory of Lawrence Wertman as a living tribute, please visit Tribute Store. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Submit Here La Fayette, GA (30728) Today A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 67F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Rome, GA (30161) Today A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight. Low 69F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Deck Cheatham has been a golf professional for more than 40 years. He lives with his family in Dalton. Contact him at pgadeacon@gmail.com. Rome, GA (30161) Today A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly to mostly cloudy. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly to mostly cloudy. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable. Willie Mae Samuel is a playwright, founder and director of the African American Connection of the Performing Arts Inc. and a 2020 Heart of the Community Award recipient. She can be contacted at artsnow2019@gmail.com. Napoleon, OH (43545) Today Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low near 65F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low near 65F. Winds light and variable. Community Reporter Erica Welch is the special sections editor for The News-Review, mother of two and a native of Roseburg. She is an alumni of RHS, UCC and Western Oregon University. Contact her at ewelch@nrtoday.com or 541-957-4218. The Centers for Disease Control and Preventions vaccine advisory committee plans to hold an emergency meeting this month to discuss the higher than expected reports of heart inflammation in young males following a second dose of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. The June 18 meeting will address the conditions that are very infrequent and have not been directly linked to the vaccines, the agency announced on June 10. The first portion of the meeting will feature an update on COVID-19 vaccine safety, including myocarditis cases seen after the administration of vaccines built on messenger RNA technology, according to the meeting agenda. Myocarditis is a rare disorder that leads to heart inflammation. Causes include the flu and COVID-19. Rates of myocarditis and a similar condition, pericarditis, for those between the ages of 16 and 24 after vaccination with two of the three COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States are higher than the expected rate, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) disclosed in a meeting earlier Thursday. The CDC has so far identified 226 reports in people ages 30 and younger that might meet the agencys working case definition of heart inflammation following the shots, Dr. Tom Shimabukuro, a deputy director at the agency, told the Food and Drug Administrations vaccine advisory group during a virtual meeting. That was out of about 12.2 million who had received a vaccine as of May 31. While the vast majority of the patients have recovered, 41 had ongoing symptoms, 15 are still hospitalized, and three are in intensive care units. Shimabukuro told members that the CDC will continue to evaluate myocarditis following vaccination and assess the benefits and risks of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which both use mRNA technology, ahead of the emergency meeting next week. A CDC spokesperson told The Epoch Times via email that there will be more discussion about post-vaccination myocarditis at the meeting, the spokesperson added. Given the number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered, these reports are rare. More than 18 million people between ages 12-24 have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine in the United States. CDC continues to recommend COVID-19 vaccination for everyone 12 years and older, the spokesperson said. The agency has thus far declined to recommend a pause of vaccinating youth, despite advising such a pause after a smaller number of post-vaccination blood clotting cases appeared in April. The CDCs advisory group, formally known as the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, makes recommendations to the agency regarding vaccines. The recommendations are nonbinding but the CDC often takes the recommended action. After the group recommended lifting the pause of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine following the blood clots appearing in seven women after vaccination, the CDC lifted the pause. Not all of the reports, which were submitted to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, will turn out to be accurate, Shimabukuro told Thursdays meeting. But he added that the higher-than-expected rate the statistics indicate are consistent with surveillance data from Israel and the Pentagon. Dr. Monica Gandhi, professor of medicine and associate chief at the University of California, San Francisco, told The Epoch Times in an email that the CDC could end up recommending only vaccinating children who have not recovered from COVID-19 because there is a link between COVID infection and myocarditis. Other possibilities include giving a single dose of the Moderna or Pfizer shots to those under the age of 20, lowering the dosage amount, and extending the duration between doses one and two in young people, she added. Members of the Food and Drug Administrations Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, which heard from Shimabukuro, expressed concern about the myocarditis data. Because weve all discussed at fair length the concern about myocarditis and other side effects, which seem to generally be worse after the second dose, I think we need some studies on single dose and whether that might be adequate going forward, Dr. Mark Sawyer, professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego, told colleagues during the meeting. I think the myocarditis is something that needs to be looked at closely because were likely seeing the tip of the iceberg, added Dr. Michael Kurilla, director of the Division of Clinical Innovation at the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, which is part of the National Institutes of Health. Pfizer said it supports the CDCs assessment of the heart inflammation cases, noting that the number of reports is small given the number of doses administered. It is important to understand that a careful assessment of the reports is ongoing and it has not been concluded that the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines cause myocarditis or pericarditis, the company told The Epoch Times in an email. Moderna did not respond to a request for comment. From The Epoch Times The Mount Clifton United Methodist Church near Mount Jackson, which was established 137 years ago, has closed due to dwindling membership. Andy Schmookler is the author of The Parable of the Tribes: The Problem of Power in Social Evolution Water Allotments: Each member of the Lewis & Clark Regional Water system has daily reserved capacities the system will provide once they are hooked up to the network of pipelines, wells and water towers. The five NWest Iowa cities in the system have the following reserved capacities: He also said stubbing a right of way to the south property line wouldn't be possible, as there are wetlands to the south. "Two of the three delineated wetlands do cross the property lines, and consequently, the third lines up with the other," Fleming said. "So while I could get rid of the third, I couldn't get rid of the other two, which is a roadblock, pun intended, in that regard; that we would not be able to stub that right of way, unfortunately to the south." During a previous meeting, neighboring homeowners said they wanted to hear plans to preserve the wetlands and shared concerns over traffic, as well as asked for assurance their homes wouldn't be affected by increased water runoff and drainage from the new subdivision. The subdivision was previously deferred by the commission in May for further review by Kraus, who addressed further concerns during the commission's June 2 meeting. Kraus noted while petitioner Fleming did address some items included in the original review notes he sent to Abonmarche, the engineer firm for the project, others weren't mentioned. Kraus said on the plat, lot 24 does not show a 5-foot, no-access easement. CALUMET TOWNSHIP The security guard who was fatally shot during an attempted robbery at First Midwest Bank has been identified as a Tinley Park man. Richard Castellana, 55, was pronounced dead at 2:20 p.m. Friday, according to a report from Lake County Coroner Merrilee Frey. One suspect has been arrested and one remains at large as of Friday night, authorities said. One of the men was found late Friday afternoon and taken into custody, Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez said. He was arrested in the woods between 44th Street and 45th Avenue, west of Garfield Avenue, said Chris Bavender, FBI spokeswoman for the Indianapolis field office. The second suspect is still being sought. Police released surveillance images from the bank showing the suspects. The suspects were described as two African American males who are armed and dangerous, Bavender said. The FBI has taken over the case as the main investigating agency. "The Lake County Sheriffs Department will assist in whatever way we can in bringing these suspects to justice," Martinez said. "I would like to offer my deepest heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the security officer who was killed." A2-A3 An article on Friday about a photo project for The Times Magazine misstated the relationship between a woman and the relative she was meeting for the first time when she was photographed. It was her great-grandchild, not her grandchild. NATIONAL An article on Tuesday about Democrats in West Virginia referred imprecisely to the political survival of Senator Joe Manchin III. No other member in the House or Senate other than Mr. Manchin represents constituents, in either their state or district, who voted for the other partys presidential candidate by more than 16 points not just constituents in their state. BUSINESS An article on March 20 about Facebooks difficulty distinguishing satire from misinformation referred imprecisely to the Babylon Bee, a right-leaning satirical website, and a controversy regarding the handling of its content by Facebook and the fact-checking site Snopes. While both Facebook and Snopes previously have classified some Babylon Bee articles as misinformation, rather than satire, they have dropped those claims, and the Babylon Bee denies that it has trafficked in misinformation. ARTS & LEISURE An article on Page 11 this weekend about the (Un)Known Project in Louisville, Ky., misattributes a line in Hannah Drakes poem Dawn. Drake, in an asterisk, attributes the line in her poem to Anne Lamott. (It is from Lamotts book Bird by Bird.) It also misidentifies the year Drakes video won millions of views and praise from Ava DuVernay. DuVernays comments and millions of views occurred in 2019, not 2017, when Drake made the video. Winter through spring, the French Alps are wrapped in austere white snow. But as spring turns to summer, the stoic slopes start to blush. Parts of the snow take on bright colors: deep red, rusty orange, lemonade pink. Locals call this sang de glacier, or glacier blood. Visitors sometimes go with watermelon snow. In reality, these blushes come from an embarrassment of algae. In recent years, alpine habitats all over the world have experienced an uptick in snow algae blooms dramatic, strangely hued aggregations of these normally invisible creatures. While snow algae blooms are poorly understood, that they are happening is probably not a good sign. Researchers have begun surveying the algae of the Alps to better grasp what species live there, how they survive and what might be pushing them over the bleeding edge. Some of their initial findings were published this week in Frontiers in Plant Science. Tiny yet powerful, the plantlike organisms we call algae are the basis of all ecosystems, said Adeline Stewart, an author of the study who worked on it as a doctoral student at Grenoble Alpes University in France. Thanks to their photosynthetic prowess, algae produce a large amount of the worlds oxygen, and form the foundation of most food webs. Madeline Rhiana Belloff was at the ready with Red Bull Energy Drinks, Sour Patch Kids candy and Goldfish crackers, while Daniel Alexander Martinez fortified them with sandwiches from the local deli when they often studied together at Columbia. We were both studious and nerdy, said Ms. Belloff, who likes to say they met across the Broadway divide, in 2012 as sophomores she at Barnard and he at the engineering school at Columbia. They hung out in the same group of fraternity and sorority friends, and two or three times a week a bunch of them would drop by 1020, a local college bar, during her bartending shift, usually Mr. Martinezs idea. She was very adventurous and silly, said Mr. Martinez . Ms. Belloff, 28, is now a communications strategist at Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher, a public relations firm, and Mr. Martinez, 27, a strategy consultant at the Boston Consulting Group, both in New York. Shortly after Summer Hofford and Dr. Sujay Kulshrestha connected on Tinder, they agreed to meet at a Chicago bar one cold and rainy Saturday in April 2016. Their first round of drinks went smoothly. Dr. Kulshrestha, 29, had just graduated from Washington University in St. Louis. He later received a medical degree from the University of Chicago. Ms. Hofford, 28, was pursuing an acting career in Chicago at the time after graduating from Loyola University Chicago. On May 9, she received a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She was so beautiful and intelligent, I just thought she was out of my league, said Dr. Kulshrestha, 29, a resident physician in general surgery at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood. He is also working on a two-year National Institutes of Health clinical research fellowship. First-date magic seemed to be on the side of Dr. Kulshrestha, until he pointed to a bar across the street and suggested that they go there for a second round of drinks. It was the classic tale with a twist: Victoria Hogan was always the officiant, never the bride. The 35-year-old owner of a Las Vegas-based pop-up wedding company, Flora Pop, had single-handedly married more than 3,000 couples over the past seven years before she finally had an opportunity to stand in the spotlight. It was an interesting dynamic, being a wedding officiant who wasnt married myself, said Ms. Hogan, a Universal Life Church minister. For a long time, it was kind of a difficult experience, because I believed that my romantic heart was what led me to this in the first place. Ms. Hogan doted on her couples, giving sound advice: Have grace with your partner, she would tell them, have compassion and love yourself first. Then it will radiate into your relationship. Her own love life, though, was in shambles, and she felt like her romantic partners were never on the same page as she was when it came to the relationship. Republican-led legislatures in several states including Georgia, Florida and Iowa have passed laws imposing new voting restrictions, and Texas, New Hampshire, Arizona and Michigan, among other states, are considering changes to their electoral systems. At the same time, hopes have dimmed on the left that Congress will pass two major election bills after Senator Joe Manchin III, Democrat of West Virginia, said he would not support abolishing the filibuster to advance such measures. Mr. Garland has said that protecting the right to vote is one of his top priorities as attorney general, and his top lieutenants include high-profile voting rights advocates such as Vanita Gupta, the departments No. 3 official, and Kristen Clarke, the head of the Civil Rights Division. The division currently has about a dozen employees on its enforcement staff, which is focused on protecting the right to vote, according to a department official familiar with the staff. Despite his pledge, Mr. Garland is still limited in what he can do unless Democrats in Congress somehow manage to pass new voter protection laws. He can sue states that are found to have violated any of the nations four major federal voting rights laws. He can notify state and local governments when he believes that their procedures violate federal law. And federal prosecutors can charge people who are found to have intimidated voters, a federal crime. The Justice Departments most powerful tool, the Voting Rights Act, was significantly weakened by a 2013 Supreme Court decision that struck down pieces of the act forcing states with legacies of racial discrimination to receive Justice Department approval before they could change their voting laws. Now the department can only sue after a law has been passed and found to violate the act, meaning that a restrictive law could stand through multiple election cycles as litigation winds its way through the courts. Any new steps to protect voting rights are unlikely to move quickly, said Joanna Lydgate, a former deputy attorney general of Massachusetts who co-founded the States United Democracy Center. People will need to be patient, she said. In an interview with Politico on Friday, Mr. Barr sought to distance himself from the tactics. He said he was not aware of any congressmans records being sought in a leak case while he was attorney general. The subpoenas to Apple and Microsoft for congressional records were issued before his tenure. Congressional Democrats welcomed the assurance from the Biden administration but signaled that they were unwilling to take the Justice Department at its word. Representative Jerrold Nadler, Democrat of New York and the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said the department had a very short window to make a clean break from the Trump era on this matter before his panel would step in. We expect the department to provide a full accounting of these cases, and we expect the attorney general to hold the relevant personnel accountable for their conduct, Mr. Nadler said. If the department does not make substantial progress toward these two goals, then we on the Judiciary Committee will have no choice but to step in and do the work ourselves. The Justice Departments inspector general, Michael E. Horowitz, might stand the best chance of piecing together a full picture of what took place. He said on Friday that he would review the departments use of subpoenas and other legal maneuvers to secretly seize communications records associated with both Congress and reporters. The review will examine the departments compliance with applicable D.O.J. policies and procedures, and whether any such uses, or the investigations, were based upon improper considerations, Mr. Horowitz said. His announcement followed a referral by the deputy attorney general, Lisa O. Monaco, according to a senior Justice Department official; Attorney General Merrick B. Garland directed her to take that step, the official said. Speaker Nancy Pelosi also called for an inspector general investigation. Mr. Schiff welcomed the inquiry but said it was insufficient. He called on Congress to take a broader look at the systemic politicization of the department and its mission, and other flagrant abuses. While the Quebec legislation is not aimed at any particular religion, it has disproportionately affected Muslim women and women from other faiths. My colleague in Montreal, Dan Bilefsky, wrote about how it upended the life of a Muslim lawyer in the province as well as those of a Sikh teacher and an Orthodox Jewish teacher. [Read: A Quebec Ban on Religious Symbols Upends Lives and Careers] Several Quebecers this week rejected criticism of the law. On Wednesday, Yves-Francois Blanchet, leader of the Bloc Quebecois, said that Quebecers are tired of being treated like racists. Defenders of the legislation say that rather than being a limit on any religion, its a necessary step to preserving the secularism Quebec established after long being dominated by the Roman Catholic church. While all the party leaders in Parliament, Mr. Blanchet aside, have expressed misgivings about Quebecs law, they all shy away when it comes to having the federal government join in the legal challenge against it. Many political observers attribute their hesitancy to fear of alienating voters in Quebec, where polls show strong support for the ban. It is extremely important to recognize that provinces have the right to put forward bills that align with their priorities, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said this week. I think people have a right to question those and go to court to defend their rights, as is happening right now. Before the pandemic, Max Kumangai spent his Saturdays singing and dancing his way through back-to-back performances of Jagged Little Pill, a rock musical on Broadway. Saturday is still his busiest day. But whereas he once kicked off his workday by practicing lifting his colleagues above his head, he now begins by removing sourdough loaves from the refrigerator and preparing them for baking. (The oven in his Harlem apartment is so old that the numbers on the temperature dial wore off long ago, but he knows which dot to pick to get the color and crust just right.) Once the loaves are done, he places them in paper bags stamped with the logo for Humpday Dough, the business he now runs with his fiance, and heads to the subway to deliver them across New York City. Increasingly, the agency doesnt bother. People earning less than $25,000 are at least three times more likely to be audited than partnerships, whose income flows overwhelmingly to the richest 1 percent of Americans. The consequences of that imbalance are enormous. By one recent estimate, the United States loses $75 billion a year from investors in partnerships failing to report their income accurately at least some of which would probably be recovered if the I.R.S. conducted more audits. Thats enough to roughly double annual federal spending on education. It is also a dramatic understatement of the true cost. It doesnt include the ever-changing array of maneuvers often skating the edge of the law that private equity firms have devised to help their managers avoid income taxes on the roughly $120 billion the industry pays its executives each year. Private equitys ability to vanquish the I.R.S., Treasury and Congress goes a long way toward explaining the deep inequities in the U.S. tax system. When it comes to bankrolling the federal government, the richest of Americas rich many of them hailing from the private equity industry play by an entirely different set of rules than everyone else. The result is that men like Blackstone Groups chief executive, Stephen A. Schwarzman, who earned more than $610 million last year, can pay federal taxes at rates similar to the average American. Lawmakers have periodically tried to force private equity to pay more, and the Biden administration has proposed a series of reforms, including enlarging the I.R.S.s enforcement budget and closing loopholes. The push for reform gained new momentum after ProPublicas recent revelation that some of Americas richest men paid little or no federal taxes. A year ago, oyster growers who farm New Jerseys marshy coastal inlets and tidal flats were fighting for survival. Restaurants were shut down by the pandemic, and the oysters they had nurtured for two years were growing past their prime. The pricey seafood that should have been sold in raw bars or served at weddings was instead submerged in cages and racks in Barnegat and Delaware Bays, crowding out a younger crop of oysters. When Covid hit, that market disappeared, said Tim Dillingham, executive director of the American Littoral Society, a nonprofit dedicated to the study and conservation of marine life and habitats. Unable to pay for boat fuel or the following years seed, some small aquaculture farmers in New York and New Jersey, struggling to revitalize what was once the countrys pre-eminent oyster market, braced for the worst. Hold the phone. Or at least, hold on to the phone. Sell everything else. Thats essentially what AT&T told investors last month in announcing the spinoff of its WarnerMedia division, which will merge with Discovery, owner of HGTV, TLC, Eurosport and other networks. This new global media company will be called Warner Bros. Discovery, with the tag line The stuff that dreams are made of. Bad dreams, in AT&Ts case. In announcing the deal, AT&Ts chief executive officer, John Stankey, declared himself capital allocator in chief and decided he had better uses for AT&Ts cash than HBO Max, Godzilla vs. Kong, N.B.A. games or CNN. This is a curious designation from a guy who was part of the executive team that allocated more than $85 billion to buy WarnerMedia three years ago, on the belief that pairing distribution with content was a compelling strategic plan. AT&T now becomes a pure play: a telecommunications company as it was in 1984, when the Justice Department broke up its predecessor. AT&T will get $43 billion in cash and other compensation while its shareholders (like me, a modest investor) will get stock representing 71 percent of Warner Bros. Discovery when the deal closes, which is expected to be in 2022. Investors disconnected, sending AT&Ts stock down more than 10 percent. At a recent stock price of around $29, more than $20 billion in value has been erased since the deal was announced. Weve seen this diversify-then-divest movie before. Its the Four Weddings and a Funeral of corporate America, without any uplifting ending. C.E.O.s take the capital generated by their successful businesses and then buy others that they cant manage, or are poor fits in the first place. The rationale is that they are adding scale, growth, adjacencies or serving what they discern to be customer needs. Weve known for decades that theres a diversification discount, says Rohan Williamson, chair of international business at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. So do C.E.O.s, to little apparent effect. Thats the way managers think. In their minds, its this time it will be different. China is not massacring Uyghurs, so this is not a genocide in the commonly accepted sense. But under the legal definition in the 1948 Genocide Convention, Chinas practices appear to qualify as genocide by suppressing births of a particular ethnic group. Nancys own personal journey reflects how Chinas government has gone from wooing Uyghurs to crushing them. Her family was not religious, her mother was a Communist Party member entrusted with a senior government job, and the family was ready to work within the system. Indeed, when Nancy was in high school, the Chinese government dispatched her to live in eastern China so as to assimilate her and mold her into a Uyghur agent of influence. But tensions between Han Chinese and Uyghurs grew. Eventually Nancy, frustrated by the lack of good jobs even for educated Uyghurs in China, took a position in Turkey. That didnt raise eyebrows at the time, but after China began its crackdown in 2016, any foreign travel by Uyghurs became suspicious. Nancys parents had visited her in Turkey, so they were detained in concentration camps for re-education. After the parents were released from the camps, they left her a voice message urging her to return to China. Your country loves you, her mom told her. Your country needs you here. Nancy immediately grew suspicious, doubly so when her mother then said that Nancys pregnancy might make it difficult to return. In fact, Nancy was not pregnant, and she assumes that someone was forcing her mother to lure her home but that her mother was trying desperately to signal that she should stay away. Nancy says that an uncle became paralyzed while in the camps, apparently from a beating, and another relative died while inside. Four of her cousins are currently locked up in forced labor camps, she said, and guards are demanding bribes in exchange for not starving one of them. What can the world do in the face of these atrocities not to mention the destruction of Hong Kong, the kidnapping and mistreatment of two Canadian hostages and other rogue behavior by President Xi Jinping? But theres a personal psychodrama going on as well. It will determine the answers to those questions, and its a spectacle all its own. Just as Trumps presidency was like none before it, his ex-presidency is a singular production. Other presidents left the White House and, for a short or long while, savored the disappearance of the press corps and the dimming of the spotlight. Maybe right away, maybe later, they burnished their legacies with philanthropic deeds. Meanwhile, they issued pro forma statements of support for their successors or, in accordance with longstanding etiquette, zipped their lips. They behaved. Trump hasnt. And lets be honest he wont. His response to his altered reality is to insist even more than before on an alternative reality, one in which hell be reinstated as president, and his sycophants are willing to support his delusions of omnipotence by establishing a zone of affirmation around him. From Greens article: When Trump ventured south, a stream of family members (literal and figurative) followed. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner bought a $32 million waterfront lot in Miami from the Latin crooner Julio Iglesias and enrolled their kids at a nearby Jewish day school. Donald Trump Jr. and his girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle, bought a $9.7 million mansion in Jupiter, Fla. In December, Sean Hannity sold his penthouse not far from former House speaker and Trump critic John Boehners place along the Gulf of Mexico and bought a $5.3 million seaside home two miles from Mar-a-Lago, symbolically swapping the Boehner Coast for the Trump Coast. Hannitys Fox News colleague Neil Cavuto joined him, buying a $7.5 million place nearby. Think about how utterly bizarre that is, says Eddie Vale, a Democratic strategist. Its like if Rachel Maddow and the Pod Save America guys all bought condos in Chicago because they wanted to be close to Barack Obama. The only one missing is MyPillows Mike Lindell, the bedding magnate turned Trump comforter. And Trump is not comforted enough. That was obvious in both his commencement of a blog (From the Desk of Donald J. Trump) in May and his termination of it less than a month later, after it failed to attract any readership remotely commensurate with the audience for his past tweets. Trump, onetime monarch of social media, had to grovel for clicks. What an astonishing reversal of fortune. But its consistent with other glimmers of desperation. According to an article in The Times by Annie Karni and Maggie Haberman, he has taken to announcing the states he plans to visit before the actual venues and dates have been arranged. In his head he can probably already hear that magic MAGA applause. Its stuck there like the chorus of a Top 40 song, but he wants it performed live, in an arena as mammoth as his neediness. The substitute for that applause? Deference. He demands it every bit as much as he ever did and arguably grows more furious than before when hes denied it. Thats where the personal and political narratives intersect. His demonization of Liz Cheney for crossing him, his denunciation of Paul Ryan for dissing him and his savaging of any Republican who challenges the Big Lie reflect a ruinous petulance that is bound to wax, not wane, as his exile grinds on. As Jennifer Senior wrote in a column in The Times in January about repudiated narcissists, they lurch between the role of victim and tormentor, howl on and on about betrayal and lash out with a mighty vindictiveness. Trump is lurching and howling and lashing, to a point where Jeb Bushs son George P. Bush has been terrified into abject genuflection. The props for George P.s campaign for Texas attorney general include beer koozies with an image of him and Trump shaking hands and a quote from Trump saying that George P. is the only Bush that likes me! This is the Bush that got it right. I like him. Im sure low energy Jeb, as Trump mockingly dismissed him, is suffused with paternal pride. Four years earlier, in the 2016 election that Democrats invoke as a case study in the thwarting of the public will, Republicans actually won the popular vote for the House, and in the presidential election the combined vote for Donald Trump and the Libertarian Party edged out Hillary Clintons support, even with Jill Steins votes thrown in. Trump was certainly a countermajoritarian president, but there was no clear mandate for the Democrats in 16, let alone a sweeping one. Combine this reality with the anxiety thats radicalizing conservatives, the sense that Americas nonpolitical institutions are increasingly arrayed against them, and you can make sense of Manchins filibuster stance. The 60-vote threshold is a curb on his own partys overstated sense of its own popularity; it protects Democrats from acting more aggressively than their narrow majorities would justify. It is also a curb against further conservative radicalization, reassuring the right that even if liberalism controls the commanding heights of American culture, it cant legislate all its preferences without buy-in from the G.O.P. Since those radicalizing conservatives include many of Manchins own constituents, you can see how the two ideas inform his own self-understanding. Maybe abolishing the filibuster would eventually lead to Democratic senators from Puerto Rico or Washington, D.C. But in the short term it might make the prospects of the few remaining red-state Democratic senators even dimmer than today. But there is a half measure available that Manchin should consider as an alternative to abolition: weakening the filibuster by taking its threshold to 55 votes instead of 60. As a practical matter a 55-vote threshold puts a lot of things that the West Virginia senator favors more in play from the gun-control measure he hashed out with Pat Toomey in the Obama years to infrastructure spending and the Jan. 6 commission in this presidency while still throwing up a strong impediment to ideological legislating. It gives the kind of Republicans hes most inclined to work with more power in the Senate, without creating a situation where activists can expect moderate Democrats to constantly join 51-49 votes. It adapts the filibuster in a reasonable way to our age of heightened polarization, maintaining protections for the minority, while making some deals that used to be possible available again. This Is the Summer the Youth Own New York For decades, certain corners of the city were so smoothed by money they seemed off-limits to those just starting out as adults. But for one brief shining moment, it all belongs to the young. June 12, 2021 Walking around Lower Manhattan on a recent weeknight, a middle-aged, slightly graying man wasnt sure if it was he who had changed or New York. True, he hadnt been out much lately but something was different. He walked from SoHo to NoLIta along Prince Street, then turned down Mulberry. Thats where it hit him: Everyone on the street seemed to be young, like a scene from the sci-fi movie Logans Run. Their reign over the city is just getting started. Sofia Pace, a 21-year-old student at Baruch College who grew up in the East Village, mentioned in a phone interview a meme she saw recently on Instagram. It said: This summer in New York is going in the Bible. Thats the best way that I can describe how people my age are looking at it, that its going in the Bible, Ms. Pace said. The energy level could not be higher going into the summer months. But Mr. Leng believes this technology will improve, prices will drop to the cost of an S.U.V. and the world will ultimately embrace the idea of electric urban flight. By putting his vehicle into the hands of a relative few people, he argues, he can open the eyes of many more. He compares BlackFly to one of his other inventions: a new kind of foam padding that molded itself to your body when you sat on it. He did not initially know what it would be good for, but this memory foam wound up in office chairs, car seats and mattresses. In much the same way, he is unsure how BlackFly will work its way into everyday life, but he is confident of the possibilities. Others in the field are skeptical. They estimate it will be years or even decades before regulators will allow just anyone to fly such a vehicle over cities. And they say the technology is too important and transformative to remain a plaything for millionaires. So they are betting on something very different. It is going to take longer than people think When Sebastian Thrun watches his flying vehicle Heaviside rise up from its own grassy landing pad, he sees more than just the trees, hills and crags of the California test site. He envisions an American suburbia where his aircraft ferries people to their front doors sometime in the future. Yes, there are regulatory hurdles and other practical matters. These planes will need landing pads, and they could have trouble navigating dense urban areas, thanks to power lines and other low-flying aircraft. There is also the noise factor, a crucial selling point over loud combustion engine helicopters. Sitting a few hundred feet from the vehicle, Mr. Thrun boasted about how quiet the aircraft was, but when it took off, he had no choice but to stop talking. He could not be heard over the whir of the rotors. Few argue that it is unjustified for the government, like any organization, to try to deter excessive unauthorized disclosures. But for most of American history, it did so through administrative action, like the threat of losing ones security clearance or job, rather than treating it as a crime. Prosecutors first convicted an official of violating the Espionage Act for leaking to the news media as opposed to spying in 1985, and that case then stood alone for another generation. But starting midway through the George W. Bush administration, and extending through the Obama and Trump presidencies, it became routine to send leakers to prison. That change partly stemmed from the legally and politically charged issues that arose in the post-Sept. 11 period, like the Iraq war, torture and warrantless surveillance. The Bush Justice Department formed a task force dedicated to going after high-level national security leaks, helping alter the bureaucracys culture. The change also stemmed from 21st-century communications, whose deluge of electronic trails metadata showing who contacted whom and when, to who looked at or printed out a classified computer file made it easier for the F.B.I. to identify suspects. (Encryption, of course, has separately made it harder for agents to eavesdrop on the content of communications.) Several cracks in protections for journalism have formed under the resulting pressure. One is that investigators have increasingly tried to seize data about reporters phone calls and emails. Prosecutors sometimes notified news organizations about their intentions in advance, which has led to negotiations and court fights, including a 2006 appeals court ruling upholding a subpoena for a Times reporters phone data. However, the statute of limitations passed and the investigation ended. Prosecutors have also avoided such lengthy fights by arguing that advance notification would damage an investigation and secretly seized reporters data from communications companies without it. Examples include an Obama-era seizure of Associated Press phone data disclosed in 2013 and at least four Trump-era leak investigations. Then, during her graduation ceremony from Fitchburg High School on June 4, the assistant principal announced she was the winner. Ten minutes after she accepted it, she walked back to the podium and apologized for interrupting the ceremony. I am so very grateful for this, but I also know that I am not the one who needs this the most, Ms. Tetteh said, her voice trembling. I would be so very grateful if administration would consider giving the General Excellence scholarship to someone who is going into community college. Immediately after her speech, her fellow classmates and the crowd at the ceremony cheered and rose in a standing ovation. Ms. Tetteh said she was flooded with relief. When I said the words, when they came out, I knew they were the right thing to say, she said in an interview on Thursday. It was the right thing to do. Robert Jokela, the district superintendent, said that one week after the ceremony, he remained awed by Ms. Tettehs spontaneous announcement. The Boston Globe and other local news outlets reported on her speech this week, and it soon gained attention from national newspapers and television networks. U Hla Min, a rice farmer in central Myanmar, was getting regular radiation therapy for cancer when the military seized power on Feb. 1. Initially expected to survive, he lasted less than three months. His treatment ended when doctors at Mandalay General Hospital walked off the job to protest the coup. Soldiers soon occupied the hospital and others across Myanmar, using them as bases for their bloody crackdown on resistance to their rule. Many medical workers and would-be patients, fearing arrest or worse, stayed away. Even as his health deteriorated, Mr. Hla Min supported the doctors decision to stop working at state-run facilities, which helped start a general strike that has brought the economy to a near-halt. I know Im dying, he said in an interview in late April. But I will never blame the doctors, because young people are dying in the street after being shot by the police and soldiers. Compared to them, my death will be nothing. But when Mr. Trump showed up in Hamburg two years later this time Ms. Merkel was heading an expanded Group of 20 summit she was confronted with a new American president uninterested in multilateralism. She struggled just to include language about the Paris Climate Accord in the final declaration, while Mr. Trump quit meetings early and left his seat to chat with Mr. Putin. At a time when people were asking why we needed these expensive forums, with all the security, Ms. Schmucker said, she managed to rescue the summit by putting that in there, even though the Trump administration was so against it. In Cornwall, Ms. Merkel was expected to again focus on achieving strong language on climate when the topic is discussed on Sunday, this time pressing for net zero carbon emissions. She is definitely not interested in a showy farewell. Her office repeatedly batted away repeated questions by reporters before her departure from Germany over whether there would be any acknowledgment of her swan song. One issue that she put front and center in 2015 is missing this year: Gender. Even as international studies show that women have left the workplace in record numbers and struggled to balance life and work, especially during the coronavirus pandemic, the only mention of gender on the summit agenda is a nod to the importance of educating girls as part of global development. PLYMOUTH, England President Biden urged European nations and Japan on Saturday to counter Chinas growing economic and security influence by offering developing nations hundreds of billions in financing as an alternative to relying on Beijing for new roads, railways, ports and communications networks. It was the first time the worlds richest nations had discussed organizing a direct alternative to Chinas Belt-and-Road Initiative, President Xi Jinpings overseas lending and investment push, which has now spread across Africa, Latin America and into Europe itself. But the White House cited no financial commitments, and there is sharp disagreement among the United States and its allies about how to respond to Chinas rising power. Mr. Biden has made challenging a rising China and a disruptive Russia the centerpiece of a foreign policy designed to build up democracies around the world as a bulwark against spreading authoritarianism. Beijing, for its part, has pointed to the poor U.S. response to the pandemic and divisive American politics particularly the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol as signs that democracy is failing. In size and ambition, the Chinese development effort far surpasses the Marshall Plan, the United States program to rebuild Europe after World War II. At the Group of 7 summit meeting, discussions on Saturday about how to counter it reflected the debate within the West about whether to regard China as a partner, competitor, adversary or outright security threat. Summit Over, Putin and Biden Cite Gains, but Tensions Are Clear President Putin denied Russian responsibility for a surge in cyberattacks, but President Biden hinted at U.S. retaliation if they did not cease. Biden and Putin say the talks went well, but divisions remain on issues like cyberattacks and human rights. President Biden and President Vladimir V. Putin at the Villa La Grange in Geneva on Wednesday. Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times President Biden and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia emerged from their first in-person summit Wednesday and offered broad claims of good will, but it was clear that on issues ranging from cyberattacks to human rights, the two countries remain profoundly divided. There has been no hostility, Mr. Putin said as he met with reporters after the summit in Geneva. On the contrary, our meeting took place in a constructive spirit. For his part, Mr. Biden said, The tone of the entire meeting was good, positive. But the tensions remained evident. Mr. Putin denied that Russia has played a role in a spate of increasingly bold cyberattacks against U.S. institutions and said it was the United States that is the biggest offender. The Russian leader also appeared to give short shrift to what Mr. Biden had said was a key objective of the talks: to establish some guardrails that would make some kinds of attacks on critical infrastructure off limits in peacetime. Mr. Biden said that he had pressed the Russian president on a variety of issues and that he would not stop doing so. I made it clear to President Putin that well continue to raise issues of fundamental human rights, he said. I did what I came to do, Mr. Biden said. Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 1:31 - 0:00 transcript Biden Raises Human Rights and Cybersecurity With Putin Mr. Biden discussing his meeting with Mr. Putin. I told President Putin my agenda is not against Russia or anyone else. Its for the American people, fighting Covid-19, rebuilding our economy, re-establishing relationships around the world with our allies and friends and protecting the American people. Thats my responsibility as president. I also told him that no president of the United States could keep faith with the American people if they did not speak out to defend our democratic values, to stand up for the universal and fundamental freedoms that all men and women have in our view. Thats just part of the DNA of our country. So human rights is going to always be on the table, I told him. Its not about just going after Russia when they violate human rights. Its about who we are. This is about practical, straightforward, no-nonsense decisions that we have to make or not make. Well find out within the next six months to a year, whether or not we actually have a strategic dialogue that matters. Well find out whether we work to deal with everything from release of people in Russian prisons or not. Well find out whether we have a cybersecurity arrangement that begins to bring some order because, look, the countries that most are likely to be damaged the failure to do that are the major countries. Mr. Biden discussing his meeting with Mr. Putin. Credit Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times He expressed optimism that Mr. Putin would not seek to escalate the tensions between the two nations. The last thing he wants now is a cold war, Mr. Biden said, noting that we have significant cyber-capabilities, and he knows it. The high-stakes diplomatic engagement came at the end of a whirlwind weeklong European tour for Mr. Biden in which he sought to rebuild the traditional alliances that often bolstered the United States position during the Cold War. Mr. Biden has argued that the world is at an inflection point, with an existential battle underway between democracy and autocracy. But with Mr. Putin at the vanguard of the autocrats, the American leader faced criticism from some quarters for even taking part in the summit. Sensitive to the dangers of appearing to embrace the Russian leader, the White House insisted that both men hold separate news conferences after the three-hour meeting. Mr. Putin spoke first. There were signs of easing tensions. Mr. Putin said the two nations had agreed that their ambassadors, who both returned to their home countries amid the tensions, should return to their posts in the near future. He said they would also begin consultations on cyber-related issues. We believe the sphere of cybersecurity is extremely important for the world in general including for the United States, and for Russia to the same degree, he said. Mr. Putin, who flew in from Sochi, Russia, arrived first for the summit at an 18th-century Swiss villa perched above Lake Geneva. A short time later, Mr. Bidens motorcade pulled up as Russian, American and Swiss flags waved in the breeze under a blue sky with the United States entourage. The two leaders were greeted by President Guy Parmelin of Switzerland, who welcomed them to Geneva, the city of peace. I wish you both presidents a fruitful dialogue in the interest of your two countries and the world, he said. The two men touched on a range of difficult topics, from military threats to human rights concerns. Some were longstanding, others of newer vintage. During the Cold War, the prospect of nuclear annihilation led to historic treaties and a framework that kept the world from blowing itself up. At this meeting, for the first time, cyberweapons with their own huge potential to wreak havoc were at the center of the agenda. But Mr. Putins comments to the media suggested the two leaders did not find much common ground. In addition to his denials that Russia had played a destabilizing role in cyberspace, he also took a hard line on human rights in Russia. He said Mr. Biden had raised the issue, but struck the same defiant tone on the matter in his news conference as he has in the past. The United States, Mr. Putin said, supports opposition groups in Russia to weaken the country, since it sees Russia as an adversary. If Russia is the enemy, then what organizations will America support in Russia? Mr. Putin asked. I think that its not those who strengthen the Russian Federation, but those that contain it which is the publicly announced goal of the United States. Anton Troianovski, Oleg Matsnev and A tale of two summits: Trump at Helsinki, and Biden at Geneva. Mr. Putin offering Mr. Trump a present at a news conference in Helsinki, Finland, in 2018. Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times President Biden, fresh from meeting Vladimir V. Putin, seemed at pains from the very start of a news conference Wednesday to make one thing clear: Geneva 2021 was no Helsinki 2018. Helsinki, Finland, was where President Donald J. Trump had his own first face-to-face meeting with the Russian president, and the moment was highly anticipated, given the investigations then taking place into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and its reported ties to Mr. Trumps campaign. The meeting offered the American president a ripe opportunity to denounce the Kremlin on a public stage. He did not. Instead, standing by Mr. Putins side, Mr. Trump dismissed the conclusions by U.S. intelligence agencies about Russian meddling and said, in essence, that he believed the Russian presidents denials as much as he believed his own intelligence advisers. They said they think its Russia, Mr. Trump said. I have President Putin; he just said its not Russia. For good measure, he said, President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today. Even some of Mr. Trumps own supporters were aghast. It is the most serious mistake of his presidency and must be corrected immediately, said Newt Gingrich, the former Republican House speaker. On Wednesday, Mr. Biden appeared eager to strike a different tone. Where we have differences, he said just moments into the news conference, I wanted President Putin to understand why I say what I say, and why I do what I do, and how well respond to specific kinds of actions that harm Americas interests. Mr. Biden said, I told President Putin my agenda is not against Russia or anyone else. Its for the American people. And he declared: I also told him that no president of the United States could keep faith with the American people if they did not speak out to defend our democratic values, to stand up for the universal and fundamental freedoms that all men and women have in our view. Thats just part of the DNA of our country. To that end, he cited the jailing of the Russian opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny, and the detentions of two Americans in Russia. Mr. Biden also offered a warning on cyberattacks. I pointed out to him: We have significant cyber-capabilities and he knows it, the president said. There were echoes of Helsinki and Mr. Trumps professions of trust in Mr. Putin in an exchange between Mr. Biden and a reporter. Now that youve talked to him, Mr. Biden was asked, do you believe you can trust him? Look, the president replied, this is not about trust. This is about self-interest and verification of self-interest. It is too soon to know how Mr. Bidens summit will be received by the general public. For Mr. Trump, the chummy public appearance with Mr. Putin in Helsinki was seen as damaging. (The same was true a year later, when the two men had an equally amiable meeting in Osaka, Japan, and Mr. Trump offered Mr. Putin a jocular warning at a news conference: Dont meddle in the election, President.) If Mr. Trump regrets it, there was no sign of it this week as the Geneva summit approached. In a statement issued as Mr. Biden headed to Europe, Mr. Trump called his meeting with Mr. Putin great and very productive, and he defended supporting the Russian president over U.S. officials. As to who do I trust, they asked, Russia or our Intelligence from the Obama era, he said, then added: The answer, after all that has been found out and written, should be obvious. Our government has rarely had such lowlifes as these working for it. Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 0:54 - 0:00 transcript A Look Back at Trumps 2019 Meeting With Putin Mr. Trump meeting with Putin in June 2019. You dont have a problem with Russia, we have you dont have a problem. Thank you very much, everybody, its a great honor to be with President Putin, his representative, my representative. We have many things to discuss, including trade and including some disarmament and some little protectionism, perhaps, in a very positive way. And were going to discuss a lot of different things. Weve had great meetings we have a very, very good relationship. Reporter: Mr. President, will you tell Russia not to meddle in the 2020 election? [reporters shouting questions] Reporter: What about the Ukrainian Dont, dont meddle in the election. Mr. Trump meeting with Putin in June 2019. Eric Nagourney and Advertisement Continue reading the main story Biden: I did what I came to do. Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 1:31 - 0:00 transcript Biden Raises Human Rights and Cybersecurity With Putin Mr. Biden discussing his meeting with Mr. Putin. I told President Putin my agenda is not against Russia or anyone else. Its for the American people, fighting Covid-19, rebuilding our economy, re-establishing relationships around the world with our allies and friends and protecting the American people. Thats my responsibility as president. I also told him that no president of the United States could keep faith with the American people if they did not speak out to defend our democratic values, to stand up for the universal and fundamental freedoms that all men and women have in our view. Thats just part of the DNA of our country. So human rights is going to always be on the table, I told him. Its not about just going after Russia when they violate human rights. Its about who we are. This is about practical, straightforward, no-nonsense decisions that we have to make or not make. Well find out within the next six months to a year, whether or not we actually have a strategic dialogue that matters. Well find out whether we work to deal with everything from release of people in Russian prisons or not. Well find out whether we have a cybersecurity arrangement that begins to bring some order because, look, the countries that most are likely to be damaged the failure to do that are the major countries. Mr. Biden discussing his meeting with Mr. Putin. Credit Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times President Biden said on Wednesday that I did what I came to do in his first summit meeting with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. Speaking after the summit in Geneva, Mr. Biden said the two leaders had identified areas of mutual interest and cooperation. But he said he had also voiced American objections to Russias behavior on human rights, and warned that there would be consequences to cyberattacks on the United States. Any American president representing the countrys democratic values, Mr. Biden said, would be obliged to raise issues of human rights and freedoms. And so he said had discussed with Mr. Putin his concerns over the imprisonment of the Russian opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny and warned there would be devastating consequences if Mr. Navalny were to die in prison. Mr. Biden also brought up the detentions of two American citizens in Russia, Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed, he said. On the issue of cybersecurity, Mr. Biden said he had argued that certain parts of the infrastructure need to be off limits to cyberattacks. He said he had provided Mr. Putin with a list of critical areas, like energy, that must be spared. Mr. Biden also said the two leaders had agreed to enlist experts in both countries to discuss what should remain off limits and to follow up on specific cases. We need to have some basic rules of the road, Mr. Biden told reporters after the summit. And if Russia continues to violate what he called the basic norms of responsible behavior, he said, We will respond. Mr. Biden made clear that, during his discussions with Mr. Putin, there were no threats, no talk of military intervention and no mention of what specific retaliation the United States would take in such cases. But Mr. Biden said that the United States was fully capable of responding with its own cyberattacks and he knows it. Mr. Biden said theres much more work to do, but declared over the course of his weeklong European trip, he had shown that the United States is back. He also said Russia stood to lose internationally if it continued to meddle in elections. It diminishes the standing of a nation,Mr. Biden said. Putin: Glimmers of hope. Video Mr. Putin told reporters Wednesday that there had been no hostility in his first meeting with Mr. Biden. Credit Credit... Pool photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko President Vladimir V. Putin on Wednesday repeated well-worn denials of Russian mischief and tropes about American failings, as he spoke to the press after his first summit with President Biden. But between those familiar lines, he left the door open to deeper engagement with Washington than the Kremlin had been willing to entertain in recent years. On issues like cybersecurity, nuclear weapons, diplomatic spats and even prisoner exchanges, Mr. Putin said he was ready for talks with the United States, and he voiced unusual optimism about the possibility of achieving results. We must agree on rules of behavior in all the spheres that we mentioned today: Thats strategic stability, thats cybersecurity, thats resolving questions connected to regional conflicts, Mr. Putin said at a nearly hourlong news conference after the summit. I think that we can find agreement on all this at least I got that sense given the results of our meeting with President Biden. Mr. Putins focus on rules of behavior sounded a lot like the guardrails that American officials have said they hope to agree on with Russia in order to stabilize the relationship. Strategic stability is the term both sides use to refer to nuclear weapons and related issues. To be sure, there is no guarantee that the United States and Russia will make progress on those fundamental issues, and American officials fear Russian offers of talks could be efforts to tie key questions up in committees rather than set clear red lines. But in recent years, substantive dialogue between the two countries has been rare, making Wednesdays promises of new consultations significant. But Mr. Putin fell back on familiar Kremlin talking points to bat away criticisms, pointing to supposed human rights violations in the United States and denying Russian complicity in cyberattacks. He also refused to budge in response to questions over his repression of dissent inside Russia and the imprisonment of the opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny. As he has said in the past, he repeated that the Kremlin does not see domestic politics as up for negotiation or discussion. If you ignore the tiresome whataboutism, there were some real outcomes, said Samuel Charap, a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation in Arlington, Va. Russia is not in the habit of confessing its sins and seeking forgiveness. Particularly under Putin. The main outcomes to Mr. Charap were the agreement on U.S.-Russian dialogue on strategic stability and cybersecurity, as well as the agreement for American and Russian ambassadors to return to their posts in Moscow and Washington. Mr. Putin also said there was potential for compromise on the issue of several Americans imprisoned in Russia and Russians imprisoned in the United States. To tout his renewed willingness to talk while acknowledging the uncertainty ahead Mr. Putin quoted from Russian literature. Leo Tolstoy once said: There is no happiness in life there are only glimmers of it, Mr. Putin said. I think that in this situation, there cant be any kind of family trust. But I think weve seen some glimmers. Putin, then Biden, addressed the media separately after their summit. Mr. Biden and the first lady earlier this month. Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times After President Biden met his Russian counterpart on Wednesday, the two men did not face the news media at a joint news conference. President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia spoke first, followed by Mr. Biden, in separate news conferences, a move intended by the White House to deny the Russian leader an international platform like the one he received during a 2018 summit in Helsinki with President Donald J. Trump. We expect this meeting to be candid and straightforward, and a solo press conference is the appropriate format to clearly communicate with the free press the topics that were raised in the meeting, a U.S. official said in a statement sent to reporters this weekend, both in terms of areas where we may agree and in areas where we have significant concerns. Video On Wednesday, President Biden met with the president of Russia, Vladimir V. Putin, in Geneva. The two global leaders are meeting as tensions between Washington and Moscow have escalated over the last year. Credit Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times Top aides to Mr. Biden said that during negotiations over the meetings the Russian government was eager to have Mr. Putin join Mr. Biden in a news conference. But Biden administration officials said that they were mindful of how Mr. Putin seemed to get the better of Mr. Trump in Helsinki. At that news conference, Mr. Trump publicly accepted Mr. Putins assurances that his government did not interfere with the 2016 election, taking the Russian presidents word rather than the assessments of his own intelligence officials. The spectacle in 2018 drew sharp condemnations from across the political spectrum for providing an opportunity for Mr. Putin to spread falsehoods. Senator John McCain at the time called it one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Biden gives Putin a sculpted bison and his signature aviator sunglasses. President Biden arriving for the final session of the Group of 7 summit in Cornwall, England, on Sunday. Note the eyeware. Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times President Biden gave President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia a pair of his signature aviator sunglasses when the two met on Wednesday in Switzerland. As is customary when two leaders meet, the State Department chose gifts for Mr. Putin that, under law, cant exceed $19,000 in value. In addition to the sunglasses, Mr. Biden gave the Russian president a crystal sculpture of an American bison by Steuben Glass of New York. It was unclear what Mr. Putin gave Mr. Biden. In 2018, the Russian leader gave President Donald J. Trump a soccer ball when the two met in Helsinki, Finland, and held a news conference at which Mr. Trump embraced Mr. Putins denials that Russia had meddled in the 2016 U.S. election. Mr. President, Ill give this ball to you, Mr. Putin said at the time, before tossing it to the American president. And now the ball is in your court. Mr. Trump then passed the ball to his wife, Melania, and said he would give it to his son, Barron. The exchange came to symbolize Mr. Putins upper hand in a high-stakes diplomatic meeting. The soccer ball wasnt the first diplomatic gift to get unwanted attention. During a working lunch in 2009 between Hillary Clinton, then secretary of state, and Mr. Putins foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, Mrs. Clinton presented him with a red button labeled with the Russian word peregruzka. The Americans were seeking to improve relations after Russia invaded Georgia, and thought the button said reset. It actually said overcharged. Mr. Biden has long been partial to aviator sunglasses, even wearing them during this past weekends Group of 7 meeting at a seaside resort in England. In a statement, White House officials said the sunglasses used for the gift were made by Randolph USA, a Massachusetts-based factory that makes aviator sunglasses for American fighter pilots and NATO partners. The bison was chosen because it was named the national mammal in 2016, when the National Bison Legacy Act was signed into law by President Barack Obama, when Mr. Biden was the vice president. Traci Carl and Ukraine, at war with Russian-backed separatists, said it would reject any deals from the summit. Soldiers working with artillery at a base in Khlibodarivka, Ukraine, in April. Credit... Brendan Hoffman for The New York Times Even before the summit between the United States and Russia got underway on Wednesday, Ukrainian officials played down the prospect for a breakthrough on one of the thornier issues on the agenda: ending the war in eastern Ukraine, the only active conflict in Europe today. Ukraine said it would not accept any arrangements made in Geneva between President Biden and President Vladimir V. Putin on the war, which has been simmering for seven years between Russian-backed separatists and the Ukrainian Army, officials said. Before the summits start, Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlins spokesman, said that Ukraines entry into NATO would represent a red line for Russia that Mr. Putin was prepared to make plain on Wednesday. Mr. Biden said this week that Ukraine could join NATO if they meet the criteria. The Ukrainian government has in recent years dug in its heels on a policy of rejecting any negotiation without a seat at the table after worry that Washington and Moscow would cut a deal in back-room talks. The approach has remained in place with the Biden administration. It is not possible to decide for Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday. So there will be no concrete result in negotiations in Geneva, he said. Ukraines foreign minister drove the point home again on Tuesday. We have made it very clear to our partners that no agreement on Ukraine reached without Ukraine will be recognized by us, Dmytro Kuleba, the foreign minister, told journalists. Ukraine, he said, will not accept any scenarios where they will try to force us to do something. Ukraine will have a chance for talks with the United States. Mr. Biden has invited Mr. Zelensky to a meeting in the White House in July, when a recent Russian troop buildup along the Ukrainian border is sure to be on the agenda. Russia massed more than 100,000 troops along the Ukrainian border this spring. Despite an announcement in Moscow of a drawdown, both Ukrainian and Western governments say that only a few thousand soldiers have departed, leaving a lingering risk of a military escalation over the summer. Maria Varenikova and After Biden and Putin met in her hometown, an antinuclear Nobel winner criticized them both. Beatrice Fihn, leader of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, at the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. Credit... Odd Andersen/Agence France-Presse Getty Images The leader of the Geneva-based group that won the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize for its work on the treaty that outlaws nuclear weapons said the presidents of the United States and Russia, meeting in her hometown, had provided little reason for optimism. Beatrice Fihn, executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, said new technologies and spending on nuclear weapons by the two superpowers, combined with a lapse on disarmament agreements, made her dubious that President Biden and President Vladimir V. Putin would reverse or even slow their nuclear arms modernization. She welcomes their stated commitment Wednesday to examine possible new arms control measures, but said that it doesnt quite match the seriousness of the global security situation today. The risk of nuclear weapons use is currently higher than its ever been, Ms. Fihn said, arguing that it requires a concrete commitment to work on reducing nuclear arsenals urgently. Still, Ms. Fihn did not totally dismiss the summit meeting, recalling how the 1985 Geneva summit meeting between President Ronald Reagan and his counterpart in the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, helped create the basis for reducing their nuclear stockpiles. The United States, Russia and the worlds seven other nuclear-armed states have all rejected the idea of joining the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which took effect this past January. Critics of the treaty have described it as dangerous and naive. But Ms. Fihn and other promoters of the treaty, which as of Wednesday had been ratified by 54 countries, said it was meant to create pressure on the nuclear-armed countries to move toward disarmament. The accord which is not binding on countries that decline to join outlaws the use, testing, development, production, possession and transfer of nuclear weapons. It also outlines procedures for destroying stockpiles and enforcing its provisions. Advertisement Continue reading the main story In pictures: Putins meetings with previous U.S. presidents. With Donald J. Trump in Osaka, Japan, in 2019. Image Credit... Erin Schaff/The New York Times With Barack Obama in New York in 2015. Image Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times With George W. Bush in Washington in 2005. Image Credit... Stephen Crowley/The New York Times With Bill Clinton in Moscow in 2000. Image Credit... Dirck Halstead/Liaison As Biden and Putin met, the pandemic loomed in the background. Health workers waiting for Covid patients on Monday at a hospital complex in Moscow. Credit... Maxim Shipenkov/EPA, via Shutterstock In the United States, fireworks lit up the night sky in New York City on Tuesday, a celebration meant to demonstrate the end of coronavirus restrictions. California, the most populous state, has fully opened its economy. And President Biden said there would be a gathering at the White House on July 4, marking what America hopes will be freedom from the pandemic. Yet on Wednesday the countrys death toll passed 600,000 a staggering loss of life. In Russia, officials frequently say that the country has handled the coronavirus crisis better than the West and that there have been no large-scale lockdowns since last summer. But in the week that President Vladimir V. Putin met with Mr. Biden for a one-day summit, Russia has been gripped by a vicious new wave of Covid-19. Hours before the start of the summit on Wednesday, the city of Moscow announced that it would be mandating coronavirus vaccinations for workers in service and other industries. We simply must do all we can to carry out mass vaccination in the shortest possible time period and stop this terrible disease, Sergey S. Sobyanin, the mayor of Moscow, said in a blog post. We must stop the dying of thousands of people. It was a reversal from prior comments from Mr. Putin, who said on May 26 that mandatory vaccination would be impractical and should not be done. Mr. Putin said on Saturday that 18 million people had been inoculated in the country less than 13 percent of the population, even though Russias Sputnik V shots have been widely available for months. The countrys official death toll is nearly 125,000, according to Our World in Data, and experts have said that such figures probably vastly underestimate the true tally. While the robust United States vaccination campaign has sped the nations recovery, the virus has repeatedly confounded expectations. The inoculation campaign has also slowed in recent weeks. Unlike many of the issues raised at Wednesdays summit, and despite the scientific achievement that safe and effective vaccines represent, the virus follows its own logic mutating and evolving and continues to pose new and unexpected challenges for both leaders and the world at large. Anton Troianovski and Amid a humanitarian crisis in Syria, the decade-long war was on the agenda. Displaced Syrian men at a refugee camp in Idlib last year. Credit... Ivor Prickett for The New York Times The conflict in Syria which has now raged for 10 years and counting was on the meeting agenda for President Biden and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia as they met on Wednesday. Since the start of the war, Russia has supported President Bashar al-Assad and his forces, and in 2015 it launched a military intervention with ground forces in the country to prop up the then-flailing government. In the years since, government forces have regained control of much of the country, with the support of Russia and Iran, as Mr. al-Assads forced tamped down dissent and carried out brutal attacks against Syrian civilians. The United States also became deeply involved in the conflict, backing Kurdish forces in the countrys north and conducting airstrikes in the fight against the Islamic State. It has maintained a limited military presence there. Both the United States and Russian forces have found themselves on opposite sides of the multifaceted conflict on numerous occasions. After years of failed attempts at peace in Syria as the humanitarian toll has continued to mount, Lina Khatib, the director of the Middle East and North Africa Program at Chatham House, a British think tank, said the moment could be ripe for the two major powers to chart a path forward. She said that despite taking opposing sides in the Syrian conflict, there is potential for a US-Russian compromise, and that the summit could be the best place to begin that process. The Biden administration must not waste the opportunity that the U.S.-Russian summit presents on Syria, Ms. Khatib wrote in a recent piece before the meeting in Geneva. While the focus of various U.S. government departments working on Syria is on the delivery of cross-border aid, fighting the Islamic State and planning an eventual exit for U.S. troops, all these problems are products of the ongoing conflict, and solving them requires a comprehensive strategy to end it. Advertisement Continue reading the main story A press melee led to a chaotic opening scene at the summit. Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 1:08 - 0:00 transcript Russian and American Media Scuffle Before Diplomacy Meeting A chaotic scrum between American and Russian reporters erupted on Wednesday before closed-door meetings between President Biden and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. [reporters arguing] Let me get up there Were with them, were part of the U.S. Im not in charge of your press. I need to get up with that camera, though, guys, Im in sound. I need to get up [reporters arguing] One, two, three. One, two, three. Hes setting the camera. Hes setting the camera. OK, so audio doesnt go in yet? Not yet. Lets go. Lets go. Dont touch me. Dont touch me. Stop pushing. Dont push me. Guys, theres a cord here. Theres a cord here. A chaotic scrum between American and Russian reporters erupted on Wednesday before closed-door meetings between President Biden and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. American and Russian reporters engaged in a shoving match on Wednesday outside the villa where President Biden and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia were meeting, stranding much of the press outside when the two leaders began talking. The chaotic scrum erupted moments after Mr. Biden and Mr. Putin shook hands and waved to reporters before closed-door meetings with a handful of aides. President Guy Parmelin of Switzerland had just welcomed the leaders in accordance with its tradition of good offices to promote dialogue and mutual understanding. But shortly after the two leaders entered the villa, reporters from both countries rushed the side door, where they were stopped by Russian and American security and government officials from both countries. There was screaming and pushing as both sides tried to surge in, with officials yelling for order. White House officials succeeded in getting nine members of their 13-member press pool into the library where Mr. Biden and Mr. Putin were seated against a backdrop of floor-to-ceiling books, along with each of their top diplomats and translators. The two leaders had already begun to make very brief remarks before reporters were able to get in the room. Inside, more scuffling erupted apparently amusing to the two leaders as Russian officials told photographers that they could not take pictures and one American reporter was shoved to the ground. The two leaders waited, at moments smiling uncomfortably, for several minutes before reporters were pushed back out of the room as the summit meeting began. Its always better to meet face to face, Mr. Biden said to Mr. Putin as the commotion continued. Chaotic scenes are not uncommon when reporters from multiple countries angle for the best spot to view a world leader, often in cramped spaces and with government security and handlers pushing them to leave quickly. But even by those standards the scene outside the villa in this usually bucolic venue was particularly disruptive. Russian journalists quickly accused the Americans for trying to get more people into the room than had been agreed to, but it appeared that the Russians had many more people than the 15 for each side that had been negotiated in advance. The Americans didnt go through their door, caused a stampede, one Russian reporter posted on Telegram. In fact, reporters from both countries had been told to try to go through a single door, and officials for both countries at times were stopping all of the reporters from entering, telling them to move back and blocking the door. When American officials tried to get White House reporters inside, the Russian security blocked several of them. Swiss city was on lockdown as a carefully choreographed meeting got underway. President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia arriving in Geneva on Wednesday. Credit... Pool photo by Alessandro Della Valle Wednesdays Geneva summit got off to an auspicious start: President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia landed on time. His plane landed at about 12:30 p.m., an hour before he was set to meet President Biden, who had arrived in Geneva the previous evening. Mr. Putin is known for making world leaders wait sometimes hours for his arrival, one way to telegraph confidence and leave an adversary on edge. But this time Mr. Putin did not resort to scheduling brinkmanship. The summits start was laced with delicate choreography: Mr. Putin arrived first, straight from the airport, and was greeted on the red carpet in front of a lakeside villa by President Guy Parmelin of Switzerland. About 15 minutes later, Mr. Biden arrived in his motorcade, shook hands with Mr. Parmelin and waved to reporters. The Swiss president welcomed the two leaders, wishing them fruitful dialogue in the interest of your two countries and the whole world. He then stepped aside, allowing Mr. Biden and Mr. Putin to approach each other, smiling, and shake hands. Russian officials on Wednesday sought to put a positive last-minute spin on the meeting. This is an extremely important day, a deputy foreign minister, Sergey Ryabkov, told the RIA Novosti state news agency hours before the summits start. The Russian side in preparing for the summit has done the utmost for it to turn out positive and have results that will allow the further deterioration of the bilateral relationship to be halted, and to begin moving upwards. Even before Mr. Putin landed, members of his delegation had arrived at the lakeside villa where the meeting is being held. They included Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov, who joined Mr. Putin in a small-group session with Mr. Biden and Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken at the start of the summit; and Valery V. Gerasimov, Russias most senior military officer. Police officers from across Switzerland the words police, Polizei and polizia on their uniforms reflecting the countrys multilingual cantons cordoned off much of the center of Geneva on Wednesday. The citys normally bustling lakefront was off limits, and the park where President Biden and Mr. Putin were meeting was protected by razor wire and at least one armored personnel carrier. Inside the leafy Parc la Grange, overlooking Lake Geneva, the police directed journalists to two separate press centers one for those covering Mr. Putin, one for those covering Mr. Biden. As the reporters waited for the leaders to arrive, a Russian radio reporter went on air and intoned that Lake Geneva had become a lake of hope. An 18th-century villa was again a stage for history. Villa La Grange in Geneva. Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times A storied villa on the shores of Lake Geneva is sometimes described as having a certain sense of mystery about it, but there was little mystery this week about why the mansion and the park surrounding it were closed off. Visitors were coming. The Villa la Grange, an 18th-century manor house at the center of Parc la Grange, was the site of the meeting on Wednesday between President Biden and President Vladimir V. Putin. Set in one of Genevas largest and most popular parks, the site is known not just for its lush gardens, but also for its role as a setting for important moments in the struggle between war and peace. In 1825, the villas library home to over 15,000 works and the only room to retain the villas original decorative features hosted dignitaries of a European gathering that aimed to help Greeks fighting for independence. Designed by the architect Jean-Louis Bovet and completed in 1773, the villa was owned by the Lullin family and primarily used as a summer residence before it was bought by a merchant, Francois Favre, in 1800. It cemented its place in history in 1864, when it was the site of a closing gala for officials who signed the original 1864 Geneva Convention, presided over by Henri Dunant, a founder of the International Red Cross. An attempt to ameliorate the ravages of war on both soldiers and civilians, it set minimum protections for people who are victims of armed conflict. After World War II, a new draft of the conventions was signed in an attempt to address gaps in international humanitarian law that the conflict had exposed. In 1969, Pope Paul VI, who traveled to the park to celebrate Mass for a congregation of tens of thousands, pointed to the villas history as he spoke about the risk of nuclear conflagration. He spoke about the opposing forces of love and hate and called for generous peacemakers. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Jean-Luc Melenchon, a far-left political leader in France and a likely high-profile candidate in next years presidential election, was pelted with flour at a protest on Saturday, days after President Emmanuel Macron was slapped in the face as he sought to shake hands with voters. It is not uncommon for French political figures to be pelted with food: former presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande have been showered with flour, and Mr. Macron was pelted with eggs at least twice before he was elected president in 2017. But the assault that targeted Mr. Melenchon, the leader of the far-left party France Unbowed, in Paris came against the backdrop of renewed political tensions in France before regional elections next week, and broader concerns about violence before the presidential election, scheduled for May. Mr. Melenchon was speaking with journalists at a demonstration against the far-right in Paris on Saturday when an individual threw flour at him. No one was taken into custody. The Group of 7 leaders reach the heart of their annual summit meeting on Saturday, with the pandemic, climate change, China and Russia likely to be on the agenda at their gathering in Cornwall, England. The formal topics of the days three scheduled sessions economic resilience, foreign policy and health reveal only so much. Each topic is broad enough to cover a wide array of issues, and each player has an agenda for steering those discussions. Later in the day, the leaders are expected to sign a declaration on global health and commit resources to ensuring that the economic and human toll of the coronavirus pandemic is never repeated. The Carbis Bay declaration, named for the location of the summit, is described by the organizers as a historic statement setting out a series of concrete commitments to prevent any repeat of the human and economic devastation wreaked by coronavirus. Often the most important talks are private and informal encounters in the spaces between the big gatherings the kind of face-to-face diplomacy President Biden relishes. He would like to corral the others behind a tough approach to China, politically and commercially, but that will be a hard sell for some of them, who arent as worried as American policymakers about Beijings rising power. Mr. Lapid completed his army service as a writer at a military magazine, later following in his fathers footsteps as a professional journalist. In the 1990s, he glided between several illustrious positions within the Israeli cultural establishment, balancing his column with a television talk show, while also acting in a handful of films, writing novels and even writing plays and television dramas. By the 2000s, Mr. Lapid had become one of Israels best-known television hosts and commentators, noted for his noncombative style of questioning and middle-of-the-road columns. He began planning for a political career toward the end of the decade, and in 2012 formed his own centrist, secular political party, Yesh Atid, or There Is a Future. It unexpectedly took second place behind Mr. Netanyahus Likud in a general election in 2013, entering a Netanyahu-led coalition government, and Mr. Lapid became finance minister. Mr. Lapid was neither the first nor the last newcomer to attempt to break the mold of Israeli politics with a new centrist party. But to Mr. Lapids earliest political allies, there was a dynamism to his brand of centrism that they felt was original. I felt that I could come home, said Yael German, once a mayor for a leftist party, Meretz, who later joined Yesh Atid and became one of its first lawmakers. It was everything that I thought putting limits on the religious parties, talking about civilian marriage, L.G.B.T. rights, giving up the occupied territories, two states for two peoples. Meretz was always too left for me, too extreme, Ms. German added. But Yair wasnt. To Mr. Lapids critics, however, there was a shallowness to his politics and an arrogance to his manner. What allies saw as an ability to bridge between left and right, others considered a lack of ideological clarity. Satirists set up a website, known as the Lapidomator, that allowed users to generate vacuous statements on any given topic mocking the perceived emptiness of Mr. Lapids ideas. The annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca next month will be restricted to 60,000 and limited to people living in Saudi Arabia because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Saudi Press Agency said on Saturday, as the authorities maintain tight restrictions on an event that usually draws millions of people from around the world every year. The event was nearly abandoned in its entirety last year, when only about 1,000 people were able to take part in the ritual with social distancing and masks required. The hajj, which all Muslims who are physically and financially able are supposed to complete at least once, is scheduled to begin in mid-July, and attendance will be limited to pilgrims who have been vaccinated and are between 18 and 65 years old, the press agency said. The Saudi authorities indicated last month that the ritual would not return to normal this year. Fahad Nazer, a spokesman for the Saudi Embassy in Washington, said on Twitter that there would be preventative & precautionary measures that ensure the health & safety of pilgrims. As vaccinations ramp up and regulations loosen for people in the United States, many are planning travel for summer and beyond, with experts predicting that July 4 will be the biggest travel weekend since the beginning of the pandemic. But with regulations shifting, people might have questions about testing or vaccination requirements for their trips. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently eased travel recommendations to more than 100 countries. On June 18, the European Union added the United States to its safe list of countries, meaning that both vaccinated and unvaccinated American travelers should now be able to visit the 27 member countries, but these member states are allowed to set their own requirements and restrictions for travelers. In the United States, the C.D.C. has advised that vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks in most places and released new travel guidelines that said domestic travel is safe for them. But travelers must take note of local advice and regulations, as these can vary state by state. Heres everything you need to consider about testing and vaccinations before you travel within the U.S. or internationally. 3 of 11 As of Thursday, about 64 percent of U.S. adults had received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. What number does the Biden administration hope to reach by July 4? What's Included With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 716-372-3121 or email nfinnerty@oleantimesherald.com. FILE - This Thursday May 20, 2021, file photo, shows New York City mayoral candidate Maya Wiley, as she campaigns and meets with health care workers outside New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital in New York. Candidates in New York City's heavily contested Democratic mayoral primary urged people to go to the polls in the coming days as early voting kicked off today. Eleanor M. Hoch, 98, of Champaign, IL died at home Wednesday, June 23. Eleanor was born November 7, 1922 in Ashkum, IL in the farm home of James F. and Kathryn Zeedyk Anderson. She was the oldest of seven children. Eleanor and siblings attended rural schools and she really did walk 1 and m Do you appreciate the work we do as the only independent media outlet dedicated to serving OU students, faculty, staff and alumni on campus and around the world for more than 100 years? Then consider helping fund our endeavors. Around the world, communities are grappling with what journalism is worth and how to fund the civic good that robust news organizations can generate. We believe The OU Daily and Crimson Quarterly magazine provide real value to this community both now by covering OU, and tomorrow by helping launch the careers of media professionals. If youre able, please SUPPORT US TODAY FOR AS LITTLE AS $1. You can make a one-time donation or a recurring pledge. Lindsay and Justin Walker of Midland have combined two of their passions enrichment through music and child safety into a private family foundation. The JH Walker Foundation is beginning to build momentum with fundraisers and grants. The Walkers established the foundation in the fall of 2019 in honor of their infant son, James Henry Jimmy Walker, who died from injuries sustained in a car accident in 2015. The tragedy galvanized the Walkers to advocate for child safety. The couple donated 10 Graco car seats to MidMichigan Medical Center-Midland in 2019, and Lindsay is a certified child passenger safety technician. For us, the foundation was something we could do to turn the tragedy into something positive, Justin said. A major tenant of the JH Walker Foundation is about safe child travel. Justin and Lindsay conducted a Clothes to Car Seats drive between April 15 and May 15, collecting gently-used childrens clothing and toys to sell at various events to raise money to raise funds for car seats, sleep sacks and other child safety items. They have sold the items at a Sanford Rising event in late May and plan to hold another sale July 9-11. The community has been very generous with donations. We still have items coming in after the drive was over, Lindsay said. The foundation has raised enough to purchase eight car seats thus far. The Walkers explained that a car seat is not considered safe to use once its been in a car collision; also, car seats have an expiration date of six to 10 years since materials degrade over time and car seat safety technology continues to improve. Being able to support child safety means more than Lindsay can put into words. As a car seat technician, she works as a volunteer with a trauma prevention group through MidMichigan Health as well as Safe and Sound Child Advocacy Center. Increasing families knowledge about car seat safety is one of her goals. Families come in and they dont know that their car seats are expired or installed incorrectly, Lindsay said. The JH Walker Foundation also focuses on music, a large component of Justin and Lindsays lives. The Walkers first met through their high school band program in Saskatchewan, Canada and have participated in community bands for the majority of their marriage. They have been members of the Mid Michigan Brass Band since 2016, Lindsay playing trombone while Justin covers trombone, euphonium and baritone. It gave us a lot of motivation to spread the word and to get more young people involved, Lindsay stated. Since some brass band instruments arent usually present in a typical band, the Mid Michigan Brass Band runs a program where it lends an instrument to a student for two years before awarding it to the individual to permanently keep. The Walkers have loaned a few of their own instruments to fellow band members in the past and approached the bands chair, Jim Schutz about the JH Walker Foundation granting an instrument to the band on a yearly basis for the program. Schutz believes the situation is a win for everyone. Its wonderful to be able to give back to students and help them with their musical endeavors as they become adults, Schutz said. You dont expect a high school student to own some of these instruments that arent commonly used in this country, Justin stated. If we can help provide these instruments, we can help promote these types of bands. The Walkers gave their instrument donation for 2020 an e flat soprano cornet to the Mid Michigan Brass Band. In turn, the band presented the cornet to Midland High School student Elijah Skutt at its May 16 concert. Skutt has been with the band for six months and will play his new instrument at the bands next concert on July 18. Lindsay and Justin hope to present another instrument for 2021 to the band either later this fall or around Christmastime. Were absolutely thrilled to award this, Schutz stated. Music is what brought Justin and I together as teenagers. Seeing kids enjoying themselves through music is a wonderful thing, Lindsay said. Lindsay and Justin are continuing to look for opportunities to give as the economy opens up more. In respect to their music focus, they hope to expand past the Mid Michigan Brass Band to other bands across the state; one potential group theyd like to support is the Brass Band of Battle Creek, which has a scholarship program and brings in professional musicians to teach students. The Walkers are open to feedback from the community about potential focus areas. Its skys the limit, then you find what you want to do, Justin said. For more information about the JH Walker Foundation and ways to donate, email JHWalkerFoundation@gmail.com, visit www.jhwalkerfoundation.org or visit its Facebook page. BAGHDAD (AP) Iraqs oil sector is rebounding after a catastrophic year triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, with key investment projects on the horizon, Iraq's oil minister said Friday. But he also warned that an enduring bureaucratic culture of fear threatens to stand in the way. Iraq is currently trading oil at $68 per barrel, close to the approximately $76 needed for the state to operate without reliance on the central bank to meet government expenditures. Oil Minister Ihsan Abdul-Jabbar Ismail took over the unenviable job of supervising Iraqs most vital industry at the height of an oil price crash that slashed oil revenues by more than half last year. Since then, he has had to balance domestic demands for more revenue to fund state coffers and pressure from OPEC to keep exports low to stabilize the global oil market. With the sector rebounding, Ismail told The Associated Press, he can now focus on other priorities. In the interview, he offered a rare glimpse into the inner-workings of the countrys most significant ministry Iraqs oil industry is responsible for 90% of state revenues. He said cutthroat Iraqi politics and corruption fears often derailed critical investment projects during his tenure and those of his predecessors a source of long-term frustration for international companies working in Iraq. In the Ministry of Oil, the big mistake, the big challenge are the delays in decision-making or no decision-making at all," he said, attributing indecisiveness to fears of political reprisal from groups or powerful lawmakers whose interests are not served. He described what he said was a warped work culture where allegations of corruption are used as tools by political players to get their way. He alleged that the mere possibility is often enough to keep high-ranking officials in ministry from signing off on important projects. This is the culture: To stay away from any case, to stay away from inspectors, to say let us not do it, he added. I think this is the corruption that slows the economy. He said that during his time as minister he has sought to fast-track projects, he said. Top on his list is developing the countrys gas sector, a central condition for Iraq to be eligible for U.S. sanction waivers enabling energy imports from neighboring Iran. To that end, Iraq is looking to develop long-neglected gas fields and capture gas flared from oil sites. Ismail said he is hopeful contracts will be signed within the coming months to develop key projects that could boost Iraq's gas capacity by 3 billion cubic standard feet by 2025. But that all depends on closing the deal with oil companies; lucrative contract negotiations in Iraq have a history of stalling once commercial terms are laid out. Iraq currently imports 2 billion standard cubic feet to meet domestic needs. The ministry is close to signing with China's Sinopec to develop Mansuriya gas field in Diyala province, said Ismail. The field could add 300 million standard cubic feet of gas to domestic production. He hopes to finalize the deal by mid-July. The ministry is also in talks with France's Total to develop an ambitious multi-billion dollar mega investment project in southern Iraq, including the Ratawi gas hub, development of Ratawi oil field and a scheme to provide water to oil fields required to boost production. Early talks are also ongoing to develop Akkas gas field in Anbar province, with the American Schlumberger and Saudi Arabia's oil giant Aramco, he said, expressing hopes for an agreement there too. Though negotiations with international companies have picked up speed, Ismail said entrenched indecision within his ministry persists. Investors have blamed glacial bureaucracy and indecision within ministry ranks for thwarting projects. Among his deepest regrets is the collapse in talks after five years of negotiations between the ministry and Exxon-Mobil over a multi-billion dollar investment project that would have been key to increasing Iraq's production and exports. For me it was a big mistake from our side, said Ismail, who was the former director-general of the state-owned Basra Oil Company. Ismail himself came under scrutiny when lawmakers accused him of corruption. The Cabinet dismissed him as head of the Basra company in October 2019 during a purge against alleged corruption. He was reinstated a few months later. Iraqi media are often used as a pressure tool, Ismail said Someone sends me a contract, and it would be illegal to say yes, so I say no, and he starts to say bad things in the media, Ismail said. Also, he said 80% of his time is spent fielding requests from political parties and individuals asking for employment, contracts or job transfers requests he says he routinely rejects. They say: Move this person from this position to this, we need this position, we need this department, we need this company," he said. Midland County Long Term Disaster Recovery Group disaster case manager Raegan Schultz witnessed a dramatic transformation in the outlook of one of her clients who was affected by the May 2020 dam failures and flooding. "My first client that got back into her home after the flood, she did an interview," Schultz said. "They asked what she wanted to do next. She said, 'When all the flooding happened, I didnt want to live anymore. I was done with my life. Now, I want to live and I have a reason to live.'" Schultz was one of the speakers Thursday during an hour-long monthly Zoom meeting of the Midland County Long Term Disaster Recovery Group, with the theme of "The next steps of flood recovery." "As much as this was a very difficult situation, there are so many flood survivors that have become more resilient and have newfound hope," Schultz said. "Theyre leaving our case management more prepared to face the next thing that comes their way." Schultz and fellow disaster case manager Katie Vokal spoke during the meeting about the progress that has been made in helping residents affected by the flooding, and what work is still left to be done. Vokal said case managers have so far identified 321 clients in Midland, Gladwin and Saginaw counties who have been in need of help due to the flooding. Theres still a lot that needs to be done," Vokal said. And she feels optimistic that residents' needs will continue to be met. "All these green spaces we're seeing (where houses were wiped out by the flooding), I feel like the majority of them will be filled back in with houses," Vokal said. "Due to our resiliency, were going to be able to bring them back. ... I feel like its going to be an amazing thing to see. "I know the Great Lakes Bay Region is going to be an example to our state and our country of how to work together and do great things," Vokal added. Meeting people's basic needs Schultz emphasized that the flooding left many people requiring help to meet their most fundamental needs. "We have had clients with basic needs like food, clothing, and water. More than one in four of our clients had those basic needs (that they needed help meeting)," Schultz said. And sometimes it has taken a "tough conversation" for her to convince residents to get the help they need. One client's home was being completely rebuilt after being flooded, and that individual was living in a camper on their property. "My primary concern was, how do we get this individual out of the camper as winter approaches?" Schultz said. "We had a lot of flood survivors that didnt want to leave their property. "I had to have a tough conversation with them," she continued. "I told them, 'Im really worried Im going to see your name in a headline because you didnt survive the night.' Fortunately, I found out that they moved into temporary housing a week later." Many wells need to be redrilled Wells are another area where help is urgently needed, especially in Gladwin County, Schultz said. "FEMA created funds for well (repair). Many people in Gladwin County lost their well access (due to the dam failures)," Schultz said. "(Because of the dam failures), some wells now have to be drilled hundreds of feet deep, whereas they used to be only 50-75 feet deep." Resources help fill needs Of the 321 clients that have been identified, 68 of them have submitted requests for funding and a total of $2.3 million so far has been committed to helping those people, Vokal said. "(Needs) can range from a lost furnace to an entire rebuild (of a house)," Vokal said. In-kind contributions, in the form of either labor or materials, have played a very big role in the flood relief. Vokal cited a total of 29,454 volunteer hours contributed to flood relierf. "That is over $800,000 worth of work that we did not have to hire," Vokal emphasized. And more than $1 million in materials have been donated. Internships bless everyone involved Internships have been another key cog in the Long Term Disaster Recovery Group's response to the dam failures. "Local college and universities had students that lacked internship opportunities due to the pandemic. So we partnered with Michigan State, Central Michigan, and Saginaw Valley State to offer (about 16) internships," Vokal said. This, in turn, met a great need on the part of the Recovery Group, Schultz noted. "Its been challenging having three or four case managers in Midland and knowing we have thousands of households affected. We are getting continual referrals every week with 321 cases and climbing," Schultz said. "Once our caseloads were full, these interns were able to step in," she continued. "They reached out to 1,300 flood survivors. That was incredible helpful for us, and an opportunity for us to give experience to those students." More about disaster case managers Alysia Christy of the Midland Area Community Foundation explained that over the time since the dam failures, "the disaster case managers work to help identify and address barriers that flood survivors have as it relates to recovering from the flood. The disaster case managers use an evidence-based model of assessment when working with flood survivors and identifying various needs." Christy said the initial costs of the four Midland County disaster case managers were funded by the Midland Area Community Foundation and the United Methodist Church Michigan Conference. Recently, FEMA has awarded a $2 million-plus grant to support the Great Lakes Bay Region's flood recovery efforts, including the ongoing costs of the disaster case management team. The next monthly meeting of the Long Term Disaster Recovery Group will be on Thursday, July 8, with the theme "Housing needs and resources." The Midland County Emergency Food Pantry Network is now providing coupons to eligible seniors to use at the Midland Farmers Market. The coupons, valued at $20, will last through this year's farmers market season and are good to use for Michigan-grown, unprocessed items such as fruits and vegetables. The University Writing Program at SVSU celebrated the writing achievements of student writers with 2021 University Writing awards. This year's winners of the Diane Boehm Writing Awards for e-Portfolios include Emily Schuette, of Bay City, a recent graphic design graduate, who won the Classroom Portfolio Award, Undergraduate Level. MEXICO CITY (AP) A U.S. tourist was wounded in a shooting attack Friday that killed two men at a beach in Mexicos Caribbean coast resort of Cancun. The prosecutors office in the state of Quintana Roo, where Cancun is located, said the two men apparently died of bullet wounds at the scene, and added that a foreign woman had been wounded and was taken for treatment to a local hospital. The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriffs Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Andrew Mullin. Wednesday, June 9 11:59 p.m. Officers responded to a domestic verbal situation on Tucker Street. 11:23 p.m. A deputy responded to a Hope Township location for a 23-year-old Hope Township male who was upset because his 59-year-old male neighbor had mowed partially onto his property. The deputy contacted the neighbor who agreed to mow in his yard only. 8:53 p.m. Deputies were dispatched to a Lee Township residence regarding a bond violation. Upon arrival, they contacted a 56-year-old Lee Township female. The female advised her ex-roommate, a 48-year-old Lee Township male was not allowed at the residence due to a bond condition. The female advised the male did not come to her residence; she was fearful that he would show up. The female was advised to call 911 if the male came to the residence. 8:23 p.m. Deputies were dispatched to assist Michigan State Police with a verbal domestic at a Jerome Township location. Michigan State Police advised they did not need assistance and deputies were disregarded. 7:40 p.m. Deputies responded to a Jerome Township residence for report of larceny. Deputies contacted a 23-year-old Jerome Township male. The male advised he had small items taken from his truck sometime the night before. The suspect is a 25-year-old Jackson male. The items taken were valued at $8. The complainant did not want to press charges, just wanted a report filed. 7:33 p.m. Officers responded to a crash on Wellness Drive. 7:12 p.m. Deputies responded to a Porter Township location and arrested a 34-year-old Porter Township male for an outstanding warrant out of Midland County. The male was transported to the Midland County Jail where he was lodged without incident. 3:59 p.m. A deputy responded to the Village of Sanford for a semi vs. wire crash. The semi had struck a low wire, causing line damage to a house. 2:16 p.m. Officers responded to a case of fraud on Russell Street. 2:10 p.m. A 54-year-old Mount Haley Township female reported an unknown subject stole her garbage can worth $100. 11:37 p.m. Officers completed a personal protection service on Rodd Street. 10:28 p.m. A deputy was dispatched to the area of South Coleman Road near West Isabella Road for a report of two juveniles walking southbound on South Coleman Road. The deputy stopped and spoke with the juveniles, later discovering that they were runaways out of Gratiot County. The deputy returned the juveniles to their residence where he turned them over to a Shepherd Police Department officer who was handling the case. 9:53 a.m. A 26-year-old Edenville Township male had items valued at $500 stolen from his vehicle. 8:14 a.m. A deputy was dispatched to the area of North Sturgeon Road and East Shaffer Road for the report of a single-vehicle traffic crash. 7:43 a.m. Deputies responded to a Warren Township residence reference a possible domestic assault. A 33-year-old Warren Township female reported she was assaulted by her 31-year-old live-in boyfriend, and reported he damaged her car, causing $100 in damage. Deputies spoke with the female on scene, however, the male left prior to deputys arrival. The female was not injured and refused treatment from EMS. A report will be forwarded to the Midland Prosecuting Attorneys Office for review. 5:46 a.m. Deputies responded to a Porter Township residence for a 34-year-old Porter Township male who reported a 25-year-old Porter Township female assaulted him and stole his vehicle. The male did not want to press charges for the assault but did want to press charges for the vehicle theft. The female has not yet been located. A report was completed and forwarded to prosecutor's office for review. 5:43 a.m. A 22-year-old female advised she recently met a 26-year-old Jackson male and had him stay with her for two weeks. This morning, they began to argue, and she wanted him to leave. The male had been drinking, so he said he would sleep outside in his truck in the driveway for a couple hours. No assault occurred. Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Libyan Prime Minister, Abdelhamid al-Dbaiba, has stressed the need for a real partnership between the public and private sectors in the field of health which will develop an effective vision for the health insurance project Years before Danny Fenster worked in Myanmar as a magazine editor, his most personal exposure to tumult in the Southeast Asian country happened in Chicago, where he was studying journalism and connected with a Burmese family through a local refugee organization. That was his first introduction to the culture, and it really had a profound effect on him, said Bryan Fenster, Dannys older brother who also volunteered at the organization now known as RefugeeOne. He was drawn to the Rohingya genocide and what was happening in Myanmar. Now Fenster, who graduated from Columbia College Chicago in 2009 with degrees in journalism and creative writing, is caught in the countrys crosshairs himself. The 37-year-old managing editor of Frontier Myanmar, a top independent news publication, was detained by the military regime May 24 at Yangon International Airport before boarding a flight in the hopes of returning to the U.S. Fensters family hasnt heard from him since. There have been no phone calls, no contact allowed with the U.S. Consulate and no information about why Fenster was stopped and likely taken to the Insein Prison, a complex notorious for housing political prisoners in deplorable conditions. The military has not announced any charges against Fenster. Hes done nothing wrong, said Bryan Fenster, 39. He was not inciting violence or protesting. He was at his desk editing stories. Proper visas, proper passports, proper papers, proper plane tickets. All of it. Fenster was on his way home for a surprise trip to see his parents in Michigan, Bryan Fenster said, his first since moving abroad more than three years ago. Danny Fensters last communication was a text with his wife in Myanmar, alerting her that he was being detained, Bryan Fenster said. High-ranking U.S. officials from Michigan lawmakers to Secretary of State Antony Blinken are trying to intervene and help rescue Fenster, as well as another American journalist, Nathan Muang, who was arrested by Myanmars junta March 9. But Fensters family is still in the dark as efforts to reach the military chief have been unsuccessful, Bryan Fenster said. The military has jailed at least 40 journalists since usurping power in a Feb. 1 coup and overturning the most recent Democratic election, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Families report that some of the detained journalists were beaten, burned and tortured. As of mid-May, more than 800 people had been killed in clashes with Myanmars junta as pro-democracy demonstrations swept the troubled country also known as Burma, according to the activist group the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. Myanmar, which had emerged from decades of military rule in 2011, has also garnered international scorn for the army-sponsored genocide of the Rohingya people, a Muslim minority in the Buddhist-majority nation. As the days of Fensters absence turn into weeks, his family is clinging to hope. They have appeared on national television pleading for Dannys safe release, launched a petition and website to draw more attention to his plight and communicate with their elected representatives daily. News of Fensters detainment also sent shock waves across media circles in Chicago, particularly those with connections to Columbia College. A journalist in captivity is bad no matter what, but when its someone who you spent time with, it becomes all that more harrowing, said Dan Sinker, one of Fensters former professors at Columbia College who now works at DePaul University. Sinker said Fenster stood out in a 2009 course he taught about online journalism. He described Fenster as a model student who was eager to learn and do the hard work. It was pretty clear that he wanted to be a journalist, Sinker said. He was very interested in not just following the traditional journalism path, and I think his career has shown that. After graduation, Fenster worked for AmeriCorps, engaging the homeless community in San Jose, California. He then worked as a newspaper reporter at the Daily Iberian in southern Louisiana before moving abroad, first to Thailand and then Myanmar, to continue his journalism. Fensters brother said Danny gravitated toward telling stories of the struggle and was known to have a travel bug. He started working for Frontier Myanmar last August, according to an online statement from the publication. Hes very unconventional, Bryan Fenster said. He goes off the beaten path. Noah Isackson, an adjunct professor at Columbia Colleges journalism program, said he remembered Fenster as a serious student committed to the field. His contributions to class discussions were always wise, but he never talked just to show off, Isackson said. He handled himself so professionally, Isackson said. He was clearly very interested in journalism and the craft of journalism and really improving his work. Columbia classmate Evan Minsker, now an editor at the music publication Pitchfork, said he was horrified when he saw social media exploding with headlines about Fenster being held in Myanmar. The two worked together on a project in Sinkers class but lost touch after Fenster moved to California in 2010. I mostly just remember myself being probably a bit frantic about the project and Danny being a lot more centered and grounded about it, and funny and relaxed and easy to hang out with and great to work with, Minsker said. As Fensters family awaits more word on the situation, brother Bryan said he is trying to refocus the heartache into action. He said the family is thankful for the efforts by the U.S. State Department to make contact with Danny. Freedom of the press is an integral part of an open and thriving society, Bryan Fenster said. Danny always wanted to make a difference with his work, and unfortunately this is happening, but hes making a difference and thats giving us a lot of strength to carry on. Frontier Media released a statement May 31 calling for Fensters immediate and unconditional release. He is thoughtful and compassionate and cares deeply about Myanmar, its people and his work, the outlet said. We are shocked and frustrated that Danny has been detained for no apparent reason. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 For the second time in two years, Cook County States Attorney Kim Foxxs office will soon find itself under the scrutiny of a special prosecutor empowered to investigate accusations of high-stakes legal and ethical lapses. The underlying cases that triggered the two probes could hardly be more different. The first was a minor celebrity charged with a low-level felony. The most recent involves a cop killing, a wrongful conviction and an allegedly perjurious prosecutor. But two separate special prosecutors appointed to investigate the same states attorneys office might well be unprecedented, legal observers said. And while Foxxs allies cast the Jussie Smollett investigation as a political distraction from her reform efforts, the latest allegations, in the Jackie Wilson case, relate more closely to centerpieces of her progressive agenda. Attorney Richard Kling, a veteran Chicago defense lawyer who once represented Wilson in his first trial in the early 80s, said the recent allegations against the states attorneys office came as a shock. Back in the 80s there was no doubt in anybodys mind that prosecutors were screwing around, he told the Tribune. We thought over the years, (notorious ex-Chicago police Cmdr. Jon) Burge has been convicted ... things have changed. And obviously some things havent. Foxxs office has defended its record, and a spokeswoman said it welcomes the latest special prosecutor. But in a scathing ruling Thursday, Cook County Judge Alfredo Maldonado called for that special prosecutor to look into the alleged perjury of former prosecutor Nick Trutenko, as well as the legal and ethical nightmare posed by assigning assistant states attorneys to represent him as a trial witness and the office as a whole. Trutenko was a key witness in the case of Wilson, which has a complicated history stretching back decades. He was tried and convicted twice in a 1982 cop killing; the case was overturned in 2018 on allegations that he was tortured into confessing; and a separate team of special prosecutors brought him to trial for a third time last year. Trutenko, who prosecuted Wilson in his 1989 trial, was called as a defense witness. From there, an already thorny case took some bizarre turns. Trutenko testified that he had a close friendship with a key witness from Wilsons 1989 trial a witness who was reputed to be an international con man, liar and fugitive. Nobody knew William Colemans whereabouts, so transcripts of his previous testimony against Wilson were read into the record at last years trial. But in a surprise to everyone, Trutenko took the stand and said Coleman was still alive. Furthermore, he said he had not discussed Coleman with the special prosecutors handling Wilsons case which was untrue, according to those prosecutors. When they heard the alleged perjury, they dropped the charges against Wilson altogether. Matters somehow got more complicated from there. Foxxs office fired Trutenko that evening. He allegedly wiped his work phone clean before investigators could retrieve it. The next day, the states attorneys office asked the Illinois attorney general to look into the claims of perjury. That office ultimately declined to launch an investigation, Cook County prosecutors said in court. Meanwhile, special prosecutors revealed that Andrew Horvat, the assistant states attorney assigned to represent Trutenko, had warned them against asking Trutenko any questions about Coleman. Wilsons attorneys, incensed, asked Judge William Hooks for sanctions against the prosecutors, noting also that an assistant states attorney representing the office had tried to keep shielded a memo about Trutenko outlining alleged misconduct in a separate case. Instead, Hooks referred the case to a different judge for consideration of appointing a special prosecutor, a request Maldonado ruled on in fiery terms Thursday, saying there was evidence of ineptitude at best and a criminal coverup at worst. The Cook County states attorneys office should never have been involved in Mr. Trutenkos testimony, he said. In an interview with the Tribune, one of Wilsons attorneys took it a step further, alleging that the states attorneys office engaged in a massive cover-up to wrongfully convict Wilson yet again. The motive is clear, Elliot Slosar said, alleging that the states attorneys office knew that if Wilson were acquitted, prosecutors could be sued for decades worth of misconduct allegations regarding his previous overturned convictions. At recent court hearings, prosecutors did not object to an outside probe of Trutenkos actions but fought strenuously against expanding the scope of an investigation to include the conduct of its current employees. Horvat and his colleague, Assistant States Attorney Paul Fangman, were acting as civil attorneys, they argued. As members of the offices Civil Actions Bureau, they were not prosecutors in the traditional sense, Assistant States Attorney Amy Crawford said, and Horvat had no idea about Trutenkos relationship with the witness until the night before the testimony. There is some suggestion of nefarious intent to subvert a prosecution some criminal intent or even a prosecutorial intent, (but) they simply were not wearing prosecutors hats, Crawford argued before Maldonado last month. Illinois statutes task each county states attorneys office with representing county employees in legal matters. Other jurisdictions separate that legal function from the prosecutors office. And so, Maldonado ruled, Horvat and Fangman were put in a precarious, perhaps impossible, ethical situation obligated to serve the interests of Trutenko and the office at the same time they likely were bound by a prosecutors obligation to disclose information favorable to a defendant. At best, the CCSAO acted in a misguided and inept manner as to Trutenko and the ethical crisis created by his misconduct and trial testimony, he wrote. However, at worse, the actions of the CCSAO could have been motivated by unethical and, perhaps, illegal reasons to cover up misconduct. A spokeswoman for the office issued a statement Thursday saying they welcome the special prosecutors investigation in the interest of transparency. Maldonado likely will name the special prosecutor later this summer. His ruling came almost exactly two years after a different judge ordered a special prosecutors investigation into the Smollett case. In June 2019, after rollercoaster twists and turns, Toomin said Foxx didnt properly recuse herself when she withdrew from the onetime Empire actors case, rendering the entire prosecution void from the start. Special prosecutor Dan Webb said his team did not find evidence of wrongdoing by Foxx or her subordinates that could sustain criminal charges. However, they found multiple ethical and procedural lapses in the offices handling of the case, according to a summary of his findings issued last year. Foxx and others repeatedly misled the public about the case and abused their discretion in giving Smollett an unprecedented deal, they wrote. Webbs findings added fuel to right-wing criticism of Foxx, but allegations of mishandling a case like Wilsons might strike closer to home given that Foxx has boasted a progressive policy record on wrongful-conviction matters. The fact that the Cook County states attorneys office is going to be subject to a second special prosecutor in as many years is a concerning pattern, Slosar said. ... Im not sure that the actions that she has taken and the positions shes taken over the last eight months (in the Wilson case) are consistent with an elected prosecutor who is reform-minded and progressive. Joshua Tepfer, who for years has fought to overturn cases connected to corrupt police officers, accused Foxx of justice by press release saying the right progressive things, but not following through. Tepfer alleged that while prosecutors have agreed to throw out dozens of cases related to notorious ex-Chicago police Sgt. Ronald Watts, they are fighting to maintain dozens of others, and have not followed through on promises to audit cases connected to a different allegedly abusive police detective. Asked to respond, office spokeswoman Sarah Sinovic said prosecutors are actively reviewing allegedly tainted convictions, and that the argument that were not doing anything is just false. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 CHICAGO "Be careful." She didn't know it at the time, but those were the last words Joe Schelstraete's mother would say to him before he was shot and subsequently put on life support while working as a rideshare driver in west suburban Cicero on Memorial Day. At a Friday afternoon vigil for Schelstraete, 38, and other rideshare drivers killed on the job, his aunt Kim Bova read those words in a statement from her sister, Schelstraete's mom, who wasn't in attendance because she had to say goodbye to her son for the last time at his funeral services Thursday. The vigil was held by the Independent Drivers Guild outside the Uber Chicago Greenlight Hub. After Bova shared the statement written by Schelstraete's mom, she shared her own thoughts highlighting her belief that Schelstraete's three young kids won't be able to celebrate Father's Day next weekend or ever again in part because of Uber's negligence. "There is blood on Uber's hands," she said. Steven Everett, who is on the board of IDG and a rideshare driver himself, opened the vigil by saying they were there to honor all of the drivers who have been victims of violence on the job. He himself has experienced it, he said, and all of it could stop if rideshare companies, like Uber and Lyft, would "press one button." Everett and other speakers at the vigil said one of the first steps they'd like to see rideshare companies take is requiring passengers to take a photo of themselves before they can order a ride. Almost immediately when drivers open the Uber app to accept rides, they have to take a photo of themselves to protect riders, Everett said. Bryant Greening, an attorney from LegalRideshare a law firm focused entirely on Uber, Lyft, delivery and gig worker accidents and injuries said that driver safety needs to be talked about in the same vein that rideshare safety in general is talked about. "We're here too often," he said, noting that there was a vigil for another driver who was killed just last month. Greening said Uber and Lyft have the technology to make the changes needed to keep drivers safer, so he wants those companies to "step up." While he, too, supported the idea of having riders take a photo before ordering a ride because it would ensure accountability, he also spoke to the importance of dash cams. Having cameras on the dashboards of drivers' cars could deter bad actors and create evidence in case of a crime, he said. LegalRideshare, he said, will donate $10,000 worth of dash cams for local drivers and will set aside another $40,000 as rewards for information to help catch perpetrators of future crimes against drivers. "We're here for justice for Joe," he said. "We're here for justice for everyone else." Throughout the vigil, a few other drivers who were killed were remembered including Ryan Graham Munsie, Elijah Newman and Grant Nelson. Nelson's sister was present and spoke about how her brother was stabbed in 2017. To her knowledge, he was the first rideshare driver killed while working in the nation. She said drivers are human beings and without drivers there would be no rideshare. Everett said he would rather be protesting for pay than the lives of drivers. After the speeches and calls to action, members of the IDG and others present set up a memorial for Schelstraete with candles, a T-shirt with his photo and flowers. Everything sat on a red cloth because it was Schelstraete's favorite color, Everett said. There was also memorabilia for the Denver Broncos. Bova said Schelstraete fell in love with the Broncos and would visit his family who lives out west. It was a dream of his, she said, to move out to Colorado someday. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Its past time for America to discard the left-wing myth of systemic racism, former Vice President Mike Pence said on a recent visit to New Hampshire. We should go a little further than that. Lets discard the phrase systemic racism altogether. The chief function of that phrase is to make our political disagreements, already large, seem even larger than they are. The people who insist systemic racism is real and the people who deny it exists generally have different things in mind. For the first group, it means something like racial inequities that persist without requiring widespread, ongoing, conscious discrimination by individuals. The wealth gap between Black and white Americans is a case in point: It is in part a legacy of past injustice. An education system where wealth lets you live in a neighborhood with good public schools then perpetuates that gap. No individual has to discriminate for the system to produce unfair outcomes. The second group understands systemic racism to mean more than just that the effects of racism pervade our society. They regard it as an indictment of the U.S. as a country that is rife with intentional racism and racist in its essence. And they bridle at that indictment. Thats the way Pence used the phrase. Right before that sentence, he said, Let me say, as my friend Tim Scott said with great effect on the national stage not long ago, America is not a racist country. He was referring to the South Carolina Republican senators response to the State of the Union address. While we are not perfect yet, Pence added, we ought to do justice to all the progress that has been made. Pence spoke similarly during last years vice-presidential debate, denying that America is systemically racist, while also accusing his opponent Kamala Harris of making racial disparities in criminal justice worse when she was a prosecutor and California attorney general. The would-be fact-checkers at Snopes.com dinged Pence for the supposed contradiction, which dissolves upon taking account of the ambiguity of the contested phrase. Avoiding the phrase altogether does not always dispel the confusion. Senator Scott didnt use it in his response to Bidens State of the Union address. His denial that the U.S. is racist nonetheless ignited a fiery debate, as the Washington Post reported. On Twitter, liberal criticism of Uncle Tim was a trending category until the platform took it down. USA Today ran an attempted gotcha feature detailing the countrys racial inequities. The morning after Scotts speech, Vice President Harris said: No, I don't think America is a racist country. But we also do have to speak truth about the history of racism in our country and its existence today." Scott hadnt said otherwise: He had referred to enduring discrimination himself and mentioned our painful past. Harris received some criticism from progressives who took her, and the senator, to be denying the existence of racial injustice. For the most part, though, Scotts critics just ignored that Harris had agreed point for point, and sometimes word for word, with him. Well-meaning Americans have been calling for a national conversation on race for decades, but the participants in it remain determined not to hear each other. People who mean to deny that most Americans are racist or that our institutions are illegitimate people such as Pence and Scott are taken to mean that everything is OK now. Those who mean to affirm the existence of large-scale racial injustice, such as Harris and Biden, are taken instead to be slandering the country and most of its population. We have real disagreements about race. Should we strive for race-blind policies, or take race into account to remedy past discrimination? In teaching U.S. history, should the emphasis be on injustice or progress? We are unlikely to debate such issues productively if we have a distorted view of what the disagreements are. It doesnt help when we agree with each other at the top of our lungs. Ramesh Ponnuru is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 100 years ago June 12, 1921: The University of Chicago bestowed high honors on Bloomington senior Marie Niergarth, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. F. W. Niergarth of North Main Street. Honors include Phi Beta Kappa and Nu Pi Sigma. The third award is to become an aide to unreported entity; it's the highest faculty-voted award a student can earn. 75 years ago June 12, 1946: Bloomington Township Fire Department got started with naming of its first three trustees: Edwin Washburn, Don Massie and Walter Martens. Their first job is to draw up a tax levy for the next town meeting for operation of the department. Voters approved its formation last week. 50 years ago June 12, 1971: TV networks have whacked 15 variety shows from next seasons schedule. Recent cancellations include Ed Sullivan, Johnny Cash and Andy Williams. Only the Dean Martin, Carol Burnett, Flip Wilson and Glen Campbell shows will be back in the fall. 25 years ago June 12, 1996: McLean County deputies have cracked the 1978 murder of Gary Miller with the arrest of Robert Gillespie, a truck driver from Tallula. Since the murder he has been in and out of jail on drug-related charges. This is the second arrest in a local cold case in two weeks. Compiled by Jack Keefe; jkeefe@coldwellhomes.com. This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact the Parsons Sun office at (620) 421-2000 if you have any questions The Governing Council of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) Ghana has called for the immediate establishment of a road transport regulatory agency that will bring sanity into the urban and public transport system. According to the institute, such an agency would, among other things, regulate and monitor the activities of drivers, vehicle owners and transport companies in the country. Speaking on behalf of CILT Ghana, its President, Dr Ebo Hammond, said there was currently no particular agency clothed with the legal mandate to perform such a function or role. The establishment of such an agency, he added, would reduce road crashes which had become a national canker. Dr Hammond was speaking to the Daily Graphic when the institute presented a policy advice on how to accelerate development in the transport sector road, aviation and maritime to the Minister of Transport, Mr Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, in Accra. The council also used the opportunity to congratulate Mr Asiamah on his reappointment as the sector minister. Explaining further, Dr Hammond said the functions of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) and the Motor Traffic and Transport Directorate (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service were limited in scope and could not take up such a role unless they were empowered to do so. The DVLA takes care of the driver and the vehicle sides, while the MTTD takes care of enforcement. But as it stands now, there is no agency that takes care of who registers and monitors the transport companies and vehicles on our roads, so people do what they like. Nobody checks whether or not these transport companies receive any kind of continuous training every year, the kind of qualification the people managing the transport companies have. People go into the sector just because they see it as just business, so the right things are not done from the start, and that is why we have these accidents always, he added. Assistance Dr Hammond affirmed the institutes commitment to offer the needed assistance in the area when it was called upon to do so. He called for the speeding up of the establishment of a national carrier which would help promote tourism, investment and international trade. The government must ensure the completion of the Sunyani Airport to help facilitate travels to the mid-west of the country. The Tamale Airport needs an upgrade of its facilities, especially landside, to convert it into an international airport to help serve those in the northern regions and neighbouring Sahelian countries. It can also serve as an aircraft maintenance centre for the country and West Africa, he said. On maritime, Dr Hammond said there was the need for the government to come up with a policy designed to attract cargo traffic to the Takoradi Port, making it competitive in the sub-region, adding that there was also the need to explore and tap the potential of the Volta Lake for freight transport and ecotourism. The president reiterated CILT Ghanas position on whether or not the nation should accept motorcycles for commercial purposes, popularly referred to as Okada. Parliament must not amend Regulation 128 of Legislative Instrument (LI) 2180 (2012) to allow the use of motorcycles for commercial purposes. It must rather invest in rural transport, which is safe and affordable, he said. Relationship Responding to the call by CILT Ghana, Mr Asiamah said the ministry was working on an LI to empower the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) to perform such functions. He indicated that the ministry had built a good relationship with CILT Ghana, had always been collaborative in the sector and would continue to build on the relationship. Although Mr Asiamah admitted that there were institutional challenges in the transport sector, he explained that the government was working to deal with them, stressing that more would be done to enforce road safety regulations. He, therefore, appealed to the institute and other professional bodies to continue to intensify education on road crashes. He added that work was far advanced for the establishment of a national carrier, as three companies were currently under consideration and undergoing the necessary verifications. He added that the Kumasi Airport project will also end, hopefully, by the first quarter of next year. 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 Speakers at a roundtable discussion on sentencing in the countrys Criminal Justice System have called on judges to prioritise the option of non-custodial sentencing that exist under the 1992 Constitution rather than giving custodial sentences to convicts especially, petty offenders. They have also called on government to expedite action to pass the Community Service Bill and come up with a comprehensive law on non-custodial sentencing. The speakers, who are of the view that options of non-custodial sentences that are in the Constitution are not given prominence by judges, argued that the move, would decongest the prisons, help in the proper reintegration of offenders into the society, rehabilitation and bring meaning to livelihoods. The speakers were an officer from the Legal Unit of the Ghana Prisons Service, ASP Stephen Okai Aboagye, an Assistant Director at the Ministry for the Interior, Ms Gifty Quaye, a representative from the Attorney Generals Department, Mrs Ameley Dankwa Agyeman and the Executive Director of POS Foundation, Mr Jonathan Osei Owusu. Non-custodial sentence Non-custodial sentence is an alternative sentence that refers to a punishment given by a court of law that does not involve a prison term. Non-custodial sentence that exist under the countrys current legal regime include fines and bond. Other non-custodial sentence options such as parole and community service however are not yet options for judges under the Constitution. Event The roundtable discussion held yesterday, June 9, both in-person and virtually, was organised by the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) Ghana to engage relevant stakeholders on how the country could expedite action for the passage of a comprehensive Non-Custodial Sentencing law to ensure Ghanas legal system worked towards reform and rehabilitation of offenders. It brought together stakeholders from the Ghana Police Service, Ministry of the Interior, Ghana Prisons Service and Office of the Attorney General and the facilitators of the Justice for All Programme, POS Foundation as well as the media. Prisons Service ASP Aboagye from the Legal Unit of the Ghana Prisons Service said the countrys total prison population stood at 13,192. Out of the number, 11,638 were convicts, representing 88.22 per cent, 1,554 were on remand while authorised space stood at 9,945. He said with the current arrangement, a person who had been convicted for assault was made to serve his/her jail term with someone who had been convicted of robbery in the same prison. This arrangement, ASP Aboagye said, would rather make the person convicted of assault more hardened when they returned from prison as they would learn from those convicted of robbery. The hardened criminals pollute the less hardened criminals and they become more hardened when they come out, he said. The situation, he said, made it difficult for convicts who served jail terms to be properly rehabilitated. ASP Aboagye said about 90 per cent of the prison services current budget allocation was spent on feeding inmates adding that if this option is explored, it is really going to help us as a service and we are looking forward to that as it will enable the numbers to go down to ensure that we use the limited facilities to train the rest to be good citizens. He noted that the Prison Service had drafted a Constitutional Instrument (C.I) on parole and forwarded it to the Attorney Generals Department for advice. Ministry of Interior Ms Quaye, speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Interior, said people who committed offences such as misdemeanor should be given non-custodial sentences. This also demands a change in thinking for judges because most often, they choose custodial sentencing, she said. Community Service Bill Mrs Dankwa Agyeman, from the Attorney Generals Department, said with the recorded cases of lynching of criminals in the country, there was the need for considerable research to be conducted before passing the community service bill. She said before passing the bill, there was the need for the country to learn and educate the public on best practices to ensure that convicts who were made to service the community were not beaten up or lynched by their victims. POS Mr Osei Owusu, from POS Foundation stressed the need for government to put structures in place to ensure that the convicts did not become second-time offenders. That, he said, would ensure that convicts and petty offenders were successfully reintegrated into the community while decongesting the prisons. 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 organisation set up to distribute coronavirus vaccines to poorer nations was established with a very colonial mindset, a top African Union (AU) official has told the BBCs Focus on Africa programme. Dr Ayoade Alakija, who is the co-chair of the AUs Vaccine Delivery Alliance (Auvda), was speaking on the eve of the G7 summit where world leaders are expected to announce vaccine donations to countries that are struggling to cover their populations. The initial problem with [Covax] is that it was not inclusive, it was a very colonial mindset as it was set up, she said. They did not come and ask us Africans, they did not come and ask our leadership, they didn't come and ask our people, 'What would you like?' Had that been done, Auvda would have said it wanted to vaccinate between 60% and 80% of Africa's population, Dr Alakija said. But Covax seemed to think that covering 20% of the population was enough, she said. The global vaccine sharing scheme was not the sole solution. I think that has been the root cause of our inability so far to purchase our own vaccines, to source our own vaccines, is the fact that we were being told that Covax is enough. 'You stay there and let Covax deal with your needs. Source: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Teacher Trainees Association of Ghana (TTAG) has expressed their utmost gratitude of teacher trainees to President Akufo-Addo and his government for restoring teacher trainee allowance. Following the cancellation of teacher trainee allowance by the erstwhile NDC government, its restoration was a major campaign promise by then candidate Akufo-Addo, and he duly fulfilled the promise to restore the allowance, alongside that of nursing trainees, when he assumed office in 2017. At a visit to the Jubilee House on Thursday June 10, 2021 to pay a courtesy call on the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the teacher trainees commended the Akufo-Addo government for the restoration of the allowance. The teacher trainees said, the restoration of the trainee allowance has cushioned many students in teacher training colleges, and described the intervention by the government as "an unforgettable legacy". Addressing them, Dr. Bawumia assured the teacher trainees of government's continuous support and investment in education at all levels, to ensure easy access to Ghanaians. The group presented a framed portrait of the Vice President to him with an inscription of their unforgettable appreciation of government's restoration of teacher trainee allowance. Source: Office of Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia 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 Todays nationwide exercise will not be a one-off event. We intend to enhance ongoing afforestation programmes, and see to the sustainable exploitation of our forest resources. These were the words of the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Friday, 11th June 2021, when he planted a tree at the forecourt of Jubilee House, as part of Green Ghana Day, a day set aside to plant some five million trees across the country. Speaking at the event, President Akufo-Addo explained that the forest is one of the most important natural resources of Ghana, as its continuous existence creates jobs, provides incomes for local communities, is a source of foreign exchange earnings through timber product exports, and offers environmental protection, including watershed protection and climate change regulation. However, the exploitation of forest resources for national development has not been sustainable over the years. Deforestation and forest degradation are the greatest challenges to sustainable forest management in Ghana today, the President said. He continued, The consequential effect of deforestation and forest degradation is severe climate change, which has dire consequences for our livelihoods, specifically the drying up of our water bodies, the pollution of our waters, loss of our prime timber species, loss of biodiversity, and change in rainfall patterns and weather conditions in the country. To this end, President Akufo-Addo indicated that there is an urgent need to reverse the trend, and restore the countrys forest resources, as much as possible, back to their original state. We do not have tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow to do this. We have to act now! he stressed The President, thus, reiterated his determination to restore the lost forest cover of the country, with the attempt to regulate and sanitize the small-scale mining industry being one such initiative to help keep Ghanas forest cover and reserves intact. I assure the Ghanaian people that Government is determined to ensure the survival of the five million trees being planted today. Together, we must and will protect our environment and ecosystem, and we must contribute to the worlds agenda at combating global warming. We have to protect planet earth and our homeland, Ghana, President Akufo-Addo said. He appealed to all Ghanaians to embrace the Green Ghana Initiative introduced by Government, adding that it is an ambitious initiative, and we will make the necessary effort to sustain it. God willing, this event will be an annual one, and planting targets will be reviewed upwards every year. The President extended his appreciation to the First Lady, Vice President, Second Lady, the Speaker of Parliament, the Chief Justice, the Chief of Staff at the Office of the President, the Asantehene, the Overlord of Dagbon, the Okyenhene, the National Chief Imam, and other prominent citizens of our country, who have embraced the initiative, and committed themselves to supporting this national endeavour, by planting a tree each. He was equally grateful to the leaders of the Church of Pentecost, the Presbyterian Church, the Methodist Church, the Catholic Church, the Anglican Church, and other faith-based organisations for their support and commitment to this noble project. Whilst we all plant trees today, let us resolve to nurture, grow, and protect them to maturity. We have a collective responsibility to leave future generations and their communities with richer, more valuable forest and wildlife endowment than we inherited, he added. Source: Pious Baidoo Banson/Peace FM News Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Speaker of Parliament Alban Sumana Bagbin, his two Deputies, Clerk and Deputies and Staff of Parliament on Friday joined in the national tree planting exercise dubbed Green Ghana. Green Ghana is an initiative of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo that aims at planting five million trees on a single day, June 11, across the country. Some of the trees being planted were timber, Wawa, Dawa Dawa, mango, and rosewood, cashew and shea- butter. The nationwide afforestation exercise involved the President, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, and other high-profile personalities. On Friday, at the Parliament House, in Osu-Accra, the Speaker led the exercise during which some seedlings were planted, on the precincts of the House and later MPs residences at Sakumono, near Tema. The exercise at the precincts of the House was partnered by the National Investment Bank, Parliament House Branch. Speaker Bagbin, in a statement before the exercise, said, "the Parliament of the Republic remains committed to the promotion of a sustainable green environment in Ghana." He said the planted seedlings needed to be nursed, nurtured and monitored for proper growth and maturity. According to the Speaker, trees are the biggest plants on the planet and are very essential for life, and their importance cannot be underrated as their function expand to meet the needs generated by our modern lifestyles." Speaker Bagbin believed that the Green Ghana Project was a special opportunity to recover lost vegetation. Mr Oteng, the Clerk to Parliament, announced that Parliament was in the process of planting trees in the MPs Flats Area at Sakumono to secure its boundaries. He said it was necessary to plant trees at a time climate change and illegal mining were fast destroying the environment and to reclaim degraded forests. Baba Inusah, Principal Assistant Clerk to Parliament, cautioned against wasting the environment, saying those who waste the environment are Satans brothers. He emphasized the need to change negative attitudes to the environment, and with a reference to the Holy Quran said that Allah warned that, Ill not change the condition of the people unless they changed their attitude. The national tree-planting exercise was being held in the 275 Constituencies simultaneously. After he had planted his seedling, the Speaker was followed by First Deputy Speaker Joseph Osei Owusu, Second Deputy Speaker, Andrew Asiamah Amoako, Clerk to Parliament Cyril Nsiah, Acting Deputy Clerk Ebenezer Ahumah Djiretror; and Mr Frank Aidoo, who represented the NIB. The Police Band, with percussive instruments, livened the place with music. Speaker Bagbin, a day earlier, on Thursday, 10th June 2021, had directed a no-sitting for the MPs on the Green Ghana Day to enable them to go into their constituencies and lead the tree-planting exercise. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Mr Isaac Ashai Odamtten, Member of Parliament for the Tema East Constituency has called for the protection of ocean for future generations as it serves as home to important species and ecosystems that humans rely on for food. He said the oceans faced a massive and growing threat from plastics; from land-based sources as a result of some indiscriminate human activities including the dumping of garbage and plastic materials into the sea. The MP was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Tema as the nation marks the United Nations World Ocean Day 2021, on the theme: The Ocean: Life and Livelihoods. According to the UN, the ocean, which covers over 70 per cent of the planet and supports humanitys sustenance and every other organism on earth, produces at least 50 per cent of the planets oxygen and is home to most of the earths biodiversity. Mr Ashai Odamtten said as part of the global commemoration of Ocean Day, there was an urgent need for some concerted efforts for deliberate and sustainable management interventions by all stakeholders, including; government, to protect the sea and rid it of plastics. If we do not stem the increasing deposit of plastics in the ocean, in the next 30 years, the plastic stock in the ocean will be more than the fish stock, he warned. That, he explained, was a worrying statistics and if nothing was done about it, aquatic lives would be lost because of the indiscriminate human activities on land, specifically the disposal of plastic waste. Mr Ashai Odamtten who was a former Metropolitan Chief Executive, Tema Metropolitan Assembly, said even though the planting of the trees was undoubtedly commendable, it smacked hypocrisy since some trees were destroyed deliberately rather than preserving them and planting more. He mentioned some indiscriminate activities at the Sakumo Lagoon where foreign materials were dumped into it and when it rained, most of the materials were deposited into the sea hence making the sea beds to rise and as a result affected the coastline particularly around Dade Agbo through to Bankoma in Tema New Town. He said the assembly must guard the Sakumo lagoon and protect the embankment from being encroached, warning that, if care was not taken, flood-prone areas may have worsened conditions since the basin of the lagoon had been filled. He, therefore, called on state actors particularly the Metropolitan Assembly to show concern to the environment and protect it for the Metropolis sustenance. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Mr Michael Kwakuga Fianu, Assistant District Manager of Sogakope-Denu Forest District of the Forestry Commission (FC) has encouraged organisations and individuals to freely visit the office for seedlings for the Green Ghana Project. He said though June 11 was the official day for the tree planting exercise, there was stock and that the office would be open to supply freely to individuals and groups from the various political districts the office served. Mr Fianu spoke to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), when his outfit led the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) and Heads of Departments in Ketu South to plant mahogany seedlings at the premises of the Municipal Assembly, the Ketu Divisional Police Headquarters and the National Health Insurance office. The Green Ghana Project, under the auspices of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources aimed at planting five million trees on June 11 across all 275 constituencies in the country to preserve and protect Ghanas forest and vegetation cover for a balanced ecology. The FC official said the central nursery at Denu had about 147,000 seedlings for now and that the office had distributed the only available cassia seedlings to Ketu South and North Municipalities, Akatsi South and North Districts, Keta and Anloga Districts and South, Central and North Tongu Districts to enable citizens to participate in the Presidential initiative. So far, weve distributed a total of 27,000 seedlings across the board and the stock at the nursery in the next two weeks will also be ready for out-planting. Im hoping that by the close of the month, we would have planted not less than 120,000 seedlings in all the political districts. Ill encourage every individual in our area here to come out freely to the office and request for a seedling to plant. At least, come with your friend. Tell a friend to tell a friend, tell your cousin to tell another auntie so that we all plant trees because when the last tree dies, the last man dies, Mr Fianu urged. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Ablekuma Central Municipal Assembly on Friday planted over 3,000 trees to support the Green Ghana Project, an initiative of the government. Green Ghana project aims at planting five million trees in a single day across the country. The tree planting exercise was slated for Friday, June 11, 2021. Madam Mariama Karley Amui, Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Ablekuma Central, said the project was a laudable and timely one and the Assembly would ensure that all trees planted were well taken care of. She said the Unit committee members, under the supervision of the Department of Agriculture and The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), would be tasked to water the plants daily and protect them from harm. The MCE said the exercise would be carried out in public schools and other open places in the Municipality. She advised citizens to come on board and plant as many trees as possible so that the Project would serve its purpose. We should not always wait for Government to take initiatives or do everything for us. We as citizens also have a role to play in making our country a prosperous one. Let us all our possible best to ensure that our environment is well greened, she added. Superintendent Elvis Bawa Sadongo of the Kaneshie Divisional Motor Transport and Traffic Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service said in times past, schoolchildren were encouraged to plant trees but unfortunately, that practice seemed to have waned over the years. However, he said, with the introduction of the Green Ghana Project the practice of tree planting would be refueled. He said the Police would remain committed to assisting the Forestry Commission of Ghana and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to enforce laws on deforestation and forestation. The Superintendent advised citizens to desist from the practice of indiscriminate felling of trees because it affected the climate. In Ghana, for instance, one of our best resources is the tree and so if we can limit the number of trees we cut down or better still, if we only cut down trees we are authorized to cut, it will ensure that trees remain in the forest and towns to promote cool temperatures and make life comfortable for us all. Dont forget that medicines are made from trees and if youre to cut all the trees, of course, youll get the money but if you should fall sick, therell be no tree to be used as medicine for you, he added. He called for an intensified and consistent education on the demerits of deforestation so that citizens could understand why they should desist from that act. Superintendent Sadongo said anyone who flouted the rules on deforestation and afforestation, when arrested would be arraigned before court and either fined or jailed. Their logs would also be seized to serve as a disincentive to them, he added. Nii Adoo Nmenmeete, Chief of Nmenmeete Russia said trees had many benefits like providing shade, fencing, beautification, medicinal purposes, among others. He advised citizens to continue with the tree planting exercise even after the occasion to protect Ghanas vegetation for the next generation. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Mr James Oppong-Boanuh, Inspector General of Police (IGP), has encouraged Ghanaians to take part in the "Green Ghana Campaign," to help restore the country's lost vegetation. "Plant a tree, take a picture and share and together let's green Ghana," he added. He called on Ghanaians when he planted a tree to commemorate the event observed on Friday, at the National Police Training School. Mr Oppong-Boanuh said the Police Service would be planting 5,000 seedlings nationwide in support of the nation's Project to plant five million trees to reclaim the forests. In all, 50 ornamental trees, shade trees and fruits would be planted at the National Police Training School, he explained. The IGP said Regional, Divisional and Unit Commanders, as well as Station officers, would replicate it by planting three trees each, at their various areas whilst the six training schools would plant 50 seedlings each, across the country to encourage the rest of the citizenry to do the same. Mr Oppong-Boanuh emphasized that the exercise would not only address the adverse degradation but also achieve goals of protecting the forest as well as beautify the environment. He noted that there was a monitoring and reporting team that would go round to ensure the plants were nurtured and taken care of. Apart from the IGP, Commissioner of Police Nathan Kofi Boakye, Director General, Legal Prosecution planted one on behalf of the Police Management Board. Apostle Alexander Kumi Larbi, General Secretary, Church of Pentecost also planted for religious bodies. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video President Buhari on Thursday June 10 reiterated that his directive to security agencies, to shoot any person or persons found illegally wielding AK-47s and other assault weapons, remains in place. The President said this at the handing over of security equipment by the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu to the Lagos State Police Command during his one-day official visit to the State. The President also vowed that his administration will act firmly and decisively against any and all persons fomenting or carrying out attacks on our Police Force and other security personnel. President Buhari warned that a nation that turns its Police personnel and infrastructure into targets of violence and destruction is a nation on the path of self-destruction. As Commander-in-chief, my primary responsibility remains the security of the country and the safety of all citizens. Despite the many challenges we are facing, I want Nigerians to rest assured that we will secure this country. We will secure our infrastructure, our highways, our communities, and our forests, and we will secure the lives of our people he said The President told members of the Nigeria Police that as the government strives to improve their welfare and capacity, the citizens equally had expectations from them. First let me commend the Inspector-General of Police and the entire Force for the recent efforts to restore peace to troubled parts of the country. I have charged the Inspector-General to leave no stone unturned in rebuilding the morale of his officers and men, especially in the aftermath of the mindless violence associated with the EndSARS protests, as well as the recent spate of attacks on Police Stations in some parts of the country,'' he said Commending the Lagos Governor on the newly acquired security equipment and assets, the President noted that it would go a long way in boosting the morale of the Police, and further enhance their capacity to fight crime and combat criminality. This is even more touching in the light of the unwarranted violence that ensued in the wake of the ENDSARS protests last October, which saw the security architecture in Lagos State being severely damaged, he said. The President added that it was commendable that Lagos State, the Centre of Excellence, has shown a truly resilient spirit, in the face of the massive destruction it suffered last October. You did not allow yourselves to be deterred by the severe setback; instead you have bounced back and are now boldly rebuilding the confidence of residents and investors in the State. I acknowledge the initiative taken to kick-start the rebuilding process, through the establishment of the Lagos State Rebuild Trust Fund, and through this very laudable effort by the Lagos State Security Trust Fund. I enjoin other State Governments to emulate your bold, proactive and resourceful initiative, he said The President also used the occasion to reiterate that the Federal Government takes very seriously our constitutional oath to secure the lives and properties of the Nigerian people, adding that his administration was conscious of the fact that lasting security is a necessary foundation for business, investment and true prosperity. Source: lindaikeji's Blog 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 Political Science lecturer at the University of Ghana, Prof. Ransford Gyampo has explained why the Minister of National Security was not named in President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addos new cabinet. The security capo, Albert Kan-Dapaah was missed in the 19-member cabinet team despite his position being a sensitive role in the country. The Presidents statement to announce his cabinet did not explain why Mr Kan-Dapaah was left out but Prof. Ransford Gyampo has explained why. He said, I was worried when I didnt find his name in the list but cross-checking, the National Security Minister has never been a cabinet member but attend cabinet meetings. He explained that, Previously, there was no ministry for National Security, we had national security Adviser to the President until this current President set up a whole ministry for it. Even though he is not part of the cabinet, he is always available for cabinet meetings, he told NEAT FMs morning show Ghana Montie. President Nana Akufo-Addo released a list of his cabinet members for his second term in accordance with Article 76 (1) of the 1992 Constitution. They include: Mr Ken Ofori-Atta Minister of Finance Mr Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen Minister of Trade and Industry Mr Dominic Nitiwul Minister of Defence Mr Ambrose Dery Minister for the Interior Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Mr Godfred Yeboah Dame Attorney General and Minister of Justice Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto Minister of Food and Agriculture Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh Minister of Energy Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum Minister of Education Mr Kwaku Agyeman Manu Minister of Health Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu Minister of Parlamentary Affairs Mr Dan Botwe Minister of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development Mr Samuel Abdulai Jinapor Minister of Lands and Natural Resources Ms Cecilia Abena Dapaah Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources Mr John-Peter Amewu Minister of Railways Development Mr Ignatius Baffour Awuah Minister of Employment and Labour Relations Ms Mavis Hawa Koomsn Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Mr Ibrahim Awal Mohammed Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Mr Francis Asenso-Boakye Minister of Works and Housing The President, per the 1992 Constitution, can constitute a cabinet of not less than 10 and not more than 19 ministers and also appoint a Secretary. The President and the Vice-president are also part of the cabinet which by law the President will chair the cabinet meeting The vice-president takes up that responsibility in the presidents absence. Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Maxime Bernier, Leader of the People's Party of Canada prepares to speak to the crowd as protesters demonstrate against measures taken by government and public health authorities to curb the spread of COVID-19, in Toronto, Saturday, May 15, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young Alonzo Kittrels can be reached at backintheday@phillytrib.com or The Philadelphia Tribune, Back In The Day, 520 South 16th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146 Alonzo Kittrels can be reached at backintheday@phillytrib.com or The Philadelphia Tribune, Back In The Day, 520 South 16th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146 Thank you for reading the Philadelphia Tribune. You have exhausted your free article views for this month. Please press the "subscribe" button below and see our introductory price of $0.25 per week for 13 weeks. Otherwise, we look forward to seeing you next month. , Cookies . cookies. Would you like to receive breaking news notifications from The Post and Courier? Sign up to receive news and updates from this site directly to your desktop. Breaking News Columbia Breaking News Greenville Breaking News Myrtle Beach Breaking News Aiken Breaking News Click on the bell icon to manage your notifications at any time. Success! Please click the 'Allow' button in the 'Show Notifcations' alert in your browser if one is available. Thank you for signing up! Please enable notifications in your browser and reload the page. Over the course of two weeks, a government pledge, that dozens of nuclear weapon cores known as pits could be made by 2030 at new and improved facilities some 1,600 miles apart, publicly crumbled. Cracks began to show late last month. On May 27, President Joe Bidens nominee to lead the National Nuclear Security Administration, former Sandia National Laboratories director Jill Hruby, said a plutonium pit factory proposed for the Savannah River Site would likely bear fruit years later than initially hoped. Then came the presidents fiscal year 2022 budget request: The Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility, the hub Hruby referenced, could be ready as late as fiscal year 2035 and could cost billions of dollars more than previously projected, it read. And then on June 10, Dr. Charles Verdon, the acting leader of the National Nuclear Security Administration, told Congress his agency no longer thinks it is possible to produce 50 plutonium pits in South Carolina by the 2030 deadline, hobbling the grander plan. What was once a whisper scuttlebutt floated through events and gatherings, passed from person to person like a grown-up game of telephone has now been affirmatively stated, captured on livestreams and on the pages of federal spending blueprints. Officials have described the revival of plutonium pit production as a necessity; the U.S. has for years been unable to craft the key warhead components en masse, and that has perturbed those charged with maintaining the nations aging nuclear arsenal. (The last place where plutonium pits were made in great volume, the Rocky Flats Plant, was raided by the FBI and EPA. It was later scuttled.) Two heads one current, one former of U.S. Strategic Command have described renewed pit production as crucial to the wellness of the nuclear stockpile. Without the capability, Adm. Charles Richard has said, the only alternative is to now start to accept pits that have aged past the point that we have a good analytical basis to have confidence in their operation. We dont have data that says they will work. We dont have data that says they wont work, the STRATCOM boss said. But if we dont reach 80 pits per year, were going to, kind of, find out the hard way how that works out. U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, a South Carolina Republican whose congressional district includes the Savannah River Site and all of Aiken County, considers pit production delays a serious concern. A request for comment made to the office of U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., was not immediately returned. Right now, the U.S. is the only nuclear state that cannot produce a war-ready pit, Wilson, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, told the Aiken Standard this week. This makes plutonium pit production the top priority when it comes to our nuclear modernization. Learning from past mistakes and working in partnership with the Los Alamos National Laboratory, he continued, I am optimistic about NNSAs approach to achieving pit production capabilities at the Savannah River Site. To meet the military demand for plutonium triggers, the National Nuclear Security Administration and the Department of Defense in 2018 formally recommend a tandem approach, what some reference as the two-site solution: 50 pits per year would be made south of Aiken at the Savannah River Site, they counseled, and 30 pits per year would be made at Los Alamos National Lab, near Santa Fe, New Mexico. In an interview in 2019, then-National Nuclear Security Administration chief Lisa Gordon-Hagerty told the Aiken Standard she was absolutely confident that we will make not less than 80 pits by 2030. That is our plan. That is our goal. That is our effort. Its a high bar, I have to say that. It is absolutely a high bar, Gordon-Hagerty presciently admitted, or hedged. But I believe that our entire infrastructure, the investments that were making, and the commitment of our enterprise, we can do it. Despite the newly publicized woes, the South Carolina-New Mexico approach is still seen as the best option, Verdon said Thursday. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and Hruby have endorsed the two-prong strategy, which took off during the Trump administration. When we look at the schedule, when we look at the cost, it still comes out to be the most effective way for us to implement and to achieve that requirement, Verdon said, to take advantage of both the existing facilities at Los Alamos and at Savannah River to implement pit production. Doing it all at Los Alamos, the acting administrator suggested Thursday, is not possible. But older National Nuclear Security Administration reviews have shown both Los Alamos and the Savannah River Site could boost production and staffing to hit 80 pits the sought-after figure. Exactly when that would be possible, though, is unclear. Even with a potential surge in production at Los Alamos, there remains uncertainty about that capability, especially with their history of outages, Wilson said this week. I plan on continuing frequent dialogue with both NNSA officials and military leadership to address the best strategy to mitigate this risk. A major decision about plutonium pit production at the Savannah River Site at the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility, a transformed Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility is expected in the coming weeks. Verdon confirmed that to Wilson on Thursday. The Los Alamos pit production venture, at a ballpark cost of $3.9 billion, got the green light earlier this year. Watchdog groups and independent monitors expect costs to balloon. Based on Dr. Verdons testimony last month at the Senate Armed Services Committee, he estimated that one site would be almost twice as expensive as doing the two-site solution, Wilson said. While the high-end price tag is steep, it is currently the best and most resilient option for our national security moving forward. More precise cost and schedule information will roll out as the respective projects progress. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, center, with from left, Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa, South Korea's President Moon Jae-in, US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and President of the European Council Charles Michel during the G7 summit in Cornwall, England, Saturday June 12, 2021. Online retail sales which surged during the pandemic and show no signs of letting up as the U.S. economy reopens are helping to drive a speculative industrial construction boom in the Charleston area as developers look to get ahead of the demand for warehouse and distribution space to store and deliver all of the stuff consumers are buying on the internet. Roughly 10 million square feet of so-called spec space that is, a building without a tenant committed to move in is either under way or in the pipeline, mostly along the Interstate 26 corridor from North Charleston to the Summerville area. That figure doesn't include custom build-to-suit projects, such as the 3 million-square-foot import distribution center being developed for Walmart in Ridgeville. That massive building will open early next year and deliver goods brought into the Port of Charleston to about 850 stores within a 150-mile radius. "The Port of Charleston has made a pretty sizable pivot to cater to the larger e-commerce and retail distribution users," said Matt Pickard, a broker with the Charleston office of Colliers, a commercial real estate firm. "All of the major name-brand retailers are looking for sizable distribution hubs, and Charleston is a great option for them to cater to the Southeast and beyond." The port's growth over the past decade or so had been focused on manufacturing companies such as BMW and Michelin, whose suppliers needed warehouses in the 150,000- to 200,000-square foot range. The expansion into retail cargo has added an entirely new dimension to the speculative construction landscape. "Just about everything that's being planned now is 500,000-square-foot or bigger, with cross-dock configurations," meaning inbound goods go in on one side of the building and out to customers on the other, Pickard said. First to market Ladson-based Frampton Construction is building a 1 million-square-foot, cross-dock warehouse the biggest spec project yet for the Lowcountry at the Charleston Trade Center in Summerville. The building will feature 50 dock doors, two drive-in doors, parking for 105 trailers and 243 traditional vehicles. "Developers are so confident in the economy and e-commerce and the need for places to store stuff that they're confident in their investments" in big-box spec space, said Keaton Green, Frampton's vice president. "It's a game of being first to market," Green added. "I don't think they really care who the end user is. They just care about putting roofs over concrete to make sure that they have the buildings in place so when the economy does go, like it is now, they'll be prepared for it." Micah Mallace, senior vice president for sales and marketing at the State Ports Authority, said readily available space "is critical to our success and our growth," adding it's one of the top questions potential port customers ask. "It's one of the levers of capacity in any port market do you have enough port capacity, do you have enough truck drivers, enough labor and buildings that can accommodate our business quickly," he said. Charleston's port set its third consecutive monthly record in May for the number of cargo containers moving through its terminals, with nearly 60 percent of loaded boxes filled with imported merchandise, much of it consumer goods. With the new Leatherman Terminal opening in April and a harbor deepening program that will give South Carolina the deepest channel on the East Coast, growth is expected to continue outpacing the national port average. "By and large, it's consumer-driven," Mallace said. "You certainly see it in kind of the crazy buying spree that Americans have been on." The burgeoning electric vehicle market is also driving some of the demand for spec space. Pickard said the Charleston area "is in good position to land some of the battery plants and some of the ancillary suppliers" for Mercedes-Benz Vans, once it starts production of the e-Sprinter in North Charleston. Sign up for our new business newsletter We're starting a weekly newsletter about the business stories that are shaping Charleston and South Carolina. Get ahead with us - it's free. Email Sign Up! The Volvo Cars plant in Ridgeville is another potential source of new business. The Swedish carmaker has committed to an all-electric vehicle lineup by 2030 and will add the XC90 SUV to a production line that already builds S60 sedans within the next couple of years. "Once that second line goes into production, that's when a majority of those tier one and tier two suppliers will commit to the market," Pickard, the Colliers broker, said. When they do, developers hope to have a place for them to land. Despite all of the industrial construction taking place, the vacancy rate at area warehouses and distribution centers has fallen from 6.4 percent a year ago to 3.55 percent during the first quarter of 2021, according to a report by the commercial real estate giant CBRE Inc. "As the Port of Charleston continues its expansion and corporates continue to choose Charleston over markets with higher-taxes, higher costs of doing business and higher-costs of living, the Charleston market needs more industrial development," said Peter Fennelly, president of Bridge Commercial, a Charleston real estate firm marketing a newly announced 125,000-square-foot spec building at North Pointe Commerce Park in Hanahan. Price points As the spec building market heats up, so have the prices. For example, land in the Jedburg area that could be purchased for $70,000 an acre at the end of last year has now doubled, according to commercial real estate agents. A spot at Palmetto Commerce Park in North Charleston, home to Mercedes-Benz Vans and a Boeing Co. engine plant, now costs upward of $200,000 an acre. That eventually will push development up I-26 and farther inland to the Orangeburg area, where land prices are cheaper. The biggest constraint developers are facing now is construction materials. Steel prices are up more than 60 percent since the first of the year, while lumber costs have climbed by 90 percent. Much of the increase is driven by sharp increases in demand coupled with supply chain disruptions and the hangover from pandemic shutdowns. Some developers have started pre-ordering steel before the permitting and site work have been completed so it will be on site when construction starts. Even things like overhead doors are in short supply, Green said. Those higher costs are expected to be passed along in annual rental rates, which are already up 28 percent since 2019 to a Charleston-area average of $6.69 per square foot, according to Colliers. "Over the past several weeks, the major challenge facing the U.S. non-residential construction industry has shifted from COVID-19-induced disruptions to the ongoing surge in materials prices," Anirban Basu, chief economist with Associated Builders and Contractors, said in written statement. "Non-residential input prices have surged, and much of that increase has occurred since the start of 2021." Along with higher prices, builders are having to wait longer for materials. "If you order steel today, it's eight or nine months out before you're getting it delivered," Pickard said "So a lot of developers who were hoping to break ground in the next three to six months are kind of stuck in the same boat as everybody else waiting on building materials to be delivered." Labor also is in short supply. The number of South Carolina workers in construction fields stood at 108,500 in April just 2,000 more workers, or a 1.8 percent increase, over two years ago, according to the state Department of Employment and Workforce. Statewide, building permits have risen nearly 40 percent during that same period, according to the Census Bureau. "The first question we get from any developer that's looking in this market and the first question we get from any company looking to position themselves in this market is labor," Pickard said. "The labor force, and ensuring that we have enough capable folks to fill these jobs, is certainly something to keep an eye on and try and get ahead of." While the coronavirus has taught developers that market conditions can change almost overnight, many say spec warehouse development for e-commerce firms is as close to a sure thing as real estate gets. "We're very bullish on it," Pickard said of himself and his Colliers co-workers. "Pretty much everything we do in our daily lives is pivoting to an online method in some fashion. That, coupled with all the infrastructure and capital improvements the port is putting forth. They're going to ensure more companies choose Charleston as a place to bring their products. I don't think it's going to slow down any time soon." A group of residents who live in and around the Belle Meade neighborhood on the west side of Greenville County gathered June 11 in defense of the closed community center the county plans to tear down and replace with affordable housing. Behind them the county had posted signs on the door of the concrete structure declaring it unsafe. The county owns the building, which for years was used as a community gathering place for residents in the 500-home community. Residents once held parties inside, and the countys recreation department ran after school and summer programs for children. But now a code-enforcement notice on the building reads that it must be demolished and all debris removed by July 1 or the county would be in violation of its own codes. Residents said the county purposely allowed the building to fall into disrepair and they called for its replacement. To Mary Bryant, who has lived in Belle Meade for 40 years, the countys treatment of the building and plans to replace it with about seven affordable houses on three acres in the neighborhood shows disrespect. The Woodfield Community Center was originally built as a private center for residents who lived in Belle Meade when Donaldson Air Force Base was still in operation. Once it closed and the community began to change, the former Greenville County Recreation District took it over until the special-purpose district was folded into county operations in 2013. The county recreation department doesnt operate neighborhood community centers and stopped hosting programs at Woodfield in 2016, county officials said. The county prefers to run larger community centers that can by fully staffed and serve multiple communities. Lisa Sweeney, who runs her own nonprofit programs for at-risk children and grew up in Belle Meade, has led the effort to keep the center and return it to its former glory. Sign up for our Greenville weekly update newsletter. Sign up for weekly roundups of our top stories, news and culture from the Upstate. This newsletter is hand-curated by a member of our Greenville news staff. Email Sign Up! She called on Councilman Ennis Fant to resign and said he shouldve been at the head of the line defending the center. Community activist Bruce Wilson, who also grew up in Belle Meade, said he may run for Fants District 25 seat on the council if the center isnt repaired or replaced. Fant was re-elected in 2020 and his seat doesnt come up until 2024. If you want to tear the building down, fine. But youd better rebuild it, Wilson said. Fant said he has asked for five years for money to repair the center and has consistently been turned down. He said it has been made explicitly clear that the county is not going to maintain neighborhood community centers. I know people are frustrated and uncomfortable, Fant said. Theres no appetite to replace it, theres no funding to replace it. Theres no votes to replace it. Fant said he is only one vote and if there is no opportunity to use or fix the center, he wants it used for affordable housing a pillar issue of his campaign. The center is on the countys agenda for a second reading of three for its June 15 meeting. The county plans to transfer the centers assets to the Greenville County Redevelopment Authority, which would develop the houses and a small park on the site. NORTH CHARLESTON Slim are the odds that a dugout canoe would survive 4,170 years. Slim are the odds that anyone would find it buried in the pluff mud of the Cooper River. Slim are the odds that the prehistoric canoe would find its way to conservationists. And what are the chances that those conservationists would call upon the Native people of South Carolina to determine what should be done with this artifact? So when people from various tribes Pine Hill, Waccamaw, Eastern Cherokee and Southern Iroquois, Lower Eastern Cherokee, Yamassee, Wassamasaw, Edisto Natchez-Kusso, Catawba came to Clemson Universitys Warren Lasch Conservation Center on the former Charleston Naval Base on May 20 to see the canoe submerged in a 12-foot container of water, and to gently touch its spongy, delicate remains, something extraordinary happened. Appreciation, pride, regret and even some rage mixed together and found expression and, within the smoke caused by this emotional friction, a new solidarity was forged. Soon it was apparent that this prehistoric canoe was not only an astounding treasure with an important story to tell but also a means to a larger end, a catalyst, a transcendent symbol for all. Chief Lamar Nelson of the Eastern Cherokee, Southern Iroquois and United Tribes extolled the collaboration, and took note of the Clemson teams advocacy of the right of Native tribes to exercise control over their own heritage. "This is a great opportunity," he said. "It bridges barriers." The canoe, which predates all known Indian tribes in South Carolina, would bring the states Native people together in common purpose. It would inspire action and unity. This very old object would provide a new way to assert what is underappreciated by most people: that South Carolinas Indigenous population is diverse, extensive, active and a vital part of our shared history. The canoe The team at Clemsons conservation center, run by Stephanie Crette, now is protecting the artifact. Lead archaeologist Nicholas DeLong is in charge of the research; chief conservator Gyllian Porteous is in charge of preservation; Native people are in charge of determining what to do with the canoe once it has been stabilized and prepared for public viewing. The conservation center staff knows that this artifact is a common denominator among several tribes that have the right to decide how an important piece of their heritage the dugout canoe should be treated. It was made of cypress during the late Archaic period in North America, around 2000 B.C. During this time, the post-glacial, nomadic hunter-gatherer groups along the coast formed subsistence economies based on sedentary farming. The enormous shell rings found in the Southeast, built over many years by Native people who gathered by the shore, were created by these societies. As various communities began to concentrate their social energies on specific territories, they began to rely more on trade with others. Canoes were essential. They made everything easier, providing transportation along the riverways as well as cargo holds for collected shellfish, goods and building materials. They helped transform Native societies from nomadic to egalitarian. Not all of the Cooper River canoe survived intact, only a big piece of the hull, a part of the bow and four smaller fragments. The recovered portion is about 10 feet long and 17 inches wide. The conservation team will estimate its original length and manner of use once the restoration work is completed, DeLong said. At the consultation event, attendees were invited to reach into the tank and, in a sense, back in time to touch the submerged remains. Its the oldest such artifact found in South Carolina. Signs of charring and scraping confirm that it was constructed in the traditional manner, using fire, hand tools, concentration and patience. These canoes were made with old-growth pine, chestnut, red oak or cypress. The work was performed by several people near the site of the tree they felled for this purpose. The builders applied clay above the base to protect the wood, then constructed a fire to strip the roots. Controlled burning was key; it made it easier to hollow out the log little by little. Tools made of stone or shells were used to chip at the wood, scrape out the softened material, and form the boat. DeLong noted that 25 dugout canoes have been found in the state, only four of which are prehistoric. So this is rare. The reason its so spongy is because the wood has deteriorated to the point of collapse. Porteous now will oversee its restoration. It will be a tricky business. The fix Since iron anchors were used to secure the canoe in its tank after it was found, rust has penetrated some of the wood, and that accelerated its deterioration. So first up is to remove as much dissolved iron from the wood as possible in a process called chelation, which could take a few months. Then comes the polyethylene glycol impregnation. Because the cellulose of the wood has broken down, leaving voids between the cell walls, the canoe is kept submerged in water, which fills the voids and preserves the artifact. Thats why it feels spongy. But you cant simply remove the water. Whats left of the wood would collapse upon itself. Pine Hill Chief Michelle Mitchum worried that this procedure would preclude the kind of analysis of the old wood that might reveal characteristics of the tree from which it came, including location. Besides, she said, its infusing a once-living thing with plastic. It's akin to embalming, which is not the Indian way. Its not ideal, Porteous agreed, but its the best way to save the canoe. A small piece can be withheld for analysis. Porteous would replace the water with the polyether compound in a slow and methodical process that could take up to two years. It will darken the wood, but at least it will prevent collapse or shrinkage during the subsequent phase of conservation. Once reinforced, the canoe can be dried vacuum freeze-dried to be precise. This allows for sublimation rather than evaporation, reducing the risk of collapse. The Clemson team, which doesnt have its own expensive vacuum freeze-dryer on the premises, will deliver the artifact to the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory for this purpose. It could take half a year or so, after which the canoe can be returned to South Carolina and the Clemson team can put the pieces back together. If all goes smoothly, the conservation work will be completed by the end of 2023. The find But how did the canoe happen to end up with Clemsons Warren Lasch Conservation Center? It took some doing. The story begins on July 13, 1997, when a Mount Pleasant man diving somewhere in the Cooper River discovered the buried treasure, recovered it and took it home. He was not licensed. He did not consult an archaeologist. And he removed the canoe from state public lands. This was an illegal act. Hoping to sell the artifact, he called someone at The Post and Courier to inquire about a finders fee. When the S.C. Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology was informed of his efforts, the states protective bureaucracy kicked into gear. SCIAAs Lynn Harris contacted the man to lay claim to the find. The man threatened to destroy the canoe rather than turn it over to the state. Department of Natural Resources officer Angus MacBride was deployed to the home to confiscate the boat, and a team from SCIAA removed it to DNRs Fort Johnson facility where it was placed in a fiberglass tank, submerged in fresh water, and covered with a tarp for safekeeping. And there it remained for 23 years. SCIAA had no budget for conserving an object like this so, finally in December 2019 custody was transferred to Clemson. In August 2020, it was moved from Fort Johnson to the conservation center on the former Navy base. The diver who pulled the canoe from the Cooper River refused to reveal its original location. Knowing where he discovered the boat could aid DeLong and other researchers seeking to add historical context, cross-reference information about Native people in the area, or search for other prehistoric objects nearby. Its possible that more of this canoe is buried in the mud at that site, but the team has given up hope of finding anything more. The conversation After DeLong and Porteous finished their presentations, emphasizing that the Clemson team is seeking to engage Native communities as full partners, attendees of the meeting went to see the artifact. They gathered around the tank, submerged a hand and gently touched the ancient wood. For a short while, the symbol became real: a physical object, utilitarian in purpose, ancient to be sure, but comprehensible. Here once sat a paddler in search of something along the waterways. Dexter Sharp, a Cherokee, described how he has made two canoes from the wood of a hickory tree, scraping and scraping until the correct form emerges. Andy Spell, an Edisto Indian, makes paddles. The old-growth cypress is best because the paddles float better, but he has started to use pine because of its abundance. He created the basic shape using power tools, then reverts to hand scrapers, he said. It takes about five hours to make a paddle this way. If he only used hand tools, it might take up to two full days. After lunch came the dialogue, and the tangible slowly gave way again to the symbol. Sekhu Hadjo, of the Yamassee Indian Tribe, said this gathering to discuss the canoe conservation effort is a small part of a bigger dialogue. Im hoping this turns into a conversation piece that delves into the fuller history, he said. The bigger story. Thats what came to dominate the discussion. Chris Judge, professor of archaeology at the University of South Carolina Lancaster, said its up to researchers, scholars and tribal people to build context around the canoe so it can be a catalyst for wider understanding of the Native experience in the state. Cheryl Cail, vice chief of the Waccamaw Indian People, said the canoe is the hub of the wheel to which all Native tribes can connect, adding their stories to a larger narrative. Lisa McQueen-Starling, of the Wassamasaw Indian Nation, noted with emotion that the canoe seemed close to her people, who lived along the Cooper River, and she raised deeply rooted concerns about the autonomy most South Carolina tribes lack, the erasures of Indian history and culture over time, the complications (and internecine divisions) caused by racial and tribal mixing, and the potential difficulties in reconciling this project with the realities of Native life in the state today. McQueen-Starling stepped away and the room hushed in thoughtful deliberation. Then Hadjo chimed in. You need to understand the pain you are dealing with, he said. This is not just a piece of wood. It is a crowbar that pries open the lid containing centuries of heartache. But its also a salve that can mend wounds. Our people have suffered enough, but theres a 4,000-year-old canoe that can bring us together. Pet adoptions in the United States increased significantly at the start of the coronavirus pandemic last year as people found themselves spending more time at home. Now, people are fostering animals as they decide they don't want the full-time pet ownership role while working at home with a mind toward eventually returning to work. But even those numbers are falling. As folks prepare their hearts and homes for new companions, end-of-life care is not always at the top of their minds. That is why services like Lowcountry Pet Hospice and Home Euthanasia are important. Dr. Lauren Orvin is veterinarian at the mobile practice in Charleston and provides pets and their caregivers with information, comfort and dignity during the dying process. But also on the minds of pet lovers is adoptions. More than 35,400 dogs were adopted in the United States in March 2021, according to the national PetPoint adoption report. That is a 10.4 percent decrease from reported adoptions in March 2020, the same month when the first COVID-19 cases were reported in the Palmetto State. Locally, staffers at the Berkeley Animal Center have seen an increase in both adoptions and pets coming into the shelter during the pandemic. But more than anything, an abundance of people are choosing to foster animals from the shelter, according to director Heather McDowell. She said she believes more people opted to foster pets than adopt them during the pandemic so they would not have to deal with long-term commitment. And while they were home, they figured theyd have something there with them to play with and, you know, do stuff with, McDowell said. But once they had to go back to work, they didnt want to continue to have to take care of it, so they would bring it back. As people go back to work and life begins to return to pre-pandemic norms, McDowell said the fostering numbers at the shelter are beginning to decrease. But the need hasnt. From May 1 to June 1 of this year, almost 500 cats and kittens were brought into the shelter. They thrive better in foster environments where they can be bottle fed and cared for until theyre old enough to be spayed or neutered. McDowell said folks are always encouraged to foster or adopt animals from the shelter. As of the beginning of June, 378 dogs and 337 cats have been adopted this year from the shelter. It is important that people are prepared to take care of the animals once they adopt them, McDowell said. When people are coming to adopt, we always suggest that they bring the pets that they currently have to do a meet-and-greet with the animal that theyre wanting to adopt just to make sure that theyre going to get along, McDowell said. And if the adoption does not work out, the Berkeley Animal Center will take the animals back. Families have returned pets to the shelter for various reasons, including food aggression and illnesses. During instances of illness, Orvin said families are faced with many decisions. Initially, those decisions may include whether or not to pursue treatment options like chemotherapy or surgical interventions, Orvin said. Later on, decisions regarding the pets physical and emotional wellbeing while undergoing treatment often surface. Families may also have to make decisions regarding financial, physical and time limitations and abilities when dealing with a sick pet. Ultimately, caregivers could have to decide when and whether to euthanize, Orvin said. Lowcountry Pet Hospice and Home Euthanasias services are geared towards cats and dogs and include an initial home consultation during which staff discusses the familys concerns and the pets diagnosis. A plan is then created for the animals care. Orvin said her companys goal for hospice care includes detecting and managing physical and emotional pain and supporting a pets mobility, nutrition and hygiene. She said hospice care is appropriate for almost every pet with a terminal diagnosis. Hospice care is a collaboration between the caregiver, aftercare providers, pharmacists and mental health professionals, Orvin said. Each of these team members help families navigate the decision-making process of end-of-life care. Orvin said she has seen an increase in the number of families that need in-home hospice services during the pandemic. We believe this is because more families were home to observe their pets and then desired to be home for hospice care and eventually to help them pass in the home as well, Orvin said. In addition to in-home hospice care, Orvin offers palliative care, euthanasia and aftercare services. Information and pricing for each service can be found online at lowcountrypethospice.com. Phone consultations are available from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday at 843-640-9755. Charleston police believe an act of vandalism at U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace's Daniel Island home last month may be connected to a similar graffiti incident that happened at nearby Bishop England High School earlier this year. Investigators found similarities between the graffiti at Mace's home and what was found at the high school, police said on June 11. They believe the same person is responsible for both incidents. Mace, a Charleston Republican, tweeted a statement following the police announcement thanking local, state and federal law enforcement for their efforts on the case. "I want to thank all of you who have reached out with messages of support," she said. "My kids and I appreciate the overwhelming acts of kindness during a difficult time. Regardless of our political beliefs, we should all be able to feel safe in our own homes." Among the messages left at Mace's home on May 31 were profanity, "Pass the Pro Act," "no gods," "no masters," and the capital letter "A" within a circle a symbol most commonly associated with anarchism. Charleston police also identified the symbols as anarchist in origin, according to an incident report. Police also discovered similar graffiti at three Daniel Island parks that day. As the investigation progressed, authorities connected the Memorial Day incident at Mace's home to an earlier act of vandalism. An anarchist symbol was spray-painted at Bishop England High School on Feb. 23, as well as messages such as Marx is cool so is Kropotkin, Read leftist theory, This is a bad school" and "ACAB," an acronym for a derogatory phrase aimed at law enforcement. The suspect also painted a "hammer and sickle" insignia, which is, "meant to represent proletarian solidarity," police said. Review of surveillance video at the school revealed a person wearing a black sweatshirt and dark pants moving around the campus and spray-painting various spots, police said. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Charleston County Consolidated 911 Center at 843-743-7200, Crime Stoppers of the Lowcountry at 843-554-1111, or Charleston Police Sgt. Stephen Voges at vogess@charleston-sc.gov. 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. Its official: In the great existential battle between a return to normalcy and a new progressive era, normalcy is winning. Recall that Joe Biden ran as a moderate in 2020, not just in the general election but also in the Democratic primaries. Biden triangulated off the Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren wing of the party, rejecting defund the police, Medicare for All and the socialist label. In general, he did everything he could to reassure voters he wasnt the caricature radical the Republicans tried to paint him as. And then victory went to Bidens head. You could see it happen in real time. Bidens $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package was very popular, including with many Republican voters, and the congressional GOP offered little to no meaningful resistance to it. This gave the White House, and the progressive pundits pushing Biden to go big, the false impression that the rest of the Biden agenda would be equally popular. (It turned out that being sent large sums of cash with no strings attached is more popular than the more conventional Democratic fare.) Also, Democrats took two Georgia Senate seats in a post-election runoff that likely would have gone Republican but for Donald Trumps stop-the-steal chaos. If Republicans had taken even one of those seats, they would control the Senate. Instead, Democrats suddenly had unified control of Congress. Finally, on March 2, a group of liberal historians told Biden he had a shot at being a new FDR or LBJ and should go for it. The only problem with all of this is that it was fatally detached from political reality. FDR and LBJ won landslides, had huge majorities in the House and Senate, and had considerable support from Republicans as well. Biden had the narrowest majority possible in the Senate and very close to that in the House. His presidential coalition wasnt merely small by comparison, it was also arguably more divided. A significant number of his voters cast ballots against Trump more than for Biden, which is why the GOP actually picked up seats in the House. Worse for Biden, several Democratic senators, most notably Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, arent on board for a new New Deal or new progressive era. Biden recently came close to admitting that reality wasnt getting his back. I hear all the folks on TV saying, Why doesnt Biden get this done? he said, referring to himself in the third person. Well, because Biden only has a majority of, effectively, four votes in the House and a tie in the Senate, with two members of the Senate who vote more with my Republican friends. Sign up for our opinion newsletter Get a weekly recap of South Carolina opinion and analysis from The Post and Courier in your inbox on Monday evenings. Email Sign Up! That last dig at Sinema and Manchin was unfair. What they wont do is vote to abolish the filibuster, which would let the Democrats steamroll their agenda with 50 votes. The problem for Biden is he has an agenda that would be plausible with 60 reliable votes in the Senate but is impossible when he has to scramble to get even 50. That harsh reality became clear last weekend, when Manchin announced in an op-ed that he would not vote for the For the People Act, which would radically federalize the way we conduct elections. The Democratic base thinks this is largely a Manchin problem. New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman told CNN on Monday that Joe Manchin has become the new Mitch McConnell. ... Joe Manchin is doing everything in his power to stop democracy. Rep. Mondaire Jones of New York indefensibly tweeted that Manchins op-ed might as well be titled Why Ill vote to preserve Jim Crow. Overlooked in this backlash is that Manchin is actually taking heat for other Democratic senators who cant afford to be as out front as Manchin, who comes from a solidly Republican state. (Trump won West Virginia by 39 percentage points.) Progressive activists want to oust Manchin and Sinema in favor of more pliable team players. Help us find the next AOC to replace Manchin and Sinema was how one progressive PAC positioned its strategy in February. This is unhinged from reality. Manchin is almost surely the only Democrat who can get elected in his state. Hed beat a West Virginia Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez handily, and if he didnt, a Republican would in the general election. You can have a centrist Democratic senator from West Virginia or no Democratic senator at all. This is what normalcy is supposed to look like: two parties trying to figure out how to win over the center. And its long overdue. Jonah Goldberg is editor-in-chief of The Dispatch and the host of The Remnant podcast. Catches of large dolphin earned teams competing in the 2021 South Carolina Mahi Series some big paydays for the event that ended June 5. Participants in the event that began May 10 were allowed to choose two fish days and weigh two dolphin (also known as mahi mahi) each day with their two heaviest fish counting toward the top prize. She Agreed, captained by Mike Szucs out of Beaufort, won the tournament with a two-fish aggregate of 84.1 pounds, including the tournament's heaviest dolphin, a 61.7-pound catch. She Agreed earned $18,000 plus another $9,700 for winning the Mahi Big Fish TWT (tournament within a tournament). Bush Hook, captained by Jeffrey Sawyer of Summerville, took second place with 73.2 pounds, a 48.5 fish and a 24.7-pound catch. Bush Hook earned $8,500 from the main tournament and another $5,700 for finishing second in the Mahi High Roller TWT. Third place went to Yates Sea, captained by David Yates of Mount Pleasant, with a two-fish aggregate of 72.2 pounds. Yates Sea won $4,000 from the main tournament plus $9,500 from the High Roller TWT. Rounding out the top 10 finishers were: Fish Tanked, Johnston McCurry, Johns Island, 72.2; The Drum, Burton Harbin, Traveler's Rest, 63.9; Reel Pipes, Timothy Redd, Aiken, 62.8; Sandman, Mike Holmes, Walterboro, 62.6; No Limit, Marvin Benford, Summerville, 59.1; Water We Doin', Shevlin Howe, Isle of Palms, 57.9; and Sea Spur, Elliott Koonce, Georgetown, 55.5. Sandman, which finished seventh overall, actually enjoyed the tournament's biggest payday. Sandman took the winner-take-all S.C. Big Mahi TWT with a 41.5-pound catch that was worth $24,000. Sandman also won $850 for finishing seventh and $3,800 for finishing third in the Mahi High Roller TWT, a total of $28,650. The tournament's three heaviest fish She Agreed's 61.7-pound catch, Yates Sea's 53.2-pound fish and Bush Hook's 48.5-pound catch were all caught on May 17. Sandman's 41.5-pound catch, the fourth heaviest, was caught June 2. Stocks and Bonds, captained by Michael Schiess of Pawleys Island, won the Tuna TWT with a 31.9-pound yellowfin worth $8,200. Neal Koonce, fishing aboard Sea Spur, was the top youth angler with a 30.8-pound dolphin. Lauren Sawyer, aboard Bush Hooked, was the top lady angler with the team's 48.5-pound dolphin. "I'm extremely happy with the way this tournament is going," said tournament director and founder Capt. Marc Pincus of Hilton Head. "We had 105 boats last year, which I thought was miraculous. I was trying to get 50 and ended up with 105. To get 128 boats this year, I was really excited. "Even though you have to go far out, the mahi fishery is something a lot of people can go out and enjoy. It's a fun fishery that gets a lot of people involved." Pincus said he chose the April-June timeframe for the event because that's when it seems the dolphin fishery is at its peak. Pincus also runs the S.C. Wahoo Series (scwahooseries.com), which ended April 24, and he said it seems every year that a big dolphin shows up the final week of that event. He said a 50-pounder caught the final week of the S.C. Wahoo Series won the dolphin TWT. "May is our red-hot time for dolphin. It's not unusual to go out and catch 10, 15 fish. And that's what we want," Pincus said. "If people go out and catch fish then they have a good time. If they go out and get skunked, it's hard to get those folks back. "I thought this year was a super bite. Everybody I talked to was catching fish and that's what you want." The S.C. Mahi Series is the middle event of the three-tournament HUK South Carolina Saltwater Series. Pincus said this year 52 boats are participating in the overall series, a good number, he said, when he was hoping for at least 15 to 20. The top points earner will win $2,500 cash and a $2,500 HUK gift certificate. Second place will win a $2,500 HUK gift certificate. The final event is the S.C. Fall Classic (scfallclassic) king mackerel tournament, which runs Sept. 21-Nov. 7. Participants in the S.C. Fall Classic can choose two fish days, weigh two fish each day, and have their three heaviest count toward the aggregate total. The top prize is $20,000. "We had 100 boats last year and 80 the year before," Pincus said. "I thought 100 was exceptional and my goal is to get back to 100 boats. "Fishing in last year's tournament was outstanding. The fall kingfish bite is unbelievable here, off the chain. Boats were catching 20, 30 fish a day and most were over 30 pounds. It's an incredible fishery we have here in the fall. People will catch 15, 20 kings and they may not win the tournament but they'll remember that day and there's a good chance they will come back and fish again next year." Hooked on Miracles king mackerel tournament The Hooked on Miracles King Mackerel Tournament will return following a one-year absence because of the coronavirus with competition scheduled July 17 out of Ripley Light Yacht Club. Proceeds from the tournament benefit the MUSC Children's Hospital. The captain's meeting for the tournament (hookedonmiracles.com) presented by Key West Boats will be held from 5-9 p.m. July 15, with an MUSC children's outing aboard the Billistic on July 16. Fishing hours on July 17 are from 6:30 a.m.-5 p.m. with check-in from 2-5 p.m. First prize, based on 125 paid entrants, is $25,000. The entry fee is $400 per boat. Swamp Fox NWTF banquet The Swamp Fox chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation will hold its annual fundraising banquet and auction on June 26 at the Exchange Building at the Exchange Park on Highway 78 in Ladson. Doors open at 5 p.m. for the sportsman exhibits with dinner at 6:15 p.m. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Contact Wayne Grace Jr. at 843-834-7779 or Karen Whaley at 843-870-3480 or email swampfoxnwtf@gmail.com. America's Boating Club America's Boating Club Charleston will hold a boating safety class June 26 at 1376 Orange Grove Road, Charleston. The class begins at 9 a.m. and ends around 4 p.m. Successful participants earn the S.C. Department of Natural Resources Boater Education Card. The cost is $25 for adults and youth 12-18 are free. Call 843-312-2876 or email lynest@tds.net. The Guam Strategy I hate to be so blunt, but it needs to be said. If the Guam State Historic Preservation Office wants to know whatever ancient artifacts could Read more Note: We've recently updated our online systems. If you can't login please try resetting your password. You must login with an email address. If you don't have an email associated with your account email circulation@postregister.com for help creating one. The New York Times has reported that during a Justice Department investigation into who was leaking classified information about the Russia collusion matter early in the Trump presidency, prosecutors subpoenaed Apple for data from the accounts of at least two Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee, aides and family members. The House Dems were Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell. Democrats and their media partners are outraged. Should they be? It depends on whether there was a sufficient evidentiary basis for the subpoenas. We know that a judge signed off on them, but experience teaches that this fact is inconclusive. We also know, thanks to Chuck Ross of the Washington Free Beacon, that none other than Peter Strzok, then the top FBI investigator in the inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 election, sent text messages to colleagues in March 2017 speculating that Democrats from the House Intelligence Committee and on the so-called Gang of Eight were behind media leaks. Strzoks speculation isnt conclusive either, but it suggests that the DOJ might not have been wrong to want to investigate some of these folks. Finally, we know that neither Schiff nor Swalwell was ever charged by the DOJ. But that fact, too, is inconclusive on the question of whether there was sufficient cause to investigate them. Its not even conclusive on the question of whether, more likely than not, the two were leaking unlawfully. Congressional Democrats are calling for an investigation of the subpoenaing of the two congressman and others. In my view, the matter should be investigated, although the prospects for a fair investigation by this Congress are practically nil. Searching the records of ones political opponents without justification is a very serious matter. But so is leaking classified information. A sound basis for suspecting that congressmen (political opponents, or not) are so leaking provides justification for searching their records. A congressional investigation, even one run by Democrats, might help us determine whether that sound basis existed. It could also shed light as to who, in fact, was leaking classified information. Dominic Greens New York Post column explains the offense the escapee from Madam Tussauds has given his British hosts. The column is Biden opens European tour with slap at Brits. However, Prime Minister Boris Johnson appears to be taking it well. Green is deputy editor of the Spectators world edition as well as a historian and journalist of the first rank. While our mainstream media serve Biden like the courtiers and townsfolk in The emperors new clothes, Green plays the part of the the little child, but with the eye of an educated adult: The press would have asked Biden about why hes resumed Obamas strategy of insulting your friends, but Biden didnt hold a joint press conference with Boris on Thursday. Now, its true that my colleagues in the British press make a blood-crazed Rottweiler look like Snoopy. But its also true that taking one in the face from Fleet Street comes with the territory. This is the first time in modern history that the president of the United States has dodged the press after his inaugural meeting with Britains prime minister. Its obvious that Biden isnt up to the biggest job in the world. Jibberin Joe repartee isnt exactly razor-sharp on a good day. Multiply the blatant decline of the presidential faculties by a five-hour jet lag, and Biden would come off looking like one of those lost tourists in If Its Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium. Banterin Boris, meanwhile, is a natural comedian who can recite Homer in the original Greek. The jokes in this European Vacation are on the United States. And also on the Queen. The Bidens are going to tea with Elizabeth II on Sunday. It will be a memorable occasion for her, anyway, as her memory is still working. Greens Telegraph column President Biden is crumbling before our eyes anticipated these observations this past March. Greens observations provide a useful contrast to the superficial pap served up by Alex Thompson and Theodoric Meyer at the top of Politicos West Wing Playbook last night: As world leaders gladhand and pose for countless photos at the optics-heavy G-7 summit this weekend in Cornwall, England, one visible detail jumps out: President JOE BIDEN is the eldest of all the statesmen. In fact, of all the leaders Biden is set to meet with in the U.K., only the 95-year-old Queen of England will be his senior. The White House, nevertheless, seems to be trying to project an image of Biden, 78, as a vigorous peer who can hang with the likes of Canadian Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU, 49, and French President EMMANUEL MACRON, 43, rather than that of a wise graybeard. He sported running shoes while grabbing a Coca-Cola at the hotel bar in Cornwall. Standing alongside his fellow world leaders near the Atlantic Ocean, he joked, [e]verybody in the water. Biden is more active than most septuagenarians. But theres also been a meticulous White House effort to make him seem, well, younger. There are the bike rides past photographers and the jogging up the steps of Air Force One (hes become more careful since he fell doing so). The White House has blocked news photographers from taking overhead shots, which some photographers believe is because of Bidens thinning hair. During the campaign, it was a rule among staff to not post photos of Biden from behind because of his bald spot. The White House declined to comment. Biden is far from the first president to try to deflect questions about his age, vigor, or appearance with careful choreography. Forget the senior moments, the vacant stare, the dependence on written texts he struggles to follow and to articulate, the pitty pat/short step gait and all the other telltale signs of a man well into his dotage. Talk about the top of Bidens empty head. Thats the ticket. I would like to recognize Minneapoliss Star Tribune for its significant contribution to the degradation of the civic life of the Twin Cities and to the decline of Minneapolis. To say the least, owner Glen Taylor has a high tolerance for mediocrity. After all, the guy owned the Minnesota Timberwolves for over 25 years. Yesterday, however the Star Tribune was recognized for excellence in one category of this years Pulitzer Prizes. The papers mediocrity is manifested virtually every day on its editorial side. The papers institutional voice combines cowardice and stupidity in roughly equal measure. The editors have overseen the citys descent over the past year with an attitude of serene oblivion. The problem extends to its news side with respect to its coverage of state politics. I laid out my case against it in The role of the Star Tribune and posted my correspondence with editor Rene Sanchez complaining about their coverage in In which I write the Star Tribune. The Star Tribune has overlooked huge stories in its own back yard, such as the fraudulent 2009 marriage of Ilhan Omar to her brother. When it finally caught up with the story in 2019 a story in which the paper itself was a well-concealed actor reporters Patrick Coolican and Stephen Montemayor did an excellent job. Any reader who applies a soupcon of common sense to their story will find that what we have here is an almost unbelievable scandal. The Star Tribune, however, has been pleased to leave it there. Working side by side with several Star Tribune reporters over the past five years, I have come to respect their professional skills. I would like to extend my congratulations to the reporters who helped the paper snag this years Pulitzer Prize for breaking news. The 2021 Pulitzer awards are posted here. The award to the Star Tribune is posted here. The award was conferred on the staff of the Star Tribune [f]or a distinguished example of local, state or national reporting of breaking news that, as quickly as possible, captures events accurately as they occur, and, as time passes, illuminates, provides context and expands upon the initial coverage [f]or its urgent, authoritative and nuanced coverage of the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis and of the reverberations that followed (listing stories). The reporters on the stories listed in the award are Libor Jany, Liz Navratil, Paul Walsh, Anna Boone, Jackie Crosby, Kavita Kumar, and Andy Mannix. (Mannix is the reporter who wrote the story based on leaked grand jury information in the Floyd civil rights case that is now the subject of an investigation by United States District Judge Patrick Schiltz.) For some reason that is not apparent to me, the Star Tribune mentions no particular story or reporter by name in its own coverage of the award. Among the listed stories are the May 28 video Violent night in Minneapolis: Businesses looted, burned and the June 3 interactive feature One week in Minneapolis. ADVERTISEMENT Many Nigerians will today, Saturday, take to the streets in peaceful protests against bad governance, public corruption, other forms of maladministration and the worsening state of insecurity across the country. Like the #EndSARS protests which rocked Nigeria in October 2020, the June 12 protest, organised by some civil society organisations and activists with no particular central leadership structure, is billed to hold simultaneously in different cities across the various states of the federation, including Lagos State, Nigerias economic hub, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. Deliberately planned to coincide with Nigerias Democracy Day, the organisers of the June 12 protests have called on Nigerians to boycott official activities lined up by authorities to commemorate the day, and join the demonstrations in their localities. The protest, which organisers started planning weeks ago, aims to pressure the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to take on the responsibility of providing good governance and security of lives and property of Nigerians. The last one week before the protest has seen heightened campaigns about the protests on various social media platforms following the June 4 ban on Twitter operations by the Buhari administration. Although many Nigerians continue to defy the ban using available apps to gain access to Twitter, the action has fueled the rage of many against the government, widely seen as being hell bent on stifling dissenting voices at all cost. Going by the administrations history of waning tolerance towards citizens exercising their rights to peaceful protests, confrontational encounters between security forces and protesters are likely to be seen on some Nigerian streets today. PREMIUM TIMES reporters will be bringing to you live updates of the June 12 protests as events unfold in various states. President Muhammadu Buhari has said the hard choices made by his administration to tackle the coronavirus pandemic ravaging the world have yielded successful impacts. The president, who addressed Nigerians in a nationwide broadcast on Saturday to mark the 2021 Democracy Day, was referring to some measures, including travel restrictions across the states of the federation and beyond, compulsory use of nose masks, hand washing protocols and other relevant protocols instituted to limit spread of the virus. Mr Buhari said; Our response to the pandemic involved making hard choices in balancing livelihoods and public health concerns. You are all living witnesses to how successful this has been due to a number of proactive measures put in place. Our response to COVID-19 is globally acclaimed. We were able to ensure that the various lockdown measures did not impact too negatively on the ability of ordinary Nigerians to continue sustaining their livelihoods. Nigerias COVID-19 response It has been 16 months since Nigeria reported its COVID-19 index case in an Italian traveller. Since then, over 160,000 infections have been recorded in the country. This has led to more than 2,000 deaths. While Nigeria, like most African countries, has not suffered from the worst effect of the pandemic, unlike its European and American counterparts, the Nigerian government was slow to take action against the virus. To limit the spread of the virus, the World Health Organisation (WHO) had urged countries to detect, test, treat, isolate, trace, and mobilise their citizens to ensure that those with just a handful of cases could prevent the wider spread of the deadly virus. It also warned that porous borders, a continuing flow of travellers and poorly resourced healthcare systems meant the risk of an outbreak across Africa was very high. Health professionals, including the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), warned the Nigerian government to shut its skies and borders to prevent further importation of the virus from European and Asian nations where the disease had started to spread. But the government appeared not to heed that advice until the countrys caseload rose to at least 30. International flights were still operating despite rising cases overseas, making Nigeria particularly vulnerable. On March 18, 2020, the government announced it was restricting entry into the country for travellers from China, Italy, Iran, South Korea, Spain, Japan, France, Germany, U.S., Norway, UK, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. All five cases reported that day came from some of the blacklisted countries. President Buhari had declared a two-week lockdown of Lagos, Abuja and Ogun during his first address on the pandemic on March 29 to enable the country to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. On April 12, the president addressed the nation again on the same issue and announced the extension of the lockdown by another two weeks. This was followed by other lockdowns at interval and inter-state travel bans on non-essential commodities. Democracy Day June 12 is one of the most memorable days in Nigerias political history. It is the day that what is regarded as the countrys freest and fairest presidential election was held. The election result was cancelled and the presumed winner, Moshood Abiola, later detained. The Buhari administration declared June 12 Democracy Day, although the country also celebrates May 29 as the day of transfer of power between administrations. When this administration decided to change our Democracy Day from 29 May to June 12 in my first tenure, it was not only to honour the sacrifices of the men and women of our country who fought for the return to democracy but also to demonstrate our commitment to satisfy the aspirations of the people and creating an environment for democracy to be an accepted way of life, Mr Buhari said in his speech. ADVERTISEMENT The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has proposed that G7 countries should donate 20 per cent of their vaccines to COVAX, the global initiative supporting poorer countries in gaining access to vaccines, for equitable distributions. The global organisation, which stated this in a recent statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES, said this should be done between June and August, 2021, to cover what it described as an acute shortage of vaccines in some developing countries. According to UNICEF, COVAX was already facing a shortfall of 190 million doses meant for the troubled parts of the world. With the 20 per cent from the G7 countries, which it calculated to be more than 150 million doses in order to cover this shortfall. Reasons for proposal UNICEF said it is important for all countries to access vaccines to reduce the risk of the virus spreading further and the threat of mutant strains. It warned that without urgently ensuring fair and equitable access supply, the world will continue to be at risk of deadly virus mutations such as the devastating second wave of COVID-19 sweeping across India and other countries. The global bodys Goodwill ambassador, Priyanka Jonas, said; The world has spent a year and a half battling the COVID-19 pandemic, but the virus is still spreading in many countries and producing new variants with the potential to put us all back where we started. This means more school closures, more healthcare disruptions, and greater economic fallout threatening the futures of families and children everywhere. The crisis at home in India and across the region of South Asia is devastating. This deadly surge of COVID-19 is placing an enormous strain on health facilities across India, with hospital beds, essential medical supplies and oxygen running out. Its also of huge concern to all of us at UNICEF to hear about children falling ill with this new variant while many are also losing parents and left alone and at risk, unable to access critical health care, vaccinations and education. More voices for equitable distribution Meanwhile, a civil society organisation, AIDS HealthCare Foundation (AHF) is also advocating increased and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines especially in some developing countries around the world. The groups country programme director, Echey Ijezie, during a media roundtable and launch of the Vaccinate Our World (VOW) campaign, said despite the availability of COVID-19 vaccines, only developed countries have access to it. Mr Ijezie said although 1.3 billion COVID-19 vaccines have been administered worldwide only 0.3 per cent of the least developing countries received the vaccines. This he said has created a huge disparity between developed countries and developing countries. About 1.3 billion COVID-19 vaccines have been administered worldwide but a large chunk is administered in developed countries leaving the least developed countries with only 0.3 per cent, he said. He said AHF has initiated the VOW campaign to urge world leaders, public health organisations to ensure that there is equal access to vaccination for COVID-19. Until everybody is vaccinated, that is when the pandemic will stop, he said. Vaccination, a human right In her remarks, Deputy National Coordinator, Association for COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), Hauwa Mustapha, said vaccination against any disease is a fundamental human right. ADVERTISEMENT Human right is something that concerns every part of the globe. If you fail to take care of the needs of the southern part of the globe then you will be creating a consequential problem for the north, she said. Ms Mustapha, however, alleged profits from vaccines have become a priority for many nations and pharmaceutical companies. She said there is a need to water down the marketisation and profiteering associated with COVID-19 vaccines. Pharmaceutical companies were running over themselves trying to be champion because of two things of which profit-making is one, she said. Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel has denied any face-off with his predecessor, Godswill Akpabio. In my honour, as Im standing here I dont have a problem with a single person, Mr Emmanuel said on Friday while speaking with reporters at Government House, Uyo. There is no human being on planet earth that will tell you hey, that man you are seeing there he doesnt greet me. You know it is one thing for you to go your way, you dont know you have an issue with Eddy but another thing for Eddy to say that man youre seeing there has issues with me. But the man might not even be aware. He was responding to a question from a reporter who asked him what he was doing to end the undeniable face-off with his predecessor. Mr Emmanuel, however, said, There is a difference between politics and having issues (with people), apparently wanting to leave the impression that his differences with Mr Akpabio was political, and not personal. Mr Akpabio, while still the governor of Akwa Ibom, played a leading role in the emergence of Mr Emmanuel as his successor in 2015. However, the relationship between the two became soured soon after Mr Emmanuel became governor, and then Mr Akpabio in 2018 defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress. Mr Akpabio, after defection, lost an election in 2019 and failed to return to the Senate where he had served as the minority leader. He was later appointed the minister of Niger Delta Affairs by President Muhammadu Buhari. Governor Emmanuel said the question the reporter asked was very critical and sensitive. He also called it banana peel. Akpabios hotel project Governor Emmanuel talked about the numerous projects inherited from past administrations and what he was doing with them. One of them is a multi-million dollar hotel project in Ikot Ekpene, initiated by Mr Akpabios administration. The hotel, called Four-Point by Sheraton, was inaugurated by Mr Akpabio a few days to the end of his administration, although it was not completed. Let us understand this thing for an umpteenth time; a building is not a hotel so let us not confuse ourselves. There is a difference between a building and a hotel. There are few things that make a building a hotel, Mr Emmanuel told reporters. If you say we inherited a building I agree. I didnt inherit a hotel. He said the hotel was 64 per cent completed when he took over as governor, and that his administration took it to 99 per cent completion as of the first quarter of 2020. What is remaining can be done in three months which is just the system that can run and link it up with Starwood all over the world, he said. ADVERTISEMENT Mr Emmanuel also said there was a need to amend certain clauses in the agreement with Starwood so that the state government could get returns for its investment in the hotel. ADVERTISEMENT The police in Osun have arrested Kabiru Oyedun, 39, for being in possession of dismembered body parts of a yet-to-be-identified woman allegedly for money rituals. Olawale Olokode, the Police Commissioner, while parading the suspect with the body parts of the victim on Friday in Osogbo, said he was arrested on Thursday, at about 9pm in his house, in Apomu Town, Isokan Local Government Area of the state. Mr Olokode said the suspect was arrested with the dismembered body parts kept in his house following credible information from the public. He said the suspect, in collaboration with one of his friends called Akin, who is still at large, killed the victim at the suspects house, where they removed vital parts of her body. According to the commissioner, Akin, now at large, was the one who brought the victim to the suspects house, informing him that the girl was his girlfriend whom he wanted to kill for a money ritual. Mr Olokode said the victim was invited from Ibadan by his boyfriend to Apomu, where she was killed and her body parts removed for money rituals. He said the Divisional Police Officer at Apomu led police officers to recover the body parts of the victim, adding that the police are on the trail of the victims boyfriend (Akin). He, however, called on parents to always monitor their children and wards to know the kind of people they associate with. Suspect The suspect, speaking with journalists, confessed to the crime, saying that it was his friend (Akin) that strangled and killed the girl, while having sex with her in his room, adding that he only held the girls legs while she struggled for life. The suspect added that his friend (Akin) told him that he wanted to use the girl for money ritual with a promise that he will pay N50,000 for any body part of the victim, if he assisted him to kill the lady. He said his friend, a herbalist in Ikoyi Town, later took away the girls heart after dismembering the body. He said that it was his neighbour, who suspected that something wrong was going on in his apartment, that alerted the police. No herders attack In another development, the police commissioner dispelled the rumour that suspected herdsmen attacked and abducted students of School of health technology, Ilesha, in the early hours of Friday. Mr Olokode described the information being circulated as fake news, adding that residents of Ilesha panicked when they were misinformed that they were going to be attacked. He said that the shooting in the air by hunters and vigilantes in the area, to alert the residents, heightened the tension and panic. Mr Olokode said that no attack or abduction took place in Ilesha or in the school. (NAN) The Lagos State House of Assembly on Friday organised a one-day public hearing where participants backed the plan to repeal the law for payment of pensions and other benefits to former governors and deputies. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the proposed law is entitled; A Bill to Repeal the Law to Provide for Payment of Pensions and other fringe benefits to public office holders in Lagos State and for other Connected Purposes. The law provides that all former governors or their deputies should be entitled to a pension at the rate of equivalent to the annual basic salary of the incumbent governor or deputy governor and other benefits as provided by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission. The schedule of the law stipulates that all former governors and deputy governors are entitled to residential houses in any location of choice in the state. On transportation, it provided for three cars for a former governor, an additional pilot and two backup cars to be replaced every three years. Also, the deputy governor would be entitled to two cars, one pilot and one backup car to be replaced every three years. They are both entitled to furniture, domestic staff who should be pensionable, free medical treatment for them and their immediate family members. On security, a former governor would be entitled to two SSS details and one female officer, while the deputy governor was entitled to one. There was also a provision of eight policemen, four each for house and personal security for a former governor and two policemen, one each for house and personal security for a former deputy governor, while their drivers would be pensionable. Amendments Commenting on the amendment bill, the Secretary of the Ikeja Branch of the Nigeria Bar Association, Adeyemi Abijo, commended the lawmakers for an attempt to repeal the law. Mr Abijo decried that the law was against the present economic situation of the state and the yearnings of the people. He said the law was beyond pension, but that it was aimed at enlarging the coast of past public officeholders. As a former governor, you dont need any financial support but security support. They should rather be supporting others as the funds that should have been given to them can be used for other purposes, he said. Contributing, the Secretary, Lagos state chapter of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, Bello Mustapha, said past leaders were servant leaders and should not expect much from the people. Mr Mustapha said the purpose of the law was to reduce corruption but that the purpose had been defeated. He, however, said some parts of the law such as medical, drivers, and security for former governors and their deputies could be retained. Earlier in his welcome address, the Chairman, House Committee on Establishment, Training, Pensions and Public Service, Yinka Ogundimu, said the public hearing was part of the process of making laws in the assembly. Mr Ogundimu stated that there had been a lot of noise on the law and that it was important for the assembly and the state government to yield to the yearnings of the people. ADVERTISEMENT The lawmaker also told journalists in an interview that the House would still wait for the different memoranda from the people of the state. We will base our decision on what the people want; whether a repeal or amendment. That is why we invited the people to know what they want, which is why we are here. Everybody has his own right, individuals are entitled to their opinion. Any former governor or deputy that do not want the pension if perhaps it is amended can donate it to whoever he wants, he said. The Speaker of the house, Mudashiru Obasa, represented by his deputy, Wasiu Eshinlokun-Sanni, said in his keynote address that the former public office holders had also agreed to jettison the pension. Mr Obasa noted that present economic realities in the state called for the repeal of the law so that funds could be used for other developmental purposes. The speaker said the past servant leaders were being immortalised through the law as it formalised the appreciation of their efforts. (NAN) ADVERTISEMENT Some police officers in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, have repeatedly opened fire on peaceful protesters in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State. Ijebu-Ode is one of the major cities of Ogun State, which is the home state of the late M.K.O Abiola, the winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, in whose memory June 12 was chosen as Nigerias Democracy Day. PREMIUM TIMES obtained a video clip capturing what appears to be a scene of protesters taking to their heels as gunshots sounded in the background. It happened at Lagos Garage, Ijebu-Ode on Saturday, our reporter was reliably informed. They requested that protesters should leave and we resisted. Before we could say Jack, they opened fire to scare away the protesters, an eyewitness confirmed. The state police spokesperson, Abimbola Oyeyemi, did not respond to calls and text messages as of the time of filing this report. There have been reports on assaults on protesters in various parts of Nigeria. PREMIUM TIMES reports earlier that a BBC reporter, identified as Micheal, was attacked by a police officer at Mokola in Ibadan, Oyo State. The reporter, who works with BBC Pidgin, was slapped while trying to record the harassment of protesters by security operatives. He was attacked by a police officer identified as S. A. Oke. The officer also seized the reporters phone. This newspaper reports that many Nigerians have taken over the streets in peaceful protests against bad governance, public corruption, other forms of maladministration and the worsening state of insecurity across the country. Like the #EndSARS protests which rocked Nigeria in October 2020, the June 12 protest, organised by some civil society organisations and activists with no particular central leadership structure, is billed to hold simultaneously in different cities across the various states of the federation, including Lagos State, Nigerias economic hub, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. With the June 12 protest deliberately planned to coincide with Nigerias Democracy Day, the organisers have called on Nigerians to boycott official activities lined up by authorities to commemorate the day, and join the demonstrations in their localities. The protest, which organisers started planning weeks ago, aims to pressure the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to take on the responsibility of providing good governance and security of lives and property of Nigerians. The last one week before the protest has seen heightened campaigns about the protests on various social media platforms following the June 4 ban on Twitter operations by the Buhari administration. ADVERTISEMENT The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Nigeria has expressed sadness over the number of child labourers estimated to be about 15 million in the country. Relying on the report of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), FIDA said with the figure, Nigerian has the highest recorded rate of child labour in West Africa. FIDA said this in a statement commemorating the 2021 edition of World Day Against Child Labour. This type of neglect leads to an extremely dangerous environment that often results in bodily harm, severe trauma and even death. Its sad to note that child labor is still on the rise, Africa ranks highest among regions both in the percentage of children in child labor one-fifth and the absolute number of children in child labor 72 million. Estimates determine that the current number of child workers in Nigeria is 15 million according to the International Labor Organization (ILO). At a staggering 43% of the total population of minors, it is the highest recorded rate of child labor in Western Africa, the statement signed by FIDAs Country Vice President/National President, Rhoda Tyoden and National Publicity Secretary, Eliana Martins, read in part. The group said despite extant provisions in the labour laws, Nigeria does not actively enforce safety regulations or preventative measures in the workplace. Plight of child workers in Nigeria In expressing its stand against child-labour, FIDA noted that children working on the streets are prone to violence and kidnapping. If a child suffers harm on the job, help or compensation does not extend to the family, leaving them to face the repercussions alone, it said. It added that children who are especially vulnerable, such as orphans, are more at risk for human trafficking and forced labor than adults, with their rate being estimated at 58 per cent. FIDA said rate of child-labour has not abated in Nigeria despite the signing of the UN convention on the rights of the child 1999, the African Charter on the Rights Welfare of the Child 2001, and the Child Right Act 2003. It lamented that the rights of most Nigeria children are violated due to poverty, illiteracy, ignorance, polygamy and high demand for cheap and submissive labour. World Day Against Child Labour This years World Day Against Child Labor focuses on action taken for the 2021 International Year for the Elimination of Child Labor. It is the first World Day since the universal ratification of the ILOs Convention No. 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour, and takes place at time when the COVID-19 crisis threatens to reverse years of progress in tackling the problem. The International Year was adopted in the 2019 United Nations General Assembly. The main aim of the year is to urge governments to do what is necessary to achieve SDG Target 8.7, which is to Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labor, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labor, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labor in all its forms. ADVERTISEMENT The minority caucus of the House of Representatives has condemned the crackdown on some Nigerians protesting across the country. PREMIUM TIMES had reported violent crackdown on protesters in some cities across the country. As part of activities to mark June 12, Nigerians across the country protested against President Muhammadu Buharis administration. Some protesters are being sponsored to undermine the protests. The government had last week banned Twitter, a move that appears to be part of a wider crackdown on the digital rights of Nigerians. Condemnation The caucus, in a statement by its leader, Ndudi Elumelu (PDP, Delta), on Saturday, expressed concerns over the use of force on protesters. The Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives is disturbed by the hostility of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government towards Nigerians protesting in commemoration of June 12 Democracy Day. The show of brute hostility and violent assault on Nigerians by the security forces is condemnable, unjustifiable and at total variance with fundamental democratic ethos of freedom of expression as guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution (as amended). As lawmakers, our caucus is disturbed that such violation of human rights and inexcusable assault on the foundation of democracy could happen even on a day set aside by the government to celebrate democracy in the country, the statement said. The lawmakers added that the crackdown had further exposed the anti-democratic proclivities of the present administration, which has continued to worsen. In full recognition that the right to peaceful protest is guaranteed by our constitution, the minority caucus will take very strong legislative steps in reviewing the situation with a view to getting redress for Nigerians as well as curbing the violation of human rights in the country. The Buhari administration has been under scrutiny for stifling dissenting opinions. The controversy over the ownership of the 4.2 million Ibori loot lingers as the federal government insists the recovered money will be used for specific projects and will not be returned to Delta State from where the money was stolen. The office of the Attorney General of the Federation, speaking through Umar Gwandu, its spokesperson, in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES, said the federal government will use the returned money for specific projects as agreed during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Nigeria and the United Kingdom during the repatriation process. The Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, had said while appearing before a National Assembly committee investigating the status of the recovered loot that the money will be used by the federal government to fund three ongoing projects; namely, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Abuja-Kano road and Second Niger Bridge. A review of the MoU signed by Mr Malami on behalf of the Nigerian government and Catriona Laing, British High Commissioner to Nigeria, on behalf of the UK government, showed that these projects were the projects agreed upon by the governments of the nations involved. On Wednesday, Mr Gwandu told PREMIUM TIMES that the federal government never contemplated at any time to act contrary to the agreement signed and no amount of the funds will be sent to any state of the federation. In responding to the question of a seeming uniqueness in this case given that other loots recovered were returned to the states they were stolen from, Mr Gwandu said, States that agreed that they have their monies looted by those in authorities, not those who swore affidavits that no kobo was missing from their state governments fund. By this, Mr Gwandu implies that Delta State Government had sworn an affidavit saying no monies were missing from its coffers. In response, Olisa Ifeajika, the Chief Press Secretary to the Delta State Government, said, We are not aware of any MoU between the federal government and the United Kingdom that the money will be deployed to anywhere and they have no reason to have entered such MoU to use state government money to do something elsewhere. Mr Ifeajika said that when monies were recovered from Diepreye Alamieyeseigha of Bayelsa State and Joshua Dariye of Plateau State, they were returned to the states. If there is going to be any kind of miscarriage, it will be unfortunate but we know that the federal government in its wisdom will do the needful, he said. In response to Mr Gwandus comment on an affidavit, Mr Ifeajika said the case in question is an entirely different case from the one under review. It was one particular fund that came in the course of investigation by federal authorities then about $15 million in 2012, he said, insisting that Delta State never denied this money (Ibori loot) was missing from its purse. Flashback In a bid to verify the claims of both the federal government and Delta State Government, this reporter found that the case alluded to by the attorney generals office was a bribery case between James Ibori and the Nuhu Ribadu-led Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) where the former offered the latter a $15 million bribe to get off his back. In order to halt a probe into his finances, Mr Ibori in 2007 tried to bribe former anti-corruption boss Nuhu Ribadu with $15 million in cash in a bag so heavy one man alone could not lift it. According to Mr Ribadus testimony at a London court in September 2013, in late April 2007, a meeting was arranged for himself and Mr Ibori at a neutral place, the house of politician Andy Uba, where the bribe was transferred from Mr Iboris boys to Ribadus. He (Mr Ribadu) said the bribe was taken to the Central Bank for evidence purposes. He would later arrest Mr Ibori. About 15 days after the arrest, Mr Ribadu was sacked. In 2012, Mr Ibori pleaded guilty at Londons Southwark Crown Court to 10 counts of fraud and money laundering and was sentenced to 13 years in prison. He returned to Nigeria in 2017. Mr Ibori was governor of oil-producing Delta State from 1999 to 2007. ADVERTISEMENT EFCC Vs Ibori The EFCC instituted a 170-count charge of money laundering against Mr Ibori, which was struck out by Justice Marcel Awokulehin. This ruling was appealed by the EFCC and a three-member panel of justices at the Benin Division of the Court of Appeal (Justice Ibrahim Saula supported by Justices P. M Ekpe and H. A Barka) ruled in favour of the anti-graft agency, insisting that Mr Ibori despite being in jail in London, had a case to answer. During the hearing of the case, the Delta State Government asked that the $15 million bribe be returned to the state. EFCC applied for a forfeiture of the money to the federal government following an action instituted against the commission and the Attorney General of the Federation by the Delta government, stating that Mr Ibori should not be investigated and that the state had lost no money from its treasury. My Lord, it is too late for the Delta State Attorney General to lay claim to this money because of his action where he instituted a case against the Commission saying the governor should not be investigated, Rotimi Jacobs, counsel to the EFCC, had stated. Mr Jacobs went on to reveal that in paragraph 10 of the affidavit deposed in the said case by the Delta State Attorney General, it was stated that the state accountant general, after a thorough investigation, had concluded that no money was lost and that they have no complaint of any missing money. Activist, Lawyer React Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES, David Ugolor, the executive director of Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), said, I think it is a lack of proper democratic values in the country and the UK not obeying the Global forum asset recovery principle. The federal government has stuck with their position even with the controversy from weeks ago when the accountant general made a comment during the public hearing on assets that the money has been transferred to Delta State and later on reversed its position. Mr Ugolor added that it shows the inconsistency within the federal government and how unfortunate it is for the government to not follow its own rules and regulations (Recovery and Management of Stolen Assets and Proceeds of Crime Guidelines, 2019) on assets redistribution to state governments. According to the activist, also worrying is that Nigerians are not aware of some of these regulations and the complicity of the British government for not acting in favour of victims of corruption, which is a blow to the asset recovery principle that emphasises restitution to benefit those who are victims. Ibori stole Delta State and not federal government money, so I do not understand why the money should be used by the federal government, he said, adding that this was not the case for Bayelsa and Plateau states who have had similar loot issues. Mr Ugolor shared a similar view as the Delta government that the recovered loot is distinct from the EFCC case which is what the attorney generals office was referring to. In her reaction, Chisom Ihekwaba, a lawyer, said the regulation on assets recovery should take precedence over the MoU between Nigeria and the UK; and thus the money should be returned to the Delta State Government. Tthe issue of precedence arises if theres a conflict between the provisions of an MoU and an existing law/rules/regulations. In such a situation, the Regulation on Asset Recovery and Management should take precedence, being a national instrument. However, parties are bound by their agreement and in some instances, if the waiver and severability clause in the MoU subjects it to ONLY UK laws/rules, then if conflicts arise, it will be resolved in favour of the MoU. In such a case, the MoU takes precedence because Nigerias national laws/regulations have been excluded, Ms Ihekwaba, the programme manager, Legal Defence and Assistance Project, said. The best legal way to solve this is to apply the existing Regulation on Asset Recovery and Management. Its also an option that many Nigerians are in favour of, she said. ADVERTISEMENT A final year student of Ibadan Polytechnic, Ebenezer Ayeni, who was preparing for his wedding on June 19, was allegedly killed on Thursday night by armed robbers, who invaded the Ojoo area of Ibadan. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered on Friday that the deceased was a second year Higher National Diploma student of Music, as well as the President of the Christian Fellowship in the school. A source told NAN that the deceased, who lived in the Bodija area of Ibadan, was shot by the armed robbers while he was on a visit to see his mother at Ojoo. The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Adewale Osifeso, confirmed the incident to NAN on Friday, saying that the police responded to a distress call from residents of Oguntula area of Ojoo at about 0100hrs on Thursday 10/06/2021, that suspected armed robbers had invaded the area and were creating havoc. At the point of reaching the crime scene, one Ebenezer Ayeni had already been shot and rushed to Oyemesi Hospital, along with Olayemi Josiah, who had sustained cuts on the head and neck, Mr Osifeso said. The PPRO said investigations were ongoing to apprehend the perpetrators. (NAN) ADVERTISEMENT President Muhammadu Buhari says he remains ever committed to upholding and defending Nigerias corporate existence. Mr Buhari declared his commitment in a nationwide broadcast on Saturday in Abuja to mark this years Democracy Day. The president vowed to do all within his power to constitutionally ensure that the security and welfare of all citizens remain the primary purpose of government. He expressed optimism that the nation would come out of its current challenges stronger. As a nation we have come very far from where we started and we are getting incrementally closer to where we ought to be. Overcoming the present challenges is but one of a necessary processes that we have to undergo as a nation so that we can come out stronger. The day I joined the Nigerian Army I was prepared to lay down my life for Nigeria. As your President I remain ever committed to upholding and defending Nigerias corporate existence. In adhering to the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy, notably Section 14(2)(b), I shall do all within my power to ensure that the security and welfare of the people remain the primary purpose of government, he said. He disclosed that his administration had been providing the security agencies with all they needed in their ongoing efforts to tackle the nations security challenges. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the latest allocation of fund for the security agencies was made on June 9, when the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved N770.6 billion. The amount was meant to further enhance the capacity of the defence and security agencies to address current and emerging security challenges in the country. The president said: I have, throughout my tenure, provided the security agencies with all they require relative to available resources and will be providing more as the dynamics unfold to put an end to our security problems. My strong belief in the Nigerian spirit gives me comfort that we are facing these challenges with renewed commitment to keep our country one. The president thanked all citizens for their patience and resolve to join hands in making Nigeria the country of our dream. He also wished Nigerians Happy Democracy Day. (NAN) ADVERTISEMENT President Muhammadu Buhari has rejected accusations that his administrations handling of insecurity and armed criminals devastating Nigerias North-west is less forceful, compared to his threats of armed response to the violence in the South-east. They are unfair, Mr Buhari said in his NTA interview aired on Friday night. The interviewer told him some Nigerians had accused him of double-standards in handling insecurity in different parts of the country. They should go and ask governors of Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina and find out how we have been deploying the police and the military to deal with the bandits, the president said. PREMIUM TIMES checks revealed there are military and police operations ongoing in the North-west, including Operation Sahel Sanity and Operation Accord. The latter is a joint operation and it includes the air force. We are not sparing anybody but Nigeria is vast, there is a lot of forests, Mr Buhari further said, appearing to suggest a factor of terrain as limiting the performance of the armed operations in the northwest. Earlier in the interview, the president had been asked to explain his language they understand threat, repeatedly used against armed militias of the separatist Eastern Security Network (ESN). The ESN is blamed for attacking state facilities and personnel and innocent citizens in the South-east. The president also used that threat on Twitter and added an allusion to the countrys Civil War fought to stop an independent Biafran republic between 1967 and 1970. Millions of people died in the war. That tweet was deleted by Twitter, causing the government to ban their service in Nigeria, an action that has sparked condemnations. What I mean, Mr Buhari said, as he explained his language they understand threat. How can you go to a police station, kill the policemen there, loot the armory, and burn the place? What do you want to achieve? Go and open prison and allow criminals that have been tried through the legal system and let them get out? He continued, And then, how can government sit and allow this to happenno government can allow that. Look at the ENDSARS incident in Lagos. The previous governor of Lagos bought 200 buses to complement the transportation in Lagos but they went and burn them. Asked if he meant fire for fire, he replied, we arrest them, try them, give them publicity. Then jail them so that people will know that if they misbehave they will not get away with it. The president, in previous messages, asked security operatives to shoot-on-sight any illegally armed person, without needing to arrest them or go through a judicial process. ADVERTISEMENT Some pro-government protesters have revealed how they were recruited to join a rally aimed at countering the mainstream June 12 protests on Saturday. Civic groups and activists had chosen the June 12 Democracy Day to express their grievances against the Muhammadu Buhari-led government, which they accused of poorly governing Nigeria and being lackadaisical in its handling of the countrys worsening security situation. But in a move to overshadow the mainstream protests, hundreds of protesters sporting branded T-shirts with pro-Buhari inscriptions also trooped to the streets of Abuja on Saturday. We were promised between N1,500 and N2,500 Some of them who randomly spoke to PREMIUM TIMES at Unity Fountain, Abuja, said they were promised to be paid between N1,500 and N2,500 to attend the counter-protest. I was in my area when they called me to come to do something. They promised to pay us. Some are promised N2,000 while some have been promised N1,500, Abdul Yusuf told this newspaper on camera. Mr Yusuf, in his branded T-shirt, physically exhausted from the rally, said they were mobilised by their leader, Muhammad Garba, from Area 1 District in Abuja. Theyve not paid but I know that they will pay, he added as he made to leave, probably for Area 1, to receive the promised payment. Mr Yusufs story was corroborated to this newspaper by at least four other protesters at the location, among whom were two teenagers walking home after the event. One of the teenagers who identified himself as Muhammadu said they were invited for a meeting in support of Nigerias president and were promised N2500 each. We were promised 2,500 but we have not been paid yet, he said in Hausa language. Except Mr Yusuf who said he was contracted to appear at the scene till 11a.m., none of the other pro-Buhari protesters divulged who called them to join the protest. PREMIUM TIMES however, identified a fair-complexioned and sturdy man issuing directives to the protesters on what to do and how to do them at the protest ground. He even promised to deal with one Musa whom he paid to bring drums to the protest ground. June 12 protesters The June 12 protesters had slated the Unity Fountain, opposite Transcorp Hilton in Maitama, as their convergence venue, but they could not gain access to the venue due to the presence of pro-government rally-goers. The pro-government protesters donned branded T-shirts with inscriptions like, Are you with BUHARI? and placards with inscriptions such as Thank you for being champion of anti-corruption in Africa, PMB, North, South, East and West are united with PMB. PREMIUM TIMES reports that while security operatives allowed the pro-government rally to be held at Unity Fountain in Maitama, Abuja, they dispersed the June 12 anti-government protesters with teargas in the Gudu area of the capital city. The Canadian, United Kingdom and United States missions to Nigeria have separately called on law enforcement agencies to respect citizens rights to freedom of expression and peaceful demonstrations. Nigerians trooped to the streets for the widely publicised June 12 protest on Saturday. The three countries, along with the European Unions delegation to Nigeria, and the Irish embassy in Nigeria, had issued a joint statement condemning the recent ban on Twitter in Nigeria in the past week. PREMIUM TIMES has reported widespread attacks on peaceful protesters by security forces at different Nigerian cities during Saturdays demonstrations. The protesters aim to pressure President Muhammadu Buhari administration to govern the country better and address the worsening state of insecurity in the country. Amid the reports of crackdown on peaceful protesters in Abuja and Lagos, and other parts of Nigeria, the U.S. mission to the country, tweeted on Saturday, Were committed to promoting democracy, transparency & accountability, adding, #Democracy carries responsibilities. Calm and restraint support fundamental freedoms. Also the Acting Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Nicolas Simard, called for restraint on the part of both the Nigerian security forces and protesters in a tweet on Saturday, noting that Nigerias constitution recognises the right to peaceful assembly. Right to peaceful assembly is also a fundamental human right protected by #Nigerias constitution and international human rights instruments. We call on all parties to exercise restraint and on Nigerian law enforcement agencies to remain within proportional use of force, Mr Simards tweet, which was also retweeted by the Canadian High Commission to Nigeria read. In the same vein, while celebrating Nigerias June 12 Democracy Day, the U.K. embassy in Nigeria asks that the right to peaceful protests be upheld. On #Nigerias #DemocracyDay, we celebrate every Nigerian who has contributed to establishing #democracy in this country and emphasise the importance of upholding its values, including the right to free expression and to peaceful protest, the U.K. Mission to Nigeria tweeted on Saturday. Coalition calls for respect for right to peaceful protests A coalition of civic groups yesterday also urged the Nigerian government to respect the right to peaceful protests. The group said Nigerians, who have chosen to protest peacefully on June 12, must be allowed to do so without harassment from security agencies. It will be recalled that the youth-inspired #EndSARS protests against police brutality last year, was met with resistance by the government. The encounter resulted in security forces shooting at protesters on October 20, 2020 at Lekki Toll plaza, Lagos. June 12 is celebrated as Democracy Day in Nigeria in honour of the June 12, 1993, presidential election that was won by Moshood Abiola. The election, said to be the fairest and freest in Nigeria, was annulled under controversial circumstances by the military regime of Ibrahim Babangida. Mr Abiola later died under controversial circumstances in detention in 1998 after he was arrested by the military regime for declaring himself president of Nigeria. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Some Nigerians leading counter-rally against the June 12 protests have expressed their solidarity with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja on Saturday. Many Nigerians, mostly the youth, trooped to the streets in many Nigerian cities protesting against poor handling of governance and the worsening security situation in the country under Mr Buharis watch. A counter-rally planned to overshadow the mainstream June 12 protest was led by the All Progressives Congress (APC) Grassroots Forum of Nigeria, and the Coalition of Youth and Civil Society in Abuja on Saturday. The spokesperson for the group named after the ruling APC, Yusuf Amadu, said their rally was to commemorate the June 12 Democracy Day. According to him, it is also a move to also express their total support to the administration of President Muhammad Buhari, who we believe has the interest of all Nigerians at heart. As part of why he said his group was supporting Mr Buhari, Mr Amadu said the government had approved the sum of N13.3 billion for the take-off of the Community Policing initiative across the country, as part of measures adopted to consolidate efforts aimed at boosting security nationwide. However, the group sympathised with all Nigerians who might have been victims of insecurity in the country. We all are aware of the drastic steps President Buhari has taken to ensure that the security of lives and property of all Nigerians are guaranteed. Even to the extent of listening to the clamour of Nigerians calling for the replacement of the Security Chiefs, which he did without thinking twice, he said. It is also worthy to note that the present insecurity challenges were not the making of the present administration of President Buhari. It was inherited from the past administrations under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and it ate deep into the fabric of the nation. But we believe that it would be overcome by this present administration, because we are aware of President Buharis commitment to put an end to insecurity in Nigeria, he said The group warned people who have shown interest in destroying the unity of Nigeria, to desist from such actions. That is why we are here today for a solidarity march for Mr President, This is to further encourage him to keep to the democracy that we have enjoyed from our forefathers, he said. ADVERTISEMENT The police in Cross River State dispersed a group of protesters in Calabar, firing teargas at them, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported. The incident happened around the Rabbana Roundabout and Atekong Junction on Saturday. The security operatives, who were masked, rode into the areas in vehicles belonging to Operation Akpakwu. The protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as: Ayade pay owed salaries and pensions, Ayade fix our roads, Ayade change your style of governance. One of the protesters, Timothy Ushang, told NAN in an interview that the protest was going on peacefully when the police operatives fired tear gas canisters at them. According to him, the essence of the protest was to draw the governments attention to areas that needed urgent intervention in the state. Another protester, Dominic Akan, told NAN that it was their constitutional right to protest peacefully. We dont know why security operatives used tear gas on us during the peaceful protest. We are protesting against bad governance and things that have gone bad in the state. Our fathers and mothers have been owed pensions and gratuities for a long period of time, our roads are bad; these are some of the things that we need the governor to address urgently, he said. A NAN correspondent who went round major areas in Calabar metropolis, observed that there was heavy presence of security operatives. Meanwhile, in an interview with NAN, the deputy police spokesperson in the state, Igri Ewa, said the police would not tolerate any unlawful gathering, protest or procession. He said such gatherings could be hijacked by hoodlums, if not properly managed, hence the need for the police to provide adequate security to forestall any unforeseen incident.. (NAN) Undaunted by the Nigerian governments criticism of his company and ban of its operations in the country, Jack Dorsey, the chief executive officer of Twitter, has again shown solidarity with Nigerians on another historic protest day on Saturday. Mr Dorsey tweeted the Nigerian flag at exactly 12:00 a.m. on Saturday, which is Nigerias official Democracy Day. Many Nigerians, however, chose the day to protest against poor governance and deteriorating state of insecurity under President Muhammadu Buharis watch. Recall that Mr Dorsey played an active role in the #EndSARS protest staged against police brutality last October. He not only created an accompanying icon for the hashtag but also promoted donation campaigns in support of the historic protest. But Nigerian government has counted this act against Twitter in the wake of the ongoing standoff with the microblogging platform. The government recently banned Twitter in Nigeria, two days after it deleted a controversial tweet by President Buhari. Reactions Many Nigerians, who continue to defy the ban on Twitter, besieged Mr Dorseys timeline following his early Saturdays tweet of the Nigerian flag. The tweet, however, generated varying interpretations among Nigerians. To some, it was an endorsement of the June12 protest, while some others see it as a commemoration of Nigerias 22 years of democracy. A few others also asked him to mind his business and not to poke his nose into Nigerias affairs. As of 6p.m. on Saturday, the tweet had attracted over 87,000 likes and 6,400 comments. It had also been retweeted over 52,000 times as of the time of filing this report. Below are the reactions from Twitter: @Ayemojubar: Jack has done more for Nigerians in this short period than Buhari did for Nigeria in his entire existence. Be Focus! #June12thProtest #KeepitOn Jack has done more for Nigerians in this short period than Buhari did for Nigeria in his entire existence. Be Focus! #June12thProtest #KeepitOn Ayemojubar (@ayemojubar) June 12, 2021 @vickee_chi: I dont know what else youre waiting for, ADVERTISEMENT @jack has tweeted the Nigerian flag Twitter has changed its retweet color to green Nigerians in diaspora are all geared up for the #June12thProtest If these doesnt motivate you Maybe acute hunger and frustration from the govt will https://twitter.com/vickee_chi/status/1403693536537714696?s=19 @Topman004: The only man who had stood in solidarity with the common man and all Nigerians at large except our oppressors. Thanks to you Mr. Jack youre the GOAT.. #June12thProtest #BuhariMustGo #KeepitOn https://t.co/HeCldjwuXJ The only man who had stood in solidarity with the common man and all Nigerians at large except our oppressors. Thanks to you Mr. Jack you're the GOAT.. #June12thProtest #BuhariMustGo #KeepitOn pic.twitter.com/HeCldjwuXJ mmie_.m.z.e.e (@Topman004) June 12, 2021 @Drpenking: For the people who said that Jack does not deserve any accolades, that it was a scheduled tweet. I want to tell you that the fact that he had Nigeria in mind to schedule that Tweet speaks volumes. Where are your favorite Nigerian celebrities? They are all in hiding. #June12thProtest For the people who said that Jack does not deserve any accolades,that it was a scheduled tweet.I want to tell you that the fact that he had Nigeria in mind to schedule that Tweet speaks volumes.Where are your favorite Nigerian celebrities?They are all in hiding. #June12thProtest DR.PENKING #KeepitOn (@drpenking) June 12, 2021 @firstladyship: Jack is energy. He has done a lot for Nigerians. He supported us during the #EndSARS. On Twitter ban, he said we should #KeepitOn . Now hes helping us tell the world our story on a day like #DemocracyDay. Should we give Jack chieftaincy title? Jack is energy. He has done a lot for Nigerians. He supported us during the #EndSARS. On Twitter ban, he said we should #KeepitOn . Now hes helping us tell the world our story on a day like #DemocracyDay. Should we give Jack chieftaincy title? https://t.co/OM6lrk7bsR NEFERTITI (@firstladyship) June 12, 2021 @ayosogunro: In 2019, I mocked people who went to meet-and-greet Jack when he visited Nigeria. Im like that: I hate the way we patronise rich white men in Africa. But if I meet Jack today, I will thank him for not rolling over for the Nigerian govt at the expense of the people. #KeepitOn In 2019, I mocked people who went to meet-and-greet Jack when he visited Nigeria. I'm like that: I hate the way we patronise rich white men in Africa. But if I meet Jack today, I will thank him for not rolling over for the Nigerian govt at the expense of the people.#KeepitOn Ayo Sogunro (@ayosogunro) June 12, 2021 @odeyemi_yem: If jack wants to be the president of Nigeria we wont mind for real, hes always there when we need him #June12thProtest https://t.co/EBB8j4r9EQ https://twitter.com/odeyemi_yem/status/1403610922837581826?s=19 @mo_knightingale: The way @jack believes in Nigeria and her youths, if most of her leaders could believe half It would be a different story. #June12thProtest The way @jack believes in Nigeria and her youths, if most of her leaders could believe half It would be a different story.#June12thProtest https://t.co/heN75lMgfY Mo Knightingale (@mo_knightingale) June 12, 2021 @misskaumi: I am in full support in what @MBuhari did, Twitter shouldnt have deleted his tweet, God Bless Nigeria, I am in full support in what @MBuhari did, Twitter shouldn't have deleted his tweet, God Bless Nigeria, Aisha Usman Kaumi (@misskaumi) June 12, 2021 @shuaib_izge: Jack cant you just mind your business and stay away from affairs of Nigeria. Sometime youre just annoying! Jack can't you just mind your business and stay away from affairs of Nigeria. Sometime you're just annoying! ~Izge~ (@shuaib_izge) June 12, 2021 @Behind05710336: Twitter banned in Nigeria even if temporarily. After all the censorship put forth by Twitter, it seems rather fitting. Twitter banned in Nigeria even if temporarily. After all the censorship put forth by Twitter, it seems rather fitting. Fact Checker MD (@Behindt05710336) June 12, 2021 The June 12 protest was staged in different cities against the worsening security situation, poor governance, amongst other problems of the country. Although Twitter says it is in talks with the Nigerian government to see to the restoration of its operations in the country, prominent Nigerians, civic groups and members of the international community have criticised the federal government. ADVERTISEMENT A coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on Saturday marched to late MKO Abiolas Lagos home, in commemoration of the 2021 Democracy Day. Mr Abiola was the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 Presidential Election annulled by the Ibrahim Babangida-led military government. NAN reports that the walk, which involved about 10 CSOs, commenced from the Allen Round About Ikeja to the Moshood Abiola Crescent, Off Toyin Street, Opebi, Ikeja. Alex Omotehinse, National President, Centre for Human and Socioeconomic Rights (CHSR), one of the participating CSOs, told NAN that the walk was in commemoration of the historic victory of late Abiola. We felicitate with Nigerians on the occasion of this years Democracy Day. Indisputably, June 12 has become a metaphor in our country for free, fair and credible elections. We, therefore, call on Nigerians to remain united in the face of daunting challenges facing the country. This is a time to be more passionate about Nigerias unity and development. We also call on the Federal and State Governments to work collectively to reduce poverty and promote the quality of life of all Nigerians. Lastly, we call on Federal Government to name the late Abiola tomb a national monument centre for record purposes, as an elected president in the annulled June 12, 1993 election, Mr Omotehinse said. According to him, because of the security situation, the coalition did not want to mobilise crowd for the walk, but limited participants to five members from each organisation. He urged the government to redouble efforts at addressing insecurity while perpetrators of killings were brought to the book. Apart from CHSR, other CSOs in the walk included the Coalition of Self-Determination Group; Activists for Good Governance; Committee for Protection of Peoples mandates (CPPM) among others. (NAN) Almost three decades later, it is gratifying to note that Sams energy has not waned. In fact, it will be no exaggeration to say his muse has since ramified into a Trojan of sorts, straddling Nigerias literary space. As he turns 60 on June 15, there can, therefore, be no better time to pause and salute this sterling ambassador of the letters. Back in the 90s, we used to time each of his literary parturitions, the way a sprinters dash on the track to the finish-line is scored. The digital age hadnt yet fully dawned in newsrooms in this corner of the earth then. So, it was still largely an intense communion between the pen and offcuts (writing sheets improvised from stumps of newsprint reel). From crafting often uniquely creative intros to the final word, it never used to take Sam Omatseye more than a fleeting moment to consummate, say, a great column or pithy analysis for the Concord titles. So, timekeeper, he would inquire convivially, facing me in the small office that sheltered Concords Politics Desk, as the lady typist took the last page, Did I miss? On target!, I would exclaim, laughing with adulating thumb-up. Of course, the stop-watch never exceeded thirty or forty minutes for Sam to churn out a masterpiece of between 1,000 and 1,200 words. A feat around which his fame had partly been built within the Concord family. The other half being the vigour of his thought and the charm of his language lyrical, even laconic. His prodigious knowledge is undoubtedly reflected in his uncannily relentless facility to lead and buffet readers with ideas and quotations from great thinkers in history. In inter-personal conversations, no less commanding is Sams ability to recite copious portions of the Holy Bible, with the seamless ease of a computer that would fill even a seasoned Pentecostal pastor with envy. A skill matched equally by an adroitness at recalling, off-hand, long passages from literary classics. And then his bonhomie accentuated by deep-set eyes and an easy throaty laughter that unfurls a remarkably immaculate full dentition. Looking back, what a great fraternity we built at Concord, bonded by a spirit that turned the office into family. Led by Mr Tunji Bello (presently Lagos Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources), the clan included Victor Ifijeh, Kayode Komolafe, Segun Adeniyi, Waheed Odusile, Yomi Idowu, Jonas Agwu, Abdulwarees Solanke, Gboyega Amonboye, Goke Odeyinka, Jill Agbiliazau-Okeke, among others. (More elaboration on this in a forthcoming 300-page book devoted to Tunji Bellos Diamond Jubilee.) A bard of crisp imagery, withering wit and sometimes subversive metaphor, Sam would, for instance, characterise Segun Adeniyi and I as passion versus prose in his reading of the distinction between our respective creative temperaments. Almost three decades later, it is gratifying to note that Sams energy has not waned. In fact, it will be no exaggeration to say his muse has since ramified into a Trojan of sorts, straddling Nigerias literary space. As he turns 60 on June 15, there can, therefore, be no better time to pause and salute this sterling ambassador of the letters. However, at a time when the championing of sectional agenda seems increasingly glorified and entrepreneurs of hate scramble for visibility, one point that is beyond dispute is that Sam sticks to a different dialectics, which rather views the nations contemporary existential crisis through the starkly distinct lens of the good Nigerian against the bad Nigerian. Indeed, in Nigerias contemporary artistic firmament, very few literary avians could be said to soar close, let alone higher than Sam. In the simultaneous expression of multiple art forms, he obviously engages our space today with peerless virtuosity. Name it: from the journalistic exertion of column-writing (In-Touch in The Nation) and show-hosting (TVC); to churning out, with prodigious frequency, critically acclaimed works of poetry, drama and prose. For instance, since 2006, he has penned the widely acclaimed column weekly without a single break. And as his regular readers would attest, an encounter with Sam through the written words remains an enchanting voyage around art, history, philosophy and political thought. With such remarkable testimonial in industry, Sam can then be said to be living out, even if symbolically, his own precept against, for instance, sloth in the civic space. Indeed, he demonstrates that his critical spirit over the years as a columnist is not hypocrisy. That he, by no means, is not an armchair critic. Through the power of personal example, he is thus able to rise to the very high standards he chooses to hold those in leadership perches as a public intellectual. It can then be understood why, after several awards in punditry, the nations custodian of academic tradition, the Nigerian Academy of Letters, finally considered Sam worthy to be inducted into its hall of fame as an honorary fellow in 2018. (Co-awardees included Dr Yemi Ogunbiyi, Pro Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, and Segun Adeniyi, popular author and columnist). Next was a formal acknowledgement by the Nigerian state of Sams prodigious talent last year with his investiture with the National Productivity Award by the Federal Ministry of Labour at a solemn ceremony in Abuja. However, this is not a mission to interrogate Sams art, but to extoll his humanity a unique convergence of the values of decency, loyalty and generosity. In transcendental terms, talent, it bears restating, is meaningless without a character defined by higher personal virtues. You may not agree with him all the time, but what can never be faulted is his sincerity of purpose and the restless quest for the common good. Sure, there is never going to be a consensus on the best road to travel or policy option to make in the stated pursuit of the public cause. Such critical contestation will, of course, always be driven and defined by the values we share individually or by which ideological aperture we view civil engagements. However, at a time when the championing of sectional agenda seems increasingly glorified and entrepreneurs of hate scramble for visibility, one point that is beyond dispute is that Sam sticks to a different dialectics, which rather views the nations contemporary existential crisis through the starkly distinct lens of the good Nigerian against the bad Nigerian. Like every conscientious artist, Sam remains unabashedly an advocate of the vulnerable and the voiceless in the ensuing dialectical struggle. In identifying suspects or classifying culprits, his own objective yardstick is, therefore, social justice, regardless of tongue or faith. Against the backcloth of a rising call for the annulment of the national union, there can be no mistaking the persistently conciliatory standpoint of this gangling teetotaler from Niger Delta married to a Yoruba lady (from Ido-Ani in Ondo State), fluent in Yoruba, based in Lagos and whose circle of friends and allies cuts across all ethnic categories. ADVERTISEMENT It is a perhaps a measure of his consistency of character that prominent among the company he keeps or would be found in are still the same folks with whom he associated decades ago. Indeed, any audit of Sams engagement in the past three decades will also show an unfailing fidelity to progressive ideals and the fierce defence of the common good. But, overall, regardless of his habitual retailing of lofty ideas with sometimes fierce words, the essential Sam is soft at heart, almost childlike in spirit. This accustomed innocence or instinctive trust has however often predisposed him to be easy target for traitors or emotional blackmailers. The goodwill that fetches, it would seem, saved him in the dire hour of need in the dark days of Sani Abacha. On the fateful night he was to depart to the United States in 1997 to begin a one-year Alfred Friendly Fellowship, a little drama ensued at Muritala International Airport, Lagos. It was the harrowing season when critical voices were either in graves, the gulag or exile. Being a prominent Concord journalist, Abachas roving goons easily spotted him in the crowd in the departure lounge and brusquely asked him to step out of the queue before clamping him in an improvised detention around. While the state agents later stepped away to a quiet place, apparently to consult their masters on what to do with a big catch, a conscientious officer from another branch of the security service, who had monitored the proceedings from a distance and would rather identify and sympathise with those courageous enough to stand up to the rampaging military dictatorship, miraculously came to Sams rescue. Quickly, he whisked him through the remaining security cordons to his seat on the waiting aircraft, whose door was firmly locked almost immediately for take-off! So, given that close shave, Sam was forced to remain in exile at the end of his fellowship at Denver, Colorado. Rather than being intimidated, he only intensified his sorties from exile against the military, in the form of critical essays published regularly in the Concord titles, which by then had become the main opposition publication in Nigeria. But, overall, regardless of his habitual retailing of lofty ideas with sometimes fierce words, the essential Sam is soft at heart, almost childlike in spirit. This accustomed innocence or instinctive trust has however often predisposed him to be easy target for traitors or emotional blackmailers. I dare say this as someone with intimate association with him in almost three decades, first as a junior professional colleague and eventually a friend close enough to be considered a brother. In the office environment, Sam certainly lacked the guile that many others would traffick in that cold-heartedness to knife colleagues in the back, if only to rise rapidly on the ladder or gain favour. His mirth is genuine, not to be confused with the saccharin laughter of the treacherous who, as the Yoruba say, will conceal blood on the tongue and spit out phlegm. On a personal note, it took the exile years for me to appreciate, in more intimate terms, two of Sams defining qualities a sense of solidarity and loyalty on the one hand and material generosity on the other. When the Sun newspapers started in 2003 and I became the pioneer editor of the Sunday title, he put at my disposal the totality of his professional support, offering invaluable editorial advice. To ensure I succeeded, he began to write a weekly column for us and became our resourceful, omni-present special contributor from the U.S., never failing to file rich human-angle stories and analyses every week. Until his final return to Nigeria in 2006 to take up an appointment as Chairman of The Nation editorial board, I doubled as Sams literary agent locally. I can attest that all his earnings by way of honoraria for newspaper writings and academic papers were given out as charity to people, sometimes total strangers whose pain or misery he merely read or heard about. At a reception hosted in Lagos by Benita Obaze of Bevista in 2013 to mark my 40th birthday, Sam accepted without hesitation to be co-master of ceremonies, not minding the wide age gap between us. Such is his power to give his all for joy and the upliftment of others. Louis Odion is the Senior Technical Assistant on Media to the President. ADVERTISEMENT A special attribute one would easily find in Banji is his principled lifestyle of discipline and commitment to a course that has greatly impacted everyone around him. He admonishes everyone he has had personal encounter with to be committed to this same course; serving God and moving close to Him. Your purpose in life is to use your gifts and talents to help other people. Your journey in life teaches you how to do that Tom Krause (1934-2013), Finnish bass-baritone. A gifted mans skill can never go unnoticed, even if it takes a while before fame smiles at him. Consistency has a way of rewarding a dogged and resilient individual who persists at what he does. Without monetary rewards or encouragement from people, one with talent uses it to the best for others to benefit or tap from. Preventing a gifted man from manifesting his talent is like taking his breath away; same could be said of Banji Ojewale if he is denied showing forth his God-given writing talent. Banji holds in high esteem his name, especially if a piece would be carrying his identity. I was in a discussion with him recently, when he disclosed his opinion to me on an offer he got from a group of people. He was engaged to write an article on a subject matter that would require thorough research and asked to deliver the piece within a few hours. He declined the offer when he was told to hurriedly prepare the piece. When I asked why he rejected the offer, he made me understand that he could never compromise his writing style for monetary offer or gain, and most especially because the piece would carry his name. My take-away from his action was that Banji places a huge premium on the signature, which is indicative of identity, in all of his writings. The veteran journalist does not joke with his way and style of putting a piece together. He cares less about how long it would take him to prepare a piece, so far as it aligns with his style and does not deviate from his honed writing pattern. His style alliteration and assonance, mixed with the regular use of adjectives to describe clearly and capture fully the attention of his reader, cannot but make one ask for more. Banji captivates his readers with the aesthetics of his writing. Apart from his writing style and wide experience in the print and electronic media, his deep and robust research, deploying facts and figures on the subject matter he writes on, usually blows one away. Of note, among other qualities that is worthy of admiration in Banjis writing style, is his use of a regular, well-patterned vocabulary in driving home his points on a subject. He conveniently thrills his readers with the rhymes of words most times without failing to hit the nail on the head by making his points clear. Banji writes with elegance and style, which give his write-ups uniqueness and colour. Even in his sunset years, his writing prowess doesnt appear to be diminishing. His literary style would even challenge masters of prose and poetry when they read his piece. A special attribute one would easily find in Banji is his principled lifestyle of discipline and commitment to a course that has greatly impacted everyone around him. He admonishes everyone he has had personal encounter with to be committed to this same course; serving God and moving close to Him. There is no one, old or young, that is very close to him, who does not tap from his vast wealth of knowledge. He advises with all sense of humility and caution, especially on sensitive issues. Let me add that the Banji I know is generous and also kind to a fault. The teachings, instructions and guardianships I have enjoyed under Banjis tutelage as a father cannot be fully captured or expressed with words, as he only can tell how far he has gone, for his children to reach for their best. But then, he isnt a selfish father, as he does not limit his counsel and guidance to his children alone, he also reaches out to everyone he has ever had encounter with. When it comes to keeping in touch with people, Banjis friends and associates can testify to the regular goodwill messages they receive from him every month. He does not forget to do this to all his contacts on the first day of every month. Banji Ojewale, a journalist and writer, retired but still active in literary works and contributions, was born on June 13, 1950 in Accra, Ghana, were he was also bred. He has various educational and professional qualifications with vast years of professional experience in journalism and mass communication. He has worked as a media practitioner and consultant all his life till the present, in major print and electronic organisations in Nigeria. He has travelled to some parts of Europe and Asia. Banji was sponsored by a Russian News agency back in 1987, and he got rewarded for the best write-up on the trip. He was also part of the team of African journalists asked to tour parts of the Soviet Union and cover the war in Afghanistan. Banji, in his younger years in school, won a scholarship at Wesley Grammar School, Accra, Ghana as his brilliance and intelligence announced him at an early age. As he turns 71 on June 13, his loved ones can only but wish him more power to his elbow, as he moves deeper into his twilight years. The widely read and travelled man, fondly called TBO (Theophilus Banji Ojewale) by his friends, is a devout Christian who loves writing, reading the Bible, analysing TV documentaries and telling stories to children at bedtime. He has written many articles, feature stories and reviewed many books by different authors. Banji recently wrote a book, yet to be published, titled, Ten Tall Tales, which is a collection of childrens stories. One other major hobby you cant take away from Banji is travelling by road. He loves seeing the beauty occasioned by nature. To Ijadunola-Oluwa Theophilus Banji Ojewale at 71, I wish you a very blissful and memorable day filled with rest and good health on every side of your life. Happy birthday, Dad! Kayode Ojewale is of the Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA. ADVERTISEMENT A non-governmental organisation, Citizens Solution Network, has called for the immediate and unconditional release of an activist and newspaper publisher, Agba Jalingo, and others arrested on Saturday during the June 12 protest in Calabar, Cross River State. Mr Jalingo is the publisher of Cross River Watch, an online newspaper. Cross River Watchs news editor, Jonathan Ugbal, the papers lawyer, James Ibor, and one other person were arrested along with Mr Jalingo in front of the papers office where they were holding a peaceful protest. Citizens Solution Network, in a statement issued on Saturday, said Mr Jalingo and others did not commit any crime, other than participating in a legitimate protest. The group condemned the arrest and called on the police authorities in Cross River to release Mr Jalingo and others said to be detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department. Let it be on public registry that these needless arrests and unconstitutional detention breach the creed of protecting armless and harmless protestors, which officers of the Nigeria Police Force swore oath to defend. Now is the hour for Police to free these citizens, since they are fighting for the good of all Nigerians including a better welfare for our badly underpaid police personnel, said the statement which was signed by the groups Country Director, Richard Inoyo. Previous arrest Mr Jalingo was first arrested on Friday over a petition that he was into gun running. He had gone to the police headquarters in Calabar to honour an invitation from the Commissioner of Police in the State, Kayode Sikiru, when a copy of the petition was shown to him. He was detained for hours and later released after he put down a response to the petition. The police patrolled major roads in Calabar as early as 7 a.m. on Saturday, apparently to scare away people who may have wanted to join the nationwide protest. The upkeep of persons detained in police cells in Nigeria, including feeding and medical treatment, is the responsibility of the Nigeria Police Force, a police lawyer has said. Nosa Uhumwangho, a legal officer with the Intelligence Response Unit (IRT) of the Nigeria Police Force, Lagos State Command, spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday. He said the IRT had decongested its cell which had over 70 inmates. We had to invite the Magistrates because of the congestion in the cell. Some of the suspects in the cell also need to do COVID-19 test before being taken to the correctional centre, said Mr Uhumwangho, an assistant superintendent of police. Mr Uhumwangho commended the effort of the magistrates, saying that investigation officers are being reminded that suspects should not be kept longer than necessary in police custody. They have also learnt that once a detainee is in the cell, his feeding and treatment whenever he falls ill, is the responsibility of the police. Relatives of detainees in police cells in Nigeria are usually made to cater for them while awaiting bail, with police officers often extorting them before granting them access. Mr Uhumwangho told NAN that the decongestion of IRT cell was prompted by the unit, due to the prolonged strike by the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN). He said the decongestion took place on Thursday. NAN recalls that JUSUN on April 6, directed its members to shut down all courts across the country, demanding the implementation of the law granting financial autonomy to the Judiciary. The strike has, however, been suspended, as JUSUN directed court workers to resume work on Monday, June 14. Mr Uhumwangho said that three magistrates took part in the process, which was intended to decongest the cell and make recommendations for detainees, who had overstayed in the cell. Reacting to leniency on the part of the magistrates, Mr Uhumwangho said the magistrates were only doing their job, as a lacuna had been created by the law which is what they operate on. It is true that some cases cannot be concluded in 48 hours, so it is necessary and mandatory to seek order for continuous remand. Although courts are on strike now but by next week, we will arraign them, and our cells will be decongested. The legal officer also noted that one of the suspects, Collins Okonkwo, would be taken to Owerri where he committed a crime of armed robbery and kidnap, but escaped and was rearrested in Lagos. NAN observed that some suspects were recommended to be released with immediate effect, some recommended for administrative bail while some were directed to be arraigned, as soon as courts resume sitting. (NAN) ADVERTISEMENT A detachment of police officers on Saturday dispersed June 12 protesters from the Gani Fawehinmi Park, Ojota, Lagos State. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the police had stationed their patrol vehicles on the Ikorodu/Maryland Expressway, near the park, preventing people from entering the park. NAN observed that the protesters, numbering about 50, some of whom wore red berets, gathered on the expressway, chanting solidarity songs. It was not certain under which umbrella they gathered. A senior police officer advised the protesters to be civil in their approach. I am not stopping you from protesting, but do it without inviting hoodlums to take over the protest, he said. The protesters, however, did not heed the officers advice as they continued chanting solidarity songs. This made police officers shoot into the air, forcing the protesters to scamper in different directions for safety. The leader of the police team told NAN that no one was arrested at Ojota. We only dispersed the protesters by firing into the air, he said. NAN reports that a group identified as Indigenes of Lagos, equally organised a protest against the planned June 12 protests. We are indigenes of Lagos. We dont want trouble in Lagos again. We dont want what happened during the EndSARS protest to happen again here. We want peace, not war. We are law-abiding citizens, one of the leaders, who refused to have his name mentioned, told NAN. The Commander of Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the state police command, Olayinka Egbeyemi, who met with the latest protesters at noon, advised them to go about their lawful businesses. He assured them of adequate security. Everyone is entitled to protest but the protest must be within the law. Everyone should go about his or her businesses. We are going round Lagos. There is no way for hoodlums to operate, he said. ADVERTISEMENT (NAN) President Andrzej Duda spoke with his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, on the latter's visit to Poland on June 17, the head of the president's International Policy Bureau has told. Krzysztof Szczerski said on Wednesday the two presidents discussed details of the planned visit, including a debate at the Royal Castle in Warsaw with the participation of Polish-German youth on "social relations between Poland and Germany." They also spoke about current international issues such as the situation in the Middle East and Duda's recent visit to Turkey. "And also about the situation in Ukraine, in Belarus," Szczerski said, adding that the presidents also talked about the pandemic and its impact on the economy. June 17 marks the 30th anniversary of Poland and Germany sealing a 'good neighbourhood' pact. (PAP) DANNEMORA [mdash] Richard L. Doe, 70, of Orchard Street, passed away on June 24, 2021 with his family by his side. He was born in Ogdensburg, NY on November 9, 1950 the son of the late Joseph and Lorraine (Richards) Doe. Richard married the former Judy Mousseau on May 18, 1984 at St. Peter's THREEFOLD'S PLAN TO OFFSET ITS GRID WITH TAKE ACTION GLOBAL DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, June 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, ThreeFold, announced a rollout of new product offerings, a year after the company launched the first true peer-to-peer Internet. Threefold's pioneering technologies eliminate the need for centralized control and power-hungry data centers, consuming 90 percent less energy, and using 90 percent less international fiber network capacity. The current internet consumes nearly 10 percent of global energy production. With the imminent boom of emerging technologies such as Blockchain, Internet of Things, Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence and 5G, the Internet's energy consumption is only expected to increase exponentially in the coming years. Traditional industry solutions focus on increasing the use of renewable energies to power data centers. But this is not a viable solution. We need to drastically reduce the global internet's energy consumption, and we must act now. Not only will ThreeFold save massive amounts of energy compared to data centers, it will also offset remaining energy needs with carbon credits by partnering with Take Action Global: the initiative lets users of the ThreeFold grid (Farmers) convert TFT tokens (the grid's currency) into carbon credits - effectively regenerating our planet. "We have the potential to offset energy usage 100 percent by the end of 2021, and our goal is to take 2 times more carbon out of the air than we put in,1" says, Kristof de Spiegeleer, Co Founder, ThreeFold. "Zero-OS, the platform's operating system, was built from scratch on a Linux kernel that allows multiple user spaces to co-exist," Spiegeleer continued. "These spaces support micro-versions of various software, eliminating the need for hypervisors, virtual OS to fuel the virtual machines, and guest operating systems. This also minimizes the required overhead for the host OS. -2" The current internet consumes about 10% of global energy production. With the imminent boom of emerging technologies such as Blockchain, Internet of Things, Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence and 5G, the Internet's energy consumption is expected to increase exponentially. The current industry solutions focus on increasing the use of renewable energies to power data centers. And, this is not a viable solution as data centers consume enormous amounts of energy. Therefore, a new solution that can drastically reduce the global internet's energy consumption is still needed. This is why it's so important to act now. Threefold invites customers, partners, and investors to join this critically important movement! Our peer-to-peer internet platform aims to liberalize what is now a centralized and unequally distributed internet. The ThreeFold Grid comprises over 600 servers in 30 different countries around the world, delivering approximately 80 PB in storage and over 16,000 CPU cores worldwide, making it the largest storage and compute peer-to-peer internet grid in the world. See ThreeFold Grid's statistics in more detail using their explorer here. Each server runs ThreeFold's stateless and lightweight open-source operating system, Zero-OS, and is set up and operated by independent individuals and organizations (Farmers). By having no state, it is impossible for Farmers to access data on the hardware, making it incredibly secure for users to store their data on it. Not only will Farmers earn TFT for connecting hardware, but will also for providing network services such as IP addresses and their reputation on the grid. A portion of TFT will also go back to the Foundation to be converted into carbon credits. Each TFT token represents a unit of storage and compute space on the platform. Users can use these tokens to reserve the storage and compute they need to store, build and share on the platform's internet network. ThreeFold's ultimate vision is to be part of the wider movement to fully democratize the internet worldwide. Join us and find out more.3 To learn more about how ThreeFold plans to democratize the internet, visit the ThreeFold website here. Follow ThreeFold on Twitter: https://twitter.com/threefold_io Read ThreeFold's documentation on Github: https://github.com/threefoldfoundation Like ThreeFold's page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/threefold.io About TAG Take Action Global (TAG) works worldwide with students, teachers, educational institutions, and organizations to use climate education as a force for environmental action. Our work centers on empowering students and communities to take action for the climate and our collective future. Through projects, resources, and other innovative education practices, we support teachers in helping students be curious, learn about the environment, and make a difference in our world. For more information on Take Action Global visit: https://www.takeactionglobal.org/ Media Contact Details: AmaZix Press Team: [email protected] SOURCE Threefold SAN FRANCISCO, June 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- AAA insurance sales agents across Northern California have voted overwhelmingly to join Teamsters Local 665. The election was conducted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) via mail-in ballot and votes were tabulated today. The 460 insurance sales agents with AAA Northern California work at 77 locations across six regions, stretching from Merced, Calif., to the Oregon border. "These workers stood united because they deserve a strong voice and a secure future at AAA Northern California," said Tom Woods, Business Agent with Local 665. "They want the stability and strength that comes with a Teamster contract, and we're ready to get to work to negotiate an agreement." "I want my fellow workers in the insurance and financial services industries to understand that they can protect themselves with union representation. It's time to take control of your future," said Jeff Wilkinson, a 29-year AAA Northern California insurance sales agent. The workers had far-reaching support in their campaign to organize, including from dozens of California political leaders, California Central Labor Councils and the California Labor Federation. That support was on display at a rally held in downtown San Francisco in April. AAA Northern California workers, who have the expertise to provide customers with insurance to protect themselves and their families, sought out union representation to ensure their own futures. Insurance sales agents who have been with the company for decades report feeling pushed out and fear termination over changing and unrealistic sales targets. Meanwhile, new hires are being paid a fraction of what tenured commissioned sales agents earn. The insurance sales agents, who work and live spread out in a wide geography across Northern California, came together during the pandemic to build their campaign to organize. They remained united over regular, well-attended Zoom calls. "It Is beyond question that the workers exceeded any reasonable expectation of perseverance and grit to get themselves to this point and this is their win," said Tony Delorio, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 665. "I want to thank President Rome Aloise and Teamsters Joint Council 7, and the International Union for their full effort and commitment to assisting in this organizing effort. We are excited to begin the work of negotiating a first agreement on behalf of these incredibly hardworking Teamsters." Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters. Contact: Kara Deniz, (202) 497-6610 [email protected] SOURCE Teamsters Local 665 Related Links http://www.teamster.org ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Solar Energy World invites the public to a special, Live Residential Installation event to showcase how green jobs are growing rapidly in Virginia. From June 14 17, Solar Energy World will be installing solar panels on four homes simultaneously in North Arlington. This unprecedented project employs 4 crews totaling 22 employees. The live installation provides an opportunity for homeowners in the area, legislators, and others to learn more about how a solar installation is properly executed and how solar works. Solar Energy World began serving Northern Virginia in August 2018 when it was chosen by the Local Energy Alliance Program to be the installer for SolarizeNOVA and has continued to participate in Virginia-based Solarize programs since 2018. The company has also signed up hundreds of other individual residential customers. To better serve Northern Virginia's homeowners and businesses, Solar Energy World has expanded its operations with a new facility in Alexandria. Historically, Virginia has been ranked near the bottom for statewide renewable energy deployment. This began to change last year when Virginia legislatures passed the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA). In addition to better incentives for green focused businesses, the financial benefits and energy cost savings for homeowners in the area have improved greatly due to Virginia's increasing consumer demand for cleaner energy. For example, Virginia now offers better financial benefits for homeowners like net-metering, a program where homeowners can get money back from the utility company for the excess energy their solar system produces. There are also new property tax exemptions and a growing SREC (Solar Renewable Energy Credit) program in Virginia To attend Solar Energy World's Live Solar Installation Event, contact Ray Meyer, [email protected] or 410-579-1672. About Solar Energy World: Founded in 2009, Solar Energy World is an award-winning, regional leader in Solar Panel System design and installation for residential and commercial property owners serving Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Florida, and Washington DC. We are the fastest growing, independently owned solar installation company in the region. Solar Energy World currently installs approximately 125-130 new solar systems each month. For more information, visit www.SolarEnergyWorld.com SOURCE Solar Energy World New York, June 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of the securities of Danimer Scientific, Inc. (NYSE: DNMR) between October 5, 2020 and May 4, 2021, inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important July 13, 2021 lead plaintiff deadline. SO WHAT: If you purchased Danimer Scientific securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Danimer Scientific class action, go to http://www.rosenlegal.com/cases-register-2065.html or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than July 13, 2021. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience or resources. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020 founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Danimer Scientific had overstated and/or misstated the biodegradability and environmentally-friendly nature of its Nodax product, particularly in oceans and landfills; (2) defendants misrepresented the size of Danimer Scientific's facilities, production capacity and actual production amounts, and costs; (3) defendants misrepresented Danimer Scientific's growth, financial results, and financial projections; (4) Danimer Scientific had deficient internal controls; and (5) as a result, defendants' public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages. To join the Danimer Scientific class action, go to http://www.rosenlegal.com/cases-register-2065.html or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action. No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Contact Information: Laurence Rosen, Esq. Phillip Kim, Esq. The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. 275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] www.rosenlegal.com SOURCE Rosen Law Firm, P.A. Related Links www.rosenlegal.com CORINTH, Miss., June 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The United Steelworkers union (USW) and Mississippi Polymers today announced that they reached an agreement to extend their current contract, which expired June 5. As part of the deal, more than 100 members of USW Local 759L will return to work Monday, June 14. The agreement came after the union and the company spent two days meeting with a federal mediator. USW District 9 Director Daniel Flippo called the contract extension an important step forward. "Our members remain strong and committed to reaching a fair deal," said Flippo. "They're glad to be going back to work as we continue bargaining a new labor agreement that reflects their commitment and contributions to the company's success." The USW represents 850,000 workers employed in metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in health care, public sector, higher education, tech and service occupations. Contact: Jess Kamm Broomell, 412-562-2444, [email protected] SOURCE United Steelworkers (USW) Related Links http://www.usw.org CHICAGO, June 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As the global nonprofit leader in Alzheimer's research and science we have extensively reviewed the clinical trial data for Aduhelm (aducanumab). Based on the trial data, the treatment demonstrated an efficacious result which has also been confirmed by leading scientists in the Alzheimer's and dementia scientific community and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Alzheimer's Association's research experts and advisors are deeply familiar with the basic and regulatory science that led to the FDA's decision. They were right to approve this treatment. Additionally, the FDA appropriately took into account the vast unmet need of the Alzheimer's community. Aduhelm is certainly not a cure, but at long last it provides many with Alzheimer's disease and their families an effective treatment. The confirmatory trial should begin promptly. Our focus has and will continue to be access to this treatment for all likely to benefit. Approval is the fundamental first step to access. The first drug in a category invigorates the field, increases investments in new treatments and encourages greater innovation. Following approval, the manufacturer, Biogen, announced their intention to price Aduhelm at $56,000 per year. This price is simply unacceptable. For many, this price will pose an insurmountable barrier to access, it complicates and jeopardizes sustainable access to this treatment, and may further deepen issues of health equity. We call on Biogen to change this price. Next, the path to access turns to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Just as with the FDA, we have the utmost respect for CMS and how they will approach the key decisions ahead. We're committed to working with them and with the private payer community to expedite access for all of those who would likely benefit based on the successful clinical trial. CMS faces difficult policy decisions on how to best accomplish this within the context of the Medicare program, and we stand ready to fully support CMS and private payers in this work for all communities in need. Alzheimer's Association The Alzheimer's Association leads the way to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's and all other dementia. For more information, visit www.alz.org or call the 24/7 Helpline at 800.272.3900. SOURCE Alzheimers Association "The Chinese youth should foster a striving spirit, be firm with ideals, hold fast to beliefs, be brave enough to face difficulties and forge ahead, and work hard in an unyielding manner," Xi said during an inspection tour of Peking University in the Chinese capital. He called on young people to closely link their ideals to the future of the country and strive for national rejuvenation. From methane tank to Chinese dream Xi found his career ambition at a young age when working in a small village in northwest China's Shaanxi Province. In 1969, the 15-year-old Xi arrived in Liangjiahe Village as part of a campaign that saw tens of millions of urban educated youth living and working in the countryside. He spent nearly seven years there and discovered his lifelong mission in the process to make a difference by serving the people. Xi joined the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 1974. Then, he became the Party secretary of Liangjiahe, and led the villagers to accomplish a series of projects to benefit local residents, including building a dam, methane tanks, a sewing workshop, a consignment store and a mill. In order to build methane tanks that could provide the villagers with gas for their cookers and lights, Xi traveled to the neighboring Sichuan Province to learn about the techniques. On his return to Liangjiahe, he found out practice was harder than theory. "The digging of the first methane tank was difficult," he recalled in an interview in 2004. "The water around the tank kept rising, but there was no sign of gas. The problem turned out to be a blocked pipe. When we finally cleared the obstruction, the pipe splashed manure over my face. Immediately, gas started gushing out, so we quickly connected the pipe to the stove. An over 30-cm high flame rose up above our methane stove." During another interview in 2003, Xi summarized how the experience in Liangjiahe had influenced him: "I saw the power of the people and the foundation of their lives. It was then that I really started to understand the people and society." Throughout his political career in different parts of China, Xi maintained and strengthened his ties with the people and strived to improve their lives. After becoming a leader at the national level, he called on the whole Party and nation to work together for a better China. "To meet the people's desire for a happy life is our mission," Xi said when meeting the press after being elected as general secretary of the CPC Central Committee in November 2012. He raised the concept of the Chinese dream two weeks later when attending an exhibition themed "The Road Toward Renewal." He said achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is the country's biggest dream in modern times. In June 2019, the Party leadership launched a nationwide educational campaign among the 90 million CPC members, urging them to stay true to the Party's original aspiration and founding mission to seek happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. New generations join the mission Today, more and more young Chinese are joining the mission to create a better future for the country and its people. Current affairs commentator Einar Tangen said young Chinese people are waking up and want to play an active part in the country's development. "I think a lot of young people have woken up and said, 'Listen, if China is gonna go forward, it's going to need the best from our generation. And I want to be part of that,'" Tangen told CGTN in a recent interview. "A lot of the economic success has come over the last 40 years. They're proud of how far China has come," he added. "We as the young generation hold the responsibilities of the times," said Zhu Yuhuilan, a student at Peking University. "We shall accept our responsibilities and make achievements." As young generations devote themselves to ambitious goals, China can take on various challenges along its journey more confidently whether it is poverty relief, the fight against COVID-19 or the transformation of its growth model. https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-06-12/What-is-behind-young-Chinese-people-s-lofty-ambitions--110NIEcv2ow/index.html SOURCE CGTN Related Links www.cgtn.com "Since its founding, the CPC has been representing the interests of the people," said Chen Shuguang, a professor from the Party School of the CPC Central Committee. President Xi Jinping has said the goal of the CPC is to meet people's aspiration for a better life. With this goal in mind, the CPC always stays in tune with the people's most urgent needs. Most recently, in the COVID-19 fight, China has put people's lives and health before anything else. "'The people' we say here has a very broad meaning. It includes everyone, especially the vulnerable like senior citizens, children and the poor," said Tao Wenzhao, deputy dean of the School of Marxism Studies at Renmin University of China. Tao also compared the people-first concept to Western notions of "freedom". "It seems some countries give consideration to people's 'freedom', and treat everyone as equals when it comes to anti-virus polices," Tao said. "But in fact, the rich people have much more options while the poor, though enjoying 'freedom' as it seems, fall into a helpless situation since they have neither money nor power." As part of its efforts to treat all fairly and equitably, China provides COVID-19 patients with free treatment. All COVID-19 patients, confirmed or suspected, receive subsidies from state finance for any medical bills not covered by basic medical insurance, serious disease insurance or the medical assistance fund. Additionally, China gives COVID-19 vaccines to all citizens free of charge. A grassroots Party chief also mentioned what the experts focused on. When asked why the CPC remains resilient after 100 years, Liu Yuguo, Party chief and head of Dongliuzhuang village in Beijing's Tongzhou district, said: "Because the CPC always puts people first." This concept has been seen throughout the CPC's history. Isabel Crook, 105, has witnessed much of that history personally. As one of China's oldest foreign friends, Isabel has spent most of her life in China. One example her son Michael recalled was in the assignment of living quarters of a newly-built building. CPC members were called on to choose rooms with northern exposure, meaning less warmth or light. "So the Party was not fighting for privilege. Quite the reverse, it was offering, it was taking the hardship," Michael said. Throughout the Party's history, members have stepped up to fight the difficult battles before anyone else. Whether repelling invasion, alleviating poverty or facing down natural disasters, Party members are the first to rise to the challenge. The CPC is driven by its original values, not by personal gain or profit. That's one key to its continued success. Goodrum learned this and more during his travels. Check out this video for more details: https://youtu.be/6ZeEoh6bwTE SOURCE chinadaily.com.cn Leading global suppliers can assist buyers in realizing high-cost savings through their efforts on areas such as forward integration, reducing total ownership cost, manage ad hoc spend, negotiate on pricing and contractual terms, conference participation, managing labor price volatility, level of automation, quality management, and reduction in ad-hoc spend. Collaborations with global suppliers will also help buyers in cost-saving and ensure high-quality procurement in the dynamic market. The report also offers information on the upcoming trends and challenges that will influence market growth. Download Our Free Sample Report Laser Processing Category Market in India: Key Price Trends According to the Laser Processing Category price trends, higher anti-dumping duties imposed by the governments in countries such as China , the US, France , Germany , and India will increase the price of exported Laser Processing Category. , the US, , , and will increase the price of exported Laser Processing Category. The steady increase in crude oil prices will drive the prices of raw materials such as optical fiber, PE, PVC, steel, and aluminum. This will propel Laser Processing Category suppliers' manufacturing costs. Insights Offered in this Laser Processing Category Market Report Top Laser Processing Category suppliers and their cost structures Top Laser Processing Category suppliers in the US and their cost structures Laser Processing Category market spend analysis in the US Laser Processing Category price trends, and forecasts Cost drivers influencing the Laser Processing Category prices Explore more about market opportunities: Enquire about the report before purchasing Some of the top Laser Processing Category suppliers listed in this report: This Laser Processing Category procurement intelligence report has enlisted the top suppliers and their cost structures, SLA terms, best selection criteria, and negotiation strategies. TRUMPF GmbH IPG Photonics Corp MKS Instruments Inc Coherent Inc. Jenoptik AG 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 Manufacturing Market: Oil and Gas Accumulator- Sourcing and Procurement Market Intelligence Report: The report identifies Schlumberger Ltd., Halliburton Co., and Eaton Corp. Plc among the top most important suppliers for oil and gas accumulator procurement. Armored Vehicles - Sourcing and Procurement Market Intelligence Report: This report offers key advisory and intelligence to help buyers identify and shortlist the most suitable suppliers for their armored vehicles requirements. Some of the leading armored vehicles suppliers are profiled extensively in this report. Electronic Manufacturing Services - Sourcing and Procurement Intelligence Report: The electronic manufacturing services will grow at a CAGR of 5.19% during 2021-2025. Prices will increase by 2%-4% during the forecast period and suppliers will have a moderate bargaining power in this market. To access the definite purchasing guide on the Laser Processing Category that answers all your key questions on price trends and analysis: Am I paying/getting the right prices? Is my Laser Processing Category 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/fiber-optic-cables-procurement-market-intelligence-report SOURCE SpendEdge It was another active week in the junior oil and gas sector. is to float on Londons AIM market with a 5mln raise which will support the planned development of the Pilot oil field in the North Sea. The company owns 100% of the Pilot field - host to 78.8mln barrels of proven and probable (2P) reserves along with a portfolio that also comprises the Elke, Narwhal and Blakeney fields. s ( ) joint venture Greenfield Energy has entered a deal to acquire a site in Utah. Greenfield has inked an agreement with Endeavour Capital and Tar Sands Holdings II LLC for the potential acquisition of some 760 acres and non-producing assets in Utahs Uintah County. It intends to use the land for the mining of oil sands and the construction of a commercial-scale processing plant, based on the findings of the ongoing pilot operation at Petroteqs oil sands plant (POSP) at Asphalt Ridge, also in Utah. TomCo highlighted that the selected site comprises infrastructure, plant and equipment, along with an existing large mine permit that could be used in the future by Greenfield. ( ) said it is still committed to drilling new wells though its recent activity has focussed on the workover of existing wells to boost production and cashflows. Several well workovers have been performed to optimise production at the Stanley project, where Mosman has well interests between 15% and 19%. Similar operations have been taking place at the 50%-owned Falcon-1 well a new zone has been recompleted to see whether it will yield higher production rates. Zephyr Energy PLC ( ) has pledged to achieve 100% carbon-neutral operations by the end of September this year. The company described its promise to achieve carbon-neutrality across its operational footprint as industry-leading and called it a major first step towards near-term delivery of hydrocarbons produced with an operational "net-zero" carbon impact. To achieve the target the company has agreed to collaborate with the Prax Group which will work with Zephyr to measure, reduce and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions across Zephyr's businesses. On Friday, the company told investors that it filed an application with the OTC Markets Group for its ordinary shares to be publicly cross traded. ( ) said that its assets in Africa are seeing renewed interest with the price of Brent rising to more than US$70 per barrel again. A growing realisation that industry still needs short-cycle, low-cost projects to sustain oil production over the next few years as well as long term gas production is also helping, the AIM-listed oil exploration group said. That is driving interest is the offshore frontiers of Namibia and South Africa and Tower said the data room for its joint-venture license in South Africa is seeing a lot of activity. Westmount Energy Limited ( ) (OTCQB:WMELF) shares moved higher on Monday as the company highlighted an announcement from the Guyanese Maritime Administration Department that the Stena Carron drillship re-commenced exploration drilling operations at the Jabillo-1 wellsite on the Canje Block, offshore Guyana on June 5. Jabillo-1 is the second of three exploration wells scheduled for drilling on the Canje block in 2021, with previously published information indicating that Jabillo-1 is a 1,000mln barrels of oil prospect. Westmount holds an indirect interest in Canje as a result of its 7.7% stake in JHI Associates Inc, which is carrying out the drilling at Jabillo-1. JHI also owns around 17.5% of the Canje block. ( ) has agreed to buy out its partner on Project Peregrine in Alaska. The company has entered into an agreement with Alaska Peregrine Development Company (APDC) that will enable the continuation of the exploration programme at Project Peregrine next winter; APDC had been mulling a pause in the exploration programme to pore over the results from the Merlin-1 well. APDC will sell 88 Energy a 50% working interest in the project, giving the London-listed company a 100% working interest in the project. The agreement does not include the neighbouring Umiat oil field. 88 Energy will pay US$14mln to APDC, payable in new 88 Energy shares, issued in several tranches. The first tranche of 235mln shares at A$0.022 a share has already been issued to APDC. Deep-South Resources (CVE: DSM-OTC: DSMTF) President and CEO Pierre Leveille, joined Stephen Gunnion from Proactive with detail of the second batch of assay results from the company's current drilling programme at its Haib copper project in southern Namibia. Leveille, telling Proactive that Deep-South continues to have success with its active drill program identifying thick, higher-trade zones. Washington, June 12 : Only about half of US states still provide daily updates on key Covid-19 metrics such as new cases, deaths, hospitalizations and vaccinations, a trend that worries some public health experts, the media reported on Friday. Two of the largest scale-backs took effect this week, with Florida dropping down to one update per week and Alabama cutting back to two to three updates per week, depending on the type of data, Xinhua reported citing a leading US media house. Alabama's decision to publish updates less frequently came alongside steady decreases in daily cases, deaths and hospitalizations, Karen Landers, a health officer with the state health department, was quoted as saying. "The changes are smaller and less dramatic, for lack of a better word," she said. "It's time to refocus our efforts." Average daily COVID-19 cases in Alabama have dropped about 93 percent since their January peak. The state reported an average of 321 cases per day over the past week and 12 deaths per day, according to data from the Johns Hopkins University (JHU). Average daily reported cases in the US overall have also dropped more than 90 per cent since their January peak, down to about 15,000 per day, and back to levels last seen in March 2020. But about 300 people are still dying each day in the country, JHU data showed. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New Delhi, June 12 : The protest by the farmers against the new farm laws introduced by the Central government has been nearing 200 days and in order to intensify their agitation, the farmers have announced a sit-in at Raj Bhavans across the country on June 26. A Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) leader said on Friday: "There will be a protest of farmers on June 26 and black flags will be shown. A memorandum will also be sent to President Ram Nath Kovind." Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Dharmendra Malik told IANS that June 26 will be celebrated as "Save Agriculture, Save Democracy Day". At the same time, by showing black flags at Raj Bhavans and giving memorandum to the President through the Governor in every state, "we will stage our protest". According to farmer leaders, on June 26, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had imposed Emergency in the country. "Even today, the Modi government has also imposed an undeclared emergency in the country," they submitted. Meanwhile, the farmers have also expressed concern over the safety of women at the border. According to the farmers, a committee will be formed by Saturday for the safety of women at the agitation site. According to the SKM, farmers are continuously protesting against BJP leaders at different places by showing black flags. Haryana's Women and Child Development Minister Kamlesh Dhanda had to face black flags and slogans in Kaithal. Both women and male farmers faced the scorching heat to express their resistance in large numbers. BJP's Babita Phogat also faced opposition from farmers in Charkhi Dadri. While thousands of farmers from different states are joining the ongoing movement on the borders of Delhi, on Friday, a contingent of Terai Kisan Sangathan from Uttarakhand reached Ghazipur border. Similarly, AIKMS delegations and supporters from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar also reached the Ghazipur dharna site. Farmers have been protesting at various borders of the national capital since November 26 last year against three newly enacted farm laws -- Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New York, June 12 : Kevin Kishore Kaul, a Kashmiri Pandit who arrived in South Dakota on a student visa 30 years ago is wading into a crowded field of candidates betting that California will likely hurtle into a recall election for Governor in 2021. Kaul, an electrical engineer from Regional Engineering College in Warangal, Andhra Pradesh, who made his millions as an entrepreneur in the US West Coast, is upbeat about his chances - if the recall election happens. "I have a good shot at it" he told IANS over phone from Long Beach, Los Angeles. "We've got commitments for more than $1 million." Kaul said he filed his documents in late May, signalling intent to enter the gubernatorial race. Weeks ago, California officials announced that current Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom would face an almost certain recall election that could send him packing. Newsom's tough virus restrictions that shuttered schools and sunk businesses sparked calls for the recall last year. California, the most populous state in the US, is one of nearly 20 states that provides for the recall of elected state officials. By April 2021, recall advocates had cobbled together more than the necessary 1.6 million petition signatures to put the election on the ballot. The review process is now on to certify the recall for the ballot. In the election, likely this Fall, voters would be asked whether Newsom should be recalled and who should replace him. If their answer to the first question is a yes, the candidate with the most votes becomes the next Governor. More than 20 Republican challengers are preparing to take on first term Governor Newsom, a dear friend of Vice President Kamala Harris. Kaul's LinkedIn profile lists him as Founder and Chairman of US Global Business Forum. Before travelling to the US, Kaul worked with the Indian Navy and at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust in Navi Mumbai. Drawn by the appeal of a quickie MBA in South Dakota, Kaul says he came to the United States in September 1991. He found the place "too cold", dropped out of his MBA and headed further west. Kaul got some early breaks with big construction projects; his business website is splashed with pictures of him with the Obamas, Clintons and other A-listers. Kaul plans a "big launch" for his Governor run on his 60th birthday, this August. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Washington, June 12 : The Pentagon has announced $150 million of security assistance package for Ukraine to enhance its defense capability. The US will provide Ukraine with counter-artillery radars, counter-unmanned aerial systems, secure communications gear, electronic warfare and military medical evacuation equipment, and training and equipment to improve the operational safety and capacity of Ukrainian Air Force bases, according to a Pentagon statement, Xinhua reported. The statement said that the package represents the remaining funds appropriated by Congress for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) in Fiscal Year 2021, which ends on September 30. The US had provided $125 million of security assistance to Ukraine this March. The package "is made possible by the Defense Department, in coordination with the Department of State, certifying that Ukraine has made sufficient progress on defense reforms this year," it added. The Pentagon said the US had provided over $2.5 billion in security aid to Ukraine since 2014. Crimea was incorporated into Russia in March 2014, following a popular referendum, which Ukraine and the West never recognized. US President Joe Biden on Monday reaffirmed his support to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity in a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, an effort to reassure Kiev ahead of the US-Russia summit scheduled on June 16 in Geneva. The ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine, which began in April 2014, has claimed some 14,000 lives and left as many as 40,000 wounded. Kiev has repeatedly blamed Moscow for inciting the conflict. Russia, however, has denied the charges, saying the accusations are groundless. New York, June 12 : Indian-origin journalist Megha Rajagopalan has won the US' top journalism award, the Pulitzer Prize, for innovative investigative reports harnessing satellite technology that exposed China's mass detention camps for Muslim Uighurs and other minority ethnicites. The award in the international reporting category that she shared with two colleagues from an internet media, BuzzFeed News, was announced on Friday by the Pulitzer Board. Another journalist of Indian-origin, Neil Bedi, won a Pulitzer in the local reporting category for investigative stories he wrote with an editor at the Tampa Bay Times exposing the misuse of authority by a law enforcement official in Florida to track children. This is the 105th year of the Pulitzer Prizes awarded by a board at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism in New York recognising the outstanding work. In recognition of the proliferation of citizen journalism in the internet age, teenaged non-journalist, Darnella Frazier, was awarded a Pulitzer Special Citation for her courage in filming the killing of George Floyd, the African-American who died in police custody in Minneapolis last year. The video clip made on her smartphone went viral and set off prolonged nationwide protests against police brutality and led to measures in many states and cities to reform policing. The sight of a policeman kneeling on the neck of dying Floyd as he repeated, "I can't breathe", appealed to America's conscience and led to a broader consideration of the problems faced by African-Americans. The Board said her that her video "spurred protests against police brutality around the world, highlighting the crucial role of citizens in journalists' quest for truth and justice". Rajagopalan and her colleagues used satellite imagery and 3D architectural simulations to buttress her interviews with two dozen former prisoners from the detention camps where as many as a million Muslims from Uighur and other minority ethnicites were interned. "I'm in complete shock, I did not expect this," she said. According to the publication, she and her colleagues, Alison Killing and Christo Buschek, identified 260 detention camps after building a voluminous database of about 50,000 possible sites comparing censored Chinese images with uncensored mapping software. Rajagopalan, who had previously reported from China but was barred from there for the story, travelled to neighbouring Kazhakstan to interview former detainees who had fled there, BuzzFeed said. "Throughout her reporting, Rajagopalan had to endure harassment from the Chinese government," the publication said. The series of stories provided proof of Beijing's violation of Uighurs' human rights, which some US and other Western officials have called a "genocide". Bedi and Kathleen McGrory were given their award for exposing "how a powerful and politically connected sheriff built a secretive intelligence operation that harassed residents and used grades and child welfare records to profile schoolchildren", the Pulitzer Board said. Bedi, who has a degree in computer science, is now a Washington-based reporter for ProPublica. (Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed @arulouis) Seoul, June 12 : South Korea's top economic policymaker said the government plans to provide support to help around 1,000 auto parts makers transform into key suppliers of next-generation automobiles by 2030. Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said the country plans to create a 500-billion won ($448 million) fund to support research and development and facility investment in the next-generation vehicle sector. "It is very necessary to take the lead in the next-generation vehicle and related parts markets," Hong said at a government meeting on new industries. Korean automakers are accelerating the development and production of next-generation automobiles, including autonomous and hydrogen-fueled vehicles. But local auto parts makers have been struggling to cope with the changing trend due to lack of technology and manpower, reports Yonhap news agency. South Korea plans to allocate 282.6 billion won this year to help auto parts firms transform their business portfolios to cover next-generation automobiles. South Korea plans to have eco-friendly cars, including hydrogen fuel cell cars, take up 30 percent of the total automobiles registered in the country by 2030, rising sharply from the current estimate of 3 percent. Outbound shipments of auto parts came to $18.6 billion in 2020, down 17.2 percent on-year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. South Korea is a powerhouse of memory chips, led by Samsung Electronics, the world's largest memory chip maker, and its smaller rival SK hynix Inc. But they have relatively lagged in developing non-memory chips, including system semiconductors. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New Delhi, June 12 : A group of world-leading climate scientists is calling upon global leaders to factor in the economic, environmental and humanitarian costs of failing to keep global warming below 1.5 degree Celsius this century, in a move led by experts from UCL, the University of Exeter and International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD). As the leaders of seven of the world's wealthiest nations meet in Cornwall,UK, for the G7 summit, the scientists have launched a 1.5 Degree Charter to highlight how breaching the target outlined in the Paris Agreement will cost far more than paying poorer nations to help global efforts to reach it. It is hoped governments, businesses and the public will get behind the Charter to influence the conversation on climate finance and steer key decisions made at the next UN climate summit, COP26, in Glasgow in November. Those most vulnerable to the impacts of the climate crisis predominantly live in the global South, but they have contributed the least to greenhouse gas emissions. The Charter argues that, to sufficiently reduce emissions, it will require richer countries to pay reparations to poorer countries. The amounts must reflect fairly the former's responsibility for the crisis and the latter's vulnerability to it. The aim of the Charter therefore is to act as a catalyst to encourage wealthy nations to support those less wealthy to not only decarbonise but also ensure they can afford to put in place measures to protect their homes, jobs and lands from climate related impacts like extreme weather, poor health, job losses and food insecurity. To support the Charter, the academics involved are developing a global research project to fully identify and compare the cost of exceeding a 1.5 degrees Celsius temperature rise versus the costs already anticipated of the decarbonisation required to meet the 1.5-degree target. The 1.5 Degree Charter calls upon the governments in particular to recognise the human and economic cost of exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius and that this cost will be borne disproportionately around the world and by future generations. It calls to act on their commitment to limit global heating to 1.5 degrees and encourage the development of climate finance mechanisms that link the cost of delaying climate action with the cost of decarbonisation. Simon Lewis, Professor of Global Change Science at UCL, said: "This is about finding solutions to the climate crisis that embody fairness and build trust. "Lower income countries did not create this problem, yet they are already paying for it with their livelihoods and increasingly their lives. It's up to those who have contributed the most to the problem to address that injustice and build trust going forward. "Solving the climate crisis means acknowledging the damage already caused and making new alternative plans and choices to reverse that tide." Mark Maslin, Professor of Earth System Science at UCL, said: "The science is clear -- going beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius will increase human misery around the world and put a huge financial burden on all of us." "Our Charter calls upon the governments of the world to invest in dealing with climate change now, which will not only increase people's health and well-being now but will save trillions of dollars." Tim Lenton, Director of the Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter, said: "Global warming above 1.5 degrees markedly increases the risk of crossing climate tipping points which will do greatest harm to the world's poorest." The scientists and academics involved in creating the Charter hope that governments and organisations around the world will back it and use it as a tool to inform public and policy debates on climate finance. The ultimate aim is to create an international climate justice research network, connecting institutions in the global north and south, addressing the limitations of current climate finance strategies and collaborating to replace them with fair, workable alternatives, before it is too late. Kabul, June 12 : The continued brutal war, insurgency and extreme poverty in Afghanistan have forced countless number of children to resort to child labour and work on streets to earn livelihood for their families, instead of going to school. Civilians including children are bearing the brunt of war in Afghanistan. A UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) report released in April documented 1,783 civilian casualties (573 killed and 1,210 injured) in the first quarter of 2021 which indicates a 29 per cent increase against the same period of last year, reports Xinhua news agency. The report also indicated a 37 per cent increase in the number of women casualties while a 23 percent spike in child casualties compared to last year. Although there is no official statistics on the number of child labour, the number of vulnerable children in Afghanistan, according to local media reports, has increased from 3 million to 5 million. Omar, 11, is one of the thousands of Afghan children who lost their parents in the endemic war and has been forced to work on Kabul streets to earn a livelihood for his five-member family. Washing cars in Omid Sabz locality, Omar said the ongoing war has deprived him of going to school. "I am busy in car washing from dawn to dusk and roughly earn some 150 afghani ($1.9) daily to support my family," he told Xinhua. Another boy Abdul Azim, 13, who scavenges garbage buckets on the outskirts of Kabul city, told Xinhua that he was "the only bread earner of the family and have no choice but work and earn something". "On average I can earn around 180 afghani ($2.3) everyday and support my family." Ghulam Haider Jilani, the deputy for the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, said recently that the government would do its best to solve the problems of child labour in the country. Jilani said the budget for children protection had increased from 20 million afghani last year to 52 million afghani this year. Male, June 12 : Maldives has amped up anti-pandemic measures in jails across the island nation in an effort to prevent Covid-19 from spreading in the prison system, state media reported. President's Office spokesperson Mohamed Mabrook Azeez was quoted by state-owned PSM News as saying on Friday that prisons are frequently disinfected and inmate temperatures are checked on a daily basis. Azeez said that inmates who exhibit symptoms of Covid-19 symptoms are isolated in separate cells, reports Xinhua news agency. He said that 186 confirmed Covid cases have been discovered in prisons so far. Medical units have been established in all prisons in Maldives to attend to Covid-19 related issues, the spokesperson added. A total of 69,536 cases of Covid-19 have been detected in Maldives so far, with 191 deaths. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Mumbai, June 12 : Actor Ayushmann Khurrana, who is Unicef's celebrity advocate for their global campaign EVAC (Ending Violence Against Children), has spoken about the practice of child labour as a total violation of child rights, on the occasion of World Day Against Child Labour on Saturday, "Child labour robs children of their childhood and is a complete violation of their rights. Covid-19 has made children, especially girls and migrant children, more vulnerable, exposing them to greater risks. Closure of schools, increased violence at home, death of parents, and job loss within families is driving children to child labour," Ayushmann said. "Join hands to prevent this from happening. Advocate for social protection schemes for the poorest families. Highlight that all children should safely go back to schools when they re-open. Dial ChildLine 1098 if you see any child in distress," he appealed to all. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New Delhi, June 12 : The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) will undertake a two-arm phase-II clinical trial to assess the safety and efficacy of the drug Colchicine for the treatment of Covid-19 patients. Colchicine is used for treating gout and related inflammatory conditions. The drug is expected to be an important therapeutic intervention for Covid patients with cardiac co-morbidities. A number of global studies have confirmed now that cardiac complications during course of Covid-19 infections and post-Covid syndrome are leading to loss of many lives, and it is essential to look for new or repurposed drugs. India is one of the largest producers of this key drug Colchicine and if successful, it will be made available to the patients at an affordable cost. CSIR and Hyderabad-based Laxai Life Sciences Pvt Ltd have been given regulatory approval by Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) to undertake a two-arm phase-II clinical trial to assess the safety and efficacy of the drug Colchicine in the improvement of clinical outcomes during the treatment of Covid-19 patients. The partner CSIR institutes in this important clinical trial are the CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad and CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM), Jammu. Director General of CSIR Dr Shekhar C. Mande expressed his happiness on the approval granted to conduct the clinical trial on this approved drug. Dr Ram Vishwakarma, advisor to DG-CSIR, highlighted that Colchicine in combination with standard of care will be an important therapeutic intervention for Covid patients with cardiac co-morbidities and also for reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines, leading to faster recovery. Dr S. Chandrasekhar (Director CSIR-IICT, Hyderabad) and Dr D.S. Reddy (Director, CSIR-IIIM, Jammu), the two partner institutes from CSIR said that they are looking forward to the outcome of this Phase II clinical efficacy trial on Colchicine, which may lead to life-saving intervention in the management of hospitalized patients. Dr Ram Upadhayay, CEO, Laxai, informed, that the enrollment of patients has already begun at multiple sites across India and the trial is likely to be completed in the next 8-10 weeks. He further added that this drug can be made available to large population of India based on the results of this trial and regulatory approval. Recent clinical studies have reported in leading medical journals about colchicine being associated with a significant reduction in the rates of recurrent pericarditis, post-pericardiotomy syndrome, and peri-procedural atrial fibrillation following cardiac surgery and atrial fibrillation ablation. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) San Francisco, June 12 : Apple has reportedly admitted that it manually boosted the ranking of its own Files app when users searched for its competitor Dropbox for nearly 11 months. According to The Verge, an email chain has surfaced during the Epic vs Apple trial that confirms this. According to the report, when Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said that "Dropbox wasn't even visible on the first page [of search results]," Apple app search lead Debankur Naskar wrote in the reply that "we are removing the manual boost and the search results should be more relevant now". Sweeney confronted Apple over its Files app showing up first when searching for Dropbox. Apple, however, argued that it was not actually the case, the report said on Friday. According to the tech giant, the Files app had a Dropbox integration, so Apple put "Dropbox" into the app's metadata, "and it was automatically ranked higher for 'Dropbox' searches as a result. "App Store Search has only one goal -- to get customers what they are looking for. We do that in a way that is fair to all developers and we do not advantage our apps over those of any developer or competitor," the company said in a statement. Dropbox is a file hosting service that offers cloud storage, file synchronisation, personal cloud and client software. Files is a file management app developed by Apple for devices that run iOS 11 and later releases of iOS and devices that run iPadOS. New Delhi, June 12 : India has for the first time formed a policy to compile, archive, declassify, and publish military operations and war histories. Earlier there was no such provision. Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday approved the policy on archiving, declassification and compilation, publication of war, operations histories by the Ministry of Defence. "The policy envisages that each organisation under the Ministry of Defence such as Services, Integrated Defence Staff, Assam Rifles and Indian Coast Guard, will transfer the records, including war diaries, letters of proceedings and operational record books, etc., to the History Division of Ministry of Defence (MoD) for proper upkeep, archival and writing the histories," the Ministry of Defence stated. The responsibility for declassification of records rests with the respective organisations as specified in the Public Record Act 1993 and Public Record Rules 1997, as amended from time to time. According to the policy, records should ordinarily be declassified in 25 years. "Records older than 25 years should be appraised by archival experts and transferred to the National Archives of India once the war/operations histories have been compiled," said the ministry. The History Division will be responsible for coordination with various departments while compiling, seeking approval and publishing of war and operations histories. The policy mandates constitution of a committee headed by Joint Secretary, MoD and comprising of representatives of the Services, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs and other organisations and prominent military historians, if required, for compilation of war and operations histories. The policy also set clear timelines with regard to compilation and publication of war, operations histories. "The Committee should be formed within two years of completion of war/operations," the ministry said. Thereafter, collection of records and compilation should be completed in three years and disseminated to all concerned. The requirement of having war histories written with clear cut policy on declassification of war records was recommended by Kargil Review Committee headed by K. Subrahmanyam as well as N. N. Vohra Committee in order to analyse lessons learnt and prevent future mistakes. Post Kargil War, GoM recommendations on national security also mentioned the desirability of authoritative war history. "Timely publication of war histories would give people accurate account of the events, provide authentic material for academic research and counter the unfounded rumours," the ministry stated. Bern, June 12 : Switzerland plans to ease entry restrictions for vaccinated foreign tourists unless they come from a country where a "worrying variant" of the novel coronavirus is circulating, the Federal Council, the country's highest executive body, said. The easing of entry restrictions, expected to be in force as of June 28, is among several proposals the Federal Council announced at Friday's press conference. The proposals are subject to consultation and the Federal Council will take its final decision on June 23, reports Xinhua news aency. The quarantine requirement "must be lifted for people in the Schengen area", the Federal Council said, adding that a PCR test remains mandatory only for people who have not been vaccinated or whose cure has not been confirmed. For third countries outside the Schengen area, vaccinated persons will be allowed to enter the Alpine country, while non-vaccinated people will need a PCR test followed by a mandatory quarantine. The Federal Council did not specify which vaccines would be accepted, as only the ones from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson have been endorsed by Swissmedic, the surveillance authority for medicines and medical devices. Stronger requirements might still apply to countries with "worrying variants", such as the Delta strain which is now circulating in several countries across the globe. Washington, June 12 : The Attending Physician of US Congress has sent new guidance announcing that masks are no longer required on the House floor for those who are fully vaccinated, a media report said. The Capitol Hill complex is now at 85 per cent vaccination rate, Xinhua news agency quoted the CNN report as saying on Friday. "The guideline document reflects that fully vaccinated individuals may discontinue mask wear and 6-foot social distance separations in most situations consistent with the CDC revision regarding fully vaccinated individuals of May 13, 2021," said a statement from the office of the Attending Physician, Brian Monahan. The decrease of community transmission and the increase in the rate of vaccine led to this announcement, a senior Democratic aide told CNN. The Attending Physician of the US Congress is the physician responsible for the medical welfare of the members of Congress and nine justices of the Supreme Court. Cairo, June 12 : Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed regional issues and bilateral relations during an in-person meeting. The meeting took place on Friday in Egypt's Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh, reports Xinhua news agency. In a tweet on Friday, the President said: "Our meeting focused on discussing ways to develop joint relations between our two countries. "Our visions on regional and international issues of common concern also coincided." The President hailed the relations between Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Kolkata, June 12 : Tne National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) has reminded the Central government that it "cannot and should not" go back on the 2015 Framework Agreement in its quest for a final solution of the Naga problem. "The Framework Agreement is not something that was signed in a hurry. It was the result of the well thought out proposal from the government of India when the Indo-Naga political talk faced deadlock-like situation," the NSCN said in a statement. It said the agreement was arrived at to resolve the deadlock by touching on"the core issue of solution within Indian Constitution (Centre's stand) and outside the Indian Constitution (Naga stand)". "It was the result after a long series of talks, when the government of India finally proposed the Framework Agreement as a formula of win-win solution. Significantly, the talks had revolved around the Framework Agreement with both the parties cautiously taking care not to allow either side to take strategic advantage or deviation from the agreement," the statement added. The rebel group welcomed the formation of a Core Committee by the Nagaland state government but warned against any attempt "to dilute the spirit and substance of the Framework Agreement as mutually agreed upon as the final basis for Naga political solution". The NSCN statement lashed out at the "foot-in-mouth"' syndrome of the state BJP unit in Nagaland, which it said, is "already giving the Core Committee a bad picture before the work take off". "No such committee is expected to bear fruits if historical reality is not taken into account. If the BJP wants to solve the Naga political issue within the Indian Constitution it is high time the BJP make its stand very clear on its understanding of the Naga national movement." It asked the Narendra Modi government at the Centre to take cognisance of the declaration of the Naga Independence on the August 14, 1947 and the Naga Plebiscite on May 16, 1951. "These two events constitute the most important landmarks in the Naga national movement... The Naga people went through horrendous violations of human rights never seen anywhere in the world at the hands of the Indian security forces. More than two lakhs Nagas lost their lives, besides destruction of properties by the Indian security forces throughout Nagalim," the NSCN statement claimed. "The BJP should make its stand very clear, either to admit these factual accounts of history or deny it." The rebel group also warned the Core Committee members "not to overrate themselves or outdo its role at the cost of destroying the Naga political identity that NSCN has robustly protected throughout the two decades of talk" with the Central government. Hardline NSCN commanders like Phungting Shimran has already warned the Modi government of a "China card", hinting at possible Chinese willingness to aid and abet the Naga rebel movement, were the NSCN to renege on the ceasefire declared in 1997. The top NSCN leadership has not pandered to such statements but they have insisted that the concept of "shared sovereignity" enshrined in the Framework Agreement must form the basis for a final settlement of the seven-decade old Naga imbroglio. The NSCN insists on a separate flag and constitution for Nagaland that the Modi government is unwilling to concede. New Delhi, June 12 : All mainstream media, including print and electronic, will have to comply the provisions of IT Rules, 2021 with immediate effect without exemption as the government has refused to exempt them from the ambit of the new digital media rules. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) has said that the rationale for bringing the websites of the organisations under the ambit of the law is "well-reasoned". "Making any exception of the nature proposed will be discriminatory to the digital news publishers who do not have a traditional TV/print platform," the ministry said in a clarification to digital news publishers, publishers of online curated content or OTT platforms and associations of digital media publishers. The government's clarification came as the National Broadcasters Association (NBA) had recently written to the I&B ministry urging it to "exempt and exclude" the traditional television news media and its extended presence on digital news platforms from the ambit of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021, saying they are already "sufficiently regulated" by various statutes, laws, guidelines, codes and regulations. Noting that code of ethics requires such digital platforms to follow the exiting norms or content regulations, which are in vogue for the traditional print and TV media, the Ministry said, there is no additional regulatory burden for such entities. Accordingly, it said, the request for exempting the digital news content of such organisations from the ambit of digital media rules 2021 cannot be acceded to. "It does recognise that entities having traditional TV and print media are already registered with the government either under the Press and Registration Books Act or the Uplinking and Downlinking Guidelines of 2011. "The digital version/digital publication of the organisations having traditional news platforms (TV and print) may be following internal guidelines of the self-regulatory bodies. Accordingly, if the organisations so desire, they can request the same self-regulatory bodies to serve as the Level II of the self-regulatory mechanism, after ensuring consistency with the Digital Media Rules, 2021," said the Ministry. The Ministry also clarified that when any news and current affairs content of a digital news publisher is transmitted on an OTT platform, such content would be outside the regulatory responsibility of that platform. "However, if any OTT platform receives a grievance related to such news and current affairs, it may transfer the same to the publisher concerned of that content. Accordingly, there should not be any apprehension on this count either to the digital news publishers or to the OTT platforms," it said. The ministry noted that the television news channels already have a self-regulatory mechanism in place to adjudicate grievances relating to the violation of the programme code under the Cable Television Network Act, 1995 and their internal codes or guidelines. "The requirement of Level II under the Digital Media Rules, 2021 is only an extension of an existing institutional practice. Further, the composition of the self-regulating body would be decided entirely by the publishers and the government has no role to play," the ministry said. "It is neither stipulated nor intended for the government to either interfere or obstruct the formation of the self-regulating body including its composition," it added. The ministry also dismissed the concerns that the oversight mechanism stipulated under the digital media rules would lead to excessive government control over the functioning of the digital news publishers and the OTT platforms. "In this regard, it may be mentioned that even at present, in respect of the traditional TV channels, there is an oversight mechanism in the government by way of an inter-ministerial committee (IMC), which looks at certain grievances relating to the violation of the Programme Code, a mechanism which is in existence since 2005," said the Ministry. Over the last 15 years, the IMC has given recommendations by way of advisories, warnings etc in respect of a large number of cases involving the content of both news and non-news channels in relation to the Programme Code and in almost every such case, the TV channels have accepted the recommendations of the panel, the Ministry said. "The IMC mechanism has stood the test of time. The concept of an inter-departmental committee (IDC) is similar." "Further, Level III is visualised as a residual level, in so far as the grievances which do not get addressed at the first and second levels would go to the IDC. Accordingly, the apprehension of excessive government control through these mechanisms is misplaced," said the Ministry. In the overall context, the Digital Media Rules, 2021 may be complied with by the digital news publishers and the OTT platforms without any misapprehensions, it added. The Ministry further said that the publishers may furnish the requisite information in the prescribed format immediately, take urgent steps for appointing a grievance officer, if not done, and place all relevant details in the public domain, constitute self-regulatory bodies through mutual consultation so that the grievances are addressed at the level of publishers or the self-regulating bodies themselves. It further added that over 500 publishers have already submitted their details in the requisite format. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Washington, June 12 : The US Justice Department's (DoJ) internal watchdog said it will launch a probe into subpoenas seeking secret seizure of data from Democratic lawmakers and reporters during investigations initiated under former President Donald Trump's administration. "The review will examine the Department's compliance with applicable DOJ policies and procedures, and whether any such uses, or the investigations, were based upon improper considerations," Xinhua news agency quotd DoJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz as saying in a statement on Friday. The move came in the wake of news of the Department's decision in Trump's era to issue subpoenas seeking metadata from House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff and fellow committee member Eric Swalwell during leak investigations. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin also called for two former attorneys general, Bill Barr and Jeff Sessions, to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee. "The revelation that the Trump Justice Department secretly subpoenaed metadata of House Intelligence Committee Members and staff and their families, including a minor, is shocking. This is a gross abuse of power and an assault on the separation of powers," Schumer and Durbin said in a joint statement on Friday. To carry out a subpoena on Barr or Sessions, Judiciary Committee Democrats would need the support of at least one Republican given the committee's even split between the parties. The DoJ last month notified reporters at three different outlets their records were sought in similar investigations and dropped the gag orders limiting disclosure of the seizure. Udhampur : , June 12 (IANS/ 101Reporters) "Every time we go out for hoeing the maize saplings, the rain and hailstorms start. Till now, our net sown area of around 5 kanals of land has been devastated by unseasonal hailstorms four times," said an anxious-looking Guddo Devi. The 26-year-old was preparing the firewood to make dinner for her three children while speaking about the calamity. She lives in the remote Pounsa hamlet in the Chenani tehsil of Jammu's Udhampur district and like her, many farmers in the surrounding areas of Udhampur have lost their crops to hailstorms. In these winter zones, farmers often cultivate only one crop a year in the autumn and this loss has left them anxious about surviving the cold months ahead. Usually, it does not hail in Jammu in June, but this year unseasonal rainfall and hailstorms have wreaked havoc by damaging standing crops in over hundreds of kanals (1 kanal is equal to 0.125 acres) in the winter areas of Udhampur district. Agriculture in Jammu's hills Unlike the plains of Jammu where maize crop is sown in May-June and harvested in mid-September, in Jammu's winter zone areas, maize kernels are sown in the month of April, on Baisakhi festival, and harvested in the month of October. The winter zone areas include Udhampur's Pounsa, Satyalta, Malaal, Patnitop, Panchairi, Dudu-Basantgarh, Kulwanta, Pattan, Latti and major parts of Doda, Ramban, Reasi, Kishtwar, and Kathua districts. During winters, most people in Jammu's upper reaches either grow mustard, which can withstand negative temperatures, or do not grow anything at all, since these areas receive heavy snowfall in between December and March. So, most farmers in the hills of Jammu do farming for sustenance unlike in the plains where farmers grow commercial crops twice or thrice a year on vast and fertile lands. Since most people in Jammu's higher reaches grow only one crop in a year, once the harvesting is done in October, they take up labour work in winter in Udhampur town, Jammu, Amritsar and Delhi. "But this year and the last, my five brothers and I couldn't even earn from labour work due to the pandemic," said Bittu Ram, 53, from Malaal area in Satyalta village. His crops suffered massive damage due to the hailstorms. "I have around 15 kanals (1.875 acres) of agricultural land and I grow maize, rajma (kidney beans) and amaranthus seeds during Baisakh (April) month every year. Normally it rains in May-June in our hills but hail is not normal. The four to five recent hailstorms have completely uprooted the maize saplings that we had grown two months back." There are 30 households in the remote Malaal village of Satyalta panchayat. Maize crop of all the Malaal residents got completely ravaged by the recent hailstorms. Why the unseasonal phenomenon According to Sonam Lotus, director, Meteorological Department, Jammu and Kashmir, the hailstorms in Jammu and Kashmir are "not unseasonal". "Rather their frequency has increased due to more local developments this year," he told 101Reporters. Explaining the local developments, he said, "The months of April and May have been categorised as 'hot weather months' by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). In this period, India's northern region, including J&K, experiences thunderstorms, hailstorms accompanied by gusty winds due to western disturbances and local developments, particularly convection." "This year, the frequency of these western disturbances and local convection was very high, resulting in more hailstorms and hence more damage to the crops in the higher reaches of Jammu," explained the weather scientist. When asked if the frequency of windstorms and hailstorms will increase with the advent of monsoon in July in Jammu and Kashmir, he said, "This phenomenon cannot be predicted." Massive losses Yash Pal, the sarpanch (village head) of Satyalta Panchayat, which has a population of around 3,000, said that the panchayat has 17,000 kanals of total agricultural land. Of this, he said that maize, rajma, amaranthus, pumpkin, beans and other hilly crops are grown on about 10,000 kanals of land. "Around 90 per cent of these 10,000 kanals of agricultural land has suffered damages due to the hailstorms and incessant rainfall this year," claimed Pal. When asked if he had approached the administration to assess the losses so that farmers could be compensated, the Panchayat head replied, "Our area is not motorable. So government officials hardly visit our hilly villages. They assess the losses on mobile phones only. I've briefed our patwari (local revenue official) on the phone. Let's see how much they pay the affected farmers." Speaking to 101Reporters, Abdul Majid, the patwari of Patwar Halqa Satyalta, admitted that some of the hilly areas in Satyalta have suffered extensive damages due to hailstorms. "Our teams are on their toes to assess the losses. A detailed report shall be prepared and sent to higher-ups," he said adding, "Most probably, by September, the farmers would be compensated." Kewal Kumar, a farmer in Ramnagar Tehsil's hilly Basantgarh block said crops have been badly damaged by the hailstorms in Basantgarh, Dudu, Pachond-I, Pachond-II, and Jakhed areas. "Maize, rajma, amaranthus, French beans, squash, apricot, walnut, and apple crops have been destroyed. While vast lands in Basantgarh hills have suffered crop damages, farmers in low-lying areas are not able to sow the maize and other crops due to recurring hailstorms," he explained. Waiting for relief While the farmers wait for compensation, many believe it may not be able to make up for their losses. Yash Pal believes that the compensation that would be paid to the farmers would be "insufficient" "and till that time (by September) most farmers would be in a state of financial crunch since they grow only one crop in 365 days and don't have an option to earn from labour work as well this year." "I am of the opinion that the government should sensitize these farmers and advise them to shift to some alternative crops suitable to the climate of these hills," he concluded. (The author is a Jammu-based freelance journalist and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters.) Srinagar, June 12 : A civilian was injured on Saturday in a militant attack on the security forces at Arampora in Jammu and Kashmir's Sopore town. Police said militants hurled a grenade at a joint party of police and CRPF in main market of Sopore town. "One civilian was injured in this incident. He has been shifted to hospital for treatment. "No security personnel was injured in this attack. The area has been cordoned off for searches", police said. Washington, June 12 : One of the largest in the US which spreads across the states of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, the Yellowstone National Park had more visitors last month than it has witnessed during any other May on record. Yellowstone hosted 483,159 recreation visits in May 2021, an 11 per cent increase from May 2019 (434,385 recreation visits) and the most visited May on record, park officials said in a statement issued on Friday. "May 2020 should not be used as a good year-to-year comparison due to the park being closed until May 18. Only two of the park's five entrances were open for the rest of the month," Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as further saying. Yellowstone also welcomed a record number of visitors in April this. So far in 2021, Yellowstone National Park has hosted 658,513 recreational visits, up 14 per cent from 2019, according to the release. The 8,991-square-kilometre park was closed from March 24 through May 18, 2020, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. "One of the unintended consequences of Covid, if you think of last year, we had departments closed for two months, we had no international travel and we had a lot of domestic trepidation around traveling," Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Cam Sholly was quoted as saying by the Billings Gazette, the largest newspaper in Montana. "This year there was no closure, international travel started to pick up and there is no trepidation about domestic travel," he noted. Park officials added that summer is Yellowstone's busiest season as millions of people visit the park in June, July and August. They urged visitors to plan ahead, expect crowding and recreate responsibly for this summer's trip. Established by Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, Yellowstone was the first national park in the US. In 1978, Yellowstone was named a Unesco World Heritage Site. It is known for its wildlife, including grizzly bears, and its many geothermal features, especially Old Faithful geyser, one of its most popular. New Delhi, June 12 : During a time when creativity seemed to be at its peak across art forms, despite a medical crisis unfolding, an Indian self-publishing platform continues to churn out over 2,000 books a month, which is almost one book every twenty-five minutes. But, why are writers, especially first-timers, going the self-publishing way? According to Notion Press, over 30,000 writers have published their books and sold books worth Rs 50 crore till date. Its authors range from the age of 7 to 94 -- giving life to their mission of putting the power of publishing into everyone's hands. These authors range from students to educators, entrepreneurs to bureaucrats, home makers to professionals -- all of them writing on topics of passion and expertise. Writers can publish their books in English, Hindi, Tamil and other Indian languages. The platform provides an interface that enables writers to design their book and set it up for global distribution. It has 3,50,000 writers who are part of their community in various stages of writing their books. Notion Press also provides an ISBN for each version of the book and distributes books across the globe. Writers on Notion Press get instant access to their book sales data enabling them to understand who is buying their book and where it's popular, says the platform. IANSlife speaks to Naveen Valsakumar, CEO and Co-Founder at Notion Press, for insights on self-publishing: Q: The trends for self-publishing during lockdown are positive. Why do you think this is? A: Writing a book is a long-term commitment and for most writers it takes a minimum of 3 months to complete. Over the years, we have observed that although there are tens of thousands of aspiring writers who start writing their books each month, they would not be able to complete as life/work takes over. The lockdown imposed due to Covid-19 helped a lot of professionals save time on commute and refocus on their book project, leading to a massive uptick in the number of books that were published on the Notion Press Platform. Q: What are some key challenges of routing your book via a conventional publishing house? A: You have to think of a conventional publishing house as an investor. They typically have a certain amount of funds set aside for acquiring new books and also a mandate for the kind (genre) of books that they want to invest in. More often than not, their new title acquisition is structured around celebrities who turn writers or well-established writers, as these are less risky investment options. Another reason why writers don't like conventional publishing is the long lead times to wait for their book to be published -- it can take upto several weeks to even get a response to a book submission and can take anywhere between 6 to 24 months to publish the book. Some other factors that discourage writers from conventional publishing are having to give up their Copyrights, getting only an quarterly/annual sales statement and very low author earnings. A platform like Notion Press levels the playing field by enabling all writers to get access to the market and then let readers decide which books should do well. In that sense, we are more democratic. Also, an author can publish an edited manuscript and make it available to readers within couple of days. The author can also iteratively improve the book based on feedback from readers. They own all the rights to their book, get access to real-time sales data which enables them to take action to promote their book based on the most recent information. Writers also earn 70 per cent of the profits from book sales. Q: Is the platform free? What is your business model, if yes? A: The Notion Press platform is completely free to use for an author to publish their book. Any aspiring writer can design their book's cover and Interior files using our self-service tools. They can then set a price for the print and eBook versions of their book and sell them on top eCommerce channels in India and across the world. Our business model is to co-monetize with the author. We take share of profits from book sales, with authors earning 70 per cent of the profits from their book. Q: How much does an average author earn and what is the maximum an author has earned through Notion Press? A: We have published over 30,000 writers so far. How much a writer makes depends on the book's topic and how well-written the manuscript is. Our self-publishing platform is only two years old. We have several hundred writers who have earned more than Rs 10 lakh from their book sales. Our top writers earn well-north of Rs 25 lakh. Q: Specifically, how does self-publishing help regional writing and writers? A: The Indian language book publishing market is extremely fragmented and suffers from a broken supply chain. It is also more opaque and you come across a lot of instances of writers being short changed by publishers. Self Publishing platforms like Notion Press are a boon to Indian language writers because of the access to India and international markets, transparent sales reporting, higher earnings potential, and prompt payouts. Q: Finally, what genres are going strong? Who is your average reader and what does she or he like to read the most? A: Some of the biggest genres for Indian authors are under Fiction are Mystery & Thriller and Romance. Under Non-Fiction books the best genres are Business Self-Help, Personal Finance, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, and How-to guides. Under Academic books, the biggest genres are test-prep, technology and reference books. (Siddhi Jain can be contacted at siddhi.j@ians.in) New Delhi, June 12: Developed countries, in partnership with India, need to step up their game to support Nepal, which is staring at significant shortages of Covid-19 vaccines. Having vaccinated a substantial number of their citizens, countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom have surplus stocks of jabs. In fact, the WHO has appealed to the developed countries, not to begin vaccinating children. Instead, these jabs can be sent to help developing countries, such as Nepal, to make up for their shortfall. India's massive and unexpected second wave of Covid-19 has upset previous plans. Countries such as Bangladesh and Nepal which were looking for Indian vaccines, are being forced to look elsewhere as the demand for jabs in India has exponentially surged. The Indian situation may ease only later this year. China, another vaccine maker is also finding it hard to step into the breach, because of its own prior commitments. Confronting a major health crisis, Nepal has issued a worldwide appeal, including the United States and the United Kingdom-countries with whom India is in touch to define a global response to the ever-evolving pandemic. An editorial in The Kathmandu Post titled, Help us, world, says that the daily infection rate remains around 7,300. With an increase in the number of cases, hospitals are flooded with patients leading to massive oxygen shortages. The editorial quoted the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Nepal, Sara Beysolow Nyanti, appealing to the international community to send vaccines to the country. One of the biggest appeals has been made by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli through his opinion piece in the UK's The Guardian newspaper. Oli's opinion piece published on May 10, says: "As I write this, my country is battling a new and brutal wave of the covid-19 pandemic. The rise in the number of infections poses a serious challenge to our brave doctors, nurses, other care providers, citizen volunteers and the entire health service system. ... But due to the constraints of resources and infrastructure, the pandemic is turning out to be an overwhelming burden. I have, therefore, appealed to the international community to help us with vaccines, diagnostic tools, oxygen kits, critical care medicines and equipment, to support our efforts to save lives. Our urgent goal is to stop preventable deaths occurring", says Oli in his opinion for the British newspaper. Similar appeals have been made by a cross section of the Nepali community asking the world to help the country battle the surge in virus numbers. Last week, people came together under the umbrella of Covid Alliance for Nepal and launched an online petition asking the US to provide vaccines after the US announced that it would release 60 million AstraZeneca doses globally. The petition is being led by resident Nepalis as well as Nepali citizens living in the US. The alliance consists of 'influential people' - healthcare professionals in the US, journalists and activists. The Kathmandu Post quoted one of the activists, Sakar Pudasaini as saying: "The only effective solution is the vaccine. We cannot wait until the deaths are in thousands before we act." Pudasaini added that people will have to act now so that the virus does not reach villages where little infrastructure exists. The activists are optimistic that the US will provide the medical help that Nepal needs as it has considerable resources. In one such massive appeal, 83 members of the Nepalese civil society have written to China asking for vaccines, oxygen supplies and other Covid-19 related supplies. Nepali newspaper The Annapurna Express said: "This is perhaps the first instance of the Nepali civil society making such an appeal with China, even as there have been many instances of similar appeals to various western countries." Analysts say that control over vaccine patents by Big Pharma companies is largely to blame for the huge vaccine shortages in the Global South, including Nepal. But the first breakthrough has been achieved after US President Joe Biden earlier this month endorsed a joint filing in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) by India and South Africa to suspend Big Pharma patents. Once that is done, the flow of vaccines, which can be locally manufactured, can be untapped. Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had discussed lifting the patent protections of coronavirus vaccines with Biden, so that vaccine shortfalls triggered by the deadly second wave of Covid-19 could be bridged. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi also informed President Biden about India's initiative at the WTO for a relaxation in the norms of the Agreement on TRIPS to ensure quick and affordable access to vaccines and medicines for developing countries," said the statement released after the talks. The relaxation would grant governments quicker and more affordable access to the life-saving doses. "This is a global health crisis, and the extraordinary circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic call for extraordinary measures," U.S. trade representative Katherine Tai said in a statement, endorsing India and South Africa's stand to uncork vaccine flows. "The Administration believes strongly in intellectual property protections, but in service of ending this pandemic, supports the waiver of those protections for Covid-19 vaccines," she observed. (This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative/ Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New Delhi, June 12: India has asked Cambodia to withdraw the temporary ban on import of buffalo meat and other meat products from India immediately, making it clear that the move is harmful for business sentiments, especially when both countries are trying to negotiate a Bilateral Free Trade Agreement. As New Delhi battled a massive surge in Covid-19 cases during the second wave, Phnom Penh had on May 1 imposed a ban on import of frozen meat products from India labeling them as a "high risk". In a letter addressed to Customs and Excise Director General Kun Nhem, Cambodia's Minister of Commerce Pan Sorasak said that the ban is in accordance with Article 20 of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and Article 12 of the ASEAN-India Commodity Trade Agreement on the basis of "urgent public health protection". As many as 35 containers of frozen meat items shipped from India had also recently remained stuck at the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port customs control for several weeks before finally being released in the last week of May after no trace of the deadly virus was found in the shipment. With things making little headway, Devyani Khobragade, Ambassador of India to Cambodia, raised the issue with the Cambodian Minister of Economy and Finance Aun Pornmoniroth on June 3. Khobragade requested Pornmoniroth to withdraw the ban immediately as the Pasteur Institute of Cambodia, which collected and tested the samples from meat exported from India, had already certified that the products were Covid-19 negative and fit for human consumption. The Indian ambassador also conveyed that, in the absence of any scientific basis to prove that Covid-19 virus spreads through food and packaging material, the temporary ban is becoming a non-tariff barrier and is also harmful for business sentiments. India revealed that the Cambodian minister assured that the ban would be reviewed expeditiously. Rapid increase in India's meat exports to Cambodia Indian have been supplying good quality meat and meat products to Cambodia for a long time now. In 2020, buffalo meat exports from India reached US $ 17.7 million from US $ 6.4 million in 2019, garnering 12.28% share of total bilateral trade. Buffalo meat exports from India to Cambodia in the first two months of 2021 had already reached $ 9.32 million and are expected to see exponential growth in the coming times. On April 28, just a few days before the temporary ban decision was taken by the Cambodian government, the Indian embassy in Phnom Penh had organised the first-ever virtual Buyer Seller Meet (BSM) of buffalo and other meat exporters from India and importers from Cambodia, an event which saw participation of around 61 companies from the both sides. The joint activity was done in coordination with India's Agricultural and Processed Food Export Development Authority (APEDA) and Cambodian Chamber of Commerce. During the meeting, Khobragade had expressed hope that given world class facilities and the resilient nature of Indian meat industry, Indian companies will be able to supply good quality meat and meat products to Cambodia at a much cheaper price and increase its already growing market share. This would obviously lead to further strengthening of trade and commercial relations between the two countries. APEDA Chairman M. Angamuthu had assured the Cambodian businessmen that, as per the current export and import policy of the Indian government, each export consignment of meat is already subjected to compulsory microbiological and other tests. India's all export-oriented abattoirs are also most modern while the state-of-the-art integrated meat plants, which are certified for quality management, are under constant inspection and monitoring by various government agencies and veterinarians. Vaccines to road connectivity, India strengthens bond with Cambodia The current standoff has however not hampered the warm and cordial relations between both the countries. Cambodia remains an important interlocutor and a good partner in the context of India's 'Act East' policy and the ASEAN. From recognizing the new government after the collapse of the Khmer Rouge regime to restoring the famous Angkor Wat temple and now supplying the Covid-19 vaccine doses as a part of the 'Vaccine Maitri' initiative, India has always assisted Cambodia in diverse fields for its economic and social growth. India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had described the arrival of Indian vaccines in Cambodia as a "civilizational commitment" while recalling the age-old civilzational and cultural linkages between the two countries. In April, the Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen received his second shot of 'Made-in-India' Covid-19 vaccine before departing for the ASEAN Summit in Indonesia. The Premier's wife and several ministers of his cabinet were also administered shots of Indian vaccine. New Delhi has also been considering an eastward extension of the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway towards Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. On Wednesday, Khobragade met Cambodia's Senior Minister of Public Works and Transport, Sun Chanthol, to brief him about the availability of USD 1 billion Line of Credit (LoC) offered by India to all ASEAN countries for physical and digital connectivity projects. The ambassador requested the Cambodian minister to look into the possibility of undertaking some physical connectivity projects utilising the available LoC, including projects falling under eastward extension of India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway into Cambodia from Laos and further connecting Vietnam and Thailand. Cambodia was also briefed about the Luang Namtha-Muang Singh Junction-Friendship Bridge Road project across the Mekong river that is under consideration from Laos. Chanthol, while noting that physical connectivity is not only important for economic growth and people-to-people exchanges but will also enhance trade between India and Cambodia, welcomed the suggestion and instructed his officials to identify infrastructure projects of considerable importance with the LoC of USD 1 billion available for connectivity projects. (This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative/ Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Washington, June 12 : The White House announced that it has returned more than $2 billion of military funds to the Pentagon that former President Donald Trump had diverted for building the controversial border wall on the country's southern border with Mexico. The funds will now be used for 66 military projects in 11 states, 3 US territories and 16 countries, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) said in a statement issued on Friday. "The effort diverted critical resources away from military training facilities and schools, and caused serious risks to life, safety, and the environment,"Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying. "It also took attention away from genuine security challenges, like drug smuggling and human trafficking." During the Trump administration, the federal government built 52 miles of the wall along the US-Mexico border, according to the OMB, with some stretches of barrier costing as much as $46 million per mile. "Building a massive wall that spans the entire southern border and costs American taxpayers billions of dollars is not a serious policy solution or responsible use of Federal funds. Most contraband is likely to come through legal ports of entry. And many families fleeing the violence in Central America are voluntarily presenting themselves to border patrol officials," OMB said in its fact sheet. The US Army Corps of Engineers is cancelling 20 contracts for border wall construction, their commanding general Lt. Gen. Scott Spellmon testified to Congress this week. Recipients of the restored funds include two Marine battalions in North Carolina; an Air Guard marksmanship training program in Indiana; two missile interceptors in Fort Greely, Alaska and an elementary school for the children of US service members stationed in Germany. The fiscal year 2022 budget of President Joe Biden's administration includes more than $1 billion for border infrastructure improvement, but no additional funding for wall building. In one of his first actions after swearing in, Biden ordered a halt in border wall construction, calling for a review of relative projects and funds. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Seoul, June 12 : North Korean leader Kim Jong-un chaired a meeting during which he discussed measures to further enhance the fighting efficiency of the armed forces, state media reported on Saturday. Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said that Kim presided over Friday's meeting of the 8th Central Military Commission of the WPK, which was attended by members of the Central Military Commission, commanders of the services and corps commanders of the Korean People's Army and other members of the relevant departments. "The enlarged meeting set forth important tasks for further enhancing the fighting efficiency of the revolutionary armed forces and bringing about a fresh turn in the overall work of national defence as required by the recent fast-changing situation around the Korean peninsula and the internal and external environment of our revolution and discussed the organisational issue," Xinhua news agency quoted the KCNA as saying. At the meeting, Kim analysed the prevailing situation and the real state of the work of the army and indicated the strategic tasks to be permanently held fast to and the ways to developing the armed forces, the report said. The meeting also dealt with organisational issues of dismissing, transferring and newly appointing some commanding officers of the services and those of some units at corps level, according to the KCNA. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Kolkata, June 12 : More and more soldiers in Myanmar, fed up with the orders to shoot peaceful protesters since the February 1 coup, are in revolt mode and have joined the movement for restoring democracy in the country. IANS joined an online discussion organised by the civil society organisation Thanakha Global Alliance on Friday. Joining the discussion, two former military officers called on the movement to protect soldiers and officers who have joined the movement after refusing to obey orders to shoot innocents. The officers preferred anonymity for fear of action against family members. One told the discussion that at least 800 military personnel, from Private (Sepoy) to Major, have joined the democracy movement. They were aged between 20 and 35, clearly pointing to huge unease in the military rank and file over the brutal suppression of the democracy movement after the military takeover. Daw Miemie Winn Byrd, a retired US Army lieutenant colonel, Naw May Oo, a tactical adviser to Karen State-based ethnic armed group the Karen National Union, and former Myanmar military captains Nyi Thuta and Lin Htet Aung took part in the discussion. Nyi Thuta blamed the Tatmadaw (military) leadership for dividing the people and rank-and-file members of the military. Thuta called on the Burmese people not to hate all military personnel, but to focus on fighting the dictatorship. Of the Myanmar military's some 400,000 troops, only around 20 per cent are committing violence against the people, the former captain claimed. Full-scale fighting between the entire military and the people as a whole would end up in massive bloodshed, he said, adding: "That must be avoided at all cost." "Under this system, the rank-and-file members of the military and their families are suffering as much as the people. We will be able to achieve victory with minimal losses if military personnel side with the people. So, the channels should be kept open to allow military personnel to join hands with the public," Thuta said. Calls to shun military personnel and their families have been growing as part of a social punishment movement against the regime, which has killed more than 800 people since February. Nyi Thuta said rank-and-file members of the military and their families are subject to oppression by the higher-ups and their families, and the majority do not have the option of walking away from their high-ranking bullies. His fellow former captain Lin Htet Aung said many military personnel oppose the coup, but dare not speak out because that would mean risking not only their lives but also of their families. "They could be imprisoned for long terms if they publicly oppose the coup. Their lives would be at risk. Some officials who implied they stood by the people have been detained," he said. The CDM was made possible by the support of the people, and many more military personnel are expected to leave their barracks if people continue to support those wishing to join, he said. Miemie Winn Byrd, who served in the US Army for 28 years, said the sole duty of the armed forces is to protect the people. "Their duty is to protect the people. They should train to fight wars and defend their country, but not do business and politics. If they do, things will end up in chaos," Miemie Winn Byrd, who is of Burmese origin, said. IANS had previously reported some incidents of mutiny in April and May with both lower ranking officers and soldiers refusing to shoot on protest rallies. But the discussion participants pointed to large scale desertions from some units. "Soldiers who have lost near and dear ones during the indiscriminate shootings by the Tatmadaw are reacting sharply," a Burmese TV journalist said on the condition of anonymity. A retired major general, now running his own business, told IANS that "cracks have appeared in the top echelons of Tatmadaw as well. Many generals blame the whole crisis on chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and his Chinese backers". He added that the Tatmadaw has never been comfortable with "Chinese designs to turn Myanmar into a surrogate state" . "Just a matter of time before a huge revolt engulfs the Tatmadaw. We want a professional army like India and not a political army like Pakistan which sells out the nation." Hyderabad, June 12 : Former Telangana Health Minister and Huzurabad MLA Etela Rajender tendered his resignation on Saturday and immediately after this he started attacking Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR). "I thought of tendering my resignation after brainstorming all aspects but I did not get that opportunity. I thought of talking to the Speaker (Pocharam Srinivas Reddy) and then directly submitting the resignation to him but could not do it as the Speaker used Covid as a ruse," said Rajender addressing the press. Amid this backdrop, Rajender said he submitted the resignation to Assembly secretary after paying respects to Telangana martyrs at the Gun Park pylon. Rajender complained that none of his associates were allowed into the Assembly premises and alleged that this treatment is autocratic as traditions were disregarded. The former minister alleged that Ravinder Reddy, a four-time MLA was also not allowed into the chamber of the secretary. "Reddy was not allowed to enter even the media point, this indicates the feudal system running here. KCR thinks why we need these MLAs, legislative bodies, what is this system of MPs and what is this Constitution," he alleged. According to Rajender, the Chief Minister thinks that the connection between him and the masses is enough without the need of these many MLAs, ministers and our humiliation today is a reflection of that thought process. Rajender warned the CM to end all his alleged illegal attempts on him or otherwise face a backlash. He alleged that people are being warned in Huzurabad constituency that if they do not vote in favour of KCR, they will lose their pension, rythu bandhu, kit and kalyanalakshmi schemes. Rajender said the CM is offering these schemes using the taxpayers money and not his own money. Kabul, June 12 : Afghan security forces have repelled an overnight attack by Taliban on two districts in Kunduz province, killing at least 27 militants and injuring 15 others, the police confirmed on Saturday. One member of the security forces was also killed in the operation, Xinhua news agency reported. Heavy fighting started when hundreds of heavily armed Taliban militants stormed Khan Abad district, 25 km east of provincial capital Kunduz city and neighbouring Ali Abad district, 15 km south of the city, the police said in a statement. "The security forces repelled the militants from Ali Abad and efforts are underway to clear Khan Abad from the enemies," the statement said. Sporadic clashes continued on Saturday morning in Khan Abad as the militants were using civilian properties as shields during the counter-attack, deputy district chief Qudratullah Safi told Xinhua. "The militants tried to take control of Khan Abad as they advanced to the central areas of the district early Saturday when security forces were responding to the assailants," he said. Since the official withdrawal of the US and other NATO troops in Afghanistan on May 1, the Taliban have intensified attacks on provincial capitals, districts, bases and checkpoints. Tens of thousands of Afghans have been displaced in the past few weeks. The withdrawal of international troops is due to be completed by September 11 at the latest. Moscow, June 12 : Just days ahead of the much-awaited summit with his American counterpart Joe Biden, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia-US relations were at their lowest point in years. "We have a bilateral relationship that has deteriorated to its lowest point in recent years," Putin told NBC News in an interview on Friday which will be aired on June 14. But he said that Biden is a career politician and there is hope that there will not be any impulse-based movements, TASS News Agency reported. He "is radically different from (former US President Donald) Trump because President Biden is a career man. He has spent virtually his entire adulthood in politics" "That's a different kind of person, and it is my great hope that yes, there are some advantages, some disadvantages, but there will not be any impulse-based movements, on behalf of the sitting US president," Putin said. Meanwhile, he also denied a Washington Post story saying that Russia is preparing to supply Iran with an advanced satellite that would enable Tehran to track military targets in the region, Xinhua news agency reported citing the NBC News interview. "It's just fake news," Putin told NBC News. "At the very least, I don't know anything about this kind of thing. Those who are speaking about it probably know more about it. It's just nonsense, garbage." Biden, who is on the first foreign trip of his presidency to Europe, will meet Putin on June 16 in Geneva, Switzerland. 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 US election interference. In his Wednesday remarks to US troops and their families at Royal Air Force Mildenhall base in the uk, Biden said that Washington wants a stable and predictable relationship with Russia. "But I've been clear: The US will respond in a robust and meaningful way if the Russian government engages in harmful activities," he warned. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Kabul, June 12 : At least five civilians were shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Kabul, police in the Afghan capital said on Saturday. Late Friday night, the victims were singled out by the gunmen from several vehicles carrying civilians from a wedding party and were kidnapped from the Arghand-e-Payyan area, the police said in a statement. They were shot dead at the same area shortly after kidnapping, reports Xinhua news agency. "Initial report says that the Taliban terrorist group might have carried out the shooting," the statement added. Those among the killed was Ghazi Uryakhil, a local elder, residents told local media. The Taliban group has not made a comment on the incident so far. New Delhi, June 12 : HCL on Saturday announced that it has provided 17 ready-to-use oxygen plants to the Delhi government. These plants have been imported from France and are now deployed across seven hospitals in the city. The total combined capacity of the 17 plants is 7,300 liters per minute (LPM). The plants were inaugurated on Saturday, in a virtual ceremony, in the presence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Health Minister Satyendar Jain, and Roshni Nadar Malhotra, Chairperson of HCL Technologies. The 17 are part of the total 21 ready-to-use Oxygen plants that HCL has committed to provide to the national capital. The remaining four plants have also arrived in Delhi and will be installed over the next few days. These plants are aimed at ensuring oxygen support to Covid-19 patients across various hospitals in the capital, as well as enabling the Kejriwal government to be adequately prepared for a possible third wave of the pandemic. Chennai, June 12 : Tamil Nadu BJP President L. Murugan on Saturday urged the state government not to under-report Covid-19 deaths. In a statement issued here Murugan said Chief Minister M.K. Stalin should not under report Covid-19 deaths so as to avoid a bad name for his government. Murugan said the state government is registering deaths of Covid-19 patients with co-morbidities as death due to co-morbidities. The death certificates are also issued like that, Murugan said. In another statement, BJP's Tamil Nadu Vice President V.P. Duraisamy wondered whether the DMK government is ready to come out with a white paper on the number of Covid-19 vaccines it had asked for, how much has been used without being wasted. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Srinagar, June 12 : Hitting out at militants who carried out the attack in North Kashmir's Sopore on Saturday in which two civilians and two policemen were killed, People's Conference Chief Sajad Lone said, gun enslaves the people it purports to fight for. Sajad Lone put out a series of tweets after the incident. He said when will this madness end and asked the gunmen to ponder whose war they are fighting. "Five succumb in Sopore attack, 3 civilians and 2 police men. Mr gunmen, approximately 5 Kashmiri funerals, 5 widows, 10 grieving old parents. A dozen or more orphans. All Kashmiris. So Mr gunmen, really want to know whose bloody side are you on," Lone tweeted. "When will this madness end? Gun came to Kashmir in 1989, 32 years down the line, I can unambiguously state that gun enslaves the very people that it purports to fight for. The gunmen really need to ponder whose war they are fighting." Two civlians and two Jammu and Kashmir policemen were killed after terrorists fired indiscriminately at a police party in Sopore on Saturday. Police said the LeT is behind the attack. New Delhi, June 12 : Intensifying its attack on Congress party over leaked audio of Digvijaya Singh's Clubhouse chat, the BJP on Saturday said that it was a part of the 'toolkit' mentioned a few days ago. The Saffron party suggested that the Congress party should name it as ANC (Anti National Clubhouse) in place of INC (Indian National Congress). Addressing a press conference, BJP National Spokesperson Dr Sambit Patra said, "It is quite possible that what Digvijaya Singh has said in Clubhouse chat must have been stage managed. Digvijaya Singh or a senior Congress leader must have instructed the Pakistani journalist to ask such a question. It's all part of that toolkit mentioned a few days ago." He mentioned everyone saw how the veteran Congress leader Digvijaya Singh was spewing venom against India outside and how he is toeing Pakistan's line. He pointed out that the same Singh had termed the Pulwama attack just an accident or called the 26/11 Mumbai attack a conspiracy of RSS and also tried to give clean chit to Pakistan at that time. "In the Clubhouse chat, a Pakistani journalist asks that after the removal of Narendra Modi, what will be India's Kashmir policy. Digvijaya ji thanks the journalist and says that the Congress government will reinstate Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir," he said. Patra requested the Congress party to change its name from INC to ANC. "This is such a clubhouse of Anti-Indian and Modi haters," he said. In leaked Clubhouse chat, Singh was found telling a Pakistani journalist that Congress would reconsider the decision of revoking Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir once they are in power. Earlier, Union Minister Giriraj Singh said that Pakistan is the first love of Congress. In a tweet, Singh said, "Congress' first love is Pakistan. Digvijaya Singh conveyed Rahul Gandhi's message to Pakistan. Congress will help Pakistan in grabbing Kashmir." The chat was released on Twitter by a handle @LeaksClubhouse (ClubHouse Leaks). Interestingly, the Twitter profile of Clubhouse Leaks mentioned that the handle has been created today. In the chat, Singh said, "Decision of revoking 370 and reducing statehood of Jammu and Kashmir was an extremely sad decision and the Congress party would certainly relook the decision." Mumbai, June 12 : The country's largest public sector insurer, Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has issued a public warning over the unauthorized use or misuse of its iconic logo by anybody. According to its Twitter handle, the LIC has barred any websites, publishing houses or digital entities from publishing its logo without the prior permission. The 65-year-old LIC, which is soon going for its IPO, has warned stringent legal or civil action against any person found misusing its official logo, in a post on Friday. The simple but logo consists of a flame symbolizing 'life' with two shielding hands of 'life insurance' indicating its protection, with the Sanskrit legend below it - "Yogakshemam Vahmyaham", derived from the Bhagwad Gita, and the LIC headquarters at Nariman Point in south Mumbai is also named 'Yogakshema'. The LIC warning on social media states: "LIC Public Alerts - Unauthorized use of LIC's Logo. LIC logos cannot be used in any website, publishing material and digital post. Strict legal action - civil and criminal - will be taken against such person." Established in 1956, the LIC - which commands a staggering 68.90 percent market share in the country - plans to go in for an IPO around October this year, as announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her budget speech in last year. Officering a huge portfolio of insurance schemes and short or long-term investment opportunities for the masses, sources in LIC say that even some unscrupulous agents, self-styled insurance advisors and outsiders have been found allegedly flaunting its logo illegally to lure gullible customers. Thiruvananthapuram, June 12 : A housewife Bindhu, on Saturday reposed faith in her country and hoped that India will do the needful to bring back her daughter Nimisha, presently in jail in Kabul for allegedly being an Islamic State supporter. Bindhu who lives in the state capital was reacting to a news report in a leading national English daily on Saturday that the Indian government is unlikely to make efforts to bring back four women including Nimisha. "How can my country say like that. They can bring the women and let them conduct the trial as per the law of our country. I am hopeful and I have trust in my country. All the four women are widows and they have children. What wrong have the kids done? I want my granddaughter who is four years now," said Bindhu. The four women presently lodged in a jail in Kabul include Soniya, Merin, Nimisha and Raheela, all Keralites. The news of Keralites joining the IS surfaced after the Kerala government contacted various central agencies - IB, NIA, RAW in 2016 about the veracity of reports about 19 missing people from the state. According to some of the relatives they are believed to have joined the IS. These 19 included 10 men, six women and three children and of these, most of them hail from Kasargode and a few from Palakkad districts and include Christian and Hindu converts. In the past three years, a few of those who had joined the IS were reportedly killed, according to their relatives who got information about it. The husbands of these Kerala women were among those who have been killed. It was in 2016 that Bindhu, who is settled near Manacadu in the state capital, approached Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan seeking his help to locate her daughter who had gone missing. But later it became known that Nimisha has got married to her friend Eeza, a Christian who had converted to Islam. Then the news came that she had left for Afghanistan and the last contact the mother and daughter had was in November 2019. Gandhinagar, June 12 : Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal will visit Ahmedabad on Monday, his second to the home state of prime minister Narendra Modi, Gujarat, in six months. He will inaugurate the AAP Party's state headquarters in Ahmedabad. On February 26, Kejriwal had visited Surat, where he held a mega roadshow after the party's entry into the local body by becoming the main opposition party with 27 members in a 70-member body, wiping out the grand old party from that position. Even in Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani's home turf Rajkot, the party displayed good show in the local body elections, becoming the party with second largest vote share. The Delhi CM will be inaugurating the AAP Party's state headquarters in Ahmedabad on Monday. "Yes, the AAP National convener Arvind Kejriwal will be visiting the financial capital Ahmedabad on Monday to inaugurate the AAP state headquarters," said Tuli Banerjee, AAP Gujarat State Media in-charge. Although, the formal purpose of his visit to Gujarat has been declared as inauguration of the party office, but there is also another purpose of his visit. A former popular host of a Gujarati TV channel is believed to be officially joining the AAP on Monday along with some other leaders. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text June 12 : Amitabh Bachchans grandson, Agastya Nanda, has returned to the photo sharing platform after a long time. Agastya had joined Instagram last year, and his profile consisted mostly of cryptic posts. However, he deleted all his cryptic posts and shared a bunch of new ones. Last year during the lockdown, Amitabh Bachchan had shared a picture on his Instagram handle which was a post-workout selfie with Agastya at his home gym. The click had gone viral, and it was also shared by Agastya on his Instagram profile, which he has now deleted. Taking to his Instagram profile, Agastya shared a series of pictures, which looked like from his New York home. In the new pictures, Agastya can be seen lounging on some cushions in a black jacket teamed with blue jeans and white T-shirt. He is seen looking away from the camera as his faced is washed with soft sunlight. In one picture, the star kid is seen posing with a friend. While he did not share any caption, many industry celebs dropped comments on his post. While his sister Navya Naveli Nanda gave a shout out, Agggloooz, Abhishek Bachchan dropped a heart emoji. Sanjay Kapoors wife Maheep Kapoor wrote, Handsome. A follower also wrote, "Golden hour photoshoot with the gals." Another commented, "Smile so bright I have to wear sunglasses." Agastya, son of author Shweta Bachchan Nanda and businessman Nikhil Nanda, currently has 66k followers on the photo sharing platform, which includes Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Navya Naveli Nanda and Shweta Bachchan Alia Bhatt, Ananya Panday, Shanaya Kapoor, Gauri Khan, Aryan Khan, Karan Johar, Khushi Kapoor, and others. While sister Navya Naveli Nanda had recently expressed that she doesnt want to join Bollywood, according to rumours, Agastya is keen on joining the industry. Back in October last year, Agastya had made his Instagram public and it had a scrapbook-like look with some quirky pictures. While it confused Navya, she had written in the comments section of a post, Oh hello. Agastya had shared his picture and wrote, I believe in the hustle, I dont f**k with luck. While Navya asked, Are you trying to be edgy? Alia wrote, hahaha exactly please explain your actions. Srinagar, June 12 : Condemning the Sopore terrorist attack on Saturday in which two civilians and two policemen were killed former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said bullets cannot resolve the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and dialogue is the only way forward. "The issue of Jammu and Kashmir cannot be resolved by gun," Mehbooba said. "Dialogue is the way forward for all issues." Apni Party President Altaf Bukhari also condemned the Sopore firing incident. In a statement, Bukhari termed the attack most gruesome and heart wrenching. "Violence has never been a solution but a huge impediment in peace and progress of any society. Extremist forces are only adding to the sufferings of people. Regardless of any political, ideological or religious motivations -- violence in any of its manifestations is unacceptable," Bukhari said. He said that the senseless violence has ravaged all the sections of the society in Jammu and Kashmir inflicting a heavy toll on precious human lives. "Not only a generation of humans has been lost to this barbaric mode of communication but forces inimical to peace have also wrecked havoc to the socio-economic conditions of the people during the last over three decades," he observed. Hyderabad, June 12 : Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao will personally make surprise visits from next week to check the progress of Palle and Pattana Pragathi programmes (village and town progress), including the functioning of panchayati Raj and municipal officers all over the state. Rao will also hold a review meeting with additional collectors and district panchayat raj officers (DPOs) on Sunday at pragathi bhavan on various programmes being implemented in the state. "There is a decrease in Coronavirus cases in the state and the positivity rate has fallen to 4.7 per cent; another round of Palle and Pattana Pragathi programmes would be launched in the state," he said in a high level review meeting of these programmes on Friday. According to the CM, Telangana brought in new Panchayat Raj and Municipality Acts to support rural and urban areas in a big way. Incidentally, Rs 339 crore and Rs 148 crore are being sent to the villages and municipalities development every month. "It should be known why employees in the Panchayat Raj and Municipalities are failing to discharge their duties?" said Rao, warning that during his surprise visits if he finds any laxity on the part of the employees, he would not spare them. Likewise, Rao instructed officials to prepare a chart for the measures to be taken to curtail seasonal diseases. San Francisco, June 12 : Android 12 Beta 2 has been rolled out this week with a ton of changes and Google is now asking users to participate in a feedback survey. Like last month's form, the Beta 2 survey starts by asking users to rate their satisfaction with Android 12 Notification and Quick Settings and the Volume Panel. According to 9To5Google, the latter was slimmed down, while the former now adapts to wallpaper, among other layout changes. Users also have the option to leave other written feedback here. Users are then asked to "rate your satisfaction with each of the following experiences" -- stability, performance, battery, camera, Bluetooth, call quality, messaging, Wi-Fi connectivity, data connectivity and app experience. This should be crucial given the small bugs in Beta 2 and the drop in overall stability, the report said. The company wants to know whether users would recommend Android 12 Beta 2 to others in its "current state," it added. It then asks about the "top issue area" and whether you'd report the problem, as well as whether this would cause you to leave the Android Beta Program. Depending on your top issue area, there's an accompanying "Deep Dive" section, the report said. For example, you can specify whether your stability issues involve app crashes, application not responding (ANR) errors, OS crashes, or reboots. Stability issues are when you experience a crash or when your device restarts or reboots on its own. When apps do not respond it is also known as Application Not Responding (ANR) error. Chandigarh, June 12 : The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Saturday formed an alliance to contest the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections together. An announcement in this regard was made jointly by SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal and BSP national General Secretary Satish Chandra Mishra here. Mishra, while disclosing that BSP supremo Mayawati has approved the alliance, said that both the parties would strive to form the next government in Punjab under the leadership of Sukhbir Badal. The BSP General Secretary appealed to the Dalits and disadvantaged sections of the society to support the alliance wholeheartedly. Mishra also visited five-time Chief Minister and SAD patron Parkash Singh Badal along with BSP Punjab coordinator Randhir Singh Beniwal and Punjab BSP chief Jasbir Singh Garhi. Speaking on the occasion, Sukhbir Badal announced that the BSP would contest 20 out of the 117 seats under its alliance with the SAD, including eight seats in the Doaba region, seven in Malwa and five in Majha region. The seats are -- Kartarpur, Jalandhar West, Jalandhar North, Phagwara, Nawanshahr, Hoshiarpur City, Tanda, Dasuya, Chamkaur Sahib, Bassi Pathana, Mehal Kalan, Ludhiana North, Sujanpur, Boha, Pathankot, Anandpur Sahib, Mohali, Amritsar North, Amritsar Central and Payal. Sukhbir Badal said a coordination committee of leaders from both the parties would be formed soon to ensure seamless working in all the constituencies. Terming the alliance as historic, the SAD chief said it is not just limited to the 2022 Assembly elections, but would continue in future also. He said the both the SAD and the BSP have the same ideology and have always worked for the welfare of the farmers, poor and 'khet mazdoors' (field labourers). "The Congress has not initiated a single welfare scheme for the weaker sections and it is responsible for closing down schemes like the SC scholarship scheme," he said. Sukhbir Badal further said that it is because of these factors that there is a demand from the grassroots workers of both the SAD and the BSP to form a common front. He also thanked BSP President Mayawati for her clear decision to join forces with the SAD to uproot the Congress from Punjab. Sukhbir Badal told the media that the new alliance would stick to the core philosophy of Parkash Singh Badal to maintain peace and communal harmony. "We will also ensure the welfare of the disadvantaged sections of society and farmers, besides working to develop trade and industry to bring the state's economy back on track," he said. The senior politician also spoke about how SAD has always taken all sections of society along while in governance. He said Parkash Singh Badal always developed places of worship of all religions and had developed the Bhagwan Valmiki temple in Amritsar, besides starting a Rs 200 crore project to develop the Guru Ravidas memorial at Khuralgarh, which was stopped by the Congress government. Mishra, while terming the development as a red letter day for Punjab, said, "The BSP has chosen to align with the strongest party in Punjab." He said both parties have come together after 25 years, adding the last time when they had contested an election jointly, they had swept 11 out of 13 seats in the Lok Sabha elections of 1996. He also said that Mayawati wanted to come and announce the alliance herself, but was not able to make it due to the Covid restrictions. Mishra further claimed that the Congress government in Punjab is discriminating against Dalits by not releasing funds reserved for Scheduled Castes, deleting lakhs of old-age pension cards, not filling SC and OBC vacancies, not releasing SC scholarship fee to students and not implementing the 'Shagun' scheme and the 'houses for houseless' scheme. He also said the BSP would fight hand in hand with SAD to ensure that the three 'anti-farmer' agricultural laws are not implemented, and praised former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal for the bold stand taken by her by resigning from the Cabinet in support of the farmers. He also criticised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for praising the contentious farm laws and for going back on its stand due to pressure from the farmers. The BSP has a considerable hold over the 31 per cent Dalit votes in the state. The concentration of these votes is mainly on 23 seats in the Doaba region. Earlier, the BJP used to contest 23 seats in Punjab in alliance with the SAD. The Akali Dal-BJP alliance had come to power in 2007 before being ousted by the Congress in 2017. -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed Patna, June 12 : Majority of the people in Patna are not aware of air pollution, according to a survey conducted by the Centre for Environment and Energy Development (CEED) the report of which was released on Saturday. The report said that 80 per cent of the people are not aware of Patna's Clean Air Action Plan, an initiative launched by the Bihar government in 2019. Nearly 55 per cent are not satisfied with the steps taken by the respective departments and enforcement agencies to control air pollution in the city, it said. The report indicated that 88 per cent of the people do not have an idea where to go and lodge any complaint on polluting sources or subsequent violations. "The main objective of this public survey was to gauge the mood and perception of the people on air pollution and its impact on public health. This study also presents the overall awareness of the people on various initiatives taken by the state government to contain air pollution," said Ankita Jyoti, Senior Programme Officer at CEED. The survey was conducted in March and April this year in the Patna urban agglomeration area covering suburban and central regions with directly interviewing cross-section of people to get a representative view of the city. The major findings clearly state that 96 per cent of the people do see air pollution as a major factor impacting their health, especially risks like asthma, respiratory diseases and breathing-related disorders. The survey also pointed out that 80 per cent of the people are completely unaware about the government initiatives to contain the rising air pollution in the city. Nearly 65 per cent of the people indicated that there must be a better and regular communication strategy on air quality-related information. The results of the survey strongly favour the significant role of issuing health advisories because scientific evidences also suggest that air pollution is strongly linked to health risk. Nearly 90 per cent of the respondents are of the view that regular health advisory is critical to reduce the exposure level especially during high pollution days. "The state government needs to urgently constitute an integrated and responsive implementation task force at the district level which must work in a convergent and coordinated approach involving all key departments and enforcement agencies for controlling air pollution in true letter and spirit," Jyoti said. Ramapati Kumar, CEO of CEED, said, "Patna launched a Clean Air Action Plan in 2019. However, its effective implementation remains a big challenge. Our study indicates that even after two years, there is a lack of transparency and accountability among the departments and enforcement agencies for better implementation of the plan. The state government must put words into action to convert the grey sky into blue in Patna." Patna, June 12 : As the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic subsides, migrant workers across different states have started returning to work leaving their native villages. The government has assured about providing employment to the workers who have returned to the cities for resuming employment. After the onset of the second wave of coronavirus and the imposition of lockdown across the country, the migrant workers had returned to their native villages fearing a repeat of the chaos and apathy faced last year. However, due to the gradual opening of businesses in big cities the migrant workers have again started coming back to the cities. Train tickets are being sent by mill owners to several migrant workers living in Muzaffarpur and other districts of north Bihar. The workers living in Sakra block of Muzaffarpur district have left for Mumbai, Delhi and other places. The migrant workers say that when they returned to the cities, they thought they would find some job but they are not getting the kind of jobs in which they are skilled. They say that in some areas employment is being provided under the MNREGA scheme but it is not possible for all people to get work under it. Niranjan Kumar of Charpokhari village in Bhojpur district says, "At present, farming and agriculture is almost at a standstill. Work is expected to be available only at the time of planting. However, so many people have returned from their native villages that there is no possibility of getting fair wages in agriculture. Money is available working outside their native villages." In Gopalganj district, at present a large number of migrant workers are not returning to the cities but many who had returned were called by their owners. However, there are many workers across villages who fear a third wave of the coronavirus. Such labourers say that they will venture outside but hearing about the danger of a third wave they will have to return again to their native villages. They say that they are looking for work in their native villages but if they fail to get any work then they will have to move to cities to feed themselves. The migrant workers of Gopalganj, Bhojpur, Kaimur are moving towards Punjab for farming. It is a relief that the situation is not as bad as last year. After the second wave of Covid-19, many migrant workers who returned to their native villages are still in search of work. Last year, migrant workers were called back for work by sending interstate buses from many big cities. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Chandigarh, June 12 : Punjab police on Saturday arrested a man whose credentials and documents were used to hire a flat for the hideout of slain gangsters-turned-drug smugglers Jaipal Bhullar and Jaspreet Singh in Kolkata. The arrested person was identified as Sumit Kumar, a resident of Meham in Haryana. The development comes three days after Bhullar and Jassi were neutralised by the West Bengal police, after they fired on them when they had raided their flat in Kolkata. Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Counter Intelligence and Organised Crime Control Unit (OCCU) Amit Prasad said they have arrested Sumit, a close associate-cum-business partner of Bharat Kumar, who helped Bhullar and Jassi in escaping from Morena in Gwalior and arranged hideout for them in Kolkata after they killed two ASIs Bhagwan Singh and Dalwinderjit Singh in Jagraon on May 15. Bharat was arrested with 30 bore pistol and Honda Accord car from near Shambhu Border in Rajpura area on June 9 and on his disclosures, Punjab police gave information to the West Bengal police that the duo gangsters were holed up in a rented apartment in Kolkata. The ADGP said that preliminary investigations had found that both Sumit Kumar and Bharat Kumar, who were business partners since 2015, were involved in illegal sale of fancy mobile numbers, including mobile numbers of foreign-based telecoms, purchased from different countries and other states, and they used to sell them in Punjab and Haryana at exorbitant rates. He said Bharat was also found to be in possession of an official identity card of constable Amarjit Singh, which was being used to evade toll plazas while escaping from Gwalior. Mumbai, June 12 : Actress-comedian Mallika Dua took to social media on Saturday to share the news that she lost her mother Dr Padmavati Dua to Covid the night before. Dr Dua and her husband, eminent journalist Vinod Dua, were battling Covid-19 for quite some time and Mallika kept sharing their health updates. The comedian posted the news of demise on Instagram story. "She left us last night. My whole heart. My whole life. The only God I know. My Amma I am sorry I could not save you. You fought so hard my mama. My precious. My heart. You are my whole life," Mallika wrote on Instagram Story about her mother, who was also known as Chinna Dua. "It's not about my loss and grief. It's about a life cut short. I always knew I didn't deserve her. But she deserved to live. I don't know if I will ever be able to pray again," she further wrote. On the occassion of Mother's Day last month, Mallika made a social media post wishing her mom a speedy recovery. She wrote: "Happy Mother's Day my cute girl @chinnadua, please get well soon? The monkeys in the balcony are waiting for you. Plus I really miss throwing tantrums." Chinna Dua is survived by husband Vinod Dua, besides daughters Mallika and Bakul. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Chandigarh, June 12 : Legendary athlete Milkha Singh, who is being treated for Covid related complications at the PGIMER here, has shown improvement in his health conditions, the hospital said on Saturday. "Milkha Singh's health is fine and improving, but he is still in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit)," said a spokesperson for the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER). Milkha Singh has been under the observation of a medical team comprising senior doctors of the institute since his hospitalisation on June 3. Earlier, Milkha Singh, 91, was admitted to the Fortis Hospital in Mohali near here after testing positive for the virus. He was discharged from Fortis, but had to be taken to PGIMER after he complained of low oxygen level. His wife Nirmal Kaur, 82, is also undergoing treatment for Covid-19 at the Fortis Hospital. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Jaipur, June 12 : It's been years that untreated water from Punjab has been flowing into the Indira Gandhi Canal Project (IGCP) in Rajasthan, posing a threat to scores of people residing near the canal who quench their thirst with this chemical-laden water. However, this time the water in the canal has turned dark black in colour, alarming the ruling Congress government in the desert state. The project covers an area measuring 600 km in length and 45 km in width in the north west of Rajasthan. The Rajasthan government led by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot recently shot a letter to the concerned Punjab officials, urging them not to release untreated water from its industries into the IGCP, as it is leading to the flow of contaminated water in Rajasthan. The move came following reports of release of black water from the tanneries in Punjab into the IGCP, making its water unfit for use. This problem of untreated water flowing into the IGCP is continuing for the past several years, and has become a bone of contention between the two neighbouring states. This toxic water, as per the information, quenches the thirst of the people of 10 districts in Rajasthan, who are now faced with a direct health threat. These districts are Bikaner, Sri Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, Nagaur, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Jodhpur, Churu, Jhunjhunu and Sikar. This toxic water can lead health hazards such cancer, Alzheimer's, heart attack and kidney failure, among other diseases, say the experts. Even BJP state president Satish Poonia has alleged that poisonous water is flowing in the Indira Gandhi Canal Project and Bhakra Nangal irrigation system of Rajasthan due to the release of contaminated water from the Harike barrage in Punjab. Also, the contaminated water is killing fish and other aquatic animals. Poonia has written a letter to Gehlot regarding the situation arising in about 10 districts of the state due to the contaminated water flowing in from Punjab. In the letter, Poonia said, "Black contaminated water is being released from the Harike barrage in Punjab, due to which the water is turning poisonous in the Indira Gandhi Canal Project and the Bhakra Nangal irrigation system in Rajasthan. Far from drinking, even irrigation with such poisonous water is proving fatal. This water is supplied for drinking water to about two crore people of 10 districts." At a time when common people are ravaged by the Covid pandemic, the contaminated water in the Indira Gandhi Canal Project is proving fatal for the people of these 10 districts. Poonia also urged Gehlot to take suo motu cognizance of this matter and make efforts to get the problem resolved at the earliest, so that the people of these 10 districts get to drink pure water during this summers. New Delhi, June 12 : Amid calls for lower levies on items and medicines required in Covid-19 treatment, the GST Council on Saturday decided to slash rates of several Covid-relief items to 5 per cent from existing 12-18 per cent levels, although it kept the much talked-about tax rate on vaccines unchanged at 5 per cent. Addressing the media post the GST Council meet, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the council agreed to go with the recommendations of the Group of Ministers (GoM) that was single point agenda on the council on Saturday. She said that while rate of tax on various Covid relief medical items has been reduced, no change had been made in 5 per cent GST rate on vaccines but it would not impact the public as vaccination is being provided for free. Sitharaman said that Centre will be paying and receiving 75 per cent of all the tax collected on it, which will be further distributed with states. She had earlier said that exempting vaccines from GST would deny input tax credit on raw material and supplies that could impact its pricing. As part of Covid relief measures, the 44th meeting of the GST Council reduced GST rate on Remdesivir to 5 per cent from 12 per cent and that of medical grade oxygen to 5 per cent. The council has also reduced the rates on Amphotericin B, medicine used for black fungus and brought it to nil level exempting 5 per cent rate. The tax rate on Tocilizumab, used for treatment of Covid-19 has also been waived off. The previous tax rate was 5 per cent. The rate on anti-coagulants like Heparin has also been slashed to 5 per cent. Further, the council headed by the Finance Minister also decided that the tax rate on any other drug recommended by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and Department of Pharma (DoP) for Covid treatment, would be kept at 5 per cent. In terms of life saving equipment and products, low availability of which caused a lot of panic across the country, both in the first and the second wave including medical grade oxygen, oxygen generators and ventilators, have also been reduced. GST on medical grade oxygen, oxygen concentrator, generators, including personal imports, ventilators, BiPAP Machines and high flow nasal canula device has been reduced from 12 per cent to 5 per cent. Low availability of medical grade oxygen in hospitals was witnessed during the initial period of the second wave of Covid-19 and in the first wave, it was the lack of ventilators which was a grave concern in the country. Rates of pulse oximeters, hand sanitisers, temperature check equipment, gas, electric or other furnaces for crematorium, including their installation among others have also been reduced to 5 per cent. Now, Covid testing kits too would be taxed at 5 per cent, against the previous rate of 12 per cent. In another major move, the GST rate on ambulances has been reduced to 12 per cent from the previous 28 per cent. The special duty cuts would be applicable till September 30, 2021. Sitharaman said that though GoM recommended the rate cuts till August, the council decided to keep it till September ended and will later decide if further extension is required. On its part, India Inc welcomed the move by GST Council. Industry body PHDCCI welcomed the calibrated reduction in the rates of GST on 'Remdesivir', ventilators, medical grade oxygen, Covid-19 testing kits, oxygen concentrators and 'BiPAP' machine from 12 to 5 per cent and no tax on 'Tocilizumab'. "This will go a long way in treating covid cases and tp provide required relief for treatment of infections," the industry body said. "No tax on 'Amphotericin B', the antifungal drug used for black fungus treatment, is a significant step to reduce the burden on black fungus patients." According to Rajat Bose, Partner, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co.: "GST rate cut on Covid related items is a step in the right direction. It is likely that the situation will be reviewed around September and if required, the rate cut will be extended for a further period." "The sharing of revenue from GST on Covid vaccine by Centre with States is also a good move and will help the States financially." In addition, M.S. Mani, Senior Director, Deloitte India said: "While the reductions on medication and equipment are good welfare measures, curtailment of the exemption period would make it difficult for businesses to plan new investments and expand their supply chains in order to ensure that they reach all corners of the country." "Businesses engaged in their manufacture and trading would hope that the period is extended beyond 30th September." Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Srinagar, June 12 : J&K on Saturday reported 866 new Covid cases and 14 fatalities, even as the infection spread continue to decline in the Union Territory, health officials said. The 14 deaths -- 8 from Jammu division and 6 from Kashmir division-- have pushed the toll to 4,174. As many as 2,153 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovery on Saturday, even as another case of mucormycosis was reported. So far, 19 cases of black fungus infection have been reported here. There are 16,284 active cases out of which 6,022 are from Jammu division and 10,262 from Kashmir division. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) New Delhi, June 12 : Delhi on Saturday reported 213 new Covid cases, the lowest since March 1 when 175 people were found Covid positive in the national capital, according to the daily health bulletin issued by the Delhi government. With 28 more fatalities getting reported in the last 24 hours, Delhi's overall Covid death toll mounted to 24,800, according to the bulletin. On a positive note, 497 people recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of recoveries in the national capital to 14,02,474. Delhi presently has an active caseload of 3,610, of which 1,123 are under home isolation. Earlier on Saturday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal cautioned that the chances of a possible third wave of the pandemic are quite real, for which the government is making preparations on a war-footing. He said the indications of a possible third wave are coming from the UK, where coronavirus cases are rising again despite "45 per cent of its population" getting vaccinated. "So we cannot afford to sit idle," Kejriwal said after inaugurating 22 oxygen plants with a combined capacity of 17 MT installed in nine different government-run hospitals across the national capital. To ensure adequate oxygen storage, 13 more oxygen plants will be installed in different healthcare centres by the end of July, he informed. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Panaji, June 12 : Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Saturday lauded the efforts of the state police for rescuing a one-month-old infant allegedly abducted from a government hospital here by a woman within 24 hours. The woman was later detained from North Goa's Saleli village. "I congratulate Goa police for successfully leading one of the biggest manhunts in the state and safely rescuing a one-month-old child within 24 hours. Safety & security of the citizens is the top priority of our government," Sawant tweeted. Interrogation is underway to ascertain the motive behind such crime. "We are questioning the woman in connection to the case. Her appearance matches with the details of the person seen in the CCTV footage with the child. There is also a one-month child in her house," a police official said. The child was allegedly kidnapped from the premises of the Goa Medical College on Friday. Police swung into action, after the infant's mother, who hails from Odisha, approached the local police. The Goa police launched a search operation on Friday night to locate the missing child, based on a CCTV footage which showed a woman along with her male companion on a two-wheeler. The kidnapping has also sparked a political tussle, with Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat saying that abduction from the premises of the apex health facility means a lapse in the law and order situation in the state. "Shocked to hear about the kidnapping of a one-month-old infant from Goa Medical College Hospital. Once again it is proved that even hospitals are not safe in the state. Law and order situation is at an all time low under the BJP government," Kamat said. Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, however, rebuked Kamat for his "baseless allegations". "I would like to bring to attention that the kidnapping incident at the GMC has been incorrectly reported. The child was neither a patient at GMC, nor does it have anything to do with a security lapse. It is a baseless allegation and the facts of the incident are totally different," Rane tweeted. Aizawl, June 12 : Five militants from Myanmar were apprehended with arms and ammunition in a joint operation carried out by the Assam Rifles and Mizoram Police from a bordering village in Lawngtlai district, the police said on Saturday. Additional Superintendent of Police, C. Lalruatkima, said that the intruders, suspected to be cadres of armed outfit Arakan Liberation Army (ALA) in Myanmar, were nabbed on Friday night from the Kakichhuah village in Lawngtlai district in southern Mizoram bordering India and Myanmar. He said the security personnel recovered a 9 mm pistol, a .38 revolver, 55 rounds of bullets and four live grenades from the possession of the ALA cadres. Lalruatkima said that the extremists were produced in the district court in Lawngtlai with charges lodged under different sections of the Arms Act and the Foreigners Act. The court sent them to police custody for further interrogation by the security officials. Mizoram has an unfenced international border of 510 km with Myanmar. Jaipur, June 12 : The Rajasthan government on Saturday announced a financial relief package for the children who lost their parents to the Covid pandemic, fixing an amount Rs 2,500 per month for them till they turn 18. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot also announced Rs 5 lakh lump sum assistance on completion of 18 years and free higher secondary education, besides other benefits proposed under the Mukhyamantri Corona Bal Kalyan Yojna. Under the package, an ex-gratia of Rs 1 lakh and a pension of Rs 1,500 per month will also be provided to the women who lost their husbands to the infection, according to an official statement. Also, Rs 1,000 a month per child will be provided to the children of these widows, besides Rs 2,500 per month for purchasing their text books and school uniforms, the statement said. The package also has a provision of Rs 1 lakh as immediate grant to the children, who lost their parents to Covid, the statement said. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dhaka, June 12 : Bangladesh has signed a pact with China to buy the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque. The Health Minister said this during a programme at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases here. He added: "The recent revelation of vaccine prices has created some issues. We have to maintain non-disclosure clauses strictly according to the deal." Earlier, the country had received seven million Covishield doses through a contract. Besides, India gave Bangladesh 3.3 million vaccines as a gift. On May 27, the Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase approved a proposal to buy 15 million doses of the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine. Meanwhile, Lokman Hossain Mia, Secretary of the Health Service Division, said: "China is set to deliver 600,000 doses of the vaccine in a second consignment given to Bangladesh as a gift on Saturday." Maleque did not disclose the date of the deal, the price or quantity of doses. During a briefing post meeting, a Cabinet Division official said the authorities would purchase the vaccine at $10 per dose. The price disclosure created some confusion, as Beijing had said that Bangladesh would have to pay $15 per dose to buy the vaccine. According to an Inter Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) statement, two Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) aircraft left Bangladesh for China to bring back the doses on Friday night. Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Executive Director Group Captain AHM Touhid-ul Ahsan said the two C-130J aircraft were set to return at around 5:30 pm on Saturday. HSD Secretary Lokman said a new vaccine plan would be chalked out after the arrival of the second consignment from China. The first gifted consignment of 500,000 vaccine doses were handed over on May 12. Bangladesh started its nationwide Covid-19 vaccination drive on February 7 by administering Covishield, the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine manufactured by Serum Institute of India (SII). On April 25, the government suspended administering the first doses with Covishield, as SII had been unable to provide the number of doses now, many people were waiting for second jabs after receiving their first. The health authorities administered the Sinopharm vaccine to 500 medical college students on May 25. Besides, Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) administered the Sinopharm vaccine to over 450 Chinese citizens. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) New Delhi, June 12 : Edtech company Byju's is now India's most valuable unicorn startup with a valuation of $16.5 billion, surpassing fintech company Paytm's $16 billion valuation. As per CB Insights data, as of June 2021, Byju's is the 11th most valuable startup in the world. The total number of unicorns worldwide is 708 with a valuation of $ 2319 billion. Chinese company Bytedance, the parent company of TikTok, is the most valuable startup in the world with a valuation of $140 billion. Byju's investors include Tencent Holdings, Lightspeed India Partners and Sequoia Capital India. It has recently raised $350 million from UBS, private equity giant Blackstone, Abu Dhabi state fund ADQ, Phoenix Rising and video conference firm Zoom's founder Eric Yuan. One97 Communications, the parent company of Byju's, has a valuation of $16 billion with investors like Intel Capital, Sapphire Ventures and Alibaba Group. A unicorn company, or unicorn startup, is a private company with a valuation over $1 billion. As of June 2021, there are more than 700 unicorns around the world. Popular former unicorns include Airbnb, Facebook and Google. The variants include a decacorn, valued at over $10 billion, and a hectocorn, valued at over $100 billion, CB Insights said. Oyo Rooms is valued at $9 billion with investors like SoftBank Group, Sequoia Capital India and Lightspeed India Partners. The National Stock Exchange is valued at $6.5 billion with investors including TA Associates, SoftBank Group and GS Growth. Ola Cabs is valued at $6.3 billion and has investors like Accel Partners, SoftBank Group and Sequoia Capital. Zomato is valued at $5.4 billion with investors including Sequoia Capital and VY Capital. Another food delivery chain, Swiggy, is vaued at $5 billion and its investors include Accel India, SAIF Partners and Norwest Venture Partners. Internet software company Dream11 is valued at $5 billion with investors including Kaalari Capital, Tencent Holdings and Steadview Capital. Logistics company Udaan is valued at $ 3.1 billion and has investors including DST Global, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Microsoft ScaleUp. Fintech company Razorpay is valued at $3 billion with investors like Y Combinator, Tiger Global Management and Matrix Partners India. Fintech company Pine Labs is also valued at $3 billion with investors namely MasterCard, Temasek and PayPal Ventures. Logistics company Delivery is another firm that is valued at $3 billion with investors including Times Internet, Nexus Venture Partners and SoftBank Group. Policybazaar is valued at $2.4 billion, Renew Power at $2.28 billion, fintech company CRED at $2.2 billion, consumer company FirstCry at $2.1 billion, software company Meesho at $2.1 billion, while Sharechat is also valued at $2.1 billion. Edtech copany Unacademy is valued at $2 billion, ecommerce company Urban Company is valued at $2.1 billion, BillDesk at $1.9 billion and DigitInsurance at the same number. Lenskart is valued at $1.5 billion, Five Star Business Finance at $1.4 billion, Rivigo at $1.07 billion, Snapdeal at $1 billion as also Inmobi, Ola Electric, Cars 24, Daily Hunt, Infra Market and Groww. (Sanjeev Sharma can be reached at Sanjeev.s@ians.in) Dhaka, June 12 : A Bangladeshi returnee from Syria, who is an IT expert working for the banned militant outfit Ansar Al-Islam, was arrested in Chittagong, police said on Saturday. Police have also seized a mobile phone, tablet PC, notebook, Jihadi documents and a passport from his possession. Shakhawat Ali Lalu, 40, was arrested from Chittagong's Khulshi area on Friday, three months after he had returned from Indonesia, where he was involved with some militant activities, police's counter-terrorism (CTTC) unit said. The CTTC unit officials further said Shakhawat had met the tainted Army officer and one of the founders of the militant outfit Ansar Al-Islam Syed Ziaul Haque, the most wanted fugitive top militant trainer of the country. Shakhawat was trained on heavy weaponry from the militant outfit Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, an active Sunni Islamist militant group involved in the Syrian Civil War. It was formed on January 28, 2017 as a merger among Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly al-Nusra Front), the Ansar al-Din Front, Jaysh al-Sunna, Liwa al-Haqq and the Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement. Shakhawat took part in the conflict in Idlib, a city in northwestern Syria. He then returned to Turkey after 10 failed attempts. Later, he moved with his family to Indonesia in 2019. Shakhawat travelled to Syria via Turkey in 2017. After completing his training there, he carried out militancy in Indonesia. After passing SSC exams in 1997, Shakhawat got his higher secondary certificate from Pandit Nehru Pre-university College in India's Bengaluru. He travelled to the UK in 2007 after completing computer courses at institutions in Bangladesh. Rasib Khan, a sub-inspector (SI) at the counter-terrorism unit of police in Bangladesh told IANS that Shakhawat was forced into the militancy by his relatives Arif and Mamun, after he returned home from the UK in 2011. Shakhawat joined Ansar Al-Islam in 2012, police added. Chittagong Metropolitan Magistrate Hossain Mohammad Reza on Saturday sent Shakhawat to 3-day police custody. New Delhi, June 12 : Following the conclusion of the 44th meeting of the GST Council on Saturday, a war of words erupted on Twitter between Union Minister of State for Finance, Anurag Thakur, and West Bengal Finance Minister, Amit Mitra, over the way the important meeting of the state and Central Finance Ministers to decide on GST rate for Covid relief items was conducted. In his tweet, Mitra accused the Centre of completely ignoring his voice at the meet, forcing him to take the unprecedented step of recording his dissent by letter. To this, the tweet from the MoS Finance showed the details of what actually transpired at the GST Council meeting organised virtually, trashing all of Mitra's allegations while making it clear that Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has never stifled dissent in the GST Council meetings. In his tweet, Mitra said: "GoI led the anti-people move & IMPOSED GST on VACCINE, MASK, hand sanitizer, OXYGEN, PPE, oxymeter, Covid test kit, Remdesivir, RT PCR machine... Since my voice was IGNORED, I have recorded my DISSENT by letter. Unprecedented. Slow death of the only body of cooperative federalism." Thakur reacted through his own series of tweets, the first of which said: "There is a letter circulating in some sections of the media by Sh @DrAmitMitra Ji, FM West Bengal. I would like to set the record straight; the facts are as follows: "In my over two years of attending the GST Council, I have never seen FM @nsitharaman ji cut off anyone during the Council discussions. "She has patiently given each & every speaker as much time as they needed, even if it meant discussions went on for long hours." His tweets over the matter further said: "During the GST Council discussions today (June 12), it seemed as if the Finance Minister from West Bengal did not have a stable VC connection. "Revenue Secy repeatedly informed him his line was breaking, that he was not properly audible & to turn off his video for better connectivity." Thakur further said that during the speech made by the Uttar Pradesh Finance Minister, nobody heard Mitra speak up, nor did he ask to have his opinion heard. "Other members can attest to this. At the end of the discussion, when FM @nsitharaman ji asked the Council whether anyone would like to speak & add their comments, Dr Mitra ji again remained silent and did not speak up," Thakur tweeted, countering Mitra. He further said that the Finance Minister has never stifled dissent in the GST Council while suggesting that it is unbecoming of a senior member of the Council to suggest that this has happened. "The GST Council embodies the collective spirit of all states towards debate in a healthy manner; it has been & shall continue," Thakur said in a tweet. The 44th meeting of GST Council was organised on Saturday to consider the recommendations of the Group of Ministers (GoM) set up to decide on the GST rate for various Covid relief items. Based on its recommendations, the council reduced GST rate on a host of medical equipment and goods from 12 per cent to 5 per cent while bringing the duty level to nil for medicines used for the treatment of black fungus. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) New Delhi, June 12 : After the BJP attacked the Congress over the Clubhouse chat of Digvijaya Singh on the issue of abrogation of Article 370, the Congress told its leaders on Saturday that the CWC resolution of August 6, 2019 should be followed by all, sources said. In the purported audio clip of Digvijaya Singh conversing with a Pakistani journalist in a Clubhouse chat, which has been doing the rounds on social media, the Congree leader is heard saying, "The decision of revoking Article 370 and reducing the statehood of Jammu & Kashmir is extremely, I would say, sad decision, and the Congress party would certainly have a relook on the issue." "The CWC deplores the unilateral, brazen and totally undemocratic manner in which Article 370 of the Constitution was abrogated and the state of Jammu and Kashmir was dismembered by misinterpreting the provisions of the Constitution," said the CWC resolution on the abrogation of Article 370 on August 6, 2019. The BJP on Saturday attacked the Congress over the leaked audio clip of Digvijaya Singh's Clubhouse chat, saying that it was a part of the 'toolkit' mentioned a few days ago. The saffron party suggested that the Congress should rename itself as ANC (Anti-national Clubhouse) in place of INC (Indian National Congress). Addressing a press conference, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra said, "It is quite possible that what Digvijaya Singh has said in the Clubhouse chat must have been stage managed. Digvijaya Singh or a senior Congress leader must have instructed the Pakistani journalist to ask such a question. It's all part of that toolkit mentioned a few days ago." He aid everyone saw how the veteran Congress leader was spewing venom against India outside and how he was toeing Pakistan's line. New Delhi, June 13 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday while attending G7 summit virtually, made a strong plea for a temporary waiver on Covid-19 vaccine patents. Official sources said the Prime Minister sought the support for proposal moved by India and South Africa at the WTO for a TRIPS waiver. Australia and others came out strongly in support of his proposal, sources added. His emphasis on keeping open supply chains for vaccine raw materials and components to help enhance vaccine production in countries like India received widespread support at the summit. Sources said Modi called for global unity, leadership and solidarity and emphasized the special responsibility of democratic and transparent societies to prevent future pandemic outbreaks. He also mentioned that there should be 'one earth, one health' approach, which got echoed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. During his speech, the Prime Minister highlighted India's 'whole of society' approach to fight the pandemic, synergising efforts of all levels of government, industry and civil society. He spoke of India's successful use of open source digital tools for contact tracing and vaccine management, and conveyed India's willingness to share its experience and expertise. Sources said the Prime Minister expressed India's commitment to support collective endeavours to improve global health governance. India first participated in the outreach Session of the G7 Summit in 2003 when the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was invited by the then French Presidency. At the time, the focus of the summit was on climate change and global economic growth. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh participated in the annual G7 summit outreach sessions from 2005 to 2009. France had invited Prime Minister Modi to the G7 'Biarritz Summit' in 2019 as "a goodwill partner". PM Modi participated in two outreach sessions- on 'Climate, Biodiversity and Oceans' and the second on 'Digital Transformation'. President Trump had invited PM to attend the G7 Outreach sessions in Camp David to be held in June 2020 under the US Presidency. The Summit was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. On Saturday, PM Modi attended the outreach session at the summit which is being held in the UK, which is the current G7 president. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Patna, June 13 : One person sustained burn injuries during an acid attack in Bihar's Bettiah town on Saturday. The victim, identified as Deepu Kumar, sustained 75 per cent burn injuries and was admitted in Sadar hospital, Bettiah. His condition is said to be critical. According to the police, Deepu has given money to a goldsmith Ravi Ranjan Kumar for the marriage of the latter's sister. Deepu has requested Ravi Ranjan to return the money several times in the past but the latter denied. "On Saturday, he called Deepu to come to his home to collect the money. When he reached Ravi's house, he was involved in a quarrel with him. The situation reached such a stage that Ravi poured an acid bottle on him," Rakesh Kumar, an investigating officer of Majholia police station, said. The accused Ravi Ranjan is at large now. United Nations, June 13 : UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday expressed his sadness over the death of William Swing, a former leader of the UN migration agency. "I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of my dear friend William Swing, the former director-general of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and past leader of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo," he said in a statement, Xinhua reported. "A true humanist, Bill Swing dedicated his life to serving the most vulnerable of the vulnerable in our world. I will never forget his dedication and compassion as we worked together side by side in the face of some of the worst displacement crises," he said. "To his wife, his family and his former colleagues, I send my deepest condolences and profound solidarity." Swing, an American diplomat who had served as US ambassador to various countries, died on Saturday at the age of 86. He was IOM director-general between 2008 and 2018. ARCS Foundation is pleased to announce the selection of 14 volunteers to receive the ARCS Light Award for their work in promoting science, engineering, and medical research. The ARCS Light Award is the highest honor for volunteer work within the foundation and represents chapters appreciation of their members ingenuity, sacrifice, and long-term commitment. The 14 members chosen for this award in 2021 were selected based on extraordinary service and personal leadership benefiting their local ARCS chapter. Accomplishments include fundraising, communications, recruiting, event planning, and other vital efforts on behalf of the foundation. Honorees often serve in key leadership positions within their chapter. They are credited with establishing scholar awards, organizing multiple events, and raising thousands of dollars in donations to support the mission of ARCS Foundation. This year ARCS Light honorees accomplished these feats despite a worldwide pandemic. The following dedicated women are the 2021 ARCS Light Award recipients, listed by chapter: Atlanta Frances Swensson Colorado Sue Zoby Honolulu Roslyn Pearson Illinois Patricia Doherty Los Angeles Yolanda Walther-Meade Metropolitan Washington Doris Pierson Minnesota Anja Bielinsky Northern California Christine Simpson Brent Orange County Anna Papio Toda Oregon Lee Ragen Pittsburgh Beverlynn Elliott Phoenix Christine Burton San Diego June Chocheles Seattle Carmen Gayton Its been an honor to serve among these women, who have a strong commitment to ARCS Foundation and advancement of US scientific innovation worldwide, says Sherry Lundeen, ARCS Foundation National President. Even during a global pandemic, these volunteers devoted their time and talents to make sure the foundations mission and presence in the scientific community remain a beacon of light for future possibilities of STEM research and innovations. These women enhanced the organizations purpose through educational webinars, online programs, and support of ARCS Scholars and Alumni. ARCS Foundation is truly grateful and proud of this years ARCS Light recipients. They are an inspiration to us all. ARCS Foundation congratulates all award recipients and thanks them for their invaluable contributions to the continuing success of the foundation. The 2021 ARCS Light Award recipients will be recognized in a special ceremony during ARCS Foundations 2022 All Members Conference, April 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia. # About ARCS Foundation: ARCS Foundation is a national nonprofit volunteer womens organization that promotes US competitiveness by providing financial awards to academically outstanding US citizens studying to complete degrees in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), and health disciplines at 49 of the nations leading research universities. The organization has awarded more than $120 million to more than 10,900 scholars since 1958. ARCS Foundation Scholars have produced thousands of research publications and patents, secured billions in grant funding, started science-related companies, and played a significant role in teaching and mentoring young people in the STEM pipeline. More information is available at arcsfoundation.org. Main Street Fort Dodge, Fort Dodge Fine Arts, Iowa Arts Council, and Fort Dodge Community School District students are proud to present Pick It Up Fort Dodge. Saturday, June 19, from 10 am to 12 pm at the gazebo located in the city square. Also taking place on Saturday is the Student Art Exhibition, from 10 am to 4 pm at the Fort Dodge Fine Arts Building, 921 Central Avenue Industrial technology students from Fort Dodge Senior High School constructed 26 trash receptacles, 23 of which are located downtown and 3 of which will serve as replacements. Showcased in the panels of each trash receptacle are pieces of artwork that kindergarten through fifth-grade students submitted into a coloring contest that displays the motto, "Pick It Up, Fort Dodge." During Saturday's event, the student's artwork will be installed into the trash receptacles, and the student coloring contest winners will be recognized for their efforts. In addition, attend to register in a drawing to win a basket worth $200 from downtown retail stores and use QR codes/maps to participate in self-guided tours through the historic downtown. The youth attending the event will receive a coupon for an ice cream cone from the Dariette at the end of the trail. The Pick It Up Fort Dodge campaign was made possible when The City of Fort Dodge received a $10,000 Arts Build Communities grant from the Iowa Arts Council in December 2018. The grant money has been used for projects by Main Street Fort Dodge in the historic downtown district. "We're looking for unique and sustainable ways to manage refuse in the downtown - and feel we can do this by addressing the goal not only to clean up the downtown but to enhance the areas where garbage is present through art," said Kris Patrick, Executive Director of Main Street Fort Dodge. If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Main Street at 515-573-3172 or email kris@mainstreetfd.org. Main Street Fort Dodge is located at 24 North 9th Street, Suite D, Fort Dodge, Iowa. Additional information is available at http://www.mainstreetfd.org, by calling 515-573-3172 and email at kris@mainstreetfd.org. Follow along at Facebook and LinkedIn. Optima's tax professionals providing free tax help at VITA locations. Quality tax preparation should be available to everyone, regardless of income or background. This year, Optima Tax Relief teamed up with the United Way and the IRS to provide assistance to low-income residents and other members of their surrounding community with free tax preparation services. Fifty members of Optimas staff registered with the United Way of Orange County, California and Mesa, Arizona to participate in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, which was launched by the IRS to provide free tax preparation services to those such as: Persons with disabilities Limited English-speaking taxpayers Individuals who generally make $57,000 or less per year Christian Giandomenico, Optimas Director of Tax Preparation and one of the staff members who volunteered for the program, said that it is the inclusiveness of the program that led her to sign up. Quality tax preparation should be available to everyone, regardless of income or background, she said. Taxes can be complicated, and I couldnt stand the thought that some people are left trying to navigate through complex situations without any assistance, all because they feel like they cant afford it. I was inspired to know that the program serves over 3 million taxpayers annually, putting over $4 billion back into low-income communities. The first day I showed up and saw the various demographics; from students, the elderly, ESL individualsI realized the level of impact this translated into. It was such an incredible feeling of fulfillment. The free tax help offered by the VITA program is particularly beneficial for those who are 60 years of age and older, as it specializes in questions about pensions and other retirement-related issues that are unique to seniors. Many of the community members who would qualify for the program are retired individuals associated with non-profit organizations that receive grants from the IRS. Giandomenico found the specialized support for seniors to be the most rewarding part of the program. I had never realized how many seniors try to do their taxes on their own. Theyve been filing their taxes the same way for decades, and now that theyve retired, they arent always aware of what has changed or what new write-offs they qualify for, she said. The experience was very heartwarming; we were told Thank You countless times from individuals coming in to pick up their returns or needed assistance filling out tax forms. Some indicated, you dont know how much this helps me year over year. Without this program, they would have never had their taxes professionally prepared. Optima CEO David King wasnt surprised when he was informed of how many members of his staff volunteered for the program. We hire for character in all facets of the company, and then reinforce that regularly with all of our employees. Seeing all those members of our staff volunteering for this program really underscores the kind of quality people we have in the Optima family. By partnering with the IRS, the VITA program is able to offer reliable, trustworthy tax filing services for free. Optimas volunteers are all licensed tax preparers that are up to date with both federal tax laws and any new IRS updates making them ideal candidates for the VITA program. The volunteers have also gone through extensive IRS training to maintain the privacy and confidentiality of all taxpayer information. Every year, low-income residents miss out on millions of dollars in federal and California tax refunds and credits that they are entitled to and deserve. Our OC Free Tax Prep program helps these hard-working people keep more of their earnings, said Susan B. Parks, President and CEO of Orange County United Way. Many of these families already face financial struggles and the pandemic has caused even greater strain. These tax refunds and credits will provide a much-needed boost to help pay for rent, food or medical expenses. Optima Tax Preparer Manager and VITA program participant Anne Tran said she would do the program again in the future if given the opportunity. Id do it every year if I could, she said. I love helping people and volunteering. Thats why I joined the VITA team. Most of the people I worked with were getting a professional tax return done for the first time. It was wonderful getting to know them and to help them get the biggest return possible. I met an elderly lady whose family dropped her off at the VITA office with the intention to pick her up in a couple of hours. After her family left, she found out she forgot to bring a critical document. I offered to drive her home to get it so we could complete her tax filing. She was so happy and kept saying thank you the whole time. It was such a rewarding experience. Optimas top priority is to continue working alongside the IRS to assist both their community and individuals across the U.S. by resolving unmanageable tax burdens and helping their clients achieve a better financial future. About Optima Tax Relief Optima Tax Relief is the nations leading tax resolution firm providing assistance to individuals and businesses struggling with unmanageable IRS and state tax debts. Optimas commitment to delivering unparalleled service and results has transformed the tax resolution industry and earned the company numerous honors, including the Torch Award for Ethics from the Better Business Bureau of San Diego, Orange and Imperial Counties, and OneOCs Civic 50. Offering full-service tax resolution and employing over 600 professionals, Optima has resolved over a billion dollars in tax debts for their clients, helping their clients achieve a better financial future by making their tax issues a thing of the past. Ill be frankthere were times working on this book when I definitely felt like I was just diving into the water in the dark, admits novelist Carolina De Robertis. Shes seated in front of a wall of booksjust a fraction, of course, of the books in the housein the home she shares with her wife and their two school-age children in Oakland, Calif., for a Zoom call. At times, the only way I could continue to work on the book and really give it my best as a writer was to secretly call it the Weird Book.... Yes, just put a neon sign over the metaphorical door, its weird. In The President and the Frog (Knopf, Aug.), her sixth book, the 45-year-old writer says shes seeking something greater than truth, or, as she puts it, the ability of fiction to use invention to more freely explore the truth. It opens with an 82-year-old former leader of an unnamed Latin American country being visited by a Norwegian journalist for an interview. Noticing in her something the narrator calls the listening gift, he wonders if he should finally reveal a long-kept secret: that talking to a frog during his time in solitary confinement when he was imprisoned for inciting revolution was what kept him alive. The basis for the character of the aging politician was Uruguayan president and former guerrilla Jose Mujica, who spent 12 years in prison and later became known for his quest for human rights. Mujica, president from 2010 to 2015, donated most of his salary to charity and stayed in his own humble home, where he continued to work the land himself. And the frog is inspired by, well, a frog. In 2013, De Robertis, who is Uruguayan American, was living in Uruguay while Mujica was president. Thats when she read an interview in which he mentioned that he had survived his torture and imprisonment by talking to a frog. I tend to reflect on, dream on, gather material for a novel for years before I begin, she says. I call it the dreaming phase. But I was also in the dreaming phase for my prior book, Cantorasabout five queer women who find refuge in one another in 1970s Uruguay and beyondand I wrote that book first. By the time she started writing The President and the Frog, Donald Trump was in the White House. Many people, including myself, were grappling with grief and despair or other forms of really asking tough questions about how we were going to exist and how we were going to support each other to live our full humanity in the context of more open hostility, she says. While envisioning The President and the Frog, De Robertis also found herself thinking a lot about her grandmothera poet, and very bohemian and wildwho fled to Uruguay after being exiled from Argentina. She died when De Robertis was seven, at a time when there were dictatorships in both countries. I thought about what it would be like if I could go back in time and tell her that the seeds of positive transformation for her country were alive in that very time, in one of those devastating prisons, in the form of revolutionary Tupamaros guerrillas who would one day rise up and carry the nation to a more progressive era, De Robertis says. And I wondered, what can that desire of mine to reach back in time to my grandmother in her despair, what can that tell me about the seeds that are around us right now, in this era in the United States, where we are looking openly at the ways in which hostility and danger and xenophobia and racism are part of the fabric of our society? De Robertis envisioned The President and the Frog as a love letter to anyone whos ever felt despair, she says, or anyone who looks at climate change, or the spike in open racism, or just the difficulty of navigating daily life in our world. As her protagonist slowly comes to understand the stories he needs to tell, not only to keep himself alive, but to make himself whole again, De Robertis offers a powerful reminder that narrativewriting it, reading it, engaging with itis a healing act. Theres a way in which writing is a way of opening space to be able to fully breathe, she says, and hopefully to make room for other people through story, in a way thats larger than myself. The President and the Frog seems at first disarmingly simple compared to De Robertiss previous sweeping historical epics, which include her 2009 debut, the international bestseller The Invisible Mountain. That novel, a finalist for a California Book Award and International Latino Book Award, is a multigenerational story about three Uruguayan women and the history of Uruguay itself, and has been translated into 17 languages. In 2012, she released Perla; inspired by a true story from Argentinean history; it follows a young woman who has a disturbing realization about her origins. De Robertiss next book was 2015s The Gods of Tango, a Stonewall Book Award winner, about a woman who must disguise herself as a man to play in a tango band in Buenos Aires in the early 20th century. Then, in 2019, she released Cantoras, which won a Reading Women Award and a Stonewall Book Award. I would say, for at least three of my four prior novels, I was painting on a very large canvas. Mural painting was one of my guiding metaphors for navigating the novel process, and then for this book, I really wanted to explore portraiture, she says. Even a narrow lens, however, can reveal much, and through the back-and-forth of the presidents conversations with the reporter and memories from his time on the verge of giving up entirely while imprisoned, De Robertis digs into the meaning of home and country, what humans need to survive, and what matters most in a life. De Robertis is also a translator of Latin American and Spanish literature, the editor of the 2017 anthology Radical Hope: Letters of Love and Dissent in Dangerous Times, and a teacher of creative writing at San Francisco State University. As a child, she moved from England to Switzerland to Los Angeles as her father, the scientist Edward De Robertis, built his career. Coming to the U.S. when she was 10, from other countries that were not my country of origin, she says, I had this feeling and experience of having a country inside my skin that wasnt outside my skin. She went on to attend the University of California, Los Angeles, and moved to the Bay Area in 1997. I bounced around between San Francisco and Berkeley, following the lower rents at the time, working at different activist jobs, and as a substitute teacher. And then I had this very formative experience in my mid-20s when I was about to marry a woman, the love of my life, with whom Ive had these two children, and my parents disowned me. One of the things that they said was that I couldnt be Uruguayan anymore, because I was gay. Because I didnt exist in their country. When I was younger, back when I was writing that first novel, I thought Id never feel at home anywhere in the world. I thought belonging was just something that would never be fully possible for me, De Robertis says. But Ive built a life in the Bay Area with my wife and kids and with chosen family, and a community that we have forged where there is room for all of us. Because theres enough openness and possibility for families like mine. De Robertis has two siblings, a brother and a sister, whom she remains in touch with; shes also in contact with other relatives in South America. But she remains estranged from her parents. That rift has, in a way, clarified her mission: Its been such an enormous part of whats shaped the themes that are urgent to me, and the way that I think about love and family and possibility, and the way we anchor ourselves in the world. Jen Doll is the author of the YA novels Thats Debatable (FSG, 2022) and Unclaimed Baggage (FSG), and the memoir Save the Date: The Occasional Mortifications of a Serial Wedding Guest (Riverhead). I wanted to write this article because I know how important inspiration is and I have found something missing in the materials Ive read previously on the topic. I finished writing my own article, then went for a walk in my neighborhood, a village-like setting with modest homes scattered on sloping grassy areas amid walking paths and a variety of very mature trees that dominate the landscape. The trees give off an energy that fills me with peace and erases the daily trivia. Being in nature has always opened up something in me, and I found myself flooded with positive feelings, sensations, and new perspectives. The article I had just finished came from a place of discipline, determination, and thoughtfulness, and is probably good enough. How many times have you written from that place? To move from good enough to inspiring requires you to expand your self-imposed boundaries. If you arent writing from true inspiration, your readers will likely pick this upand they wont be inspired. How many books have you read that you thought were well-written and were solidly informative, but were soon forgotten? When we remember books, its usually because we picked up on the writers inspiration, which touched our hearts and souls or challenged our curiosity and intellect. A clear understanding of the elements of inspiration will not only help you recognize itit will also help you create pathways to allow it in. In his essay Why Inspiration Matters, published in the Harvard Business Review in 2011, Scott Barry Kaufman explores how inspiration impacts levels of productivity and satisfaction. He writes that people who are inspired report higher levels of important psychological resources, including belief in their own abilities, self-esteem, and optimism. Mastery of work, absorption, creativity, perceived competence, self-esteem, and optimism were all consequences of inspiration, suggesting that inspiration facilitates these important psychological resources. Its important to notice where your motivation is coming from. If you are mainly writing to seek praise, financial gain, or fame, these motivations, while understandable, can interfere with the authenticity of your work. When I started writing, someone asked me what my goal was. My response: I just want to share what I have learned. So how do you create space and allow inspiration in? Consider some big questions. I strongly suggest that you write your responses down. Start with: What excites you about writing? When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? What stimulated your interest? Whom are you really writing your book for? What are your hopes and dreams about what will happen once your book is finished? What goals or dreams might possibly interfere with your inspiration? The substantial energy required to write, edit, and market your book will be sustained when your inspiration is based on a burning curiosity about or true love for your subject and a desire for honesty, quality, and clarity. The following activities will help you grow inspiration. These activities are not about developing and improving your specific writing skills. They are designed to help you develop and maintain the inspiration that will make it all work. Increase your self-awareness. This is the most important and significant thing you can do to awaken your inspiration. Even if you think you know yourself well, theres always more to learn. Self-awareness is key to developing and maintaining inspiration and will also provide additional insights into your writing. Keep a journal. Write something in it every day. Usually, the end of the day is the best time. If something comes up that throws you off balance, take a few minutes to write down the event, what you are feeling, and what you do with your feelings. Or just start writing, stream of consciousnesswriting whatever comes into your mind, even if its writing about not wanting to write, or feeling like this is a worthless exercise. Pay attention to your thoughts. Notice what thoughts you have, and how you react to them. For example, do worry, fear, and judgment of others or yourself dominate your thoughts? These are automatic negative thoughts. Dont believe everything you think, as the author Allan Lokos has said. How do your thoughts affect your inspiration to write and the quality of your writing? Regularly pay attention to your feelings. See if you can identify them, even if you think they are unimportant. What do you do with a feeling? Brush it off or bury it, rationalize it, blame it on someone or something else, get upset that it exists, or just let it all out? The healthiest way is to acknowledge the feeling and then ask yourself what you want or need to do with that feeling. (This is the first step in emotional intelligence.) Seek experiences that will allow inspiration in. This can mean listening to music, being in nature, or embracing solitude in other ways. Get comfortable with vulnerability. Vulnerability is inevitable in writing: you are exposing yourself and allowing yourself to be judged. It is a great asset in your writing. In her 2010 TED talk The Power of Vulnerability, author Brene Brown calls vulnerability the birthplace of joy, of creativity, of belonging, of love. Invite regular and honest feedback from people you trust. This is much easier to do when you allow your vulnerability to surface. Listen to the feedback, but avoid dismissing or accepting it too quickly. Give yourself time to think about and evaluate the feedbackboth negative and positive. Best wishes for continued inspiration! Shelli Chosak is a psychotherapist and the author of Your Living Legacy: How Your Parenting Style Shapes the Future for You and Your Child, which was a finalist for the 2019 BookLife Prize Nonfiction Contest. DEAL OF THE WEEK Scribner Buys Abedins Memoir Scribners Nan Graham acquired world English rights to Huma Abedins memoir, Both/And: A Life in Many Worlds. It details, according to the publisher, the inspiring story of the authors coming of age as an American Muslim, the daughter of Indian and Pakistani scholars who split their time between Saudi Arabia, the U.S., and the U.K. Abedin has been a longtime aide to Hillary Clinton and is in the process of divorcing former congressman Anthony Weiner. Graham said Both/And is a superb and significant memoir about the shaping of a character and the extraordinary worlds in which Abedin has traveled. Abedin was represented in the deal by Creative Artists Agency. FROM THE U.S. Jonas Bros. Spill Blood for Dey Street The Jonas Brothers sold Blood to Carrie Thornton at Dey Street Books, which is calling the book their first and fully immersive memoir. The bandcomposed of Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonaswas represented in the world rights agreement by Byrd Leavell and Albert Lee at United Talent Agency. Dey Street said Blood will share the brothers complete story, from their Disney days through their contentious breakup and explosive reunion. Its being written with music journalist Neil Strauss, and Matthew Daddona at Dey Street is editing. According to the publisher, the Jonas Brothers have sold more than 22 million albums. New Press Nabs Police Abolition Title Diane Wachtell and zakia henderson-brown at the New Press bought world rights to No More Police: A Case for Abolition by authors and longtime organizers Mariame Kaba (We Do This Til We Free Us) and Andrea J. Ritchie (Invisible No More) in an unagented deal. The book, the publisher said, makes a compelling case that police cant be reformed to produce safety and offers a road map to a world in which the tools to prevent and address violence are multiplied. No More Police is slated for May 2022. Policy Comic Goes to First Second Mark Siegel at First Second bought world rights to The Greater Good, written by Whit Taylor, with art by Joyce Rice. The publisher described the adult graphic novel as being about public health and the policy and infrastructure that facilitates it. Taylor was represented by Judy Hansen at Hansen Literary, and Rice was represented by Kate McKean at Howard Morhaim Literary. The Greater Good is set for 2023. Castillo Does Double at Viking In a North American rights agreement, Elaine Castillo (America Is Not the Heart) sold an essay collection and a novel to Laura Tisdel at Viking. The publisher said the collection, How to Read Now, is about the politics and ethics of reading. The novel, Sexual History, is about a Filipinx American artist who, with her white husband, road-trips from the Bay Area to Las Vegas to attend the funeral of the artists older half brother, who abused her when she was a child. The collection is slated for a summer 2022 release, and the novel for winter 2024. Emma Paterson at Aitken Alexander represented Castillo. Loftiss Watchmaker Repairs to Morrow Bestselling author Larry Loftis (The Princess Spy) sold The Watchmakers Daughter at auction to Mauro DiPreta at William Morrow in a U.S., Canadian, and open market rights deal. Loftis was represented by Keith Urbahn and Matt Carlini at Javelin. Urbahn said the nonfiction book tells the story of Corrie ten Boom, who was a groundbreaking female Dutch watchmaker who sheltered Jews and refugees from the Nazis, and persevered despite the loss of most of her family and being sent to a concentration camp. Gold Standards Elin Hilderbrand has the #1 book in the country with her latest beach read, Golden Girl, a fantastical story of an unexpected death, our review said. Hilderbrands enchanting, emotional novel will delight her many fans. It also caught the ire of some readers, who took to social media to object to a teenage characters casual reference to Anne Frank. Hilderbrand apologized and said the passage would be removed from digital editions and subsequent printings. The #3 book in the country, One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston, is a time-slip rom-com buoyed by quirky characters, coming-of-age confusion, laugh-out-loud narration, and hilarious pop-cultural references, according to our starred review. It follows 2019s Red, White & Royal Blue, which, as Slate pointed out, also came under fire on social media this month, in this case for a reference to Israel. I wrote this line as a dig at US presidential diplomacy, McQuiston explained in a tweet. It was an attempt to punch up at liberal American politics, not a statement of my beliefs. I could and should have made that clearer. It has been changed for all future printings. Passing Through How the Word Is Passed by poet and Atlantic staff writer Clint Smith, #2 in hardcover nonfiction, is a moving and perceptive survey of landmarks that reckon, or fail to reckon, with the legacy of slavery in America, our starred review said. In the book, Smith examines eight sites in the U.S., and the House of Slaves in Senegal, culled from the dozens of places he visited in his research. I love the idea of the person who wanders, a flaneur, a protagonist who strolls around observing the granular details of a place so you experience it through their eyes, he told PW in a prepub interview. My goal was to take historical scholarship and bring to it sensory, emotional, human texture. In Clubland The #5 book in the country is Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid, a fast-paced and addictive story of a group of celebrity siblings, per our review, and the June Read with Jenna pick. Reids 2019 novel, Daisy Jones & the Six, was a Reeses Book Club selection. Zakiya Dalila Harriss debut, The Other Black Girl, lands at #8 in hardcover fiction. Our starred review called the novel a dazzling, darkly humorous story about the publishing industry and the challenges faced by a Black employee; its the GMA Book Club pick for June. Reeses Book Club selected Seven Days in June by Tia Williams, #16 in hardcover fiction. Williams explores how trauma affects relationships in this emotional romance, our review said. She also delivers hope: psyches can be mended and relationships can help to resolve pain. NEW & NOTABLE FOR THE WOLF Hannah Whitten #12 Trade Paperback Whitten reimagines Little Red Riding Hood in her debut fantasy, weaving in elements from other fairy tales while crafting a story that is all her own, our starred review said. With clever, immersive prose and a subtle touch of horror, this is sure to enchant. SOMEBODY'S DAUGHTER Ashley C. Ford #13 Hardcover Nonfiction Journalist Fords debut memoir is a blistering yet tender account of growing up with an incarcerated father, our starred review said. This remarkable, heart-wrenching story of loss, hardship, and self-acceptance astounds. ACE OF SPADES Faridah Abike-Iyimide #19 Childrens Fiction "An anonymous texter known as Aces reveals secrets about an elite private schools only two Black students in this bracing debut, our starred review said. Abike-Iyimide excels in portraying the conflict of characters who exist in two worlds, one of white privilege and one in which Black-ness is not a disadvantage but a point of pride. NJPW STRONG REPORT: YEHI DEBUTS, RUSH AND ROMERO IN TAG TEAM ACTION, AND MORE We are in Los Angeles, California and your announcers are Shigeki Kiyono and Hiroshi Tanahashi (in Japanese) or Kevin Kelly and Alex Koslov (in English). Match Number One: Hikuleo versus Alex Coughlin They lock up and Hikuleo pushes Alex into the corner. Alex with a waist lock and Hikuleo blocks it and he applies an arm bar. Alex with a hammer lock and Hikuleo with a front face lock. Alex with an arm bar into a hammer lock. Hikuleo with a slam to get out of the hold and then he sends Alex shoulder first into the turnbuckles. Hikuleo chokes Alex and the referee warns Hikuleo. Hikuleo with an Irish whip and clothesline in the corner. Hikuleo with a delayed vertical suplex for a near fall. Alex with punches but Hikuleo with a forearm and a boot to the head. Hikuleo with a back elbow and an elbow drop for a near fall. Hikuleo with a rear chin lock. Hikuleo with a knee to the midsection and he stands on Alexs back. Hikuleo gets Alex up for a slam but Alex escapes. Alex slaps Hikuleo and connects with a shoulder tackle. Hikuelo with a forearm and Alex with a European uppercut. Hikuleo with a kick but Alex with a flying shoulder tackle. Alex with a gutwrench suplex and he goes for the single leg crab and applies it. Hikuleo gets to the ropes to force a break. Alex with a waist lock and Hikuleo blocks a German suplex attempt. Hikuleo with a power slam for a near fall. Hikuleo gets Alex on his shoudlers but Alex with elbows to escape. Alex with chops and Hikuleo with a clothesline. Hikuleo with a running Cradle Shock for the three count. Winner: Hikuleo Match Number Two: Clark Connors and DKC versus Rocky Romero and Lio Rush Rush and DKC start things off. They lock up and Rush with a waist lock and DKC with a wrist lock. Rush with w reversal into a side head lock. DKC with a reversal and take down. Rush with a head scissors and DKC escapes. Rush with a side head lock take down and DKC with a head scissors and Rush escapes. Rush with a back heel kick and a leg lariat to the back for a near fall. Rush with kicks to the chest and DKC wants more. Romero tags in and they hit a double back elbow. Romero with a wrist lock and DKC stomps on the foot and connects with en uppercut. Connors tags in and he chops Romero and then they hit a double shoulder tackle for a near fall. Connors with a forearm to the back and European uppercuts. Romero with kicks to the leg. Rush tags in and he hits a clothesline and Romero with a knee drop to allow Rush to get a near fall. Rush with punches in the corner. Connors with an Irish whip and forearm. Rush with a kick to Connors and Connors with a spear to the back. Connors with a chop and European uppercut. DKC tags in and they give Rush a double hip toss and DKC gets a near fall. DKC with a reverse chin lock and then he stretches Rush. Rush kicks DKC to escape the hold. DKC with a suplex for a near fall. Connors tags in and he goes to the turnbuckles and hits a double sledge to the back for a near fall. Connors with a side slam for a near fall. DKC tags back in and he hits a belly-to-back suplex for a near fall. He sends Rush into the turnbuckles and tags Connors back in. Connors with a forearm. Rush with a satellite DDT and both men are down. Romero tags in and he gives Connors a head scissors. Then he gives one to DKC and it is time for the Infinity Clotheslines. Romero ends with a clothesline to DKC and Connors at the same time. Romero with a Shiranui for a near fall. Rush goes for the slingshot cutter but DKC pulls Rush to the floor. Romero with a kick and Connors with a POUNCE. DKC tags in and he connects with forearms and knees. DKC with a drop kick for a near fall. DKC with a rear chin lock and he tries for a suplex but Romero blocks it. Romero with a clothesline and both men are down. Rush tags in and DKC with chops and a take down. DKC with a crucifix for a near fall. DKC with an arm bar submission on Rush but Romero breaks it up. DKC with a back fist to Romero and Connors sends him to the floor. DKC with a side kick off the turnbuckles while Rush is on Connors shoulders. Romero and Connors fight to the floor. Rush with a back heel kick and a spinning heel kick followed by the slingshot cutter for the three count. Winners: Rocky Romero and Lio Rush After the match, Romero sends Connors into the apron and then Romero and Connors exchange punches until they are separated. Connors tries to go after Romero in the ring but he is taken down by many members of the security detail. Rush and Romero are in the back and Rocky says things are heating up. He talks about Connors new costume and persona. Every time you step in the ring with Rocky Romero, you get your ass pinned. You want to meet me in a singles match, I will beat you again. Lio says he is no stranger to Clark and his aggressiveness. He took it to another level. Your problem is with Rocky. I am done with you. Rocky says two of the greatest rappers and MCs. We go to the Cleaning and Disinfection Break. Match Number Three: Jordan Clearwater and Misterioso versus Fred Yehi and Wheeler Yuta Yehi and Misterioso start things off with a Greco Roman Knuckle Lock and Yehi with a wrist lock take down. Misterioso with a single leg take down and he starts to work on the leg. They lock up and Yehi with a hammer lock into a side head lock and take down. Yuta tags in and Misterioso with a wrist lock. Yuta with a drop toe hold and Misterioso gets to the ropes. Misterioso with a knee and side head lock. Yuta with a leg sweep for a near fall. Misterioso with a leg sweep for a near fall. Yuta with a drop kick and Misterioso backs into the ropes. Jordan tags in and Yuta with a waist lock into a hammer lock and snap mare for a near fall. Yehi tags in and they go back and forth with wrist locks. Yehi with a single leg take down and then he ties up the legs into a figure four and he punches Jordan in the ribs as he adds pressure to the legs. Yuta tags in and he kicks Jordan. Yuta with spinning toe holds into knee drops on Jordan and then he tags Yehi back in and Yehi with a Regal Stretch into a cover for a near fall. Jordan with a chop and Yehi chops back. Yehi with a rear chin lock. Yehi with a head scissors and wrist lock. Jordan with a forearm and chop but Yehi with a side head lock. Jordan with a shoulder tackle and then they exchange chops until Yehi hits a German suplex. Yehi with chops in the corner and he tags Yuta back in. Yuta with a chop and Jordan kicks Yuta in the corner. Yuta with a leg sweep and he applies a Boston Crab and tags in Yehi who kicks Jordan. Yehi with an arm wringer into the mat. Jordan with a forearm and Yehi fires back. Jordan with a suplex and Yuta tags in. Jordan with a suplex and Misterioso tags in and he slams Yuta. Misterioso with a full nelson and clothesline to Yehi and Yuta. Misterioso with a front face lock and shoulders in the corner. Misterioso with an Irish whip and clothesline followed by a running double knee strike. Misterioso with a hesitation splash onto Yuta for a near fall. Jordan tags in and they hit a double flapjack for a near fall. Yuta with a reverse atomic drop and a German suplex for a near fall. Yuta holds on to the wiast lock but Jordan with an elbow and clothesline for a near fall. Jordan punches Yuta and he tags in Misterioso. Misterioso gets Yuta on his shoulders but Yuta gets to his feet. Misterioso with a handspring moonsault for a near fall. Jordan knocks Yehi down on the apron. Misterioso with kicks to Yuta and Jordan tags in. Jordan with a waist lock and Yuta with a standing switch. Yehi tags in and Yehi stomps on the foot and hits a leg sweep on Jordan. Yuta with a back senton while Misterioso kicks Yehi and sends Yuta to the floor. Misterioso misses a dive to the floor and Yuta with a suicide dive. Jordan goes for a bulldog but Yehi escapes and Yehi with a Koji Clutch to force Jordan to tap out. Winners: Fred Yehi and Wheeler Yuta We go to credits. 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! Rapp News and Foothills Forum are continuously covering the impact of COVID-19 on our community. Sign up to have the C-19 Daily Update delivered to your inbox every morning. Click here to sign up... On Thursday, Floridas State Board of Education voted unanimously, at the behest of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, to ban lessons that employ critical race theory (CRT) or the New York Times 1619 Project from schools. The vote aligns with initiatives in several other states such as Idaho, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Iowa. By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 06/12/2021 ADVERTISEMENT Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. Former The Bachelor executive producer Elan Gale is producing a new reality show, FBoy Island, for HBO Max that will be hosted by comedian Nikki Glaser and premiere this summer.FBoy Island, produced by Elan as well as Sam Dean -- who served as the showrunner of Netflix's Love Is Blind -- will be a 10-episode series and follow three women who move to a tropical island where they'll be joined by 24 men, the streaming service has announced.The unique twist of the show is that 12 of the guys are self-proclaimed "Nice Guys" looking for love and a serious relationship while the other 12 suitors are self-proclaimed "FBoys" there to compete for money.As potential viewers are probably already aware, the term "FBoy" stands for "f-ckboy," who is a player-like man bad at relationships.The three women will be tasked with navigating the dating pool together with the hope of making a lasting love connection.In the finale episode of FBoy Island, the Nice Guys and FBoys are revealed as well as each woman's final choice for a romantic partner."FBoy Island is a social experiment that asks the age-old question: Can FBoys truly reform, or do Nice Guys always finish last?" HBO Max teased in its FBoy Island announcement.Elan left The Bachelor franchise in late 2018 after being part of it for over a decade. He became close friends with many of the franchise's bachelors and bachelorettes during that time and even officiated the 2019 wedding of alums Ashley Iaconetti and Jared Haibon In 2017, Elan also released his first book, You're Not That Great (But Neither Is Anyone Else).In addition to Elan and Sam, Nikki is also serving as an executive producer of FBoy Island along with Jason Goldberg and Ben Bitonti."When I first got the call to be a part of a reality dating show called FBoy Island, I said 'yes' immediately," Nikki said."Then I realized they weren't asking me to be one of the girls looking for love. That is not a joke; it was embarrassing. But as a massive fan of this genre, hosting this show was a true dream. I look forward to hosting for the next 43 seasons."FBoy Island was already filmed in the Cayman Islands earlier this year."I knew going into it that a show created and produced by the people behind my two favorite shows -- The Bachelor and Love Is Blind -- was going to be insanely good, but this one exceeded my expectations," Nikki continued."I already know what happens and I can't wait to watch it every week."FBoy Island's premiere date will be announced at a later date by HBO Max. Athens, GA (30605) Today A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Some clouds. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Some clouds. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. D.G. Martin is a retired lawyer, politician and university administrator and is host of UNC-TVs North Carolina Bookwatch at 3 p.m. on Sundays and 5 p.m. on Tuesdays. Support local journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution. Contribute Greenville, NC (27833) Today A few passing clouds. Low 74F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight A few passing clouds. Low 74F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. We really cant afford to take some time off: Days after academic year ends, 4,500 Pitt County students back to school for summer Brattleboro, VT (05301) Today Isolated thunderstorms during the evening. Cloudy skies after midnight. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight Isolated thunderstorms during the evening. Cloudy skies after midnight. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%. JEKYLL ISLAND, Ga. (AP) Republican governors running for reelection have begun trumpeting the partys more hands-off approach to the coronavirus pandemic, trying to flip the script on an issue that helped Democrats win the White House and control of Capitol Hill in 2020. GOP governors, especially in populous, diverse Sun Belt states, credit a resurgent economy to their resistance to strict public health protocols they frame as shackles. At the same time, Republican challengers are hammering Democratic governors as slow to relax business restrictions, end mask mandates and reopen schools full time. And across the board, Republicans relish swipes at Democratic bastions New York and California, lockdown states where unemployment remains higher than the national mark. The political and economic realities are more complicated than the rhetoric suggests. States, regardless of partisan control, have benefited from trillions in pandemic aid approved by Congress and vaccines that governors had no role in developing. Yet Republican leaders believe, at least for now, they can capitalize on circumstances that just last November helped deny Republican Donald Trump a second presidential term. Choosing to lock down heavy and hard for an extended period of time hasnt proven to help states in the long run, said Joanna Rodriguez of the Republican Governors Association. She said GOP governors talked to each other throughout the pandemic and talked about what was working. Now we can see the value of that leadership. ... Our governors certainly will run on that record. But it's not clear that states with tighter lockdowns necessarily fared worse than others. Economists at the UCLA Anderson Forecast in Los Angeles found in a new analysis that among large state economies, those with more pandemic restrictions, including California, generally had less economic contraction in 2020 than states with looser regulations. The researchers argued there was a correlation among stricter protocols, lower COVID-19 infection rates and the gross domestic product. But that's not the argument coming from Republicans. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp recently described his stewardship of a measured reopening as the way to protect lives against COVID-19, but also protect your livelihood and your paycheck. Speaking at the state GOP convention recently, he took swipes at Joe Biden and the liberals, along with scientists and doctors that were getting paid to sit in their basement during the pandemic and urge a shuttered economy. Kemp emphasized the most recent unemployment data. U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics measured a 4.3% April unemployment rate in Georgia, compared with 6.1% nationally. The U.S. rate fell to 5.8% in May. State-by-state data for May hasn't been released. Georgia had the lowest unemployment rate among the 10 most populous states, even lower, Kemp crowed, than GOP-run Florida and Texas, and, of course, lower than New York and California, where unemployment measured 8.3% and 8.2%, respectively. In Florida. Gov. Ron DeSantis celebrated his state's April measure, 4.8%. None of that wouldve been possible had we done lockdown policies ... had we done a lot of the things a lot of these other states have done, he told reporters recently. He dismissed a potential general election rival, state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, as a lockdown lobbyist and insisted she would have closed businesses and schools. Fried lacks the broad executive authority that DeSantis has had in those arenas, but the governor's swipes nonetheless allowed him to highlight his early push to reopen Floridas restaurants, bars and other hot spots in the states tourism-heavy economy. Unemployment figures alone dont favor all Republicans, of course. In Texas, where the oil industry hasnt rebounded completely from Americans drop in travel, unemployment was 6.7% in April, higher than nationally. GOP Gov. Greg Abbott is embracing the overall economic uptick anyway. Abbott made his state one of the first to reject extra unemployment insurance aid from Washington on the grounds that the Texas economy is booming. The $300-per-person weekly boost will end later this month under Abbotts order. Most Republican-led states have followed suit. As long as the economy continues to recover, Democratic governors also will run on their leadership through the pandemic, likely arguing that the tight lockdowns and protocols work. Any governor is going to talk about how they steered their state through this and got people back to work, said Dave Carney, one of Abbotts top political advisers, while any challenger, he added, must poke holes in the incumbents narrative. Paul Maslin, a Democratic pollster who has worked statewide campaigns across the country, said that coming out of an event as all-consuming as a pandemic, those textbook plays come with unknown risks and rewards for both parties. Republican governors, he noted, are happy to embrace an economy juiced by federal aid, the largest chunk coming this year without any Republican votes in Congress. But the same economy, Maslin noted, is showing signs of inflation, a potential red flag that could ensnare both congressional Democrats and incumbent governors of either party in 2022 if the national mood sours. Similarly, he said, what happens to our kids in the coming school year could become a flashpoint. Republicans are pushing that case already with attacks against Govs. Laura Kelly, D-Kan., and Gretchen Whitmer, D-Mich., for their earlier position on closing schools. The GOP also is testing the reach of parents frustration in Virginia, trying to saddle Democratic nominee Terry McAuliffe with outgoing Democratic Gov. Ralph Northams pandemic policies ahead of the states election this November. But Democrats said Kelly, Whitmer and Northam get generally good marks from voters for taking the pandemic seriously. Its a political mirage, said Jared Leopold, a former top aide at the Democratic Governors Association who worked for one of McAuliffes primary rivals. Trying to make people upset in November of 2022 that schools were closed in April or May of 2021 is tough. The bigger variable on education, Democrats argued, is whether the upcoming school year reveals long-term problems with student achievement, something Maslin said would put any incumbent on the defensive, whatever their COVID-19 actions had been. Ultimately, Leopold said, governors races are more about leadership because people are looking for someone who they trust in a crisis. Leopold and Carney, the Republican adviser to Abbott, agreed that dynamic often benefits governors unless they failed abjectly. They also said there's plenty of time for circumstances to change. The key judgment is going to come on how the economy and health situation looks in fall 2022, Leopold said. This is all just sort of the pre-match tussle. SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Friday defended her handling of accusations of harassment by a former campaign spokesman that resulted in a financial settlement of at least $62,500 in payments from her political campaign, explaining that the pandemic demanded her attention. In her first in-person comments concerning the settlement with James Hallinan, Lujan Grisham briefly described her decision to resolve the matter. Hallinan, who worked as a spokesman for Lujan Grishams 2018 campaign for governor, has accused Lujan Grisham of dropping water on his crotch and then grabbing his crotch in the midst of a campaign staff meeting prior to the election accusations that the governor denies. I was focused on the pandemic, and I'll stand by that decision every minute of every day," said Lujan Grisham, describing the decision to settle. Asked whether there have been any other financial settlements and nondisclosure agreements of a similar nature, the governor said no. Lujan Grisham's political committee paid at least $62,500 to an attorney for Hallinan. Payments were made in five monthly installments to a law firm representing Hallinan, who now runs a public relations and political consulting firm. Lujan Grisham previously issued a denial of Hallinan's public allegations through a campaign spokesman. It is unclear whether Hallinans harassment accusations ever were independently vetted. I have not seen anywhere in the country where theres an independent investigation over an employment claim, Lujan Grisham said Friday at a news conference. Ive been open and transparent and will continue to do that. Multiple sexual harassment and groping allegations against Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo have prompted an investigation by that state's attorney general and are included in a probe by the New York Assembly into possible impeachment charges. Lujan Grisham said those are not issues you find anywhere in this administration, and noted that there was no substantiation of Hallinan's claims by witnesses. The incident allegedly took place at the home of state Rep. Deborah Armstrong, a former campaign treasurer and private business partner to Lujan Grisham. Armstrong has said she never witnessed anything inappropriate. State campaign finance regulators say that the settlement payments from a political campaign account are permissible because they involve an employment dispute related to Hallinans time with the governor's election campaign. The governor's office and campaign have declined to say whether further payment is still due to Hallinan. Man arrested on drug charges TAMAQUA A borough man was arrested by Tamaqua police on drug charges after an incident in the 300 block of Arlington Street around 2:30 a.m. May 27. Police said Matthew D. Barnitsky, 33, whose last known address was 327 Hazle St., was charged with possession of a controlled substance, altered or misbranded controlled substances and possession of drug paraphernalia. Police said officers on patrol found Barnitsky picking through garbage and took him into custody after learning he had an outstanding warrant by the Schuylkill County detectives. A search of the man found him to be in possession of controlled substances and items of drug paraphernalia, police said. Women charged with simple assaultTAMAQUA A 21-year-old borough woman was arrested by Tamaqua police in connection with an assault that happened at her 302 Orwigsburg St. home around 9 p.m. Monday. Police said Chantal Guerrero was charged with two counts of simple assault and one count of harassment. Police said Guerrero became involved in an argument with her girlfriend over bringing items into their homes, but the argument escalated when Guerrero picked up a kitchen knife. The victim was able to get the knife away from Guerrero and took it and other knives upstairs, but Guerrero knocked them out of her hands, grabbed two knives and took her to the ground, police said. Police said Guerrero told the other woman she was going to stab her and as a result, the victim suffered a 3-inch cut on her right arm. Man allegedly caused disturbance at bar TAMAQUA Tamaqua police charged a borough man with disorderly conduct after an incident near the Hang Loose bar at Broad and Greenwood streets around 4 a.m. Wednesday. Police said Quentin J. Lightner, of 26 N. Greenwood St., will have to answer to the charge before Magisterial District Judge Stephen J. Bayer, Tamaqua. Police said officers were called for a disturbance and found Lightner as the person responsible, resulting in the charges. Woman charged with trespassingTAMAQUA A borough woman was arrested by Tamaqua police and charged with defiant trespass after an incident at 107 Clay St. around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. Police said Bonnie Lee Braxmeyer went to the home despite being previously evicted, with the landlord finding her inside. The investigation, police said, determined a constable posted No Trespassing on the home. Braxmeyer will now have to answer to the charge before Magisterial District Judge Stephen J. Bayer, Tamaqua. Woman in building without permission TAMAQUA A Tamaqua woman was charged with trespassing on Tuesday after entering a building she was previously told to avoid. Police said Lena Zizzo, 56, of 205 W. Rowe St., entered the building at 37 W. Broad St. on May 29, 30, 31 and also June 1 despite being told May 20 she was no longer welcome there. Man not injured in 1-vehicle crashMOLINO A crash that occured at routes 61 and 895 in West Brunswick Township around 3:15 a.m. Sunday was investigated by state police at Schuylkill Haven. Police said Kenneth A. Manuel, 28, of Allentown, was driving a 2010 Hyundai Sonata north when he admitted falling asleep at the wheel, but later woke up and saw a concrete island in front of him. Police said the man reported steering to the right quickly, losing control and hitting a guiderail before coming to a stop. Manuel was not hurt but was cited for not driving on roadways laned for traffic. Police investigate theft of vehicle partsSCHUYLKILL HAVEN State police at Schuylkill Haven are investigating the theft of vehicle parts from 490 Route 61 South in North Manheim Township that occured between May 30 and June 1. Police said Domingo Medina, of Pine Grove, reported someone stole a backup camera monitor and an electronic leveling panel from his 1998 Chevrolet and fled. The items are valued at $350, and police ask that anyone with information contact them at 570-754-4600. Woman escapes injury in SUV crashBUCKHORN An Ashland woman escaped injury when the 2003 Honda Element she was driving crashed on Sunbury Road, just south of Buckhorn Road in Foster Township, around 6:30 p.m. May 28. State police at Schuylkill Haven said Hope Edwards Tobin, 50, was driving north when she lost control, causing the vehicle to enter the southbound lane. The vehicle then began to spin, crossing over the northbound lane before going off the road and hitting an embankment, police said. After the crash, police said, Tobin showed signs of being impaired and that the investigation is ongoing. Foster Township firefighters assisted. 2 people involved in vehicle collisionSCHUYLKILL HAVEN Two people escaped injury when their vehicles collided on East Main Street, at Earl Street in North Manheim Township, around 1 p.m. Tuesday. State police at Schuylkill Haven said Tanya Shaud, 49, of Pottsville, was driving a 2010 Ford Expedition and stopped at a stop sign on Earl Street. The woman then attempted to cross East Main Street and drove into the path of a 2013 Audi Q5 driven by Shelby Bosack, 18, of Orwigsburg, who was traveling east on East Main Street. As a result of the crash, police said, Shaud was cited for vehicles entering or crossing a roadway. Police: Woman says keys to car stolenTREMONT State police at Schuylkill Haven are investigating the theft of a car key that happened on West Main Street around 9:30 p.m. June 5. Police said a Tremont woman reported her Subarus car key was stolen by her friend. The key has since been recovered and the woman chose not to press charges, police said. 100 years ago 1921 If you were sick, what hospital would you go to? In order to assist our readers to answer this question, a Republican representative was told to Tell the truth about the two hospitals as the patient sees it. In accordance with these instructions, a Republican representative has actually been a patient in the old and new hospital during the past two weeks. His first-hand account of a sick persons treatment from the staffs of both institutions will prove of interest to every Schuylkill Countian. 75 years ago 1946 A Deer Lake man who early Monday morning was admitted to the Pottsville Hospital with a stab wound, which the police said was inflicted by a woman was more seriously injured than first believed. His condition is reported only as fair. 50 years ago 1971State police are continuing an investigation of the propane gas explosion at the Hometown Gas Co. on Route 309. One of the injured men was listed in serious condition. 25 years ago 1996 All is quiet at Pottsvilles Second and West Market these days. Ill tell you what, theyve done a lot of good. Nobody hangs out here at all anymore, said Peter Russo, who lost a plate-glass window at his Roma Pizzeria, 116 W. Market, during a 50-youth melee Dec. 18. That near-rumble was the final straw in a situation that had come into focus during last falls City Council campaign. The successful Democratic ticket Michael P. Halcovage and James M. Shields used the hanging out as an inspiration for their slogan, The city has to stop getting worse before it can get better. With the election and the melee, Republican Mayor Joseph P. Muldowney put his foot down Feb. 6, declaring at his State of the City address that a patrol car would be assigned there and loitering stamped out. As Russias dictator attempts to disrupt Western democratic elections and criminal hackers from there and elsewhere shut down a major pipeline and otherwise disrupt the economy, many Americans wonder why the United States supposedly the most technically sophisticated nation on Earth hasnt been able to stop them. A related question is whether the United States has responded in kind by disrupting the economies and governments of adversaries. Its harder to know because the dictators wont acknowledge the attacks because it diminishes their mystique of being all-powerful. And the United States likely wouldnt disclose so as not to reveal the scope of its abilities. There have been several heartening public developments on the cyberwar front this week, however, that demonstrate that the United States and its allies arent asleep at the digital switch. First, the Department of Justice announced that the FBI was able to track and recover most of the $4 million in the Bitcoin e-currency that Colonial Pipeline Co. paid Russian hackers, who had crippled its distribution system, to regain control. Then, the FBI announced that it and its counterparts from Australia and several other countries had duped a wide array of criminals around the world into using a supposedly encrypted communications system that, in reality, revealed a host of international crimes to the investigators and produced hundreds of arrests. In some ways, the fight against cyber criminals will be like the war against drug distribution. As one dealer falls, another takes his place, and the same likely will be true as investigators unravel the plots of cyber criminals. But its encouraging that the good guys have the know-how to keep pace, and that cyber criminals no longer can act with impunity. Actor Disha Patani first met Jackie Chan in 2017, when she was featured in the Chinese action-adventure comedy film, Kung Fu Yoga. As mentioned in several interviews by the star, Jackie Chan has been Disha Patani's childhood idol. The actor was on top of the world when she was signed for Kung Fu Yoga. There have been several instances where Disha Patani fangirled over Jackie Chan, take a look. Times Disha Patani fangirled over Jackie Chan On Dec 23, 2017, Disha Patani shared a picture with Jackie Chan from an event in Singapore. In this press conference image, Disha and Chan are seen chit-chatting. Sharing the picture on social media, Disha Patani said, "The best man ive ever met, love you taaguu #fangirl". In 2019, Disha Patani took to her Instagram handle and spoke a few delightful words about Jackie Chan. She shared a picture with the latter, wherein she stunned in a brown winter outfit, while Jackie Chan is seen sporting a black co-ord tracksuit. As seen in Disha Patani's Instagram post, she heartfelt penned a note for her Tagu. Disha Patani wrote, Dear tagu, Youre the most humble and kind hearted person ive ever come across, your talent has spoken for you for years and thats why you are called as the living legend , i am so grateful to meet you and ofcourse the luckiest to share screen with you ill always be your biggest fan, god bless you @jackiechan During Jackie Chan's 2020 birthday on April 7, Disha Patani shared a throwback image with the former. She took to her Instagram to share the picture, wherein Disha and Chan are seen doing a Kung Fu pose. Sharing the throwback picture on Instagram, Disha Patani said, "Happiest bday taguuu this was the first time i met you, I remember being so nervous but it turned out to be the best day of my life, getting an opportunity to work with my superhero is the best thing that has ever happened to me". She further added, "You teach people to be giving, loving and hardworking thank you for blessing the world with your unreal performances and the most unforgettable life risking action sequences. Nobody can ever be jackie chan love you the most @jackiechan". On Jan 28, Disha Patani celebrated four years of Kung Fu Yoga. She shared a selfie post with Jackie Chan. Celebrating the milestone, Disha Patani said, "Happy 4 years of kung fu yoga love you taguuu". IMAGE: DISHA PATANI'S INSTAGRAM Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment. Karachi, Jun 11 (PTI) A Pakistani soldier and two terrorists were killed during an intelligence-based operation in the restive Balochistan province on Friday. The Pakistan Army's media wing said in a statement that the soldier was killed when security forces conducted the operation in the Hulmerg area of Kharan district. "Two terrorists, involved in various acts of violence/terrorism against innocent civilians as well as security forces, were killed and a significant quantity of arms/ammunition was recovered," the statement said. The military's media wing said that during the exchange of fire, a soldier of Frontier Corps Balochistan was killed. Terrorists and separatists frequently carry out terror attacks in the Balochistan province usually targeting security forces and installations. Earlier this month, four soldiers were killed in the line of duty and eight others injured in two separate attacks in Balochistan. At least four terrorists were killed and eight others injured in one of the incidents. PTI CORR MRJ MRJ (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) As India marks one year of the Galwan clash with the Chinese PLA, the top commanders of the Indian Army would be meeting to review the situation along the Northern and Western borders. The Army commanders' conference that was first postponed due to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is now scheduled to take place from June 16 to18. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be addressing the Army Commanders' Conference. CDS General Bipin Rawat will also be discussing important issues with the top commanders of the Army. Chief of Army Staff Gen M.M. Narwane, Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen C.P. Mohanty and Commander in Chiefs of all seven operational, regional, and training commands of the Army will be a part of the Conference. Principal Staff Officers will also be participating in the three-day conference. The Conference, which starts exactly after a day when India marks one year of the bloody face-off at Galwan on June 15, 2020 would majorly focus on the India-China stand-off. The agenda of the biannual conference this time would be to review the preparedness at the LAC amid the continued stand-off with China. India has completed 11 rounds of talks with China to resolve the issue. Around 50,000 Indian troops are deployed along the LAC. The top Army brass will also discuss the situation and alertness at the western borders of the country. The India-Pakistan Ceasefire agreement has completed over 100 days yet Pakistan-supported terrorists continue to attempt infiltration in Jammu and Kashmir. Contribution of the armed forces in COVID-19 battle The Army Commanders will also be discussing the contribution of the armed forces in the country's COVID battle. The ramping up of oxygen, beds, medical supplies, caution, and preparation for the impending third wave would be an important agenda on the table. The vaccination campaign for Army personnel, veterans, and all families will also be monitored during the Conference. The Army Commanders will take up the proposal of relief packages for civilians suffering due to COVID. Enhancement of additional health facilities in cantonment hospitals for civilians will be also be discussed during the conference. The extension of the retirement age of the Armed forces personnel to retain a valuable workforce will also be an important part of the agenda at the top commanders' meet. The monetization of the unused defense lands across India will also be discussed during the conference. The transformation of the Army into a technology-driven force with the indigenous developments has been the focus of the Armed forces and this would also be a key issue of the meeting. Human resource-related issues will also be discussed during the Army Commanders' conference. The three-day session will take the endeavor of the Army to excel with self-reliance ahead. Kuwait City, Jun 11 (PTI) Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday assured the worried diaspora in Kuwait that the second wave of COVID-19 was receding in India and the government "really moved mountains" to contain the pandemic. Jaishankar, who arrived here on his first bilateral visit to the oil-rich Gulf nation early on Thursday, addressed the Indian community here at the conclusion of his meetings in the country. "The second wave of the COVID-19 has started to recede. The daily number of new infections is less than what it was in early May. The positivity rate has also come down dramatically," he said. "A large part of it has been made possible by very very vigorous government response to the second wave. The kind of effort and energy that I saw, the long hours that people put in. People really moved mountains to respond to what was an unprecedented situation," he said. The minister said the government ran hundreds of oxygen trains to ferry oxygen from the production centres to the major cities. "All our planes were mobilised, including the Air Force planes for the oxygen cylinder tanks to be moved, both within the country and from abroad to India," Jaishankar said. "We procured medicines which were essential for COVID treatment. Many of them came from abroad. We also ensured the domestic production of the medicines was enhanced," he said. On the vaccination programme, the minister acknowledged that it was a "big issue" and 3 million people were being vaccinated daily and its pace will pick up in the coming days. "As the production of the vaccines scales up, as the year progresses, we will be able to vaccinate all our people," he said. Jaishankar said the economy has started to make a strong recovery, asserting that there is a sense that the economic impact of the second wave would be less than what happened in the last year. "The belief we have is that India will pick up. India will recover rapidly, a lot of what we have seen in the past - the steady rise of India and its economy and influence in the world - and that will continue," he said. Jaishankar lauded the contributions of the Indian community, saying it in many ways defines India abroad. "The contribution you make, the respect you earn, the support that you provide and the bridge you constitute is what makes India's interaction with the world unique... Keep the Indian flag flying high here in Kuwait," he said. Earlier, Jaishankar held a meeting with India's envoys to the Gulf nations to discuss a host of issues, including encouraging speedy resumption of flights to this region and facilitating reuniting families separated by COVID disruption. He said the Indian missions in the crucial Gulf region have been told to do whatever they could to help the Indian community during the pandemic. He said the government attached high importance to the region not only because it was one of the main sources of oil and gas for the country but also due to the presence of a large number of Indian nationals living in countries in the region. Jaishankar said he held "productive discussions" with his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Ahmed Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah on Thursday during which the two sides discussed a range of issues including health, food, education, energy, digital and business cooperation. During the visit, India and Kuwait also signed an MoU that brings Indian domestic workers in the Gulf nation within the ambit of a legal framework that streamlines their recruitment and provides them with the protection of the law. The MoU brings the Indian domestic workers in Kuwait within the ambit of a legal framework that streamlines their recruitment and provides them with the protection of the law. Around one million (ten lakh) Indians reside in Kuwait. PTI MRJ AKJ MRJ (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) The Indian Army honoured the brave Naaris and war heroes of the 1971 Indo- Pak war. The Army that has always kept its war heroes in high regard, has celebrated and honoured the veterans of 1971 as part of the Swarnim Vijay Varsh programme. War impact on India The 1971 war lasted for 13 days and left nearly 3,900 Indian soldiers killed and 10,000 others injured, with many to suffer from life-long disabilities. The war ended with the surrender of nearly 90,000 Pakistani soldiers, the largest surrender by an Army since World War II. The Indian Army brought the Pakistani army to its knees and freed 75 million people of Bangladesh which was until that time known as East Pakistan. Swarnim Vijay Varsh The year 2021 marks 50 years of Indias victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war. The country planned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its victory as a Golden victory year or 'Swarnim Vijay Varsh'. A number of events were held as an effort to recognise and honour the valour, bravery and sacrifices made by gallant soldiers of the Indian Armed Forces in the 1971 war and also to rejoice as well as celebrate the occasion throughout the country with full fervour. As India salutes the heroes of the 1971 war, PM Modi, Defence Minister, CDS & Tri-forces Chiefs to pay tribute at National War Memorial. Tune in to watch #LIVE here - https://t.co/jghcajZuXf pic.twitter.com/NA159QF8vO Republic (@republic) December 16, 2020 Praising the brave Indian Army on the Golden Jubilee anniversary of the Indo-Pakistan war, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had written, On this day in 1971, the Indian Army, with its indomitable courage and valour, made a historic change on the world map, protecting the universal values of human freedom. This gallantry inscribed with golden letters in history will continue to make every Indian proud. Happy Vijay Diwas. The missing 54 Indian soldiers of the 1971 war India believes that during the 1971 Indo- Oak war, the 54 soldiers went missing in action and are possibly held in Pakistani prisons. Even after 50 years of the disappearance, there's no clarity over their numbers and fate. In 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had told parliament that there were 83 Indian soldiers, including the "missing 54", in Pakistan's custody. The rest are possibly soldiers who "strayed across the border" or were captured for alleged espionage. Pakistan has consistently denied holding any Indian prisoners of war. (Image Credit: AP) As the debates around the abrogation of Article 370 continues to get triggered every once in a while, the Commanding-in-Chief of the Northern Command, Lieutenant General Yogesh Kumar Joshi in an exclusive conversation with Republic Media Network on Saturday asserted that the valley of Jammu and Kashmir has undergone a massive change. He asserted that in the past one and a half years, the atmosphere of the valley has changed from that of 'violence' to that of 'peace' and 'tranquility'. 'Massive change in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370': Lieutenant General Reminiscing the days before the abrogation of Article 370, Lieutenant General Yogesh Kumar Joshi asserted that the atmosphere was engulfed with violence, with the incidence of stone-pelting and firing very common in the area. Having given an insight into the past, he went on to highlight the period post abrogation of Article 370, and said, "The government came in and undertook many initiatives for the development which was, for a very long time, not talked about in the region." He took the opportunity to discuss the steps taken by the government to prevent the recruitment of youths of the valley into radical groups. He stated, "Lot of opportunities have been provided to the youth. Many educational organizations have been opened such as Super 30 for Medical and Super 50 for Engineering, so as to keep the youth engaged and away from the gun culture that they were exposed to all these years." Backing the effectiveness of the steps taken with data, he said, "Last year, there were 192 misguided youths who got recruited, this year there has only been 39 so far," and went on to add that it is a 'bane' which is being addressed by the security forces as well as the civil administration. After agreement with Pakistan, the ceasefire violations have considerably decreased: Lieutenant General Next, Lieutenant General Yogesh Kumar Joshi addressed the equation of India with Pakistan, which as per him was considerably better after the two sides reached an agreement on February 25, 2021. Again resorting to facts, he stated, "In 2020, there were over 5,000 ceasefire violations and in the first two months of 2021, before the agreement, there were as many as 700 ceasefire violations." Talking about the period post-agreement, he added, "So far, there has been no ceasefire violations along the Line of Actual Control." He acknowledged that ceasefire violations have a grave effect on the lives and livelihoods of the citizens staying close to the Line of Actual Control both in Jammu and Kashmir and Pak-Occupied Kashmir. Pointing out that there is a 'cause-effect loop', he explained, "First, we have ceasefire violations, then infiltration and that leads to violence in the hinterland, so all these three things are very closely interlinked and therefore, the sustenance of ceasefire understanding will definitely reduce violence in Jammu and Kashmir and act as a catalyst of persistent peace in the valley." Underlining that Pakistan has been holding to the ceasefire understanding, which has been reached, till now, he asserted that India remains adamant to hold on to the understanding, and it is Pakistan who has the onus to hold to it in the future. "If Pakistan chooses to divert from the understanding, and indulge in ceasefire violations, our military is fully prepared." During the exclusive conversation, Lieutenant General Yogesh Kumar Joshi also touched upon how the period of COVID-19 had been for the Army. He pointed out that in the past 18 months, the Army had not only provided beds in the army hospitals but has also come up with oxygen beds in different parts of the valley to accommodate all those suffering from the infection. Besides providing beds, as per him, they have also provided other equipment essential for the treatment and mended oxygen plants, which were lying unutilized all these years, to generate oxygen enough for the valley. (Credits-RepublicWorld/PTI) Mukul Roy to be made Trinamool vice president; Bengal povt to provide him Z security Reaping reward for returning to Trinamool Congress, ex-BJP Vice President Mukul Roy is set to be made Trinamool Vice-President, report sources on Saturday. Furthermore, Roy will be provided Z security by Bengal govt while his son Subhranshu Roy will be given Y+ security, as per sources. Mukul Roy and his son returned to Trinamool after a 4-year BJP term, triggering a possible return of several TMC turncoats after BJP's Bengal loss. Read more here Sasikala vows to 'definitely return To AIADMK' in another leaked tape ahead of party meet "I will definitely come back," vows ex-AIAIDMK general secretary VK Sasikala in yet another alleged conversation with a party cadre. The alleged conversation between Sasikala and a party cadre - LKMB Vasu released on Saturday, once again has Saiskala vowing that she will not desert the party, months after she 'quit politics'. In the alleged conversation, Sasikala is heard saying she 'cannot bear the cadres' cries' as Vasu laments that AIADMK has won no seats in key districts, praying her to 'restore Amma's rule'. This is the fifth such tape Sasikala has allegedly released, fanning rumours of her political return. Read more here Heavy rains lash Mumbai; authorities gear up in view of IMD's alert Heavy rains lashed Mumbai in 24 hours till Saturday morning, although no major water logging was reported and local trains as well as city buses largely ran as per their normal schedule, officials said. Mumbai had got some respite from rains on Friday morning after a downpour on two previous days brought the city to a halt. However, after a brief break, the city continued to get heavy rains throughout the day. A Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official said that the island city recorded an average rainfall of 79.66 mm, while the western and eastern suburbs received 92.68 mm and 89.30 mm rainfall, respectively, in the last 24-hours ending 8 am on Saturday. Read more here Japan seeks WTO help against China's anti-dumping duties: 'It defies international rules' Japan has filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) over China's anti-dumping duties on their stainless steel products, saying that the tariffs of up to 29 per cent violate international trade rules. On June 11, Japan initiated a request for consultations with China under the WTO Agreement regarding China's measure imposing anti-dumping duties on stainless steel products, which has been in place since July 2019. Read more here PM Modi to join UK-hosted outreach sessions at G7 virtual summit in Cornwall today Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take part in the G7 virtual summit in Cornwall, which is being hosted by the United Kingdom. According to officials, Prime Minister Modi will participate in virtual G7 outreach sessions on June 12 and 13. The UK now holds the G7 presidency and India, Australia, South Africa and South Korea have been invited to the forthcoming meeting. Read more here Congress' Digvijaya Singh sparks fresh row, says 'revocation of Art 370 must be relooked' BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya on Saturday shared a clip of an alleged clubhouse chat of the Congress party, where senior leader and Madhya Pradesh MP Digvijaya Singh can be heard hinting at a possible return of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, when his party returns to power. In the 1-minute clip shared by Malviya, Digvijaya Singh tells a Pakistani journalist that the decision to revoke Article 370 was an 'extremely sad decision,' and that when the Congress comes to power, they will 'certainly have to relook on this issue.' Read more here Rakesh Tikait breaks silence on alleged Tikri rape case, says 'we are not hiding anything' Bhartiya Kishan Union (BKU) BKU leader Rakesh Tikait on Saturday broke his silence on the alleged Tikri rape case admitting to the charges levelled against the farmer leaders. Speaking to Republic TV, Tikait stated that the farmer unions had not attempted to hide the incident, adding that action should be taken as per the law. Read more here COVID-19 origin: US Secy Blinken urges transparency, China labels lab-leak theory 'absurd' With the ongoing coronavirus pandemic continuing to wreak havoc across the world, the United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged cooperation and transparency over the origins of COVID-19 while having a conversation with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi over a call on Friday. However, Yang responded to Blinken by stating that some in the US were spreading the absurd story about the coronavirus escaping from a Wuhan laboratory, as per a Chinese state media report. Read more here NCP details Sharad Pawar-Prashant Kishor's 3 hour meet; says 'PK not appointed as advisor' Explaining the sudden Prashant Kishor-Sharad Pawar meeting, NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik on Saturday, said that the meeting lasted for three hours. Refuting claims that Pawar has appointed Kishor as an NCP strategist, Malik said that Pawar wants to unite all Opposition parties and efforts will be made for this objective. Kishor - who has advised Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal, Priyanka Gandhi, Capt. Amarinder Singh, MK Stalin. Jagan Mohan Reddy, Nitish Kumar and Narendra Modi himself - recently quit as a poll strategist after trumping BJP in Bengal. Read more here India reports 84,332 new cases in last 24 hours, lowest in 70 days; active cases below 11L Continuing the downward trend, India saw its lowest single-day rise in the recent 70 days on Saturday, June 12, with over 84,000 new COVID-19 infections registered in the country in the previous 24 hours. According to the Union Health Ministry data on Saturday morning, India recorded 84,332 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases to 2,93,59,155, while the death toll rose to 3,67,081 after 4,002 fatalities were reported in the same time period. Read more here On Saturday, Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to treat large-scale riverbank erosion in Malda and Murshidabad districts of West Bengal as a national disaster. He urged the government to release adequate funds for mitigation. Chowdhury represents Berhampore Lok Sabha constituency in the Murshidabad district. 'Neo-refugees with many social problems': Congress MP "Large chunks of fertile lands have been lost to the Ganga, which flows through the two minority-dominated districts, rendering lakhs of people homeless and making them "neo- refugees". They become landless and lose their livelihood. Sometimes, poverty leads to an increase in crimes. It creates neo-refugees with many social problems," the senior Congress leader told the Prime Minister in the letter. Chowdhary cited an example of the problems faced by the erosion-affected people and said a colony of such people from Malda has come up in Mumbai's Byculla area, where they are branded as Bangladeshi infiltrators as they have also lost their documents to the erosion. "During the UPA regime, a large fund was sanctioned for the above issue. I request you to kindly release adequate funds to check the land erosion and protect the life and livelihood of the affected people," he said. West Bengal riverbank erosion Ganga flows through Malda before entering Murshidabad, where it splits into Bhagirathi that flows south through West Bengal and the Padma which flows east into Bangladesh. Every monsoon a large number of people are affected by riverbank erosion. Malda district In the early decades of the twentieth century, the Ganges flowed in a south-easterly course between Rajmahal and Farakka, but later in the century, it formed a large meander to accommodate the additional water because of the barrage construction. Furthermore, nearly 64 crores tonnes of silt are accumulated annually on the river bed. All these lead to massive erosion of the left bank. Murshidabad district As of 2013, an estimated 2.4 million people reside along the banks of the Ganges alone in the Murshidabad district. Severe erosion occurs all along this bank. From a little above Nimtita, about 20 km downstream from Farakka, the Ganges flows along the international boundary with Bangladesh on the left bank. The following blocks have to face the brunt of erosion year after year, Between 1931 and 1977, 26,769 hectares have been eroded and many villages have been fully submerged. (With PTI Inputs) (Image Credits: PTI/ANI) After Congress MP Digvijaya Singh was heard hinting at a possible return of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir when his party returns to power in a clubhouse chat, former Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir (autonomous state) and BJP leader Kavinder Gupta slammed the Congress leader, calling his statement 'shameful'. Ever since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, Congress has taken a strong stance against the Central Government's move. Gupta said, "Congress has always been anti-India and that is why they always make such claims. Their senior leader Mani Shankar Iyer goes to Pakistan and seeks their help to form a government, and whatever Digvijaya Singh was heard saying today is shameful. He said whatever Pakistan wants to happen. Pakistan wants to reinstate Article 370. Digvijaya Singh is speaking their language. It is also part of their toolkit campaign." "Pakistan praises Congress in their news channels, which is a matter of shame. Congress does not want peace and prosperity to exist in the country. They will be finished soon," he added. 'Revocation Of Art 370 Must Be Relooked': Digvijaya Singh BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya on Saturday shared a clip of an alleged clubhouse chat of the Congress party, where senior leader and Madhya Pradesh MP Digvijaya Singh can be heard hinting at a possible return of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir when his party returns to power. In the 1-minute clip shared by Malviya, Digvijaya Singh tells a Pakistani journalist that the decision to revoke Article 370 was an 'extremely sad decision,' and that when the Congress comes to power, they will 'certainly have to relook on this issue.' "Democracy was not there in Kashmir when they revoked Article 370. Their insaniyat (humanity) was not there because they put everyone behind bars, and kashmiriyat is something that is basically the fundamentals of secularism. In a Muslim-majority state, there is Hindu praja and both work together. The reservation in Kashmir is given to Kashmiri pandits in government services. Therefore the decision of revoking Article 370 and revoking the statehood of J&K is an extremely sad decision and the Congress party will certainly have to have a relook on this issue," said Digvijay Singh. Amid the controversy over the Congress clubhouse tape, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra addressed a press conference on Saturday where he lashed out at senior leader Digvijaya Singh for echoing Pakistan's demands and 'spewing venom' against India. Hitting out at Singh, Patra alleged that all this was a part of the 'toolkit' against India sharing how the MP had taken Pakistan's side after the Pulwama attack and the 26/11 attacks as well. "Today an important topic going on in TV channels is 'Clubhouse'. We all have seen through TV channels how the veteran leader of the clubhouse-- Digvijaya Singh is spewing venom against India outside and how he is agreeing with Pakistan's demands. This is the same Digvijaya Singh, who had told the Pulwama attack just an accident, he had called the 26/11 attack a conspiracy of RSS and also tried to give clean chit to Pakistan at that time," said Sambit Patra. "In the clubhouse, a Pakistani journalist asks this question that after the removal of Narendra Modi, what will be the Kashmir policy. Digvijaya ji thanks that journalist on such a question and says that if Modi ji is removed from power and Congress government comes then he will re-establish Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir," he added. Sambit Patra claimed that Digvijaya Singh was a 'stage-manager' for the discussion, alleging that the Congress leader had himself asked the Pakistani journalist to ask such a question. "It's all part of that toolkit. I request the Congress party to change its name and change INC to ANC (Anti National Club House). People who hate Modi ji have also, in turn, started hating India," he said. Congress Clubhouse row BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya on Saturday shared a clip of an alleged clubhouse chat of the Congress party, where senior leader and Madhya Pradesh MP Digvijaya Singh can be heard hinting at a possible return of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, when his party returns to power. In the 1-minute clip shared by Malviya, Digvijaya Singh tells a Pakistani journalist that the decision to revoke Article 370 was an 'extremely sad decision,' and that when the Congress comes to power, they will 'certainly have to relook on this issue.' "Democracy was not there in Kashmir when they revoked Article 370. Their insaniyat (humanity) was not there because they put everyone behind bars, and kashmiriyat is something which is basically the fundamentals of secularism. In a Muslim-majority state, there is Hindu praja and both work together. The reservation in Kashmir is given to Kashmiri pandits in government services. Therefore decision of revoking Article 370 and revoking the statehood of J&K is an extremely sad decision and the Congress party will certainly have to have a relook on this issue," said Digvijay Singh. BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya on Saturday shared a clip of an alleged clubhouse chat of the Congress party, where senior leader and Madhya Pradesh MP Digvijaya Singh can be heard hinting at a possible return of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, when his party returns to power. In the 1-minute clip shared by Malviya, Digvijaya Singh tells a Pakistani journalist that the decision to revoke Article 370 was an 'extremely sad decision,' and that when the Congress comes to power, they will 'certainly have to relook on this issue.' "Democracy was not there in Kashmir when they revoked Article 370. Their insaniyat (humanity) was not there because they put everyone behind bars, and kashmiriyat is something which is basically the fundamentals of secularism. In a Muslim-majority state, there is Hindu praja and both work together. The reservation in Kashmir is given to Kashmiri pandits in government services. Therefore decision of revoking Article 370 and revoking the statehood of J&K is an extremely sad decision and the Congress party will certainly have to have a relook on this issue," said Digvijay Singh. The clubhouse clip of the Congress leader was shared by Amit Malviya who slammed the grand-old party for echoing Pakistan's wishes. In a Club House chat, Rahul Gandhis top aide Digvijaya Singh tells a Pakistani journalist that if Congress comes to power they will reconsider the decision of abrogating Article 370 Really? pic.twitter.com/x08yDH8JqF Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) June 12, 2021 Congress joins hands with PAGD Ever since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, Congress has taken a strong stance against the Centre's move. In December 2020, the party announced that it would extend support to the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) a consortium of parties such as the NC, PDP, Congress, CPI(M), JKPC and ANC which pledged to protect the "identity, autonomy and special status" of J&K. After strong criticism, and the party's differing stance on certain issues, they decided to contest the District Development Council polls separately, however, extended outside support to the alliance. The alliance has been formed to 'struggle' for the restoration of Article 370. As veteran Congress leader Digvijaya Singh courted controversy with his leaked Clubhouse chat on Saturday morning, his former ally and now a BJP leader Jitin Prasada remarked that the former Madhya Pradesh CM is known for his 'pro-Pakistan views'. Prasada echoed his new companions as the BJP has launched a scathing attack against the veteran Congress leader over his Clubhouse chat with a Pakistani journalist where he has allegedly hinted at the return of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir when his party returns to power. Taking a subtle and sarcastic dig at Digvijaya Singh, the now BJP leader also said that if the Congress leader continues to toe Pakistan's line, he might also condemn former India Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for 'dividing Pakistan'. Jitin Prasada was referring to the 1971 India-Pakistan war under the Indira Gandhi regime, when India annexed East Pakistan from its western wing, thereby liberating Bangladesh. He is known for his pro-Pakistan views. This way one day he might even condemn Indira ji for dividing Pakistan . https://t.co/VVpj1hp9j6 Jitin Prasada (@JitinPrasada) June 12, 2021 Notably, Digvijaya Singh has often been accused by the BJP of favouring Pakistan's stance. In another instance earlier in 2019, the former MP CM had issued an appeal to PM Modi and HM Amit Shah to be 'careful otherwise India will lose Kashmir'. His comments had come just days after the abrogation of Article 370. Digvijaya Singh, Congress: Refer to the international media & see what is happening in Kashmir. They've (Government) burnt their hands in fire, saving Kashmir is our primary focus. I appeal to Modi ji, Amit Shah ji & Ajit Doval ji to be careful otherwise we will lose Kashmir. pic.twitter.com/sqZV0yKmwX ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2019 BJP leaks Digvijaya Singh's Clubhouse chat BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya on Saturday shared a clip of an alleged clubhouse chat of the Congress party, where senior leader and Madhya Pradesh MP Digvijaya Singh can be heard hinting at a possible return of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, when his party returns to power. In the 1-minute clip shared by Malviya, Digvijaya Singh tells a Pakistani journalist that the decision to revoke Article 370 was an 'extremely sad decision,' and that when the Congress comes to power, they will 'certainly have to relook on this issue.' "Democracy was not there in Kashmir when they revoked Article 370. Their insaniyat (humanity) was not there because they put everyone behind bars, and kashmiriyat is something which is basically the fundamentals of secularism. In a Muslim-majority state, there is Hindu praja and both work together. The reservation in Kashmir is given to Kashmiri pandits in government services. Therefore decision of revoking Article 370 and revoking the statehood of J&K is an extremely sad decision and the Congress party will certainly have to have a relook on this issue," said Digvijay Singh. Ever since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, Congress has taken a strong stance against the Centre's move. In December 2020, the party announced that it would extend support to the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) a consortium of parties such as the NC, PDP, Congress, CPI(M), JKPC and ANC which pledged to protect the "identity, autonomy and special status" of J&K. Backing Digvjaya Singh's contentious 'restore Article 370' remark, NC chief Farooq Abdullah on Saturday, said he welcomed it and was grateful to the Congress MP for raising it. Abdullah said that Singh had realised the sentiments of the people and hoped the Centre would relook into the issue. The Madhya Pradesh MP created controversy when he told a Pakistani journalist that when the Congress comes to power, they will 'certainly have to relook into Article 370,' in an alleged 'Clubhouse' chat. Farooq Abdullah: 'Grateful to Digvijaya, Centre should relook' #WATCH | I'm very grateful to Digvijaya Singh Ji. He has realized sentiments of people as other parties who have also spoken about it. I welcome it heartily & hope govt will look into it again: National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah on Singh's remark during a Clubhouse chat pic.twitter.com/4Mh9LrSX61 ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2021 Digvijay Singh: 'Congress will relook into Art 370' Earlier in the day, BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya shared a clip of an alleged clubhouse chat of the Congress party, where senior leader and Madhya Pradesh MP Digvijaya Singh can be heard hinting at a possible return of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, when his party returns to power. In the 1-minute clip shared by Malviya, Digvijaya Singh tells a Pakistani journalist that the decision to revoke Article 370 was an 'extremely sad decision,' and that when the Congress comes to power, they will 'certainly have to relook on this issue'. The clip has been severely criticised by top BJP leaders. "Democracy was not there in Kashmir when they revoked Article 370. Their insaniyat (humanity) was not there because they put everyone behind bars, and kashmiriyat is something which is basically the fundamentals of secularism. In a Muslim-majority state, there is Hindu praja and both work together. The reservation in Kashmir is given to Kashmiri pandits in government services. Therefore decision of revoking Article 370 and revoking the statehood of J&K is an extremely sad decision and the Congress party will certainly have to have a relook on this issue," said Digvijay Singh. Fuming over Singh's remarks, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra said the ex-Madhya Pradesh CM was spewing venom' against India, alleging it was a part of the 'toolkit' against India. Pointing out how Singh had taken Pakistan's side after the Pulwama attack and the 26/11 attacks as well, he claimed that Digvijaya Singh was a 'stage-manager' for the discussion, alleging that the Congress leader had himself asked the Pakistani journalist to ask such a question. Similarly, Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh said that Digvijaya Singh's remarks reflect the mindset of the Congress party that has 'sown the seeds' of separatism in Kashmir. Other BJP leaders too condemned Singh's comments. On 5 August 2019, Parliament revoked Article 370 & Article 35 A, bifurcating the state into two Union territories - Jammu- Kashmir & Ladakh. Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has been facing flak from the BJP over his alleged leaked chat where he is heard telling a Pakistan journalist that if Congress comes to power, it will consider revoking Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. While the BJP strongly objected to his remarks and dubbed Congress as a clubhouse of anti-nationals, the Madhya Pradesh BJP slammed Digvijaya demanding a probe by the NIA into the veteran leaders activities. MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has also accused Sonia Gandhi-led party of speaking the "language of Pakistan". During a clubhouse conversation, Singh purportedly made the remarks to a journalist of Pakistani origin, the BJP claimed on Saturday. The partys IT cell chief Amit Malviya shared a clip of Digvijay Singh's purported chat on Twitter, claiming that in the clubhouse chat, the Congress leader was talking about reconsidering Article 370 in Kashmir. "Democracy was not there in Kashmir when they revoked Article 370. Then ''insaniyat'' (humanity) was not there because they put everyone behind bars and ''Kashmiriyat'' is something that is basically the fundamentals of secularism. Because in a Muslim-majority state, there was a Hindu raja (king) and both worked together. In fact, the reservation in Kashmir was given to Kashmiri Pandits in government services. So, therefore, the decision of revoking Article 370 and reducing the statehood of J&K is an extremely sad decision and the Congress party would certainly have to have a relook on this issue," Digvijay Singh is allegedly heard saying in this audio. BJP demands NIA probe In a sharp reaction, MP CM Chouhan said Congress committed a sin by imposing Article 370 in Kashmir and accused the party of speaking the language of Pakistan. Meanwhile, state BJP president VD Sharma wrote a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah demanding an NIA investigation into his activities including phone calls. Sharma also questioned the involvement of a Pakistani journalist in this chat. "NIA should investigate all the activities of Digvijaya Singh. The act of involvement of Pakistan's journalist in the chat should also be investigated...I will write a letter to the union home minister in this regard," the BJP leader said. Amid criticism from the BJP, Digvijaya Singh posted a tweet saying, "Illiterates cannot understand the difference between shall and consider." In its first response to Singhs comments, a senior State Congress spokesperson said the Abrogation of Article 370 is a national issue and the party has yet not issued any guidelines to speak on this subject. "We can't give a reaction on Singh's alleged statement on this issue as of now," he said. Hours after Digvijaya Singh's remarks sparked controversy on Saturday, the Congress asked its leaders to follow the party's stance on the issue of abrogation of Article 370 as articulated in the August 6, 2019 resolution of the CWC. According to a clubhouse conversation available on social media, Singh purportedly said the decision of revoking Article 370 and reducing the statehood of J&K is extremely sad and that the Congress party would certainly have a relook on the issue. He was responding to a question about the ''way forward in J&K once the Modi government is gone''. The BJP launched a scathing attack on the Congress veteran with top party leaders accusing them of speaking ''the language of Pakistan'' and spewing venom against India. ''The Congress Party has clearly stated its position on Jammu and Kashmir, in its resolution of August 6, 2019, of the Congress Working Committee. This is the only official stance of the party. I urge and request all senior leaders to refer to the same,'' Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said on Singh's remarks. According to the CWC resolution of August 6, 2019, Congress ''deplores the unilateral, brazen and totally undemocratic manner in which Article 370 of the Constitution was abrogated and the State of Jammu and Kashmir was dismembered by misinterpreting the provisions of the Constitution. ''The Indian National Congress pledges to stand with the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh and to fight the BJP and its divisive and diabolical agenda with every power in its hands. We urge the people of J&K to maintain peace and calm,'' it said. J&K integral part of India: CWC The CWC ''strongly reaffirmed the consistent and stated position'' of the Congress that J&K, including the areas under the illegal occupation of Pakistan and the part ceded by it to China, are an integral part of the Republic of India. The integration of J&K with India is final and irrevocable, it said, ''The CWC firmly asserted that all issues pertaining to J&K are internal matters of India and no outside interference will be tolerated,'' the resolution had further said. Singh's alleged remarks to a journalist of Pakistani origin were shared by BJP leaders on Saturday, unleashing a torrent of criticism against the opposition party and demand a response from Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi on the issue. 'Everything was approved before (by UEFA)' That was the reaction from the Ukraine FA on Thursday after UEFA asked them to remove a 'political slogan' from their Euro 2020 shirts. UEFA - who had originally approved rthe shirts were reactiong to a protest by Russia The shirt, containing a map showing Russian-annexed Crimea as part of Ukraine also included the phrase "Glory to the heroes". However, UEFA now say the combination of the map and wording inside the shirt clearly has "historic and militaristic significance". (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) Algerians vote Saturday for a new parliament in an election with a majority of novice independent candidates running under new rules meant to satisfy demands of pro-democracy protesters and open the way to a new Algeria. On Saturday morning a trickle of mostly elderly voters were seen placing their ballots at various polling stations in Algiers, the country's capital. Speaking to the Associated Press, voter Abedelhamid Mokhtari said that he had come out to make his voice heard. "People should give their voice and choose good people, people who are honest," Mokhtari said. Another voter, Mohammed Touati, said he was hopeful for change. "I am 84-years-old and today I woke up at 8am because I still have hope for change." Outside the station, however, a young Algerian man, Yahia Siraoui, said that he wasn't voting and never has in the past. The early election is supposed to exemplify President Abdelmadjid Tebboune's "new Algeria," with an emphasis on young candidates and those outside the political elite. A huge number of candidates more than 20,000 -- are running for the 407-seat legislature, more than half running as independents and the other on party lists. It's the first legislative election since former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika was forced from office in 2019 after 20 years in power amid protests over corruption, joblessness and repression. But the threat of boycott, worries about the coronavirus and general frustration with the political system mean turnout Saturday may be low. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) Women took to the streets of Barcelona Friday night to protest violence against women following the finding of the body of a child taken by her father without the mother's permission some weeks ago. Thousands joined demonstrations across Spain as the country mourned six-year-old Olivia, the older of the two sisters abducted by their father over a month ago. The country was in shock after investigators combing the seabed near the Canary Islands found the body. Coroners have confirmed the body found in a bag and tied to an anchor at a depth of some 1,000 meters (3,200 feet) belonged to Olivia. Another similar bag that was empty was found nearby by a special oceanographic research vessel helping in the search, Spain's Civil Guard said, adding that the search for one-year-old Anna and their father, Tomas Gimeno, is still ongoing. Numerous political figures and civil society groups on Friday condemned Olivia's death and showed support for the girls' mother, Beatriz Zimmermann. Gimeno and the girls went missing on April 27 in Tenerife, the largest island in the archipelago off West Africa. Their mother, who is divorced from the girls' father, alleged he told her she would never see them again. Men have killed at least 18 women so far this year in Spain, according to data from the Equality Ministry, which has recorded 1,096 deaths since 2013, when the country started keeping data on crimes of gender violence. Abusers often use children as means to inflict harm on their partners or ex-partners: since 2013, 39 minors have been murdered in the country by their biological fathers. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) Even as the world continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic since the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in 2019, Chinese researchers claim to have found a batch of new Coronaviruses in bats. As per reports, one of the viruses amongst the new-found batch is said to be the second-closest virus to SARS-CoV-2 which causes COVID-19. Pertinently, the RaTG13 virus discovered by China's 'Bat Lady' Shi Zhengli remains the genetically closest virus to SARS-CoV-2 with 96% similarities. The discovery of the new batch of virus assumes significance as there has been a growing clamour demanding an independent probe into China's role in the COVID-19 outbreak. It has been claimed that the COVID causing virus had originated from bats and made its jump into pangolins before infecting humans and causing a global pandemic, which is why the new discovery by Chinese researchers sends signals of fears at a time when the world is already reeling with the effects of COVID-19. As per a report published in the journal Cell, several Chinese researchers from Shandong University claimed to have assembled 24 novel Coronavirus genomes from different bat species, including four SARS-CoV-2 like Coronaviruses. The samples are said to be collected from small, forest-dwelling bats between May 2019 and November 2020. The researchers have said that they tested urine and feces as well as taking swabs from the bats' mouths. Identifying one particular Coronavirus, the Chinese researchers have said that it would be the 'closest strain' to SARS-CoV-2, pointing out certain differences in the spike protein of the strain, which is the knob-like structure that the virus uses when attaching to cells. "Together with the SARS-CoV-2 related virus collected from Thailand in June 2020, these results clearly demonstrate that viruses closely related to SARS-CoV-2 continue to circulate in bat populations, and in some regions might occur at a relatively high frequency," they wrote. Pune scientist couple trace COVID origin Earlier, two scientists from Pune, Dr Manali Rahalkar and Dr Rahul Bahulikar came forth with a 'Master Thesis' which they say sheds light on what might be going on at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) and why the 'lab-leak theory' might be real. Dr Manali Rahalkar, a scientist at the BioEnergy Group at Agarkar Research Institute of Pune, and Dr Rahul Bahulikar, a scientist at BAIF Development Foundation in Pune, spoke to Republic's Sanika Kanekar and elucidated the finer points of what the world is currently talking about, including the fact that RaTG13 was found by Shi Zhengli to be over 96% similar to SARS-CoV-2 days after the latter virus was first discovered. Tracing the possible origins of COVID-19 back to 2012, Dr Rahalkar while speaking to Republic Media Network on Saturday, recollected that during her research she found that in 2012, 6 miners had fallen sick while working in a bat cave in the Mojiang province of China. The miners, out of which three died, showed symptoms of COVID-19 including cough, pneumonia and blood clotting. It was this incident, which led to Zhengli's research that concluded with the identification of RaTG13 - which subsequently emerged as the closest known relative of SARS-CoV-2. Republic has independently explored the origin of SARS-CoV-2 in the context of all of Shi Zhengli's works and statements. That may be read here: The Frightening COVID Origin Charge Against China's Shi Zhengli, Wuhan's Bat Virologist Amidst the ongoing G7 Summit in Cornwall, which is being hosted by the United Kingdom (UK), the 'Group of Seven' is looking to counter China's infrastructural expansion all around the world. For the first time since the global coronavirus pandemic, the leaders of the world's most advanced economies convened on the Cornish coast for the Group of Seven (G7) meeting on Friday, June 11. The theme of this year's G7 summit is 'Build Back Better,' and the UK has set four priorities for its presidency: leading the global recovery from the coronavirus while strengthening resilience against future pandemics, promoting future prosperity by championing free and fair trade, combating climate change and preserving the planet's biodiversity, and championing shared values and open societies. G7 Nations To Unveil Global Infrastructure Plan To Compete With China On the second day of the G7 summit, United States' President Joe Biden is likely to push democratic allies to publicly call out China for forced labor practices. It is also reported that the G7 leaders at the summit will also unveil an infrastructure plan meant to compete with Beijings efforts in the developing world. The provocative proposal is part of US President Joe Biden's escalating campaign to get fellow democratic leaders to present a more unified front to compete economically with China in the century ahead, according to two senior administration officials who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the plans for the seaside summit publicly as reported by AP. The officials said Biden wanted G-7 leaders to speak out in a single voice against forced labour practices targeting Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities. Biden hopes the denunciation will be part of the joint communique released at the summit's end, but some European allies have been reluctant to so forcefully split with Beijing. G7 nations- the United States, Canada, Britain, Germany, Italy, France, and Japan want to use their gathering in the seaside resort of Carbis Bay to show the world that the richest democracies can offer an alternative to China's growing clout. Macron criticises some G7 members banning vaccine component exports to India Earlier, on the question of ban on vaccine components, French President Macron cited the case of India, of Serum Institute of India (SII) in particular, and the production of Covishield vaccine by which had been affected because of the export restrictions. He said, "Restrictions must be lifted so India can produce more for itself and quickly supply to Africans, who are dependent on its production." The reference he made was to the US, which relented its export ban on the said components after significant diplomatic exchanges from India's end, and with SII CEO Adar Poonawalla personally requesting US President Joe Biden in a tweet. (Image Credits: AP) Suhad Abdel Latif has lived on this street in Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem all of her life. But soon, she and her family and relatives may be served with an eviction notice by an Israeli court. Far-right Jewish settler groups have been waging legal battles against many of the Palestinian residents of Sheikh Jarrah claiming that the properties were originally owned by Jews before the war of 1948. Israeli law allows only Jews to reclaim property lost during the 1948 war which saw the establishment of the State of Israel and the dispossession of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. "I was born in this neighbourhood. I am 42. And for 42 years I've been in this house, in this neighbourhood. My childhood, I took my first steps in this house, my first day of school was from here, through this house door," said Abdel Latif. Following Israel's occupation of East Jerusalem in the June war of 1967, Israeli settler groups filed eviction suits against dozens of Palestinian families living there, many of whom are registered, by the UN relief and works agency, as Palestine refugees. The lower courts have ruled in favour of the Jewish settlers. The cases are now under appeal. The looming evictions have triggered massive protests in East Jerusalem that quickly spread to the West Bank and in mixed cities within Israel. On May 10, Hamas, the militant group that rules the Gaza Strip, fired rockets at Israel, triggering an 11-day war. "This is my grandfather's home. He had received it from the UNRWA and the Jordanian government. It's not a big home. He lived in it with my grandmother, my father and my uncles. When my father got married, he built this home adjacent to my grandfather's home," Abdel Latif explained. The High Court announced it will convene again before July 20 to listen to the residents' appeal. "The recent activism that took place in Sheikh Jarrah and the protests by the youth, the sit ins, and their use of social media did make an achievement but in practice did not solve the issue," she said. Meanwhile solidarity with the residents of the neighbourhood continued. On Friday Palestinian and left-wing Israelis held a protest outside the neighbourhood. Arab member of Knesset, Aida Touma-Suleiman was there. "Our presence here today holds a special importance. It says the struggle and steadfastness of the people of Sheikh Jarrah is ongoing and the more they intensify the attack against Sheikh Jarrah, the more we raise our struggle and support to them to stop the expulsion." (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) Just a day after a sharp increase in the population of donkeys was reported in Pakistan, the country's Opposition decided to give the survey a political twist as it protested against the Imran Khan-led PTI government during the budget session in the Parliament. The Pakistani Opposition gathered in unison, with placards in hand, to protest against Imran Khan's government as Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin on Friday presented the budget for 2021-22. The Finance Minister's budget speech was almost muted by the Opposition's slogan chanting, as a chorus of 'Donkey Raja Ki Sarkar Nahi Chalegi, Nahi Chalegi' echoed through the chambers of the Pakistan National Assembly. The Opposition, in protest against Imran Khan, continued to chant the slogan, which quite literally dubbed the Pakistan Prime Minister as the 'Donkey King'. Even as the cash-strapped country's Finance Minister announced a federal budget of Rs 8.5 trillion for the FY 2021-22, the Opposition continued to chant the slogan, which translates to 'Donkey King's government will not work, will not work'. Watch the Opposition's sloganeering against PM Imran Khan here - Opposition party member of Pakistan chant Donkey Raja Ki Sarkar Nahi Chalegi during the budget session of the parliament. #NayaPakistan (#CountryofBeggers) pic.twitter.com/JtSSBIIBnh Birpratap Singh $ $ (@BirPra_Singh) June 12, 2021 Meanwhile, in a bid to save his own head, Imran Khan's Finance Minister, in his budget speech, criticised the previous government's in Pakistan as he remarked that the PTI-led government had to inherit a 'mountain of circular debut amounting to 1 trillion Pakistan Rupees'. Tarin claimed that remittances had increased in Pakistan, adding that these are expected to rise to $29bn by the end of this month. The Finance Minister also self-proclaimed that the PTI government had steered Pakistan towards a growth period, claiming that all sectors have witnessed a boost. Pakistan Witnessed Increase In Donkey Population Pakistan has become the worlds third top country to have the largest donkey population in the year 2021 that has shot past 5 million, Pakistan-based channel Geo TV reported. The country is now facing an increase of 100,000 donkeys per year, according to the statistics listed by the Economic Survey 2021. Theres also a 1.2 million spike in the population of the buffalos, while the sheep population has risen from 31.2 million to 31.5 million, with a spike of a whopping 400,000 per year. The increase in the number of cattle and donkeys in Pakistan was first revealed by the Punjab Livestock Department. ANI reports, citing the economic survey that a donkey costing about Rs 35,000 to Rs 55,000 to an owner makes them the business of approximately Rs 1,000 per day. "Our business of donkeys here is flourishing. Also, we get good returns when we sell them," a donkey breeder told Geo, according to the news agency ANI. Earlier, Pakistan broke records in terms of maximum temperatures in April in over 70 years. The temperature in the country reached 43.6 degrees Celsius with 6 per cent humidity. Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) issued warnings of the heatwave currents across several parts as the dry winds swept on one of the most scorching days in decades. United Nations, Jun 11 (PTI) Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana and the United Arab Emirates were elected unopposed to the powerful UN Security Council on Friday as non-permanent members for the 2022-23 term. The 193-member UN General Assembly held elections to elect five non-permanent members who will take their seats on the 15-nation Council for a two-year term beginning January 1, 2022. All the five countries won the elections unopposed as they were the only candidates from their respective regional groups vying for the allotted seats on the Council. As per regional distribution for the 2021 election, three seats were available from the African and Asian States that went to Gabon, Ghana and the United Arab Emirates, one Latin American and Caribbean Group seat to which Brazil was elected and the Eastern European Group seat that went to Albania. Ghana obtained 185 votes out of the valid 190 ballots, Gabon 183 and the United Arab Emirates 179. Albania got 175 votes out of the 189 valid ballots with 14 abstentions, while Brazil garnered 181 votes of the total 190 valid ballots with 8 abstentions. Estonia, Niger, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia and Vietnam will complete their two-year terms on the Council this year and the five newly elected members will sit at the horse-shoe table along with five permanent members China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States as well as the five non-permanent members India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico and Norway, whose terms at the Council will end December 31, 2022. India will assume the rotating Presidency of the Security Council in August. India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador T S Tirumurti tweeted: "Congrats to all five newly elected members to the UN Security Council. India looks forward to working closely with you all." The election for the non-permanent members of the Security Council is held by secret ballot and candidates require a two-thirds majority in the General Assembly to be elected. Every year, five countries are elected to the 15-member Council as non-permanent members for a two-year term, according to a geographical rotation set by the General Assembly in 1963, to ensure fair regional representation: five from African and Asian and Pacific States; one from Eastern Europe; two from Latin American States; and two from Western European and Other States (WEOG). PTI YAS IND AKJ IND (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte lost his balance during a wreath-laying ceremony for the 123rd anniversary of the proclamation of Philippine independence in Bulacan province on Saturday. Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana quickly assisted the 76 year-old Duterte back to the platform. The Philippines commemorates the declaration of Philippine independence from Spain in 1898 every June 12. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) During his three-day visit to Kuwait, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday interacted with members of the Indian community in the Middle-East Asian nation. Welcomed the openness to address the issues of Indian community in Kuwait. Witnessed signing of a MoU that will give our workers greater legal protection. Launched the celebration of 60th anniversary of our ties. pic.twitter.com/xaKDm7H35T Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) June 10, 2021 Noting the imperative energy partnership with Kuwait, EAM Jaishankar said that the latest trip was focused on ways to find new areas of cooperation. While addressing the Indian diaspora virtually, Jaishankar promised more direct contact on his next trip. Chaired a fruitful meeting of Indian Ambassadors in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain today. Discussions focused on: 1. Ensuring utmost welfare of the Indian community in respective jurisdictions. pic.twitter.com/LvfoPACso5 Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) June 10, 2021 EAM Jaishankar while addressing the media, said, ".....My visit and my talks with Foreign Minister Ahmed were actually focused on how do we find new areas of cooperation, as keeping in mind both the immediate impact of the COVID because I think all of us have learnt many things from COVID experience, as well as the longer-term changes which are happening." Jaishankar stated how the current environment is "very dominated by COVID concerns, health issues have become very important for every society. In fact, we look at health very much today as part of our national security." He added how food security is also a big challenge presently. He mentioned that during his talks with the Kuwaiti leadership education was also discussed. Pursuant to this, he commented, "We discussed education because I think people do see India today as not just a source of skills and talents but as a country, which is being quite creative about growing its educational capacities." Later, EAM Jaishankar concluded a fruitful meeting with Indian Ambassadors in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain today. He further elucidated on discussions which focused on: Ensuring the utmost welfare of the Indian community in respective jurisdictions. Facilitating reuniting of families separated by COVID disruption Interceding for early return of Indian talent and skills who left the Gulf during the pandemic. Encouraging speedy resumption of flights to Gulf destinations to help NRIs. Strongly push our trade interests that contribute to economic recovery at home. Confident that our Ambassadors and Embassies will deliver on these priorities. S Jaishankar also thanked Kuwait for providing medical oxygen supplies during trying times of the deadly COVID-19 second wave in India. Japan has filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) over China's anti-dumping duties on their stainless steel products, saying that the tariffs of up to 29 per cent violate international trade rules. On June 11, Japan initiated a request for consultations with China under the WTO Agreement regarding China's measure imposing anti-dumping duties on stainless steel products, which has been in place since July 2019. What Are Anti-Dumping Duties? An anti-dumping duty is a protectionist tariff (policy of protecting domestic industries against foreign competition) that a domestic government imposes on foreign imports that it believes are priced below the fair market value. Whereas, Dumping is a process wherein a company exports a product at a price that is significantly lower than its price charged in its home market. Contextually, in the long term, anti-dumping duties could reduce the international competition of domestic companies producing similar goods and products. The WTO deals with the rules of trade between nations, including the international regulation of anti-dumping measures. Japan-China Anti-Dumping Duties In July 2019, China started imposing anti-dumping (AD) duties on stainless steel products imported from Japan, the Republic of Korea, Indonesia and the EU, claiming that its domestic industry was being injured by the dumped imports of such products. According to the country's Economy and Trade Ministry, Japan considers AD measure to be inconsistent with the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 due to flaws in the Chinese authorities' determination and its investigation procedures. Now Japan has repeatedly asked China to abolish the AD measure at the WTO and in bilateral meetings too but has failed to resolve the matter at hand. Therefore, it has requested consultations under the WTO agreement. As recorded in 2019, the total value of exports of stainless steel from Japan to China is approximately 70 billion yen per year, of which exports of the products subject to the AD measure account for approximately 9.2 billion yen. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte paid tribute to pandemic frontline workers during independence day celebrations on Saturday. Duterte laid a wreath at the statue of General Gregorio del Pilar, a monument to a Filipino general of the Philippine revolutionary army during the Philippine-American war. The Philippines commemorates the declaration of its independence from Spain in 1898 every June 12. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) United Nations, Jun 11 (PTI) India on Friday said it has "grave concern" about the deliberate targeting of religious and ethnic minorities in Afghanistan as the UN Security Council strongly condemned the "atrocious and cowardly" attack by the Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP) against humanitarian mine clearance workers in the war-torn country this week. Ten workers from the Hazara community were killed in the attack, injuring 14 others. The ISKP is an entity affiliated with Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Daesh). In a press statement, the 15-nation Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the atrocious and cowardly targeted attack that took place in Baghlan-e-Markazi, Afghanistan on June 8. India "has grave concern about the deliberate targeting of religious and ethnic minorities in Afghanistan," India's Permanent Mission to the UN tweeted as the UNSC Press Statement was issued. The victims belonged to the HALO Trust de-mining organisation, one of several such bomb-clearance organisations in Afghanistan. The Council members underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice The Security Council members reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security. "Deliberately targeting humanitarian workers is especially abhorrent and must be condemned," the UNSC said. They urged all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with the Government of Afghanistan and all other relevant authorities in this regard. Expressing their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government of Afghanistan, Council members reiterated that any act of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed. The Council reaffirmed the need for all States to combat by all means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and other obligations under international law, including international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law, threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts. Hazaras are part of the Shia community who live in Afghanistan and Balochistan province of Pakistan. They have been often targeted by the Sunni militants. In the last few years, hundreds of Hazaras have been killed in either suicide bomb attacks, planted bomb blasts or target killings. Hazaras are disproportionately targeted by sectarian violence as they are easily identifiable due to their distinctive physical appearance. PTI YAS IND (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) Peruvian Indigenous leaders called Friday for leftist Pedro Castillo to be confirmed as the country's next president amid the dispute over the results of a tight runoff. Peru finished tallying votes Thursday but no winner was declared, with electoral authorities saying they were scrutinizing a small number of ballots amid unproven claims of possible vote tampering leveled by the apparent loser. With votes from rural areas and Peruvian embassies abroad now fully in, Castillo maintained his narrow lead, with 50.2% of the votes against 49.8% for conservative Keiko Fujimori. The difference between the candidates was 70,774 votes. Peru's electoral tribunal, which was expected to take a week or more to officially declare a winner, was evaluating 631 tally sheets, about half of which had been questioned by campaign representatives. It was not clear how many votes were still up for grabs, but Fujimori said they could total at least 200,000. At a news conference in Lima, leaders from Indigenous communities representing roughly 7 million people gathered to voice their displeasure Castillo has not been formally declared president. "We believe the popular will should be respected," said Victor Maita Frisancho an Indigenous leader from Cusco. Castillo supporters continued to rally outside his Free Peru party headquarters hoping for an official announcement. Emotions had been running high even before Sunday's runoff election over what many people viewed as a cruel choice between two populists Castillo, an outsider who many feared would upend Peru's free-market model largely based on mineral exports, and Fujimori, who is fighting allegations of corruption that could land her in jail alongside her father, former president Alberto Fujimori. But with the passing of every hour, Fujimori's challenge seemed less likely to succeed, analysts said. Her campaign had yet to substantiate claims of fraud at polling stations. International election observers from the Organization of American States paid a visit Friday with Castillo in a home he is staying at while he waits on the results. "There should be peace and calm while we wait for the results the election authorities release," said Ruben Ramirez, Chief of the Organization of American States' election observer mission. "The candidate is willing to wait for those results in peace and calm for all of Peruvian society." Peru's electoral system is considered one of the most robust in Latin America, having been tested in a string of recent elections, including the 2016 vote, when Pedro Pablo Kuczynski defeated Fujimori by an even smaller margin of votes. All the same, with the exception of fellow leftist leaders in Argentina and Bolivia, few heads of state had congratulated Castillo or recognized him as Peru's president-elect. Amid the uncertainty, a Peruvian prosecutor investigating Fujimori for alleged money laundering requested said Thursday that she be jailed again for failing to abide by the terms of her parole granted over a year ago. Fujimori was released last year after spending more than a year in jail as part of a probe into millions of dollars in illegal campaign contributions she allegedly received from the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht. A group of 20 lawyers filed a lawsuit Friday against Fujimori for attempting to suppress Peruvian votes. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take part in the G7 virtual summit in Cornwall, which is being hosted by the United Kingdom. According to officials, Prime Minister Modi will participate in virtual G7 outreach sessions on June 12 and 13. The UK now holds the G7 presidency and India, Australia, South Africa and South Korea have been invited to the forthcoming meeting. PM Modi to attend UK-hosted G7 summit Due to the COVID-19 situation in the country, Prime Minister Modi postponed his visit to the UK for an in-person visit to attend the summit last month. For the first time since the global coronavirus pandemic, the leaders of the world's most advanced economies convened on the Cornish coast for the Group of Seven (G7) meeting on Friday, June 11. The theme of this year's G7 summit is 'Build Back Better,' and the UK has set four priorities for its presidency: leading the global recovery from the coronavirus while strengthening resilience against future pandemics, promoting future prosperity by championing free and fair trade, combating climate change and preserving the planet's biodiversity, and championing shared values and open societies. The Indian Prime Minister will be attending the G7 meeting for the second time. The G7 French presidency had invited India as a goodwill partner to the summit in 2019, and the Prime Minister took part in sessions on climate, ocean biodiversity, and digital transformation. UK-hosted G7 virtual summit India, Australia, and South Korea are among the special invitees to Johnson's G-7 Summit in Cornwall this year. The guest leaders would be asked to attend select sessions of the Group of Seven meeting, which is chaired by the United Kingdom and includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States, and the European Union (EU). PM Modi has denied an in-person visit for the second time in a row. The Prime Minister had already denied a trip to Porto, Portugal, to attend the India-EU Leaders' Meeting, which took place digitally on May 8. While the UK welcomed India this year, the US had extended an invitation in May of last year under President Donald Trump. Trump had previously described the G7 as a very outdated group and stated that India, Australia, South Korea, and Russia should be included in the club of the world's most advanced countries. Trump recommended that the G7 be renamed the "G10 or G11," and that the grouping meet in September or November 2020. However, due to the pandemic and the outcome of the US election, this was not possible. (with inputs from ANI) Picture Credit: PTI Several hospitality companies in one of South Carolina's most popular beach towns are accused of scamming dozens of foreign workers on work visas about their pay and living conditions, according to an indictment released this week. Three people working for Grandeur Management and related companies in Myrtle Beach now face federal charges of visa fraud, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of South Carolina said in a news release Thursday. The company allegedly lied to workers who had arrived in town on a visa program about what kinds of jobs they would have, how much they would get paid and what their living conditions would be, prosecutors said. Grandeur consistently paid the workers less than the amounts stated in their contracts, authorities said. Investigators with the U.S. Department of States Diplomatic Security Service and the Myrtle Beach Police Department found the company also lied about maintaining a cultural exchange program to sponsor Q-1 visas for employees, then placed those workers in housekeeping jobs instead. Dozens of victims have been identified, with perhaps hundreds" more expected in the investigation that has already spanned multiple years, acting U.S. Attorney for South Carolina Rhett DeHart said. Many of the victims came from Jamaica and the Philippines. Police have already arrested Grandeur Chief Executive Raja Imran Younas, Syed Rehan Naqvi of Rida Naqvi LLC, and Grandeur employee Jessica Voight. According to authorities, Younas and Naqvi charged unlawful fees to visa-seekers who wired money they then pocketed, according to authorities. Each of the there faces up to 20 years in prison on all charges. Russell Long, listed as Younas attorney, was not immediately available for comment Friday afternoon. Grandeur has previously faced allegations of mistreating foreign employees. In 2016, the Southern Poverty Law Center filed a complaint with the U.S. State Department for a students from the Dominican Republic and Jamaica who were allegedly misled by their visa sponsor before being placed with Grandeur Management, according to the The Sun News . Two workers from the Philippines also have filed complaints against the company under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act in recent years. Both workers accused Grandeur of making threats against their immigration status when they tried to raise concerns that they were not receiving overtime pay. One of those complaints was dismissed after a settlement agreement; the other remains pending in federal court. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) Note: We've recently updated our online systems. If you can't login please try resetting your password. You must login with an email address. If you don't have an email associated with your account email please call (208) 542-6777 for help. We get it. You don't want to see the ads. We'd just ask you to understand that those ads help us pay the bills and our reporters. Please, consider white-listing the Standard Journal in your ad-blocker or, even better, purchase a subscription so that you can help support quality local journalism. U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy vows to look into the use of defoliants in Laos during the Vietnam War. A disabled man sits in a wheelchair in his village in Ta-Oey district of southern Laos' Saravan province, where the toxic herbicide Agent Orange was sprayed, in an undated photo. The U.S. wartime use of Agent Orange and other defoliants in Laos more than a half-century ago is still causing dioxin-related congenital disabilities, according to a recent survey by an NGO that is urging Washington to help those who have suffered birth defects. The War Legacies Project, an NGO which raises awareness of the long-term health and environmental impacts of herbicides sprayed in Indochina, conducted a survey of 126 villages in southern Laos Savannakhet and Saravan provinces, bordering Vietnam, between 2015 and 2019. The villages sit within a five-kilometer (three-mile) radius of spray routes. The survey found that 500 people in Laos under 50 years of age have congenital disabilities that may be associated with their parents or grandparents exposure to toxic herbicides during the war. It also found that more than 50 percent of those affected were under the age of 20 leaving a legacy of debilitating diseases and birth defects in its wake more than two generations later, the NGO said. Dioxins manmade chemical compounds now recognized as known human carcinogens have been shown to induce birth defects in all species of animals that have been studied. The U.S. military sprayed 12 million gallons of dioxin-contaminated Agent Orange and eight million gallons of other herbicides on Vietnam and parts of Laos and Cambodia between 1961 and 1971 to kill vast swathes of forest and cropland during the Vietnam War, the report notes. The herbicides used during the war were up to 50 times more concentrated than what was acceptable to use on U.S. farms at the time, and Agent Orange the most notorious of the herbicides had been contaminated by dioxin during the manufacturing process by producing the chemical at too high a temperature, according to the report. The U.S. military sprayed nearly 400,000 gallons of mostly Agent Orange along the Ho Chi Minh Trial, which ran through Laos territory, between December 1965 and March 1966, the report says. At least 800 villages in five provinces in southern Laos were sprayed with herbicides during wartime, though the NGO was able to survey communities only in Savannakhet and Saravan provinces, said Susan Hammond, founder and executive director of the War Legacies Project. The other three provinces are Khammouane, Sekong, and Attapeu. Part of the problem with Laos is also that we dont know the full extent of the spraying, she said she said in an interview with RFA. On average about four or five people per village surveyed has disabilities that were consistent with those caused by exposure to dioxin, Hammond said, adding that altogether about 600,000 gallons of Agent Orange was dropped on Laos during wartime, including the U.S.s Secret War in Laos (1961-1975). The most common birth defects found were hip dysplasia, paralysis, and cleft-lip or cleft palate. She estimated that overall thousands of people with disabilities from exposure to the toxic sprays could be found in the area encompassing the five provinces and that birth defects are still being found in people born today. The 46-page report, titled 2021 Report on the Laos Agent Orange Survey: State of Health and Livelihood, says that the U.S. government has not appropriated any funds to assist people with disabilities in areas of Laos sprayed with Agent Orange and other herbicides. The U.S. government has provided financial assistance to Vietnam since 2007, with more than U.S. $390 million going towards dioxin remediation and health and disability programs, and dedicated $14.5 million in fiscal year 2021 to assisting people with severe upper and lower body mobility impairment or cognitive or developmental disabilities, the report says. The areas in Laos that were sprayed with herbicides are remote and poor communities inhabited by ethnic minorities who do not have immediate access to health care. The U.S. government hasnt issued funding to help the people, Hammond said. They are helping people in Vietnam who have been exposed, who lived in the areas that were sprayed with herbicides, since 2007, Hammond said. So, were hoping that the U.S. government will do the same for Laos in the future, but at the moment they are not providing any funding directly to the people with disabilities who live in the areas that were sprayed, she said. The U.S. State Department did not respond to e-mails and phone calls from RFA asking about the report. Senator Patrick Leahy, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee and has pushed for the clearing of landmines in Laos and has led efforts to help address the military damage caused in Vietnam, said the use of Agent Orange in Laos only recently came to light. We want to know what, if any, dioxin contamination from Agent Orange exists in Laos, and we want to identify Laotians who are suffering from disabilities that may be the result of exposure to dioxin in areas where Agent Orange was sprayed so we can help them, he said in e-mailed comments to RFA. We have known about the UXO problem in Laos for many years and have been working to clear U.S. cluster munitions, but we only recently learned that Agent Orange was sprayed there, added Leahy. We know the use of Agent Orange in Laos was far less than in Vietnam, but we want to work with the Laotian Government to determine the scale of the problem and what can be done to address it, said the Senator. The U.S. government has spent more than U.S. $500 million in Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia to dispose of unexploded ordnance (UXOs), Senator Tammy Baldwin told a panel on Agent Orange and UXOs in Laos at the Stimson Center in the Washington, D.C., on May 27. Reported by Ounkeo Souksavanh for RFAs Lao Service. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. The countrys least developed state is dealing with a refugee crisis as well as a COVID-19 outbreak. Nearly 30 junta troops were killed Thursday in Myanmars Chin state as fighting between militia groups and the military escalated in the countrys remote regions, prompting the United Nations rights czar to warn of a human rights catastrophe. Members of the Chinland Defense Force (CDF) in Chins Thantlang township said they attacked a column of soldiers traveling around 25 miles outside of the town center, killing as many as 17 in the ensuing firefight and suffering no casualties. More than 100 junta soldiers were marching towards the Khuahring Thang mountain range, said a fighter with the Thantlang CDF, who spoke to RFAs Myanmar Service on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. Were a little worried about the situation. There are more troops than ever pressing on us. The fighting is expected to become more intense. The CDF fighter said his group attacked the column because the military has been intimidating local residents. The clash marked the first in Thantlang township and caused around 600 residents of three villages in the area to flee to the mountains, he said. Most people fled because they were scared about the presence of the soldiers, he said. A lot of people in Thantlang had already fled their homes earlier [when troops began to deploy to the area]. A similar clash broke out in an area between the townships of Hakha and Gangaw, the Hakha CDF announced Thursday, saying it had killed 10 junta soldiers. The group did not report any casualties of its own in the fighting. In a statement, the CDF said it will continue to fight fiercely in all parts of Chin state to protect the people. RFA was unable to independently verify CDF claims about the number of soldiers killed in Thursdays clashes and calls to Myanmars Deputy Information Minister Zaw Min Tun went unanswered Friday. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet speaks during a news conference at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Dec. 9, 2020. Reuters Human rights catastrophe On Friday, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet warned that any escalation in violence in Myanmar must be halted to prevent even greater loss of life and a deepening humanitarian emergency. As I had feared, armed conflict and other violence are intensifying in many parts of Myanmar, including Kayah State, Chin State and Kachin State, with the violence particularly intense in areas with significant ethnic and religious minority groups, Bachelet said in a statement, noting that the military has continued to use heavy weaponry, including airstrikes, against armed groups and against civilians. In just over four months, Myanmar has gone from being a fragile democracy to a human rights catastrophe, she said. In addition to the loss of life, people are suffering from severe impacts on the social and economic rights. The military leadership is singularly responsible for this crisis, and must be held to account. The junta deposed Myanmars democratically elected government on Feb. 1, claiming that the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party had won the countrys November 2020 elections due to widespread voter fraud, despite a lack of evidence. The move prompted widespread protests that the military has responded to with violent crackdowns, killing some 860 people over the past four months. The CDF is a network of volunteers that formed in April to protect the people of Chin and has enjoyed relative success facing the militarythe second largest in Southeast Asiawith slingshots and the same crude flintlock Tumee rifles their forefathers used to fight off British colonizers in the 1880s. The CDF said it had killed some 100 junta troops between March and May. Fighters of the CDF were engaged in daily battles from May 12 until May 15, when the junta occupied Mindat with 1,000 fully armed troops who used civilians as human shields and sprayed gunfire indiscriminately, the CHRO said recently. The CDF pulled out May 16 to protect civilians from further artillery attacks and fire from helicopter gunships, Chin fighters have said, but fighting resumed on June 3 and both sides have suffered casualties. The Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO) estimates that some 40,000 civilians have fled their homes throughout Chin state since May. Health workers at a hospital in Sagaing region's Kalemyo township, in an undated photo. RFA Outbreak compounds challenges As more residents flee intensifying fighting in Chin, the region is also facing an outbreak of COVID-19 that medical workers reported had killed 10 people as of Friday. Over the past three weeks, around 320 cases have been reported in the townships of Tunzan and Kyeehar, near Myanmars border with India. Myanmars least developed state had already been dealing with a shortage of health workers prior to the coronavirus pandemic, but sources told RFA that following the military coup, many of the medical personnel in the state joined the nationwide Civil Disobedience Movement, leaving few behind to control the spread of the virus and treat those infected with COVID-19, the disease it causes. Nobody who is infected wants to go to the hospital because there are no doctors there, said an official with the COVID-19 Relief Team in Kyeekhar, where medical students are assisting three hospital staffers attend to 195 infected patients. They are just being treated at home We have tried to help them. If their condition becomes serious, they call us for help, and we take them by car to the hospital so that they can be given oxygen. The administrator of Kyeekhar township confirmed to RFA that there are no longer any doctors at the local hospital. We are treating patients with the help of volunteer doctors and nurses, he said. On May 28, the local government issued a Stay At Home order in Kyeekhar and Tunzang townships and similar restrictions have since been implemented in the nearby townships of Tedim, Falam, Hakha and Thantlang. According to the juntas Ministry of Health, a total of 144,876 confirmed infections and 3,237 deaths from COVID-19 have been recorded in Myanmar beginning in March 2020. Earlier this week, the United Nations in Myanmar voiced concern about what it called the rapidly deteriorating security and humanitarian situation the countrys remote conflict areas. The U.N. stressed the urgent need for food, water, shelter, fuel, and access to healthcare for people fleeing the fighting, saying that the aid it has distributed is insufficientparticularly for those in remote locations, where insecurity, travel restrictions, and poor road conditions are delaying the delivery of supplies. Aid groups estimate that more than a quarter of a million civilians in seven regions of Myanmar have been displaced by clashes between the military and militias or fighting between ethnic armies in the four months since the junta coup. The 226,000 displaced in 2021 join more than 500,000 refugees from decades of military conflict between the government military and ethnic armies who were already counted as internally displaced persons at the end of 2020, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center, a Norwegian NGO. Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. Families and experts call the cases unacceptable and say they are meant to intimidate the public. Several dissidents who spoke critically of the junta takeover of Myanmars democratically elected government have died in detention and were given crude autopsies before their bodies were returned to their families, prompting observers to call for a probe into the circumstances surrounding their deaths. Zaw Htun, also known as the Poet Khet Thi, was arrested by junta security forces in Sagaing regions Shwebo township and sent for interrogation on May 9, after months of taking part in nationwide protests against the militarys Feb. 1 coup and calling for resistance to the regime through his poetry. Less than 24 hours later, his family was informed of his death and told to collect his body at a hospital in the regions largest city Monywa. His wife said that authorities informed her Zaw Htun had died from a health condition, but she found his body covered in bruises and missing its internal organs, leading her to believe he had been killed in custody. Bo Kyi, secretary of the Thailand-based rights group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), said his organization had seen a number of such cases in the aftermath of the military putsch, as security forces have killed 861 people in violent crackdowns on mass protests and detained, charged, or sentenced more than 4,800. They cut the body open and sew it back very crudely, Bo Kyi said, adding that it is unclear why they have to remove some internal organs without families consent. Usually, it is done to the bodies of people they arrested a day earlier that died during interrogation. They then return the disfigured bodies to the families the next day, he said. I think they are trying to instill fear in the public. They are sending a message about what will happen to those who resist their rule. Zaw Htuns death followed those in March of Khin Maung Latt, the election campaign manager for the ousted National League for Democracy (NLD) party for Yangon citys Pabaedan township, and Zaw Myat Linn, an NLD member who ran a vocational training center in Yangons Shwe Pyi Tha township. The two men were arrested on March 6 and 8 respectively and their families were informed of their deaths the following day, although authorities provided little information about the circumstances in which they died. The bodies of both men were returned to their families at Mingalardon Military Hospital in northern Yangon, had been cut open and sewn up crudely, and exhibited signs of traumaincluding multiple bruises and wounds. Khin Maung Latt, 58, was a devout Muslim and the father of Sithu Maung, one of the NLDs two Muslims to be elected in the countrys November 2020 elections, which the junta has claimed were won by the NLD because of widespread voter fraud, although it has yet to produce credible evidence. Zaw Myat Linn was an outspoken critic of the military coup who was well-respected in his home township. In a related case, 18-year-old medical student Khant Nyar Hein was shot dead by junta security forces during an anti-coup protest in Yangon on March 14 and his family members said that they had to plead with authorities not to perform an autopsy on his body before returning it to them. I heard the authorities say they planned to perform autopsy on my sons body, Khant Nyar Heins father told RFAs Myanmar Service. I begged them not to cut open his body. My son died young, and his body was intact. We preferred to cremate my sons body that way. So, we managed to avoid that. Outrageous and unacceptable Win Kyi, a senior member of the NLD party, called the killing of protesters and the mutilation of their bodies totally unacceptable, both legally and morally. They are killing people arbitrarily and, on top of that, they are taking out their internal organs and sewing them back up with hideous stitches, he said. They are supposed to handle the bodies of victims with respect. I can only imagine how tragic this is for the surviving family members. Phil Robertson, deputy director of New York-based Human Rights Watchs Asia division, condemned the arbitrary detention and torture of dissidents and agreed that autopsies should not be conducted without the consent of family members. Removing internal organs would require permission from either the deceased person before they died or the family, he said. Intrusive actions by the authorities to remove organs from the body for whatever reason is of the deceased person without permission is outrageous and unacceptable. Robertson called for an investigation into deaths such as those of Zaw Htun, Khin Maung Latt, Zaw Myat Linn, and Khant Nyar Hein. The problem, of course, is that Myanmars military is trying to cover everything up, he said. Efforts by RFA to contact the militarys Information Committee about the deaths in custody and unauthorized autopsies went unanswered Friday. Reported and translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung for RFAs Myanmar Service. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. Azerbaijan said it handed over 15 Armenian prisoners of war in exchange for a map showing the location of land mines in part of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said the maps turned over by Armenian authorities detailed the location of nearly 100,000 land mines in the Agdam district of Azerbaijani, which is adjacent to the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. "The 15 Armenian captives were turned over on the Azerbaijani-Georgian border with the participation of Georgian representatives," the ministry said. In a post to his Facebook page, Armenia's acting prime minister, Nikol Pashninan, confirmed the exchange and listed the names of those who were swapped, but gave no further details and made no mention of a map. He also apologized to families whose relatives have not yet returned. "I have good news. Fifteen of our captured brothers are returning home. They are on their way now. When they are in Armenia, I will make a more detailed statement," he was quoted by Russia's TASS news agency as saying earlier. Azerbaijani forces seized swaths of territory in and around the mountainous region during a short war with ethnic Armenia A Russian-brokered cease-fire ended six weeks of fighting and saw Russian peacekeepers deployed to some parts of the area. The number of Armenian prisoners of war and other detainees still in Azerbaijani custody remains unclear. In March, the European Court of Human Rights, where relatives of detainees have appealed for help, referred to 249 Armenians that had been allegedly captured by Azerbaijan and were still detention. Part of the difficulty in resolving the issue is that Azerbaijani authorities considers some of the detainees not prisoners of war -- with protections under the Geneva Conventions -- but merely captives. Armenian authorities earlier said that 69 POWs and other detainees had been turned over by Azerbaijan. The parents of the jailed Belarusian blogger detained after his international flight was forcibly diverted to Minsk have appealed to German Chancellor Angela Merkel for assistance to secure his release, according to Germany's Bild. Dzmitry and Natallya Pratasevich, who are in Poland after fleeing Belarus 10 months ago, said in an interview published on June 12 that their 26-year-old son, Raman, and other Belarusian political prisoners are being subjected to "sadism and violence on a daily basis." "We ask very much for you to help us get all the innocent people out of [Belarusian] prisons," Pratasevich's mother said in her appeal to Merkel, adding, "They urgently need help because they are exposed to sadism and violence on a daily basis." The younger Pratasevich and his Russian girlfriend, Sofia Sapega, were seized after Belarusian authorities cited a dubious bomb threat to force a Ryanair flight between Athens and Vilnius to land at Minsk's international airport on May 23. The Western backlash to what many regard as a "state hijacking" has been fierce, with sanctions targeting Belarusian officials and bans and other measures targeting air travel from -- and even over -- Belarus. Western governments had already imposed multiple rounds of sanctions against the regime of Alyaksandr Lukashenka since a violent crackdown began over massive protests that broke out after Lukashenka claimed a sixth-term reelection victory in August. "Please stop Lukashenka," Natallya Pratasevich appealed to the German leader. "Every additional day -- no, every additional hour -- that goes by costs innocents, including children, their lives." The Prataseviches say the letters they have sent to their son have not been delivered and that his lawyer "cannot talk to us freely on the phone." Pratasevich is now facing charges in Belarus of inciting civil unrest that could keep him in prison for 15 years or more. But the Belarusian opposition, his supporters, and international rights groups have warned of a more immediate risk to his life if he remains in the custody of the Lukashenka administration. British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab warned on June 11 that Belarus might be slipping "into pariah status" after the airplane diversion. "We need Belarus to step up and live up to the basic, fundamental, cardinal rules of international law," Raab said. Pratasevich's parents have led a chorus of outrage and insist the charges are trumped up. They have also rejected the validity of videos of a haggard-looking Pratasevich allegedly confessing to wrongdoing. In the Bild interview, they cited "clear signs of torture," including a possible broken nose and bruising" in the videotaped "forced confessions." Videos and other evidence of the brutal physical abuse of detainees has multiplied since the protests erupted in August and authorities launched a wave of thousands of arrests. Sapega's family said on June 10 that it had just received their first letters from her since the couple was arrested more than two weeks ago, addressed from a KGB prison in Minsk. With reporting by Bild and Deutsche Welle The White House says U.S. President Joe Biden will hold a "solo press conference" after his summit in Geneva next week with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the latest indicator of the tensions swirling between Moscow and Washington. An unnamed U.S. administration official said Biden appearing alone was "the appropriate format to clearly communicate with the free press the topics that were raised in the meeting -- both in terms of areas where we may agree and in areas where we have significant concerns." The go-it-alone tactic highlights the U.S. administration's desire to challenge Kremlin talking points and to avoid appearing overly cozy with the Russian leader, whom Biden has suggested is "a killer" out to undermine international security and permanently silence his domestic critics. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the announcement, but suggested it didn't necessarily bode badly for the summit. "After the talks are over, President Putin will appear before the Kremlin pool reporters and other media outlets," he was quoted by TASS as saying. Biden's decision is a contrast to the scene after Putin met with Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump, in Helsinki in 2018. After those closed-door talks, Trump emerged at a joint press conference defending Russia over U.S. intelligence assessments that Moscow interfered in the 2016 presidential election. "We expect this meeting to be candid and straightforward," the White House official said, according to a pool report. Since taking office in January, Biden has challenged Moscow over its actions in Ukraine, alleged meddling in elections, and cyberattacks emanating from Russia. But the U.S. leader has also said the United States wants a "stable, predictable" relationship that allows Moscow and Washington to work together on common issues like strategic stability, arms control, and climate change. In segments of an interview broadcast by NBC on June 11, Putin said that the U.S.-Russia relationship had "deteriorated to its lowest point in recent years." Biden is in Cornwall on the southern U.K. coast for a summit with other Group of Seven industrialized nation leaders this weekend that will include talks on Russia and China, then goes to Brussels for meetings with European Union and NATO officials. With reporting by The Washington Post and Reuters Negotiators from Iran and five world powers have resumed talks to try and revive the landmark deal that curtailed Tehran's nuclear programs but was later put in doubt when U.S. President Donald Trump's administration abandoned it. The June 12 talks in Vienna, brokered by European diplomats, include indirect contacts between U.S. and Iranian negotiators. So far, there have been five rounds, with negotiators saying early this month that the talks are heading into their most delicate phase. Earlier, Russia's representative to the talks, Mikhail Ulyanov, said in a post to Twitter that the talks would allow the participants to exchange views on how to arrange further work in order to complete the negotiations successfully and expeditiously. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas urged parties to be flexible. "It is about flexibility and pragmatism from all participating parties," he told Reuters. "Playing for time is in no one's interest." The deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action, has been in danger of complete collapse since 2018, when Trump pulled Washington out of the pact and reimposed crippling sanctions on Iran. In response, Tehran steadily has exceeded limits on its nuclear program spelled out in the deal. The United States is not formally part of these talks. But the administration of Trump's successor, Joe Biden, has signaled its willingness to rejoin the deal. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sounded pessimistic recently when he told lawmakers that it remains unclear whether Iran is willing and prepared to do what it needs to do come back into compliance." U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price raised a separate issue this week, saying that Iran has yet to provide the International Atomic Energy Agency with information the agency needs regarding potential undeclared nuclear material. With reporting by AP and Reuters Frequently the stuff of fairy tales, the relationship between humankind and goats just got a new chapter. A new East-West study based on archaeological and genetic research says ancient inhabitants of a mountainous nook of what is now northwestern Iran undertook one of the earliest defining features of human civilization, domesticating goats that differed significantly from their wild cousins at least 10,000 years ago. Nineteen Iranian and international scientists authored the new study, published this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States. They say the genetic trail points to "herded and hunted" goats being gradually domesticated in the region, at the juncture of the Eurasian and Arabian tectonic plates, before 8200 B.C. The transformation to domesticated crops and livestock is known to have occurred in the so-called Fertile Crescent before "fully integrated agricultural economies" appeared there around the same time. Such innovations were crucial to the course of human civilization, allowing for more populous settlements and the more complex societies needed to sustain them. The Zagros Mountains abut the Fertile Crescent -- a swath of the Middle East thought by scientists to have been the cradle of human civilization -- including the earliest irrigation and agricultural efforts, as well as inventions like writing and the wheel. Some scientists have long regarded the more western portion of the Fertile Crescent as the "epicenter" of such advances. But the authors of the new study say that theirs and other recent evidence helps refute notions that the more easternmost area was "a backwater, slow to receive and embrace domesticates and food-producing technologies from farther west." The remains they studied came from late Stone Age sites in Ganj Dareh and Tepe Abdul Hosein, in the western Iranian Zagros Mountains. They say it is clear that area hosted at least one of the earliest aspects of the emerging domestication practices. "These genomic data present a singular opportunity to deepen our understanding of the consequences of goat management at the dawn of domestication," the researchers wrote. The remains from sites of "goat management and husbandry" that they studied "support management of genetically domestic goat by circa 8200 B.C., and represent the oldest to-this-date reported livestock genomes." The bezoar ibex that inhabits mountain slopes from Turkey to Iran is thought to be the common ancestor of all modern domestic goats, and it was the species that the ancient humans in this study "transitioned" to captivity. They say their testing demonstrated that "managed goats were genetically distinct from wild goats at this early horizon." In a period about 12,000 years ago that has been dubbed the Neolithic Revolution, many humans transitioned from hunting and gathering to settling and farming, frequently in larger groups. That period in the Fertile Crescent coincided with a flurry of innovation that included planting and harvesting crops like cereals and chickpeas, and herding goats, cows, sheep, and pigs. The domestication of such livestock entailed limiting the animals' movements, selectively culling males, and breeding them for food, body parts, or work. Animal geneticist David MacHugh of University College Dublin, who was not involved in the study, told Science Magazine that the researchers appear to have located "the 'ground zero' for goat domestication, or close to it." A chill in relations between Iran and the United States since the 1979 Iranian Revolution overthrew the shah and ushered in a theocratic, anti-Western government has hampered scientific cooperation for decades. Decades of international sanctions presented obstacles to direct collaboration, not only in carrying out research but also in attending conferences and even reading the same scientific literature. Three years after a 2015 deal between major world powers and Iran exchanged sanctions relief for checks on Tehran's disputed nuclear program, the United States reimposed harsh sanctions in a fresh effort to punish Iran's leadership. Iran has also eyed its own scientific community with suspicion. A well-known Iranian-Canadian founder of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation (PWHF), an Iran-based conservation group, died suspiciously in custody in 2018 after being detained for espionage that reports suggested was linked to the use of camera traps and other wildlife-monitoring tools. Iranian authorities accused the professor, Kavus Seyed-Emami, and colleagues of posing as environmentalists to collect "classified information about the country's strategic areas under the guise of carrying out scientific and environmental projects." At least six fellow PWHF experts were later sentenced to lengthy prison terms for allegedly "collaborating with the enemy state of the United States" in a case decried by international rights groups. The influential political scion and former speaker of Iran's parliament, Ali Larijani, has demanded an explanation from the country's vetters as to why he was excluded from running in next week's Iranian presidential election. Larijani's query toward the hard-line Guardians Council follows that body's disqualification of hundreds of would-be candidates in a familiar feature of Iranian elections that left just seven contenders to succeed incumbent Hassan Rohani. There are no prominent critics of the senior leadership or Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who holds ultimate power in Iran's clerically dominated system, among them. "Dear Guardians Council, please, between yourself and God, in view of proving the falsity of the reports given to that council regarding me and my family, state all the reasons for my disqualification formally and publicly," Larijani tweeted. With just seven days to go before the June 18 vote, it is unclear what the intended effect of Larijani's public challenge could be. Khamenei first shrugged off criticism of candidate vetting but then made an unusual public call on June 4 for the Guardians Council to review its decisions, saying "some candidates were wronged" and "accused of untrue things." Larijani is a notable moderate conservative from an influential political family who was a top negotiator in Iran's dealings with the international community over its nuclear program. At the time of his disqualification last month, Larijani said merely that he had "done my duty before God and my dear nation." There are reportedly fears within Iran's establishment that disaffected Iranians will stay away from the presidential vote in large numbers, further denting its credibility. Rohani, a relative moderate on a carefully controlled political landscape dominated by anti-Western conservatives, is barred from running for a third term. The disputed reelection of Rohani's predecessor, hard-liner Mahmud Ahmadinejad, sparked massive street protests and a crackdown in 2009. Ahmadinejad was also among those barred from running in this month's vote. The disqualifications are widely seen as bolstering the prospects of one of the most hard-line candidates, judiciary head Ebrahim Raisi. A record 57 percent of Iranians did not vote in parliamentary elections in February 2020 in which thousands of candidates, many of them moderates and reformists, were barred from running. With reporting by Reuters The last time Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden met was after Biden made a quick 10-minute drive across central Moscow from the Ritz-Carlton hotel to attend a group meeting at Russias White House, overlooking a bend in the still icy Moskva River. It was March 10, 2011. Biden was U.S. vice president. Putin was then Russia's prime minister. I would describe it as cordial, said Michael McFaul, the architect of President Barack Obamas Russia reset and later the ambassador to Moscow. It wasnt confrontational, but we spent a good chunk of time on things that we disagreed about, particularly on Georgia and missile defense. I remember some pretty sharp back-and-forth on those issues. Biden is a gregarious guy. Hes physical, grabbing hands and elbows. Hes got a sense of humor, McFaul told RFE/RL. I dont remember any of that with Putin. It was all game face on, stick to the script. After the group meeting, Putin and Biden had a one-on-one meeting behind closed doors. McFaul said he was not present. Later, Biden revealed what he told Putin. As I turned, I was this close to him, Biden recounted in 2014, indicating they were just inches apart. I said, Mr. Prime Minister, Im looking into your eyes, and I dont think you have a soul. And [Putin] looked back at me, and he smiled, and he said, We understand one another, Biden said. Ten years and three months after that last encounter, Biden and Putin -- whose diminutive nickname is Volodya or Vova -- will meet again, this time in Geneva on June 16. This time, both are presidents. And this time, relations between Moscow and Washington are at their lowest ebb since the Cold War; things are so bad, neither country has an ambassador in the other country. Dont hold your breath for a major breakthrough. "There will be a conversation in Geneva on the entire range of bilateral relations, regional affairs, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters in Moscow on June 8. He said he hoped "it will be possible to ensure at least the stabilization of relations with the United States." There are difficulties everywhere; nothing is easy, Ryabkov said. Russia has no illusions about the prospects for major progress, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. We don't try to give the impression that there will be a breakthrough or historic momentous decisions. As for Biden, he told U.S. military personnel on June 9 that he had a clear message for Putin. We're not seeking conflict with Russia," Biden said at a British air force base, his first stop on a multi-leg European trip that culminates in Geneva. "We want a stable and predictable relationship. But I've been clear: The United States will respond in a robust and meaningful way if the Russian government engages in harmful activities." Pipelines And Punishments The dissonance of Russia policy under Bidens predecessor -- with President Donald Trump making conciliatory remarks, even as his administration extended existing sanctions or imposed new ones -- has dissipated under Biden, who has pushed a comparatively harder line toward Moscow. Since he took office in January, the Biden White House has hit Moscow with two new rounds of sanctions: one in response to U.S. intelligence findings that Russian agents were behind a massive cyberhack of U.S. government agencies, the other over the near-fatal poisoning of Russian opposition activist Aleksei Navalny, who was targeted with a powerful military-grade nerve agent developed by the Soviet Union. The White House has sought to bolster relations with Ukraine, whose war with Russia-backed forces in the Donbas region is now in its eighth year. The White House sent Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Kyiv last month following a big show of military force by Moscow in the Donbas and Russian-held Crimea. Biden invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to visit this summer -- but rejected his pleas for a face-to-face meeting before the summit with Putin. Still, the Biden administration has faced criticism for decisions some see as beneficial to Moscow. A recent sanctions decision that paves the way for the completion of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, bringing more Russian gas directly to Germany under the Baltic Sea and bypassing Ukraine, drew howls of criticism from congressional Republicans and some European allies. And just days after being inaugurated, Biden moved to extend New START, the last major arms-control treaty remaining between Moscow and Washington. Arms-control advocates hailed the five-year extension, which maintains caps on the worlds two largest nuclear arsenals. Some Republicans in Congress said it was pointless either because of persistent doubts about Russian compliance with other treaties or because of arguments that the treaty restrained U.S. efforts to modernize its own arsenal. White House officials have also signaled low expectations for the Geneva meeting. I dont think were setting this up to be a meeting where theres going to be an outcome that resolves every issue or every challenge in our relationship, spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters on June 5. Also paramount for U.S. officials is the recent spate of major cyberintrusions and ransomware attacks in the United States. U.S. intelligence has pinned blame for the SolarWinds attack, which penetrated dozens of U.S. government agencies, on Russian security agencies. The ransomware attacks, which crippled a major fuel pipeline along the U.S. East Coast and a major U.S. beef producer, have also been linked to Russia. We do not judge that the Russian government has been behind these recent ransomware attacks, but we do judge that actors in Russia have, White House national-security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on June 9. And we believe that Russia can take and must take steps to deal with it." 'You Dont Have To Like Or Respect The Russian Leadership To Talk To Them' For Bidens critics, the question is: Whats the point? To answer that question, said Matthew Rojansky, director of the Kennan Institute in Washington, D.C., its important to understand the nature of the Russian political system at present. This is a one-man show. Vladimir Putin runs the Russian state out of the Kremlin, he said in a panel discussion on June 8. Biden is seeking to impose some guardrails on the destabilizing behavior from Moscow, he said. Theres no guarantee thats possible, but it is guaranteed thatif the two leaders dont talk to each other, you dont have a chance to get to those guardrails. You dont have to like or respect the Russian leadership in order to talk to them, Rojansky said. Modest 'Deliverables' Given the low expectations, McFaul said, the outcome will likely to be modest: an agreement to discuss further arms treaties, for example, or even just an agreement to return the two ambassadors to their two respective capitals, he said. Other possibilities: agreement to extend a UN Security Council resolution allowing humanitarian aid into Syria, where Russia and the United States have been on opposite sides of the conflict, or on steps to renew the international deal on Irans nuclear program. For Putin, as much as anything, its being seen on the world stage alongside a U.S. president thats paramount, said Ivan Kurilla, a Russian political scientist and historian of U.S.-Russian relations. Certainly Putin wants to get back to being equal, a partner in a dialogue with the American president, he told RFE/RL. Kurilla said Putin also will resist any discussion of Crimea -- the Ukrainian peninsula was seized by Russia in 2014 -- or of Belarus, whose leader, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, has turned even more authoritarian and dependent on Moscow. And, of course, Putin does not want to be lectured about human rights, he added. Putin himself emphasized that point in a video meeting with executives from foreign news agencies on June 4. You can evaluate our political system in different ways, Putin told the editors. Just give us the right, please, to determine for ourselves how to organize this part of our life. But with civil society and opposition groups like Navalnys under immense pressure from the Russian authorities, the Biden White House is under pressure from both Democrats and Republicans to do more to support them and to criticize the Kremlin. The meeting in Geneva comes a week after a Moscow court labeled Navalnys organizations extremist, outlawing them and -- in conjunction with a law Putin signed five days earlier -- barring member and backers from running for any elected office. Whether or not Biden presses Putin hard on human rights and democracy, observers say the summit isnt likely to alter Moscows behavior at home or abroad. Putin is willing to use [the tools he has] to undermine the United States, to undermine democracies, to undermine the liberal international order, McFaul said. I just don't think he's going away. I think in some ways, it's after Geneva when the real work of a coherent, comprehensive strategy towards Russia has to be implemented, he said. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a bill into law imposing penalties for disclosing the personal data of security officials or their relatives, a move that could further hamstring efforts to expose corruption or hold Russian officials accountable. Punishments for offenders include jail sentences, house arrest, forced labor, and fines of up to 18 months' salary. The law could discourage the kind of exposes that jailed anti-corruption lawyer Aleksei Navalny and other Kremlin critics have published, highlighting dodgy properties linked to senior officials like Putin and ex-President Dmitry Medvedev. One such investigation, Putin's Palace, has attracted more than 100 million YouTube views and further cemented the reputation of Navalny's Anti-Corruption Campaign (FBK) as a detailed chronicler of suspect deals. The FBK was declared an "extremist" group by a Moscow city court on June 9, preventing people associated with it and his collection of regional political offices from seeking public office. The ruling marked another watershed moment for Russias opposition. A campaign by authorities to dismantle opposition networks has accelerated ahead of elections to the State Duma, the lower house of Russias parliament, in September. The new law signed this week by Putin casts a wide net, prohibiting the illegal collection, transfer, distribution, or access to the personal data of judges, prosecutors, investigators, Interior Ministry employees, or staff of numerous law enforcement agencies in connection with their professional duties. It also covers such data relating to their families. The State Duma previously passed a bill banning the disclosure of information about operational investigative activities, covering data on law enforcement officers and military personnel "regardless of the presence of an immediate threat to their safety." The Russian federal agency tasked with maintaining real-estate records, Rosreestr, has already implemented changes to prevent access to information on assets linked to prominent officials, including relatives of former Prosecutor-General Yury Chaika. Moscow's mayor has announced a non-working week on June 15-19 in response to a spike in COVID-19 cases, as both the Russian capital and the rest of the country reported the highest number of new coronavirus infections since winter. Also on June 12, Russia's national pandemic task force said that the daily tally of confirmed cases had risen by 47 percent over the past week, including more than a doubling in Moscow to over 6,700 cases in 24 hours. RFE/RL's Coronavirus Coverage Features and analysis, videos, and infographics explore how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the countries in our region. It cited 13,510 new infections nationally in the previous day. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said restaurants, bars, and similar venues in the city may not serve customers after 11 p.m. until at least June 20. And enforcement of mask- and glove-wearing on public transportation and in public places will be bolstered, with violators facing fines of up to 5,000 rubles ($70). Meanwhile, Interfax quoted Russian President Vladimir Putin as saying that 18 million Russians have so far been vaccinated against COVID-19. Russia has around 144 million people. Sobyanin said Moscow authorities "expected that the spring pandemic peak would fall in April-May, just like last year," but that "now we're seeing that it has shifted toward June-July." Sobyanin has estimated that around half of Moscow residents now have some level of immunity against the virus, presumably from previous infection or vaccination, although the source of that figure was unclear. More than 125,000 coronavirus deaths have been registered by authorities since the start of the pandemic, but many experts say officials vastly underreport fatalities. The federal statistics agency, Rosstat, has kept a separate toll and has said that Russia recorded around 270,000 deaths related to COVID-19 between April 2020 and April 2021. Russia approved Sputnik V, the world's first coronavirus vaccine, for use beginning last August, but authorities have struggled to ramp up vaccination efforts. Based on reporting by Reuters COLUMBUS -- The public is invited to join the Ohio History Connection in an online event Saturday, June 19 at 1 p.m. in commemoration of Juneteenth. The Columbus-based organization will explore Black music with two renowned performers and educators. Dr. Ted McDaniel and Dr. Mark Lomax II will discuss Black music as a continuum and reflect on spirituals and blues as they relate to the foundation of global music. In addition they will talk about music as a symbol of resistance during the late 1800s and beyond. Dr. Lomax will share selections from his collection, 400: An Afrikan Epic that directly relate to Juneteenth. This event will be co-hosted by National AfroAmerican Museum & Cultural Center. Learn more about the history and significance of Juneteenth in a blog post written by Jerolyn Barbee and Derek Pridemore of the National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center. Read the blog here. Advance registration required -- $20/Participant, $5/Ohio History Connection member, Free/Ohio History Connection premium member. Special thanks to event sponors, Kenwel Printers and Lifeline of Ohio. To participate, log in here. Rutland, VT (05701) Today Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Danvers, MA (01923) Today Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to cloudy skies after midnight. Low 71F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to cloudy skies after midnight. Low 71F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. UNC Rex Healthcares mobile mammography bus came to Sanford on Friday to provide free healthcare to area residents. The mobile mammography unit, parked outside the Lee County Enrichment Center, worked with the county health department to schedule patients. Annual mammograms are recommended starting at age 35-39, said outreach coordinator Wendy Avery. The 3D scans are used to detect breast cancer in its early stages, she added. Thats why annual screenings are so important, she said. Our program allows continuity of care. Some 15 appointments were made Friday, an increase over the number made during the coronavirus pandemic. Because doctors recommend waiting 4-6 weeks after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine to get a mammogram, appointments slowed this year, Avery said. The mobile mammography unit was established in 2001 and has been providing access to free mammograms for 20 years. The bus typically visits about 15 counties in central North Carolina, all within a 60 mile radius of Raleigh, Avery said. One of the goals of the unit is to provide healthcare for people who may be uninsured or underinsured, Avery said. The mobile unit also encourages people who live in rural areas to get mammograms, since it brings the equipment to patients rather than forcing them to drive one or two hours to a large hospital. (We see) over 4,000 patients a year and 70% of (the mammograms) we do are free, Avery said. We partner with a lot of health departments and a lot of medical clinics that see uninsured patients. People who need additional diagnostic scans can get free follow-up care at Wake Radiology, Avery said. And, Whether theyre insured or uninsured, just us coming to their work or us coming to their local community, its such a convenience, Avery said. Women dont have to take time off work. Its full throttle until the end for Marelli and its employees. The Sanford plant, formerly known as Magneti Marelli, will shutter the operation at the end of the year, ending more than four decades in the community. But the company is taking care of its own by helping employees find new jobs or opportunities, said Karrie Jara, human resources coordinator of the local operation. Marelli treats its employees like family, workers say. For me, its more than family, Antonello Divittorio said recently. Divittorio, the plants production manager, has spent 15 years working for Marelli. Ten of them were at a plant in his native Italy. Divittorio, 38, wound up in Sanford after meeting and marrying his wife in Italy, he said. She wanted to move back to the United States, he said. Marelli had a plant here. They helped to get me a position here (Sanford). Divittorio has had the chance to see Marelli from two ends of the spectrum. The Italian operation, which was 30 minutes from him home in Bari, is much larger than the local plant In the beginning there was a difference, he said, because in Italy I wasnt in a managerial role. Hes been impressed with the Sanford operation, the variety of local events in which Marelli has been involved and especially his co-workers. With the effects of the COVID-19 virus in the past year, Divittorio has only good to say about the team. We are in an historic moment because of the pandemic, he said. There have been a lot of issues and a lot of operators affected. But after a year, I can say that this team, this company has stepped up to the plate. The more difficult the challenge, the stronger the team becomes, he said. Leticia Mandujano, 37, is a team leader whos worked at Marelli for 13 years. She landed her job through her sister whos a 28-year veteran of Marelli. The company, Mandujano said, has helped her in many ways. Her second child was born with asthma, which required her to miss work on many days. Regardless, the company has worked with her to accommodate everyones schedule, she said. The reason Im still here is Ive always had support, Mandujano said. Marelli has helped grow as a person. Shes been in Sanford for 17 years and is weighing her options for the future. Ive been thinking I most likely will go back to school, she said, noting that NC Works will pay the cost due to the plant closure. Marelli has worked with the Chamber of Commerce to create partnerships with area employers such as Coty, Tyson, Bharat Forge, Caterpillar, Pentair and more in an effort to ensure the workers are employed, Jara said. The company also has sponsored a career fair and planning another. We have the very best (workers), she said. I really love the company and the employees. David Dorsett, 55, of Sanford, has been employed at Marelli for 32 years. He began working in the shop floor and is now a supervisor. The closing of Marelli is bittersweet for him. Theyve reached out to everybody and afforded us to do things in the community, he said. Thats whats kept me there 32 years. Its allowed him to buy a home, put a son through college and meet great people, he said. Its a blessing from God to be here 32 years, Dorsett said, his voice catching in his throat. Its not the end of the road for him by any stretch. Dorsett, who said he loves to cook, plans to study culinary arts at Central Carolina Community College. Then, Dorsett said, he plans to pursue a lifelong dream. Im going to get a food truck. Seattle doesn't do Pride lightly. In 2019, Thrillist included the Emerald City's celebrations on their list of best Pride parades in America according to drag queens. Seattle was also mentioned in Pride.com's list of eight of the best Pride celebrations in the U.S., coming in at number seven. Additionally, an NBC study found that Seattle has the highest rate of female-identifying, same-sex married couples. Jenny Durkan, the city's first lesbian mayor, was elected in 2017 following Ed Murray who is also gay. While every city has their faults, Seattle is one proud city. And even though Seattle's Pride month festivities have gone virutal this year (again), there are still endless ways to show your allyship and support for LGBTQ+ businesses. Not only does shopping small and eating at locally owned restaurants help our economy, it helps local families. Plus, you get something delicious out of it. A win-win for everyone. In honor of Pride month, we've compiled a list by no means is it complete of some of our favorite LGBTQ-owned eateries around Seattle to support this month. Keep scrolling. Le T./Yelp.com Osbaldo and his family reign from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, immigrating to the U.S. in the early 2000s. Upon his arrival, Osbaldo noticed a lack of authentic tamales in the Seattle area. With his husband, Dennis, in 2015, Osbaldo opened his family-owned, immigrant-owned, gay-owned Frelard Tamales. Named for the corner of Seattle where Fremont and Ballard intersect, this little tamale shop is renowned for its quality, and free delivery on Mondays and Wednesdays. Frelard Tamales and Hellbent Brewing will be celebrating Pride month on Sunday, June 27 from noon to 8 p.m. with live mariachi music, handmade tamales, craft beers and more. View event information here. Jasmine L. via Yelp Located on E. Pike St. on Capitol Hill, this little cupcake shop may seem unassuming, but it has been a leader in the business community when it comes to supporting LGBTQ rights. When it opened its doors in 2003, it was the first cupcakery of it's kind outside of New York City, and it's been a massive hit ever since. Wanting to support local businesses and stimulate the local economy, Cupcake Royale is dedicated to local: flour from Eastern Washington is made specially for the bakery; all dairy used in the shop is local and growth hormone free; and the eggs the bakery purchases are organic and cage free. Who ever said cupcakes had to be a guilty pleasure? This is a sweet treat you can feel good about. In addition to its Capitol Hill location, the LGBTQIA-owned business has locations in West Seattle, Madrona, Ballard and downtown Seattle. In honor of Pride month, the shop is offering its Gay Cupcake and festive merchandise. Pre-order online or stop by any store. Damaris G. via Yelp Founder Jeanette experienced stomach troubles from an early age. When she started drinking kombucha, she noticed that the positive bacteria was actually helping and healing her stomach. Inspired by the drink, Jeanette wanted to begin brewing her own 'buch, using fresh, local ingredients. When friends and family came knocking and tried to get their hands on a bottle of the beautiful brew, Jeanette knew it was time to share. With her wife Lyz, the duo started Seeking Kombucha, which is ironic, because you don't need to seek any further for the perfect bottle. In addition to the new taproom at 1091 Thomas St., you can find the fermented drinks at the Capitol Hill, West Seattle and Proctor farmers markets. Frank E./Yelp.com What started out as a food truck in Seattle, boomed into a popular brick and mortar. While the truck, Big Blue, may be out of service for repairs for a little while, Marination and its sister stores have so much to offer. The Hawaiian-Korean fusion truck has inspired a West Seattle location, Marination Ma Kai, which boasts delicious food alongside incredible water views from their patio. The downtown location serves up their full menu of unique tacos, sliders, and other bites that you can't find anywhere else in the city. That is, unless you visit Super Six, located on Hudson St. in Columbia City, and named after the area's auto industry days of the early 1900s. No matter which location you choose, owners Kamala and Roz are sure to treat you to scratch-based street food thats bursting with flavor and nothing shy of exquisite. Distant Worlds Coffehouse/Yelp.com Geeks, prevail! This is the spot for you. Whether you're looking for an evening of Dungeons and Dragons or an afternoon spent studying, Distant Worlds welcomes groups of all sizes, for all hours at its Roosevelt neighborhood location. Inspired by geek-core, the space welcomes geeks of all colors, and staff are proud to be allys. Order from the menu a sandwich, house-made pastry, a mug of coffee or tea, and make yourself comfortable. We hope this non-comprehensive list inspires you to check out one of these queer-owned businesses, or research your own. Seattle has a diverse collection of LGBTQ+ bars, restaurants, clubs, and shops everything you can imagine. Whether you're looking for a baked good, a cup of coffee, or just a fun game night with friends, consider supporting something new this month, whatever that may be for you. And remember that Pride doesn't end when July rolls around. AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Police have arrested one suspect and are searching for another after a mass shooting on a crowded downtown Austin street left 14 people wounded early Saturday, two of them critically. The Austin Police Department said in a news release that the U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force assisted in making the arrest, but it provided no other details other than to say it is continuing to follow up on leads for the suspect still at large. Interim Police Chief Joseph Chacon said the shooting happened around 1:30 a.m. on a street packed with bars and barricaded off from vehicle traffic. He said investigators believe it began as a dispute between two parties. Chacon said both suspects are male, but declined to disclose details such as whether both fired shots, saying the investigation was ongoing. "Most of the victims were innocent bystanders, but we're still sorting out all of the victims to see what their involvement is in this case, Chacon said. The mass shooting one of at least three in the U.S. overnight sparked panic along 6th Street, a popular nightlife destination in the city that's home to the University of Texas. One witness, Matt Perlstein, told KXAN-TV that he was waiting with a friend to enter a bar when gunfire erupted. Everything was totally fine, Perlstein said, then gunfire erupted. We just heard like ... a bunch of gunshots going off. Everyone got on the ground. We couldnt even comprehend what was going on at the time. Chacon said his officers responded quickly to the area. They were able to immediately begin life-saving measures for many of these patients, including applications of tourniquets; applications of chest seals, he said. Because of the chaos on the barricaded street, police drove six of the wounded to hospitals in their squad cars. Ambulances transported four people and the other four made their own way to hospitals, he said. Gov. Greg Abbott issued a statement thanking police and other first responders and offering prayers to the victims. Abbott said the state Department of Public Safety is assisting in the investigation and Chacon said the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were also assisting. SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday that he's confident the state's workplace regulators will soon fall in line with California's plan to drop virtually all masking and social distancing requirements next week for people who are vaccinated against the coronavirus. The California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board is set to consider revising its conflicting rules Thursday, two days after the state more broadly eases its pandemic restrictions. I expect and am determined to see a favorable outcome when they convene, Newsom said of the worksite board he appoints. Well get where we need to go, and I have all the confidence in the world well get there next week. Newsom said he expects to take executive steps to make the worksite regulations take effect before a typical 10-day administrative law review, which would push back the new rules until at least June 28. He left unclear whether he also intends to bridge the remaining potential gap of a few days between when the state lifts its orders on Tuesday and the board meets on Thursday. Unless he acts, the current more restrictive worksite rules will remain in effect during that window. Those current rules require all workers vaccinated or not to remain masked and physically distanced on the job. The regulations apply in almost every workplace in the state, including workers in offices, factories and retail. The revised workplace rules released Friday that the board will consider next week say that fully vaccinated employees would not need to wear masks, except in locations like classrooms and mass transit where they are required for everyone, or in the event of outbreaks. Physical distancing requirements also would go away except for certain workers during major outbreaks. Those rules are both generally consistent with the broader guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the California Department of Public Health that will take effect Tuesday. Vaccinated employees also wouldn't need to be tested or quarantined even if they have close contact with an infected person, unless they show symptoms. The draft rules proposed by Californias Division of Occupational Safety and Health, known as Cal/OSHA, say employers must check and document that employees who skip masks indoors are indeed fully vaccinated. Vaccinated employees could still wear masks if they choose without facing retaliation. The rules would require employers to provide the most effective N95 masks for free to employees who are not fully vaccinated, but only upon request. And they would have to provide coronavirus tests to employees who have symptoms regardless of whether they have had their shots. Were are glad to see Cal/OSHA catching up with CDC on masking and social distancing, though we have some outstanding concerns regarding documentation and N95s," said Robert Moutrie, a policy advocate at the California Chamber of Commerce. Business groups say the N95 requirement could be costly and potentially cause a shortage. California Farm Bureau director of employment policy Bryan Little and Helen Cleary, director of the Phylmar Regulatory Roundtable, a coalition of large businesses with major California operations, both said the draft rules still leave confusing gaps in how employers are supposed to comply. I think there is some stuff in here to like," Little said. But given the ongoing questions, Im not prepared to jump up and down for joy over this. Confusion over what have been conflicting rules prompted business groups to push the governor to use his executive powers to override the board. Newsom responded that the revised proposed regulations to be considered next week will conform California's workplace rules with U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines being broadly adopted by the state starting Tuesday. I anticipate their action will be consistent with the CDC, but they have to make that decision. And I want to respect that process. If I didnt, that would appropriately open us up to criticism, and I want to be fair to that deliberative process, he said. Newsom added that he will act if needed after the board's decision to clarify any ambiguities. At a hastily scheduled special meeting earlier this week, the board rescinded conflicting rules that it passed just a week ago. But the rapid-fire back-and-forth left businesses baffled by the shifting rules over who needs to wear masks and where as the nation's largest state fully reopens from the pandemic on Tuesday. With vaccinations rising and coronavirus cases low, California will end most mask rules June 15 for people who are vaccinated while continuing to require face coverings for unvaccinated people in indoor public settings and businesses. Everyone will need to remain masked in places such as public transit and indoor school classes. Under the system, business can rely on an honor system where customers are expected to use a mask if they aren't inoculated but aren't required to show proof. Putting the requirement on the individual to self-attest to their vaccine status by wearing or not wearing a mask will be the way one approved way to comply with this set of updates," Dr. Mark Ghaly, California's secretary of health and human services, said this week. Businesses can also require vaccine verification or face coverings if they choose, Ghaly said. Derrick Seaver, president and chief executive of the Silicon Valley Organization, said businesses have struggled throughout the pandemic with a patchwork of approaches and lack of consistency in guidelines. But he believes the state is moving in the right direction by seeking to get in sync with CDC guidance on face coverings, and he said businesses are pleased they won't be on the hook to verify or enforce mask wearing among customers. ___ Associated Press writer Amy Taxin contributed to this report from Orange County. BERLIN (AP) Germanys environmentalist Greens formally endorsed Annalena Baerbock as their candidate for chancellor Saturday, amid a slip in the partys poll ratings fueled in large part by its own mistakes. Baerbock, 40, was officially nominated by a broad majority of the delegates at a party convention in Berlin. Due to the pandemic, the convention took place in a hybrid format, with several hundred party members attending in person while others participated online. In a speech after her nomination, Baerbock said that Germany should not hesitate to tackle global warming even though it is a worldwide issue. Above all, there is the great task of our time: averting the climate crisis," Baerbock said. "We as a society must also have the confidence to do this. I stand up for this confidence. We stand for this confidence in solving problems, protecting people and doing better in the future. The Greens led many polls after Baerbock was first nominated in April to make the partys first run for Germanys top public office. But more recent surveys show outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkels center-right Union bloc overtaking the Greens. A state election last weekend brought a big conservative win and a disappointing Green showing. Baerbock has been a lawmaker in the national parliament since 2013 but lacks government experience. She is based in eastern Brandenburg state, a rural region where the Greens once struggled to make inroads but now are part of the local government. She studied political science and international law in Hamburg and London. The partys prospects of at least a share in power after Germanys Sept. 26 national election remain promising. The Greens are still polling 20% or more more than twice the 8.9% of the vote the party received in Germanys last election, in 2017. With Merkel stepping down after 16 years in power, no candidate has the advantage of incumbency. Ahead of the party meeting, prominent pragmatists within the Greens cautioned activists against forcing through more radical demands that might turn off voters. The party leadership got its way on climate issues, with delegates voting down calls to include in the party platform an even steeper and faster increase in carbon pricing. Delegates also backed a pledge to introduce a 130 kph (81 mph) speed limit on Germanys autobahn highways, many stretches of which lack any limits. Some members had wanted tougher driving restrictions, including on non-autobahn roads. The Greens have taken heat from opponents lately over a string of missteps. Those include a poorly presented plan to raise gasoline prices and talk of ending short-haul flights which they dont actually aim to ban and a section of Baerbock's resume that had to be corrected. JERUSALEM (AP) Israeli police said a Palestinian woman carrying a knife ran toward an Israeli military checkpoint on Saturday and was shot dead by a private security guard. The shooting took place at the Qalandiya checkpoint near Jerusalem, one of the largest in the occupied West Bank. Police said the woman, identified as a 28-year-old resident of a West Bank refugee camp, had ignored calls by the guard to stop. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Race-related tensions within the Southern Baptist Convention are high heading into a national meeting next week. The election of a new SBC president and debate over the concept of systemic racism may prove pivotal for some Black pastors as they decide whether to stay in the denomination or leave. It could be a watershed moment for America's largest Protestant denomination. The SBC was founded before the Civil War as a defender of slavery, and only in 1995 did it formally apologize for that legacy yet since 2000 its Black membership has been increasing while white membership declines. Over the past year, however, several Black pastors have exited the SBC in frustration over what they see as racial insensitivity within its overwhelmingly white leadership. Depending on the outcome at the meeting in Nashville, the exodus could swell or subside. Many Black pastors are comfortable with the SBC's conservative theology and grateful for financial support, but do not want it to wade into conservative national politics or distance itself from the quest for racial justice. The Rev. Nate Bishop of Forest Baptist Church near Louisville, Kentucky, said some members of his Black congregation want to leave the SBC while others want to stay, and he intends to assess the tenor and tone of deliberations in Nashville to guide his decisions. Theres a bigger question going on will there even be an SBC in the next five, 10, 15 years? Bishop said. Theres going to be a move away from this national organization. The only way forward is going to be if we reject the fear-mongering that's being projected day after day. One of the SBCs most prominent Black pastors, Dwight McKissic of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, said his church will quit the SBC if either of two leading conservative candidates wins the presidency: Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, or Mike Stone, a pastor from Blackshear, Georgia, whose core supporters view Mohler as insufficiently conservative. Both have made statements that Black Baptists would find anathema, regarding racial matters and politics, McKissic said via email. I could not proudly call myself a Southern Baptist if either of them wins. He also criticized them for supporting tight restrictions on women's roles in the church, saying he and many other Black pastors favor letting women serve as assistant pastors or in other meaningful roles. McKissic is endorsing a third candidate, white pastor Ed Litton of Redemption Church in Saraland, Alabama. Litton will be nominated by Fred Luter, a New Orleans-based pastor who in 2012 became the SBCs first and so far only Black president. A crucial dividing line in the presidential election and for the SBC overall is the issue of critical race theory, a term used to describe critiques of systemic racism. Last year Mohler and the five other SBC seminary presidents, all of them white, declared that critical race theory is incompatible with the SBCs Scripture-based theology. The statement created friction far beyond SBC academia, particularly due to lack of Black involvement in its drafting. But Mohler hasn't budged from his repudiation of critical race theory, and Stone has harshly condemned the concept. A resolution endorsed by Stone and many of his key allies, to be proposed at the meeting, denounces critical race theory as rooted in Neo-Marxist and postmodern worldviews. Stone's allies also will seek to rescind a 2019 resolution suggesting that critical race theory could be useful as an analytical tool. McKissic said approval of any such measures might be another trigger for his exit. Last December he, Litton and Luter were among the co-signers of a statement by a multiethnic group of Southern Baptists asserting that systemic racial injustice is a reality. Some recent events have left many brothers and sisters of color feeling betrayed and wondering if the SBC is committed to racial reconciliation, the statement said. Relatively few of the SBCs remaining Black pastors have echoed McKissics explicit threats to leave. Luter, as part of a recent video series titled Why I Stay, said the sometimes-hostile environment within the SBC made it all the more important for Black pastors to stay and seek improvements. The Rev. Marshal Ausberry, who heads the SBC's association of Black churches, has urged respectful dialogue to resolve race-related differences. Charles Jones, pastor of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Clute, Texas, has chosen to keep his small Black congregation in the Southern Baptists Texas affiliate the Baptist General Convention of Texas in part because of the opportunity for his church to support missionary programs. Other churches have benefited from SBC ties for things like funding to construct a new building or the convention's ministry certification programs. Jones considers the debate over critical race theory a distraction that lets people avoid serious discussions of social inequalities. They dont want to talk about schools, about why ghettos are ghettos, Jones said. We debate theory after theory, and nothing gets done. The debate flared last year just as the SBC was releasing statistics showing that African Americans have been a primary source of growth within the denomination since 2000, even as white membership steadily declined. As of 2018 the SBC had about 907,000 African American members out of a total membership of 14.8 million, and roughly 3,900 predominantly Black congregations out of about 51,500. Asian American and Hispanic participation also increased, prompting Ronnie Floyd, president of the SBC's Executive Committee, to hail Americas diversity as an amazing opportunity" for future growth. The statistical report didn't say how many African American congregations are dually aligned with historically Black Baptist denominations. As self-governing entities, Baptist churches can choose which groups to affiliate with and decide how much or how little to participate and donate. The Rev. Joel Bowman Sr., senior pastor of Temple of Faith Baptist Church in Louisville, said his African American church maintains ties to Southern Baptists at the state and local level, but plans to sever its nominal ties with the national convention. The SBC to me is not currently a safe place for African Americans and other people of color, he said. There are probably a number of churches and pastors who would leave the SBC, but because theyre so financially tied to the denomination, theyre probably slower to leave. Another Louisville pastor, Deryk Hayes of St. Paul Baptist Church @ Shively Heights, withdrew from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary this year. He cited a lack of respect for the Black church, including a decision to retain the names of its slaveholding founders on some seminary buildings. From my perspective, these men arent heroic, Hayes said. They were practicing heresy. Hayes said many Black pastors share the theological conservativism of their white counterparts, but not their politics. The conservative resurgence is fine if its really about biblical inerrancy, he said. I think its about male white privilege and male white power. John Onwuchekwa, pastor of Cornerstone Church in Atlanta, was a rising star in the SBC before breaking with it last year. Among his reasons: He didn't want to be held out as an example for other Black ministers to prove the SBC would be a good place for them. Theres no doubt in my mind that there are good people in the SBC, Onwuchekwa said. But when opportunities arose to make major improvements in race relations, instead they take moderate baby steps to not offend the base. ___ Smith reported from Pittsburgh and Crary from Carbondale, Colorado. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support from the Lilly Endowment through The Conversation U.S. The AP is solely responsible for this content. CHICAGO (AP) Two people were killed and at least 30 others wounded in mass shootings overnight in three states, authorities said Saturday, stoking concerns that a spike in U.S. gun violence could continue into summer as coronavirus restrictions ease and more people are free to socialize. The attacks took place late Friday or early Saturday in the Texas capital of Austin, Chicago and Savannah, Georgia. In Austin, authorities said they arrested one of two male suspects and were searching for the other after a shooting early Saturday on a crowded pedestrian-only street packed with bars and restaurants. Fourteen people were wounded, including two critically, in the gunfire, which the city's interim police chief said is believed to have started as a dispute between two parties. No arrests were reported by late Saturday in the two other shootings. In Chicago, a woman was killed and nine other people were wounded when two men opened fire on a group standing on a sidewalk in the Chatham neighborhood on the city's South Side. The shooters also got away and hadn't been identified by mid-afternoon Saturday. In the south Georgia city of Savannah, police said one man was killed and seven other people were wounded in a mass shooting Friday evening, police said. Two of the wounded are children an 18-month-old and a 13-year-old. Savannah's police chief, Roy Minter, Jr., said the shooting may be linked to an ongoing dispute between two groups, citing reports of gunshots being fired at the same apartment complex earlier in the week. It's very disturbing what we're seeing across the country and the level of gun violence that we're seeing across the country," he told reporters Saturday. "It's disturbing and it's senseless. The attacks come amid an easing of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in much of the country, including Chicago, which lifted many of its remaining safeguards on Friday. Many hoped that a spike in U.S. shootings and homicides last year was an aberration perhaps caused by pandemic-related stress amid a rise in gun ownership and debate over policing. But those rates are still higher than they were in pre-pandemic times, including in cities that refused to slash police spending following the death of George Floyd and those that made modest cuts. There was a hope this might simply be a statistical blip that would start to come down," said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum. That hasn't happened. And that's what really makes chiefs worry that we may be entering a new period where we will see a reversal of 20 years of declines in these crimes. Tracking ups and downs in crime is always complicated, but violent crime commonly increases in the summer months. Weekend evenings and early-morning hours also are common windows for shootings. Many types of crime did decline in 2020 and have stayed lower this year, suggesting the pandemic and the activism and unrest spurred by the reaction to Floyds death didnt lead to an overall spike in crime. According to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University, only three mass shootings occurred at public places the lowest total for that category in a decade out of 19 total mass shootings in 2020. The database tracks all mass killings including shootings, defined as four or more people dead not including the perpetrator. According to that definition, there have been 17 mass killings, 16 of those shootings, already this year, said James Alan Fox, a criminologist and professor at Northeastern University. The Gun Violence Archive, which monitors media and police reports to track gun violence, defines mass shootings as those involving four or more people who were shot, regardless of whether they died. Overall, according to its database, more than 8,700 people have died of gun violence in the U.S. this year. The GVA also found that mass shootings spiked in 2020 to about 600, which was higher than in any of the previous six years it tracked the statistic. According to this year's count, there have been at least 267 mass shootings in the U.S. so far, including the latest three overnight Friday into Saturday. Its worrisome, Fox said. We have a blend of people beginning to get out and about in public. We have lots of divisiveness. And we have more guns and warm weather. Its a potentially deadly mix. ___ This story has been corrected in the 13th paragraph that three mass shootings in public places in 2020 for lowest annual total in a decade, according to a database tracker. Thank you for reading! You have reached your 30-day limit of free access to SentinelSource.com, The Keene Sentinels website. If you would like to read two more articles for free at this time, please register for an account by clicking the sign up button below. We hope you find The Sentinels coverage of the Monadnock Region valuable. We rely on our subscribers to bring you strong local journalism and hope you will consider supporting our work by taking advantage of this special subscription offer here. News for the Future We cannot think of a recent time during which staying informed is more crucial. Understanding national, state and, most importantly, local events and their impact on you, as a reader and citizen, is vital. Help us expand this coverage, provide you more trusted local news and broaden your understanding of local events and developments through your support of our News for the Future campaign. Learn more at either link below. Thank you for supporting The Keene Sentinel. Keene, NH (03431) Today Thunderstorms early, then cloudy skies after midnight. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Thunderstorms early, then cloudy skies after midnight. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Firefighters battled a three-alarm grass fire in Fairfield near Travis Air Force Base on Friday afternoon, authorities said. Fairfield fire officials said the fire was located off Markeley Lane in Fairfield and said at least one structure was burned. Shortly before 7:30 p.m., Fairfield fire officials said forward progress of the blaze had stopped. Firefighters were expected to mop up at the scene for a few hours on Friday evening, fire officials said. The fire burned roughly two miles away from Travis Air Force Base, said base spokesperson Tonya Racasner. Racasner said Air Force firefighters responded to the blaze along with Fairfield firefighters and police officers. Officials at the base were first alerted to the blaze at about 6 p.m., Racasner said. As of shortly before 6:45 p.m., Racasner said base leadership were monitoring the fire conditions. Michael Short/Special To The Chronicle A 12-year-old child was shot and wounded in Oakland early Friday morning after someone in their home threw a chair at people trying to steal the catalytic converter from their car, police said. Officers responded to gunfire on the 2500 block of Rawson Street just after 3 a.m. The individual who threw the chair told officers that they heard a noise outside their home. When they went to see what it was, they saw someone attempting to steal the catalytic converter from their vehicle. The person then threw the chair at the suspects, who then fired multiple shots at the person and the child, according to the police. San Franciscos Fourth of July fireworks will return to battle with the fog this year, after being canceled in 2020 because of coronavirus pandemic restrictions. Mayor London Breed teased the news Friday afternoon with a Twitter post, saying, Well have more information to come, but for those of you who are making plans, yes, the fireworks will be back this year in San Francisco for July 4th! Sonoma County Sheriff's Office Two 15-year-olds were wounded and another is in custody after a shooting near Windsors Michael Hall Park Friday evening. The Sonoma County Sheriffs Office said in a social media post that it received multiple reports of gunfire in the vicinity of Camelot and Jane drives around 5:50 p.m. Witnesses described seeing several individuals fleeing from the park. Working with investigators from Southern California, Santa Cruz police on Wednesday recovered $225,000 in stolen vintage guitars linked to a year-old $2 million burglary. Working off a tip from the Los Angeles Police Department, detectives served search warrants at three different locations in Santa Cruz, including a pair of residences on the 2100 block of Delaware Avenue. The investigators recovered nine stolen vintage guitars, valued from $5,000 to $50,000 each, according to Santa Cruz police Lt. Arnold Vasquez. The instruments include a 1958 Gretsch Country Club, 1959 Rickenbacker Capri, 1960 Gretsch Chet Atkins, limited release Fender Stratocaster and a Hofner 500 Bass. The guitars are connected to a July 2020 heist where approximately $2 million in musical equipment and personal belongings were stolen from a storage unit in Marina Del Rey. Police in Southern California detained several suspects tied to the case in August, but renewed their efforts when they found the stolen guitars being sold through an online site via an address in Santa Cruz. No arrests were made during the recovery operation, Vasquez said, as it remains unclear how the stolen property came into the possession of subjects associated to the searches. Aidin Vaziri is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: avaziri@sfchronicle.com Tucked away on a corner of Russian Hill is a Mid-Century Modern courtyard home, complete with an elevator, two separate addresses and a lineage around its design. Its also on the market for $8 million. The hefty price tag is in part because of its architectural legacy the original home, at 2424 Jones Street, was designed by William Wurster, a renowned Bay Area architect who was also the dean of the architecture school at UC Berkeley. It was built in 1961. In 2007 and 2013, two other famed Bay Area architects, Kuth/Ranieri and Olle Lundberg, took on the renovation of the the home and its separate in-law unit, respectively. In trademark San Francisco fashion, they are located on two different streets. It truly is an urban oasis, said Max Armour, the Compass real estate agent listing the property. You see that in marketing, but its really true. Mario Serafin At nearly 5,000 square feet, with two separate units, five bedrooms, four baths and sky-high ceilings, the home has an abundance of natural light and panoramic views of the Bay Area. Its like owning a piece of art, said Armour. You cant really comp this out to another property theres only one of these, so to speak. Mario Serafin So far, after 10 days on the market, Armour said theres been a fair amount of interest, from singles to couples to families, to view the property. All, so far, are currently living in San Francisco. The in-law unit at 45 Houston St. is accessible through another entrance or the central elevator in the main house. It provides an opportunity for rental income, or just an accompanying but separate space to make ones own. It also has its own garage and separate patio. Mario Serafin You can just move right in, said Armour about the entire property. So for that price point, its actually very competitively priced. Annie Vainshtein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: avainshtein@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @annievain Its a little hard to believe. That was East Oakland resident Silvia Beltrans first impression of the citys new guaranteed income pilot program, which will randomly select 600 qualified families to receive $500 monthly for 18 months. Beltran started an application for the program earlier this month, but stopped halfway through. She thought there might be a catch. There isnt. Oakland City Council Members Loren Taylor and Treva Reid set out Saturday morning to promote the pilot and persuade wary residents like Beltran to apply. Taylor and Reid went door to door, mailbox to mailbox, distributing flyers to residents who might be wondering, in Reids words, Is this real? To qualify for the $500 monthly payments, families must live within a 1-mile radius of Arroyo Viejo Recreation Park in East Oakland, have at least one child under the age of 18 and an income of less than half the areas median income. For a family of three, that means about $60,000 a year or less. In Reids district, where the council member met Beltran raking leaves in front of a pink stucco house, the median household income is less than $50,000. So many people are struggling with rent, food, child care, Reid said as she distributed flyers along 85th Street. This program is a measure of hope. An opportunity for income stability. Oaklands pilot is being funded by Blue Meridian Partners, a nonprofit that raised more than $6.7 million to be distributed. Approximately $2.7 million will be dispensed during the first test run. The East Bay city isnt the only one in the area experimenting with guaranteed income as a social safety net. Stockton became one of the first cities to test the supplemental income in an 18-month trial that started early last year and showed promising results. Since then, several Bay Area cities have launched guaranteed income pilots of varying sizes and approaches, or are in the process of creating ones. In San Francisco, two separate pilots are in action: one for artists and one for expectant mothers of color. Santa Clara County is running a pilot for young adults transitioning out of the foster care system, while Marin County began a pilot for single mothers in May. Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang popularized the idea during his 2020 campaign, during which he promised to pay every U.S. adult $1,000 a month if elected. In Oakland, the pilot has had to overcome a rocky rollout. Initially prioritized for people of color, city officials quickly walked back their decision to limit recipients based on race and instead said the checks would be open to white residents as well as long as their incomes qualify. More than 9,000 people have subscribed to receive emails about the application process since it was announced in late March. But lack of awareness remains an obstacle, Taylor said as he canvassed at Arroyo Viejo Park on Saturday. Canvassers encountered more dogs than people during their morning stroll through neighborhoods, as they slipped flyers into mailboxes in front of gated yards. Taylor hoped that the flyer campaign and an upcoming outreach event during Juneteenth festivities at Akoma Outdoor Market would spur more people to apply by June 30, the cutoff date for the first round. Another 300 slots are set to open by August. Sometimes programs have great intentions, but it doesnt make it down to the people who need it most, the council member said. Nora Mishanec is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nora.mishanec@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NMishanec Mark Zuckerberg plans to spend at least half of next year working from home, and he is also giving more Facebook employees the option of working remotely. Ive found that working remotely has given me more space for long-term thinking and helped me spend more time with my family, which has made me happier and more productive at work, the social media companys co-founder wrote Wednesday in a memo obtained by multiple media outlets. Facebook told employees in a separate memo that anyone whose role can be done remotely can request remote work. Zuckerberg, 37, is taking the lead with plans to avoid the office for at least six months in 2022. The chief executive had previously hinted at a plan in May to let many employees permanently work from home. During a staff meeting that was live-streamed on his Facebook page, Zuckerberg said he expected nearly half of the companys more than 60,000 workers to work remotely within a decade. Its clear that COVID has changed a lot about our lives, and that certainly includes the way that most of us work, Zuckerberg said. Coming out of this period, I expect that remote work is going to be a growing trend as well. That timeline has now moved up, just as California plans to lift nearly all pandemic restrictions Tuesday, with some of Silicon Valleys biggest companies firming up office reopening plans. Apple and Google said they expect at least three days of in-person work to become standard in the fall. Zuckerberg said he instead plans time at his estate in Hawaii on Kauais North Shore, where, according to a pair of videos posted to his Facebook page last week, he has been practicing his weaponry skills. In the first clip, posted Sunday, the CEO filmed himself shooting bowling pins with a bow and arrow. In the second video, which plays in very slow motion to an Audioslave song, Zuckerberg wears noise-canceling headphones as he flings two spears at a wooden target. He captioned the latter video, I have a very particular set of skills ..., a nod to Liam Neesons character in Taken. Zuckerberg explains his new hobbies in a separate post, saying, A trail I wanted to hike is out of hiking permits, but has plenty of hunting permits available. Thats basically saying: Look, you cant walk here unless you also bring a bow and arrow. So I guess were doing this. Facebook has been one of techs biggest winners during the pandemic, with 2020 net income jumping to $29.1 billion, a 58% increase from the previous year. Unlike smaller tech companies that have cut office space and marketed sublease space, Facebook hasnt reduced any of its Bay Area real estate despite remote work expansion plans. The company has new offices opening this year in Burlingame for its Oculus virtual reality division and in Sunnyvale. It expanded last year in Fremont. In August, Facebook leased 730,000 square feet in Manhattan near Penn Station. Facebook still plans to open its offices at full capacity in October, according to the memo. Employees who are not granted permission to work from home will be required to come in half the time. The offer is not available to subcontractors, many of whom in an open letter to Zuckerberg said they were forced back into the office in November. Aidin Vaziri is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: avaziri@sfchronicle.com Even little kids know to be upstanders, not bystanders, when it comes to bullying. To call it out when they see it. To tell a teacher or parent who can help. To not just look the other way. Sadly, a City Hall full of highly paid adults charged with leading our supposedly compassionate, bighearted city stood quietly by as Supervisor Aaron Peskin bullied staff, lobbed baseless accusations in public meetings and made profane, inappropriate remarks off and on for the past 21 years. Peskin announced Thursday hes seeking treatment for an alcohol problem and apologized for the tenor that I have struck in my public relationships. Thats a good first step, and I wish him well on his road to recovery. But it doesnt wipe clean the nasty culture he helped create at City Hall since first being elected in 2000, and it certainly doesnt absolve his colleagues whove also bullied people or those whove watched and said nothing as it happened. Mayor London Breed, whos been known to yell at staff herself, didnt call out the berating behavior until Wednesday when she told her department heads they could get out of presenting information at the Board of Supervisors if they feared bullying. Among the 11 board members, a few have bullied people and the rest have watched it happen and not uttered a peep. The Chronicle could find no formal, written complaints about Peskins behavior for at least the past decade. Supervisor Matt Haney said hed verbally shared concerns about Peskins drinking and behavior with board President Shamann Walton and Angela Calvillo, clerk of the board, but its unclear whether either of them did much about it. Sean Elsbernd, the mayors chief of staff, also shared concerns about Peskin and other supervisors bullying staff with Walton and Calvillo and spoke to Peskin directly about it once, according to the mayors spokesperson. Walton could have removed Peskin from meetings under the board rules for disorderly, contemptuous or insolent behavior, but didnt. No supervisor other than Haney is known to have spoken up, and hardly any would talk publicly to the Chronicle, even after Peskin acknowledged his alcohol problem and troublesome behavior. Supervisor Hillary Ronen said shed been uncomfortable with Peskins behavior in meetings, but hadnt known what to do about it. After Chronicle reporters kept calling her and other city officials over the past couple of weeks about his behavior, she said she phoned Peskin herself on Wednesday, encouraging him to seek treatment. I confronted him directly, and I told him how his behavior at the board was affecting me and our colleagues, she said. You forced us to get past our discomfort. I had no choice anymore. Kudos to Ronen, but such directness should have happened a long time ago. Supervisor Rafael Mandelman said he, too, has been uncomfortable watching Peskin and a few other colleagues whom he declined to name treating staff as if they are incompetent and beneath contempt. But he said his colleagues answer to the voters, not to him, so he did nothing. Yet the supervisors and the mayor didnt seem to feel that way when calling for school board member Alison Collins to resign over anti-Asian tweets even though she, too, answers to the voters. Mandelman explained he thinks Peskins mark on the city has been positive overall while Collins has been negative in a way that is unique. But people arent supposed to consider whether bullies are also sometimes kind and productive when deciding whether to call out their bullying. Numerous City Hall staff have been berated as theyve tried to present data and information about their work to the supervisors. Holding city staff accountable amid multiple city crises? Totally appropriate. Humiliating them, making them cry and leaving them visibly shaken? Not appropriate. These are board meetings, not courtroom cross-examinations from A Few Good Men. And it hasnt occurred just in public meetings. Numerous city staff have said theyve received hostile, late-night calls from Peskin. And he acknowledged to The Chronicle that on a phone call with other supervisors and their aides last year, he grew angry in a discussion about the gross receipts tax and said, This will have to be one of those times where I take my d out, and the mayor takes her d out, and lets see whose is bigger. Debbie Raphael, director of the Department of the Environment, knows the hostility well. In a March board meeting, Peskin accused her of malfeasance in front of the full board without any direct evidence, later apologizing. Raphael said Friday that many of her staff members, too, fear presenting to the board. I honestly can only counsel them to take deep breaths and do the best that they can, she said, adding its frustrating to spend time navigating bad behavior instead of talking about pressing issues like managing climate change. The last thing I want to be focused on is disrespectful behavior and the inability to treat each other with dignity, she said. Jeffrey Tumlin, director of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, said the questioning by elected officials in San Francisco is uniquely mean. In every other city where Ive worked, I would always put the project manager or subject matter expert forward to present their work to the city council, he said. San Francisco is the only city where staff are reluctant to present their own work for fear of bullying. He said he often presents their work for them, meaning they lose out on an opportunity for career development. That happens more often with women than with men, he said, which is ironic in our progressive city. I have had to deal with staff people in tears after having presented. I have had to deal with staff people who were ready to quit their jobs because of the way they had been treated, Tumlin said. Ive lost some extremely talented women of color from the SFMTA in part because of the cruel culture in city government that goes overlooked. Despite a national reckoning on race, gender and inclusion, why have city officials not ensured women and especially women of color get treated respectfully? Mary Ellen Carroll, director of the Department of Emergency Management, said one of her top goals is mentoring young women and helping them obtain leadership positions in city government, but many have told her the toxic atmosphere turns them off to a career in public service. What happens is we say, Oh, we have to work with people. We dont want to stir the pot, she said of keeping quiet in the face of bullying. But if we dont call it out, and thats all of us, were complicit. As leaders, we shouldnt tolerate it. A supervisor said it well last year during a July discussion about whether to create a public advocate position to foster good government and call out wrongdoing. The supervisor said it wasnt needed because all elected officials should be playing that role. This is our job, he said. We are the people who can set the tone from the top. That supervisor was Aaron Peskin, and he was right. If only his colleagues had listened. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Heather Knight appears Sundays and Wednesdays. Email: hknight@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @hknightsf When a toy fatally injures a child, every model of this toy is pulled from the market and everyone responsible for the manufacture and sale of this toy is held responsible. When said child (or parent) is killed by an assault weapon, there are thoughts, prayers and the usual condolences, which were delivered to the kid killed in the previous mass shooting and will be used again in the next mass shooting. Why arent the laws and regulations applied to safe toys applied to instruments designed to kill guns? We need laws that hold everyone in the gun business accountable starting with the weapon manufacturer, the ammunition manufacturer, and everyone involved with the transportation, marketing, distribution, sale, venues for display and legislators who refuse to pass gun safety laws. Rose Schlecker, South San Francisco Slow Streets program Regarding Slow Street is rarely used (Letters, June 8): I must agree with the author. I live in the lower hills of Oakland, and the Slow Streets blocks directly around the corner from my house are also rarely used. Once, when the blockades were first installed, we saw a woman with her child on a bicycle. That was the only time I have ever seen anyone in the street. In addition, diverting our traffic a mile out of the way is creating more pollution and more fuel use. It doesnt make sense to create a Slow Street of alternating blocks on the neighborhoods one avenue of exit to the freeway. The program may have been good-intentioned, but it is not working. Carole Klein, Oakland Curb plastic waste Environmental activists decry bloodbath (June 6), highlights the lack of environmental policy change occurring in the California Legislature. As a Bay Area native, its heartbreaking to witness the devastating effects plastic pollution has on marine wildlife and our natural landscapes. Every year, another 8 million tons of plastic enters our oceans the equivalent of a garbage truck dumping a load of plastic waste into the sea every minute. Nothing we use for a few minutes should be allowed to pollute our oceans for centuries. Californias often referred to as a pioneer state in environmental policy, passing the statewide Single-Use Carryout Bag Ban in 2016. Since then, the California Legislature has failed to pass major environmental measures to address the dire plastic pollution crisis. Similarly, Whole Foods was the first U.S. grocer to eliminate the use of plastic bags in 2008, but has recently failed at reducing its plastic waste. This is a pivotal point for Californians to take action against plastic pollution and protect the natural spaces that we love. We must urge our local representatives to pass progressive plastic policies and to call for corporations like Whole Foods to mitigate their plastic waste. Rosie Goity, San Mateo Establish more toilets Regarding Latest S.F. feud: future of toilets for homeless (Front Page, June 8): Supervisor Matt Haney has it exactly right about providing toilets for the homeless. Lets also remember another thing: Toilets are needed for all of the public, not just for homeless. Ive lived in San Francisco most of my life and have had real problems trying to find a toilet when I needed one. Demonstrations and parades, such as the ones when the San Francisco Giants win the World Series, have left me desperately trying to find somewhere to relieve myself. I have stopped going to large gatherings where there is no guarantee of restrooms. Im sure tourists in our beautiful city also would appreciate more bathrooms than are currently available. And private businesses should not have to deal with a constant stream of people who need to use the bathroom. Nor should they have to call 311 every day for a cleanup of the mess in front of their business. Providing toilets for everyone is a matter of public safety. Obviously, if someone has to go, they will go somewhere. Better that its not in the street or an alley. Establish more public toilets in San Francisco. Hundreds of thousands of young salmon are dying in Northern California's Klamath River as low water levels allow a parasite to thrive and kill off fish. Ceratonova shasta (C. shasta) is a tiny parasite native to the river. In a typical year marked by a wet winter, the water rushing down the river controls the parasite population. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images This year, the river is alarmingly low after two consecutive dry winters, and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation isn't releasing so-called "flushing flows" from the dam on the Upper Klamath Lake to boost water levels downstream in the lower Klamath River. These short-term increases in flow disrupt the disease cycle. The fisheries department of the Yurok Tribe, Californias largest federally recognized tribe, monitors the parasite on the river annually, and estimates nearly all the juvenile Chinook salmon in this year's run are infected with the parasite. More than half the fish have died. Right now, the Klamath River is full of dead and dying fish on the Yurok Reservation, Frankie Myers, the Yurok Tribes vice chairman, said in a statement. This disease will kill most of the baby salmon in the Klamath, which will impact fish runs for many years to come. For salmon people, a juvenile fish kill is an absolute worst-case scenario. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images The Yurok Tribe's reservation fronts a 40-mile-long stretch of the lower reach of the Klamath and its culture, ceremonies and traditions are linked to the annual fish runs on the river. Every winter, millions of fish are born in the upper river below the dam and in the Klamath tributaries. The tribe monitors fish runs with traps that catch both dead and living specimens. The fish are counted and the living ones are released to continue their journey to the ocean. This year, the tribe started noticing diseased and dead fish in early May. "Weve observed 65% of the fish in our trap have been deceased since the beginning of May," said Barry McCovey Jr., Yurok fisheries director. "If we were to extrapolate that to the full population, that number is huge. Its a significant portion of the run." Justin Sullivan/Getty Images The Klamath fish runs have been some of the lowest on record over the past five years. McCovey said the parasite's impact was significant in the last 2014-2015 drought, but he said this year is far worse. "Its a climate catastrophe," said McCovey, who has studied fish disease on the Klamath for more than two decades. "The impacts are very real to the people here on the Klamath River. We understand these fish arent going to return in the numbers we need them to be when they come back as adults to feed the tribe and to support the local businesses and the local fisherman. Theres an entire industry up here thats dependent on these fish." Justin Sullivan/Getty Images The second largest river in California, the Klamath flows for more than 250 miles from the high desert of Oregon to the redwood forests of Northern California before emptying into the Pacific Ocean in an area shared by the Yurok Reservation and Redwood National Park. Salmon, steelhead and rainbow trout in the river have been a major source of food for Native Americans living along the river for more than 7,000 years. There have always been good years and bad years, but 2021 is a terrifying low, with a massive fish kill unfolding in real time. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images "We work so hard," said McCovey. "Its who we are. We have an obligation and responsibility to try and protect what we have and try to fix things. It feels like our obligation. Were glad to do it. Even though our backs are against the wall and things arent good right now. We take this long-term view that things are going to be OK ... maybe in 100 years." Communities throughout the Klamath Basin, which stretches across the California-Oregon border, are facing serious struggles amid the drought. Generations of farmers and ranchers are seeing cuts to their water allocations, and other Klamath tribes on the upper reaches of the river are impacted. "What Klamath Basin communities are facing right now is the definition of a disaster," Myers said in a statement. "It is also the new normal. Substantial water shortages are a long-predicted symptom of climate change. There is an urgent need for an equitable federal disaster relief bill that addresses the immediate needs of our communities and establishes a foundation from which to build a more resilient ecology and economy in the Klamath Basin." "We owe it to future generations to never let another juvenile fish kill like this happen again," he continued. "We need to act now before it is too late for the Klamath salmon." SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) California selected another 15 people on Friday to win $50,000 each just for getting the coronavirus vaccine amid hopes from state officials that the chance of winning big money will convince skeptics to get inoculated ahead of the state's broad reopening next week. The lottery-style drawing selected winners from the nearly 22 million Californians who have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine. State officials identified the winners by what county they lived in, with plans to contact them in the coming days. Fifteen other people won the prize last week. But state officials could not reach two of them. The two were replaced by alternate winners in Sacramento and Monterey counties, Gov. Gavin Newsom said. In addition to the $50,000 prizes, the state has pledged to give $50 gift cards to 2 million people who get vaccinated. But the big prize will be handed out on Tuesday, when Newsom will oversee a drawing where 10 people will win $1.5 million each. Newsom has said that on that same day he will lift the state's stay-at-home order and end most restrictions on businesses including allowing fully vaccinated people to stop wearing masks under most circumstances. One of last week's $50,000 winners was 17-year-old Nancy Gutierrez, who is about to finish her junior year of high school in the San Diego area. Newsom indicated the money would go into a savings account because Gutierrez is under 18. My only advice: Don't spend all that money. Invest it in your future and in your mind, Newsom told her during a news conference in Vista, California, that was streamed on the governor's social media channels. Gutierrez appeared with Newsom at the news conference, smiling while holding a microphone and answering questions from the governor as he acted like a game-show host for the second week in a row. Gutierrez said she and her family initially did not believe the news that she had won and encouraged everyone to get vaccinated. I think most of us want life to go like back to normal and getting the vaccine would definitely help that, she said. Newsom said California has administered nearly 40 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine and that 70% of the state's adult residents have received at least one dose. Newsom said it would be challenging to for the state to achieve a rate of 75% to 80% of California residents vaccinated with one dose, but that he believes the prize money has been an effective incentive. Newsom said the state administered 1.43 million does over the past week, an increase from the fewer than 1 million doses that were given out the week before. Just a handful of states can lay claim to seeing week over week increases in vaccination doses being administered, he said. We're here to celebrate that. ___ Associated Press writer Elliot Spagat contributed from Vista, California. NEW YORK (AP) The Latest on the 2021 Pulitzer Prizes: RICHMOND Michael Paul Williams of Virginia's Richmond Times-Dispatch won this years prize for commentary for a series of penetrating and historically insightful columns about the process of dismantling the state capital city's Confederate monuments. Williams winning work was written after the killing of George Floyd, which ignited removals of monuments to Confederates, colonizers and tyrants around the world. The issue was particularly resonant in Richmond, a former capital of the Confederacy steeped in Civil War history and Lost Cause iconography. Williams wrote in July in one of his winning columns that Richmond was now a city in search of heroes and causes we can all rally around and that Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson's likeness was lifted from a perch it never should have occupied in a just and evolved society, after workers removed the first of many Confederate statues the mayor ordered off city property. The newspapers leadership said in a joint statement that Williams commentary was the centerpiece of its coverage of Richmonds legacy of inequity and that he wrote with a voice that spoke to the trauma of yesterday and the hope for tomorrow. ___ MORE ON THE PULITZERS: Pulitzers honor coronavirus pandemic, US protest coverage AP wins 2 Pulitzers for photos of pandemic pain, US unrest The Night Watchman, Malcolm X biography win arts Pulitzers Teen who recorded Floyds arrest, death wins Pulitzer nod ___ NEW YORK One of the countrys most esteemed novelists, Louise Erdrich, won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for The Night Watchman. Other winners for books include the late Les Payne and daughter Tamara Payne for their Malcolm X biography The Dead Are Arising. Marcia Chatelains Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America won for history. Natalie Diazs Postcolonial Love Poem was the poetry winner and David Zucchinos Wilmingtons Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy was cited for general nonfiction. Tani Leons composition Stride was the winner for music. ___ NEW YORK The Pulitzer board recognized two winners in the Explanatory Reporting category that touched on the major stories of the year. Ed Yong of The Atlantic won for a lucid, definitive series on the pandemic which the board said anticipated the course of the disease, synthesized the complex challenges the country faced, illuminated the US governments failures and provided clear and accessible context to the scientific and human challenges it posed. Andrew Chung, Lawrence Hurley, Andrea Januta, Jaimi Dowdell and Jackie Botts of Reuters won for an investigation of the legal concept of qualified immunity and how it shields police from prosecution. The board cited the examination of court cases powered by a pioneering data analysis. ___ BOSTON The Boston Globe received the investigative reporting Pulitzer for a series demonstrating how poor government oversight imperils road safety. Matt Rocheleau, Vernal Coleman, Laura Crimaldi, Evan Allen and Brendan McCarthy were recognized for reporting that uncovered a systematic failure by state governments to share information about dangerous truck drivers that could have kept them off the road, the Pulitzer board said. The investigation reported how the increasingly deadly trucking industry operates with minimal federal government oversight. Boston Globe editor Brian McGrory praised his staffs winning coverage for the investigative reporting Pulitzer, highlighting their tireless shoe-leather reporting and the reforms their work produced. Brendan McCarthy, the editor on the series, said the Globe quickly found that this kind of tragedy had been happening year after year for decades. The problems were in plain sight but had never been addressed. ___ NEW YORK The Hot Wing King by Katori Hall, a play set around a hot wing cooking competition, has won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for drama during a theater season that saw most venues largely shuttered. The Pulitzer board hailed The Hot Wing King for its look at masculinity and how it is filtered by the experiences of a loving gay couple and their extended family as they prepare for a culinary competition Finalists included Circle Jerk by Michael Breslin and Patrick Foley, and Stew by Zora Howard. With most theaters closed during the pandemic, the Pulitzer Prize Board altered the requirements for this years drama award, allowing postponed or canceled works, as well as plays produced and performed in places other than theaters. The Hot Wing King opened off-Broadway just days before the citys theaters were closed. Hall is the author of the Olivier Award-winning The Mountaintop and is a Tony Award-nominated co-playwright of Broadways Tina The Tina Turner Musical. ___ NEW YORK The Pulitzer Prize for public service journalism has been awarded to The New York Times for its reporting on the coronavirus. The Times reporting on the pandemic stood out in 2020 for its depth and accessibility. The paper provided a wealth of data in easy-to-digest forms, including graphs on new cases and hospitalizations, a map of hot spots and a table on trends by state. The Pulitzer committee said the Times was recognized for courageous, prescient and sweeping coverage of the coronavirus pandemic that exposed racial and economic inequities, government failures in the U.S. and beyond and filled a data vacuum that helped local governments, health care providers, businesses and individuals to be better prepared and protected. ___ MINNEAPOLIS The teenager whose video documenting the death of George Floyd set off a global movement over racial injustice has been awarded a special citation by the Pulitzer Prizes. Darnella Frazier was cited for courageously recording the murder of George Floyd, a video that spurred protests against police brutality, around the world, highlighting the crucial role of citizens in journalists quest for truth and justice. Frazier was 17 when she recorded Floyds death in May 2020 at the hands of Minneapolis police. ___ NEW YORK The Associated Press has won two Pulitzer Prizes for photography for its coverage of racial injustice protests in the U.S. and the coronavirus pandemics toll on the elderly in Spain. APs chief photographer in Spain, Emilio Morenatti, won the feature photography prize for documenting the impact of COVID-19 on elders. One of his winning images captured an older couple hugging and kissing through a plastic sheet. Work by 10 AP photographers won the breaking news prize for covering protests that roiled U.S. cities after the May 2020 death of George Floyd, a Black man killed by a police officer. Photographers dodged rubber bullets and tear gas to capture close-up images of demonstrators with fists in the air and sometimes violent conflicts with police. With the wins, AP has now received 56 Pulitzer Prizes, including 34 for photography. ___ MINNEAPOLIS The Star Tribune, of Minneapolis, has won a Pulitzer Prize for breaking news for its coverage of the May 25, 2020, killing of George Floyd and the resulting civil unrest that tore through the city. Floyd, a Black man, died as he was being pinned to the ground by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Video of Chauvin kneeling on Floyds neck for 9 minutes, 29 seconds sparked a wave of protests, first in the Twin Cities and then nationwide. Star Tribune journalists covered the rage in Minneapolis, where protesters burned buildings including a police station. The Pulitzer board called the coverage urgent, authoritative and nuanced. Chauvin was later convicted of murder. WHITE CENTER, Wash. (AP) Authorities say two people are dead and two are injured in a shooting that happened just south of Seattle in White Center. The King County Sheriffs Office says the incident happened in the commercial area Friday afternoon. A spokesperson with Harborview Medical Center in Seattle around 5:50 p.m. told KCPQ-TV that four people arrived at the hospital and two of them died shortly after arriving. When a small Southern bakery made rainbow-themed cookies to celebrate Pride Month, there was a swift backlash. On June 2, Confections, a tiny store in Lufkin, Tex., shared a photo on its Facebook page of heart-shaped rainbow sugar cookies with the caption, "More LOVE. Less hate. Happy Pride to all our LGBTQ friends! All lovers of cookies and happiness are welcome here." Within an hour, the small business near the eastern edge of Texas lost dozens of followers on social media. Not long after, a peeved patron canceled an order she had placed for five dozen cookies. "She mentioned that we had gay propaganda on our Facebook page, and she was not going to support our business as a result of that," said Felicia Tetu, 43, one of three co-owners of the bakery. "I was just dumbfounded. I couldn't imagine somebody hating a group of people that much." Co-owner Dawn Cooley, 45, who opened the bakery 11 years ago, said that after the customer withdrew her order, "my heart dropped." She was most disturbed by the reason for the customer's abrupt cancellation, she said. But she was also concerned about the financial toll on her business, which was barely scraping by. "We have a very small bakery, and every order is important to us. It has been a struggle this past year to keep our doors open," Cooley said. Plus, "it takes hours for us to make decorated cookies," echoed her sister and fellow Confections co-owner, Miranda Dolder, 44, adding that the woman's order for summer-themed cookies had already been prepared. "There's only three of us. We're really small." Cooley shared a message on the bakery's Facebook page, expressing her sadness. "Today has been hard. Really hard," she wrote. She then explained what transpired after sharing the original image of the Pride cookies. "My heart is heavy. Honestly, I never thought a post that literally said more love less hate would result in this kind of backlash to a very small business that is struggling to stay afloat." She ended the post with a plea to Confections' loyal customers: "If you love our cookies we will have an over abundance of them tomorrow." Little did she know, though, that her post would go viral on social media and that the line outside the tiny bakery would stretch for several blocks the following day. Though the bakery opened at 10 a.m., a crowd had already assembled outside the front door by 8:30 the next morning. "That line brought me to tears. All those people standing in the rain, waiting so patiently to buy a cookie," Cooley said. "We just wanted to be inclusive, and it was so heartwarming to see how many people felt the same." Over the following few days, a steady stream of hundreds of customers arrived to show their support. "The line just never ended. I had people buying cookies for the person behind them, buying cookies and handing them out to the kids outside. It was beautiful." Dolder said. "They weren't going to let this little bakery take a financial hit for showing love and acceptance for the gay community." Jay Eagle, a regular Confections customer who owns a computer repair shop across the street, said he was awed by the spirited crowd that congregated outside the bakery. "It was really neat to see people coming together like that," Eagle said. While the initial backlash "didn't surprise me," he continued, "it's great to see how much more it is the other way now." The surge of customers remained constant over the weekend, to the point where "I had to take the phone off the hook," Dolder said. Given that the bakery has only three staffers, it became challenging to field constant calls and fulfill the influx of orders. "I truly believe I baked more that Friday than I did the entire week," Tetu recalled. "I was just constantly baking, then running out of dough." The women worked tirelessly - including through the night - to bake enough cookies to meet the spiking demand. "We are so overwhelmed," Dolder said, adding that calls, comments and customers are still pouring in. The sudden show of love outweighed the negativity, she said, and reinforced that "people are inherently good." Even after they ran out of baked goods to sell, people still offered money, which the women refused to accept. Instead, they redirected them to donate to LGBTQ organizations and other nonprofits, including an animal rescue. Not only did Lufkin locals show their support, but thousands of people from across the country and around the world reached out to send donations and share words of gratitude. One woman sent Confections an email with the subject line: "THANK YOU from a grateful LESBIAN grandma in Pacific NW." "I just wanted you to know that baking rainbow Pride cookies is an act of courage and love, and that I am so proud and happy to read about you & your cookies!!!" she wrote. Another email came in with the subject line: "Freedom." "I'm a 74 year old straight woman married to an 84 year old straight man. We applaud your stand with the gay community," the sender wrote. "We owned and operated a dog grooming business in Austin over 25 years and we made our own rules as well. I especially commend you because you are in a small town." Jesse Roberts, 29, who grew up near Lufkin, attested to the challenges of being gay in a small Southern town. "I was closeted until later in life," said Roberts, who recently moved to New York City. "I didn't receive the warmest welcome when I did come out." When he heard about the Confections story, "I was not shocked by the way the bakery was being treated, given my own experience," he said. "But I was hopeful because of the reaction from the community that came around to support them." For Roberts and his fiance, who are getting married in Dallas in September and are in the process of choosing their wedding cake, "going to a bakery is something that is anxiety-producing for us, so it was nice to see that there are ones in the South that are supportive." "It takes a lot for a small business to speak up like that and have a voice," he said. "It's easier for big corporations to do so, but it's inspiring to see a small business take a stand and support a disenfranchised community." MANILA, Philippines (AP) A fire and a powerful blast ripped through a small cargo ship docked to refuel in the Philippine capital of Manila on Saturday, injuring at least six people and igniting a blaze in a nearby riverside slum that gutted dozens of shanties, officials said. It was not immediately clear what triggered the fire, which raged for about seven hours aboard the MV Titan 8 and forced its crew to jump in panic into the Pasig River. At least two crewmen who were on the vessel remained unaccounted for, officials said. WASHINGTON - House Democrats and Republicans introduced a sweeping series of bills on Friday intended to check the power of Silicon Valley giants, marking a new chapter in their years-long efforts to hold tech companies accountable. The rare cooperation in a bitterly divided Congress underscores the mounting bipartisan interest in overhauling federal competition laws to address long-running allegations that Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google have engaged in monopoly-style tactics. The measures would outlaw some of the common ways tech companies allegedly solidified their digital dominance and, in the most severe instances, force them to sell off lines of business that represent a conflict of interest. The bills are based on recommendations that the House's top antitrust panel put forth following a 16-month bipartisan investigation into the tech giants. If passed, they would mark a historic overhaul of decades-old competition laws, which were first implemented a century ago to take on railroad, oil and steel magnates. "Right now, unregulated tech monopolies have too much power over our economy," Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., the chair of the House antitrust panel, said in a statement. "They are in a unique position to pick winners and losers, destroy small businesses, raise prices on consumers, and put folks out of work. Our agenda will level the playing field and ensure the wealthiest, most powerful tech monopolies play by the same rules as the rest of us." The most controversial of the bills, the Ending Platform Monopolies Act, would make it illegal for major tech platform to operate another line of business that creates a conflict of interest. That could spell trouble for Amazon, which operates a major e-commerce marketplace but also competes in it as a seller of many products itself. House investigators concluded last year that Amazon was incentivized "to exploit its access to competing sellers' data and information." (Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.) The legislation could also potentially affect Google, which operates its own video-streaming service, YouTube, as well as a search engine that ranks the results of videos from around the Internet. The bill is co-sponsored by Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., whose state is home to Amazon, and Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Texas. The American Innovation and Choice Online Act, co-sponsored by Cicilline and Gooden, would prohibit tech giants from giving their own products and services preference over rivals, an issue that congressional investigators found smaller competitors raised again and again as they probed the tech giants. That could have implications across the industry, especially as lawmakers and courts examine allegations that Apple has abused its control of iPhone and iPad operating systems to harm competition. Another bill, the Platform Competition and Opportunity Act, would prohibit tech magnates from snapping up rising competitors. The House investigation exposed Facebook emails, memos and other once-secret company records that showed that the social network sought to acquire "its competitive threats to maintain and expand its dominance." Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Rep. Ken Buck, Colo., the top Republican on the House antitrust panel, co-sponsored that measure. The package also includes two bills that are similar to proposals already put forth in the Senate. The Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act, sponsored by Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colo., and Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., would update filing fees to ensure there's more funding for the country's top antitrust enforcers, the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice. The Senate this week passed similar legislation as part of a broader bill to address U.S. competitiveness with China. Reps. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa., and Burgess Owens, R-Utah, are sponsoring a bill that aims to make it easier for people to use different tech services together, or move their data to a rival service. The Augmenting Compatability and Competition by Enabling Service Switching Act is similar to interoperability legislation introduced by Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., in the last Congress. Tech companies are likely to fight the legislation, which would result in seismic changes for their current business practices. Before they were even introduced, Netchoice, which represents Amazon, Google, Facebook and other tech companies, said the measures would "kneecap" American companies and undermine American innovation amid increasing concerns about the competitive threat posed by China. "At the same time Congress is looking to boost American innovation and cybersecurity, lawmakers should not pass legislation that would cede ground to foreign competitors and open up American data to dangerous and untrustworthy actors," Carl Szabo, vice president and general counsel at NetChoice, said in a statement. Though Republicans and Democrats are working together on the legislation, they have diverging motivations for regulating the tech giants. Democrats have long pushed for greater reforms to antitrust law to address growing economic concentration. Republicans meanwhile have focused more narrowly on the tech industry, especially as they raise concerns that the tech giants have stifled their voices online. The tech companies have denied those claims, but Buck alluded to them in his statement of support for the bills, saying the companies abused their dominance to "censor speech." "This legislation breaks up Big Tech's monopoly power to control what Americans see and say online, and fosters an online market that encourages innovation and provides American small businesses with a fair playing field," he said in the statement. "Doing nothing is not an option, we just act now." The House lawmakers are taking a different approach than the Senate, where Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., has introduced sweeping legislation that she says aims to address competition concerns throughout the economy, not just in Silicon Valley. Some consumer advocates welcome both approaches. "We do need broad antitrust reforms that will address competition across economy, and we need specific laws and rules focused on Big Tech," said Charlotte Slaiman, competition policy counsel at the consumer group Public Knowledge. SAO PAULO (AP) Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro led thousands of motorcyclist supporters through the streets of Sao Paulo on Saturday and got hit with a fine for failure to wear a mask in violation of local pandemic restrictions. The conservative president waved to the crowd from his motorcycle and later from atop a sound truck, where helmeted but largely maskless backers cheered and chanted as he insisted that masks were useless for those already vaccinated an assertion disputed by most public health experts. Sao Paulo's state government press office said a fine equivalent to about $110 would be imposed for violation of a rule that has required masks in public places since May 2020. According to a survey by local authorities, 12,000 motorcycles participated in the pro-Bolsonaro event. Bolsonaro's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The procession of motorcyclists wound out of the city and back, arriving at Ibirapuera Park, where the president clambered atop a car to defend his denunciation of masks for the vaccinated. Whoever is against this proposal is because they dont believe in science, because if they are vaccinated, there is no way the virus can be transmitted, he said. Vaccines are designed chiefly to protect recipients from getting sick, not necessarily from being infected. While studies show many vaccines reduce viral load, and likely spread, not all varieties have been fully studied. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, The risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection in fully vaccinated people cannot be completely eliminated as long as there is continued community transmission of the virus. Less than 12% of Brazil's population so far has received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Ministry of Health, and many Brazilian experts say masks can only be abandoned after the majority of the population has been vaccinated. Bolsonaro also was fined for failure to wear a mask during a rally with supporters in May in the northeastern state of Maranhao. Governors of that state and Sao Paulo have been feuding with Bolsonaro over their restrictive measures to stifle the spread of the coronavirus. Cristina Melo, 47, a businesswoman in the computer industry, said she and her husband were at the motorcycle rally because we are patriots. "And of course we defend our president Bolsonaro, she said. DELANO, Calif. (AP) A California prison inmate was stabbed to death Friday and two other men were identified as suspects, authorities said. Artemio Gomez, 40, was attacked at around 8:15 a.m. at Kern Valley State Prison, north of Bakersfield, according to a statement from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. BEIJING (AP) Top U.S. and Chinese diplomats appear to have had another sharply worded exchange, with Beijing saying it told the U.S. to cease interfering in its internal affairs and accusing Washington of politicizing the search for the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic. Senior Chinese foreign policy adviser Yang Jiechi and Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a phone call Friday that revealed wide divisions in a number of contentious areas, including the curtailing of freedoms in Hong Kong and the mass detention of Muslims in the northwestern Xinjiang region. Calls for a more thorough investigation into the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 are particularly sensitive for China because of suggestions that it might have have escaped from a laboratory in the central city of Wuhan, where cases were first discovered. Yang said China was gravely concerned over what he called absurd stories that the virus escaped from the Wuhan lab. China firmly opposes any despicable acts that use the epidemic as an excuse to slander China and to shift blames," Yang was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News Agency. Some people in the United States have fabricated and peddled absurd stories claiming Wuhan lab leak, which China is gravely concerned about," Yang said. China urges the United States to respect facts and science, refrain from politicizing COVID-19 origin tracing and concentrate on international anti-pandemic cooperation." The State Department said Blinken stressed the importance of cooperation and transparency regarding the origin of the virus, including the need for (World Health Organization) Phase 2 expert-led studies in China. The U.S. and others have accused China of failing to provide the raw data and access to sites that would allow a more thorough investigation into where the virus sprung from and how it initially spread. Equally contentious were the issues of Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Taiwan and accusations that China has arbitrarily detained two Canadian citizens in retaliation for Canada's arrest of an executive of Chinese communications technology giant Huawei, who is wanted by U.S. law enforcement. The U.S. has fabricated various lies about Xinjiang in an attempt to sabotage the stability and unity in Xinjiang, which confuse right and wrong and are extremely absurd. China is firmly opposed to such actions," Yang said. Hong Kong affairs are purely Chinas internal affairs," and those found in violation of a sweeping national security law imposed on the former British colony must be punished," Yang said. Blinken, on the other hand, underscored U.S. concern over the deterioration of democratic norms in Hong Kong and the ongoing "genocide and crimes against humanity against predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang," the State Department said. He also urged Beijing to ease pressure against Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy China claims as its own territory, to be annexed by force if necessary. According to Xinhua, Yang said Taiwan involves Chinas core interests" and that Beijing firmly defends its national sovereignty and territorial integrity." The tone of the phone call seemed to echo contentious talks in March in Alaska, when the sides traded sharp and unusually public barbs over vastly different views of each other and the world in their first face-to-face meeting since President Joe Biden took office. At that meeting, the U.S. accused the Chinese delegation of grandstanding, while Beijing fired back, saying there was a strong smell of gunpowder and drama that was entirely the fault of the Americans. Relations between them have deteriorated to their lowest level in decades, with the Biden administration showing no signs of deviating from the established U.S. hardline against China over trade, technology, human rights and China's claim to the South China Sea. Beijing, meanwhile, has fought back doggedly against what it sees as attempts to smear its reputation and restrain its development. On Thursday, its ceremonial legislature passed a law to retaliate against sanctions imposed on Chinese politicians and organizations, threatening to deny entry to and freeze the Chinese assets of anyone who formulates or implements such measures, potentially placing new pressure on foreign companies operating in the country. HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) Some big changes are expected at Connecticut nursing homes in the coming months. From mandatory two-month supplies of personal protection equipment and full-time infection specialists to the ability for residents to have cameras in their rooms, lawmakers passed multiple bills during the regular legislative session that wrapped up on June 9. The changes attempt to address some of the deficiencies in long-term care facilities, many long-standing, that were exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. They increase mandatory direct care from at least 1.9 hours per resident to three hours, make changes to emergency planning, strengthen the bill of rights for residents and set aside additional funding for nursing homes, including for capital improvements and pay increases and bonuses for workers. Once signed into law by Gov. Ned Lamont, many of the provisions are scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, 2022, or even sooner. We are thrilled that these long-fought-for reforms, many of which have been part of the conversation pre-pandemic, are now going to become law. Nursing home residents, families and staff have been through so much, said Nora Duncan, state director of AARP of Connecticut. Nursing homes in the state were hit hard and early by the pandemic. As of June 8, there have been 3,882 COVID-19-associated deaths among nursing home residents most occurring earlier in the pandemic and before vaccinations became prevalent. In the state's most recent release of data, covering June 2-8, there were five confirmed cases among nursing home residents and one COVID-19-related death. Statewide, there were 8,260 total COVID-19-associated deaths as of Thursday. Rep. Michelle Cook, D-Torrington, has been working on issues such as nursing home staffing levels for years. She said she believes passage of the nursing home camera bill, another long-running proposal at the state Capitol, could be one of the most important proposals to pass. It still awaits Lamont's signature. Cook's father-in-law, a nursing home resident, died from COVID-19. She believes some nursing home residents' deaths can be blamed on the repercussions of COVID-19, such as isolation and not eating enough. It would have been great for people to be able to see their loved one and say, 'Oh my gosh, they've lost 10 pounds,'" she said. Stonington resident Liz Stern was appointed to the state's Nursing Home and Assisted Living Oversight Working Group after advocating on behalf of her late mother, a former nursing home resident. Stern said she's pleased by many of the changes passed during the legislative session, including the new state budget deal allowing a nursing home resident who receives Medicaid benefits to increase their monthly personal needs account from $60 to $75. But a bill that was supposed to ensure that loved ones designated as essential caregivers are allowed to enter a nursing home at any time even during a pandemic gives the facilities too much discretion, Stern said. When you look at the language, there are a lot of words but there is really no meat in that bill. None, she said. Stern and other family members of nursing home residents are seeking federal legislation now. Despite the gains made this year, Stern and other advocates said they plan to keep pushing the Connecticut General Assembly for more changes for nursing homes. Duncan and AARP have been urging state lawmakers and Lamont to focus some of Connecticut's remaining federal COVID-19 relief funds on home- and community-based alternatives to nursing homes, which continue to struggle financially with relatively low census numbers. The pandemic has never given us more of a opportunity to build what we want as consumers of services and as taxpayers. So, let's take the opportunity," said Duncan. "There's certainly a need for nursing home beds, but there's a lot of ways to do this better, cheaper and the way people want it. NEW ORLEANS (AP) A federal appeals court has revived a Louisiana ministers lawsuit challenging now-expired coronavirus restrictions on church services. Tony Spell repeatedly flouted the public health restrictions last year at his Life Tabernacle Church in the Baton Rouge suburb of Central. His lawsuit sought damages from Gov. John Bel Edwards and an injunction blocking the restrictions. In November, U.S. District Judge Brian Jackson in Baton Rouge rejected the injunction request as moot because the restrictions were being eased. And he said Spell was not entitled to damages. Spell's attorneys appealed and arguments were heard Monday by three judges at the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Friday night, the panel said the judge should look at the case again in light of three recent Supreme Court opinions blocking some restrictions on indoor worship in New York and California. In making its determinations, the district court did not have the benefit of considering the Supreme Court's recent cases regarding how the Free Exercise Clause applies in the particular context of state-imposed COVID-19 restrictions, the unsigned ruling from the three judges said. We express no opinion on the merits of this case, the judges said, while ordering Jackson to re-examine whether Spell and his church are entitled to damages. In state court, Spell faces six state criminal counts as a result of defying the restrictions. DOVER, Del. (AP) Corrections officials in Delaware said that an inmate died of non-coronavirus causes after being admitted to a hospital with shortness of breath. The Delaware Department of Correction issued a news release Saturday saying that the inmate at the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center had a history of chronic health problems. The news release said that 79-year-old George W. Gray had suffered from hypertension, diabetes and COPD. COATESVILLE, Pa. (AP) An aging metal sign erected by the Chester County Historical Society in 1908 stands partially obscured by a tree along a curvy rural road in tiny Newlin Township to commemorate the Lenape people buried on the knoll just above. Carol McCloskey has owned that knoll, now dense with woods, since 1987. Now planning her estate, she wants to donate the property, preferably to Native Americans, to ensure its preservation. But finding a good steward for the land has been more complicated than she thought. So far shes found no takers for her half-acre lot, the only officially recognized Native American burial site in Chester County. I thought it should go to the rightful owners, McCloskey said, referring to the Lenape people. Previously, she had no luck trying to donate the land to a federally recognized tribe, and now is restarting the process and willing to expand the pool of potential recipients. I want to give it to someone who appreciates it, she said. I want the right people to have it. The burial site is a leftover wedge sliced out of the 170 acres, known as Indian Knoll Farm, McCloskey subdivided into 10-acre lots in 1987. The few motorists humming along Brandywine Drive each day likely dont even notice the sign or the property as it rises steeply above the road. McCloskey, who lives in nearby Willistown Township, has a conservation easement that ensures the land can never be developed. Because of that, it is assessed at $500 and the taxes are only a few dollars a year. My daughter and I have been trying to donate this for a couple of years, McCloskey said. But the Lenape group years ago moved out west. So theres no one around to talk to or deal with in Pennsylvania. As a burial ground, you cant do anything with it. Its overgrown. It just sits there. McCloskeys daughter, who was handling matters for her, reached out to a Native American organization a few years ago but had no luck. The federal government officially recognizes 566 Native American Indian tribes and Alaska Native entities, all of which are independent political communities. The two tribes associated with the Lenape are in Oklahoma: the Delaware Nation in Anadarko, and the Delaware Tribe of Indians in Bartlesville. Representatives of both groups in Oklahoma told The Inquirer that they wanted to learn more but that any discussion about taking possession of the far-off land would have to take place with their leadership. Erin Thompson-Paden, the Delaware Nation historic preservation director, said the decision is something that would have to be considered by the executive council. McCloskey was able to get in contact with Thompson-Paden this week through email and begin a conversation. She has also been in touch with Conor Hepp, the president of the Chester County History Center, formerly the county Historical Society, which erected the historical marker. Hepp cited a 1879 document that notes the importance of the site: There is a place near the Brandywine, on the farm of Mr. Marshall, where there are yet a number of Indian graves that the owner of the ground has never suffered to be violated. One of them, probably a chiefs, is particularly distinguished by a head and foot stone. Under the account, members of the Philosophical Society of West Chester in I878 found the knoll 300 yards to the north of Brandwyine Creek. The Lenape had rights to the land a mile on each side of the creek. The exploring party found traces of at least 30 graves, indicated by shallow depressions, but originally there was a much larger number ... the plough has been gradually encroaching upon the cemetery, all signs of many of the graves having been entirely obliterated, the document notes. The portion yet protected by the receding grove, however, has never been disturbed. Four of these burial places were opened. One skeleton was found stretched at full length on the back, from east to west with 19 spherical, opaque, milky-white, Venetian beads, each about an inch in diameter, draped around the neck. Pictorial etchings likely denoting the importance of one of the skeletons were unfortunately carelessly thrown into the public road some time ago. ... Hepp shared a separate document on the history of Newlin Township that mentions that another grave was opened in 1899 containing remains believed to be those of a Native American measuring 6-foot-1, whose body was pointing east and accompanied by glass beads and copper objects. A History of Newlin Township The Lenape had a long, ultimately tragic, history in the region. Europeans gave the name Delaware to people who lived along, or near, the Delaware River. The river, however, was not given its name by Native Americans. It was named after the 12th Baron De La Warr, who was governor of Virginia at the time. Rather, the native people referred to themselves as Lenape (len-NAH-pay), meaning simply The People. They were part of the Algonquian language family, and among the first groups to encounter European settlers in the early 1600s. The Europeans signed treaties with the Lenape, whose culture had no concept of owning land, and believed they were agreeing to what amounted to leases for use of property. As a result, bands of Delawares were left landless, and migrated to various states, eventually ending up in Oklahoma and Canada. Dawn Marsh, a Purdue University associate professor who has studied Native American life in the Delaware River Valley, said many cemeteries were long ago looted or built over. Amateur collectors in eastern Pennsylvania had a long history of plundering native remains and graves without regard, she said. She said many native people who remained behind became impoverished. Marsh wrote a book chronicling the life of one such Lenape, Hannah Freeman. She is often called the last Lenape who lived in the area, though Marsh said thats not really accurate. There was some belief that Freeman, who was born in 1730 and died in 1802, could have been buried at the site on McCloskeys land. A nearby street bears the name Indian Hannah Road. However, Marsh said that although Freemans specific burial site remains unknown, the most likely location is the potters cemetery next to the defunct Chester County Poorhouse, where her name is on the rolls as Indian Hannah. The potters cemetery was neglected after the poorhouse closed and the land is now part of Natural Lands Trusts Cheslen Preserve, not far from McCloskeys property. An account of Freemans life in 1797 by an overseer for the poor in Chester County gives a glimpse into what Lenape endured. She was born in a cabin in Kennett township, according to an account cited in the Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. Her family moved to Newlin in summers to plant corn, and she had a cabin about half a mile from McCloskeys plot. The Country becoming more settled the Indians were not allowed to Plant Corn any longer her Father went to Shamokin and never returned, goes the account. The rest of the family moved to Centre in Christiana Hundred, New Castle County and lived in a Cabin on Swithin Chandlers place they continued living in their Cabins sometimes in Kennett and sometimes at Centre till the Indians were killed at Lancaster soon after which, they being afraid, moved over the Delaware to N. Jersey and lived with the Jersey Indians for about Seven Years. ... The account makes reference to the Paxton Boys massacre in 1763 when a group of white frontiersmen attacked and killed 20 Native Americans near Lancaster. No one was ever prosecuted. After Freemans mother and grandmother died, she eked out a living weaving baskets, until she died at the poorhouse. As for McCloskey, she plans to keep looking for someone who wants to see the site preserved for Native Americans. Its a beautiful area, she said. Its along the Brandywine Creek. Back there its just gorgeous. A beautiful site. ___ Online: https://bit.ly/34RQebb OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (AP) For the first time, the City of Ocean Springs has issued a proclamation recognizing June as LGBTQ Pride Month. For LGBTQ people in Ocean Springs who remember the backlash to a pride march back in 1993, which organizers said was Mississippis first such event, it was a sign of how much has changed in one generation. Its a big deal, said Bethany Fayard, 44, who was a teenager in Ocean Springs in the early 1990s. When an Ocean Springs resident named Todd Emerson organized a pride march in September of 1993, 100 policemen stood on street corners and building tops along the six-block parade route. A red pick-up truck was spray-painted with the words F--- GO BACK TO AFRICA. On Monday, Mayor Shea Dobson signed a proclamation declaring that the City appreciates the cultural, civic, and economic contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, plus (LGBTQ+) community which strengthens our social welfare. It is imperative that young people in our community, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression, feel valued, safe, empowered, and supported by their peers and community leaders, the proclamation continues. Advocates and LGBTQ community members, who had in the past been frustrated by the citys failure to issue a Pride proclamation or a non-discrimination ordinance, were jubilant on Monday afternoon. Bay St. Louis and Waveland passed resolutions against discrimination against LGBTQ people in 2014, but Ocean Springs looks to be the first Coast city to issue a proclamation recognizing Pride month, said Rob Hill, state director for the Human Rights Campaign in Mississippi. Pride proclamations are uncommon across the state, he added. Its like when a baby takes its first steps, said Noelle Nolan-Rider of the organization Ocean Springs Pride. To me, its really big. Its a really big first step. And Im really proud of this. It means a lot to our community. HOW DID THE PRIDE PROCLAMATION COME TOGETHER? Ocean Springs Pride council member Diana Schmied requested the proclamation through a form on the citys website. She used Google to find the language from other cities pride proclamations and drafted one that covered everything she wanted to see in the Ocean Springs version. The form offers a few options to receive the proclamation: at a board of aldermen meeting, at an event, or in the mail. Schmied chose Mailed to me and then followed up with the mayors office to ask to pick it up in person. Her goal was to have it in hand in time for the Ocean Springs Pride Bike Ride on Saturday. On Monday, she got the call that the proclamation was ready. It was super smooth, super easy, she said. You know, all I had to do was ask and the mayor and the mayors office were very accommodating. Reached by phone Monday, Dobson declined to be interviewed. I have no comment, he said. A REPUBLICAN MAYORS SUPPORT FOR LGBTQ EQUALITY But he has expressed support for LGBTQ rights and equality in the past, often in personal terms. His grandfather, Roland Dobson, founded one of New Orleans early gay Mardi Gras krewes in 1969. Ive always supported the gay community, Dobson said in an interview with the Sun Herald last June. To me its a no-brainer. Hill, with the Human Rights Campaign, said he had had several productive conversations with Dobson during his tenure. The case I made with him and other leaders: the issue of equality, specifically LGBTQ equality, shouldnt be a partisan issue, he said. Hills organization publishes an annual evaluation of Mississippi cities policies and leadership stances on LGBTQ rights. In 2020, Ocean Springs got only four points out of 100, all in the category of Leaderships public position on LGBTQ equality. Hill said he and Dobson met this past spring and discussed ways Ocean Springs could increase its score on the HRCs Municipal Equality Index. They didnt talk about a pride proclamation specifically, but Hill called it a great first step. Its important for young people especially for a kid to feel valued in their city, like their city wants them to be safe, he said. Its a very positive thing. Dobson will leave office later this summer. The proclamation was not approved or reviewed by the board of aldermen and it bears only his name and signature. IN THE 90S, A BACKLASH TO LGBTQ VISIBILITY For Fayard, the proclamation was remarkable because of what she remembers from growing up in Ocean Springs. In early 1993, Emerson, the organizer of the pride march in Ocean Springs, placed a small newspaper advertisement to invite people to a meeting at his home to discuss a gay and lesbian community center. According to a column in the Philadelphia Daily News, nine people showed up. But a week later, dozens of people showed up at City Hall to present a petition, organized by First Baptist Church, asking the board of aldermen to stop Emerson from hosting more meetings in the future. Ward 1 Alderman John Gill, who was serving on the board in 1993 and is retiring, did not return a phone call requesting comment Monday afternoon. The board rejected the petition, which had hundreds of signatures. Even so, Emerson told columnist Mubarak Dahir, he got more than 100 threatening phone calls and frequently called the police on people trespassing on his property. One night, people drove by his house and shouted go back to San Francisco. Emerson had never been there. I have just as much right to be here as anyone else, he told Dahir. This is my home as much as it is anybodys. Later that year, Emerson opened the GL Friendly center in Biloxi to serve the Coasts LGBTQ community. And on June 7, 2021, nearly 30 years after Mississippis first pride parade passed through Ocean Springs, the city formally recognized Pride Month. Growing up in the early 1990s, Fayard remembers hearing adults talk about how LGBTQ advocates were trying to have this big gay downtown Ocean Springs, when they were actually trying to establish a community center where people could get resources and support. So going from that to seeing the city leaders doing what they did is a big deal, Fayard said. Its kind of come full circle. DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) The former head of the Iowa Department of Human Services alleges in a lawsuit against Gov. Kim Reynolds that he was ousted because he raised concerns that one of her aides was being paid with federal Medicaid money. Jerry Foxhoven contends in a lawsuit filed this week against Reynolds that he was fired in June 2019 "because he refused to engage in illegal activity; that is, committing Medicaid fraud, The Des Moines Register reported. PARIS (AP) A French far-left leader got a face full of flour at the start of a Paris march Saturday against the ideas of the far right, days after the French president was slapped while greeting a crowd. Unions, associations and left-wing political parties in France called for demonstrations around France a week before local elections and ahead of next year's presidential election, which is widely expected to once again put far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in the final round. Lawmaker Jean-Luc Melenchon, head of the far-left France Unbowed party, was taking part in the event in Paris when he got hit with a sack of flour. Melenchon has been at the center of recent controversy for statements against Le Pen's National Rally and notably raising the specter of violence. Political leaders were not marching in unified ranks on Saturday. Jordan Bardella, No. 2 in the National Rally, was quick to denounce any physical attack on elected officials." He noted increasing tension on the political landscape. BFMTV, which spoke with the flour-thrower, said the young man claimed he was against the political class in general. He later told some reporters he identified as leftist but was disgusted with his political camp's failure to help regular people. A French court on Thursday sentenced a 28-year-old man to four months in prison for slapping President Emmanuel Macron in the face two days earlier. On Friday, a National Front candidate in the June 12 local elections, Enzo Alias, and another activist were violently attacked in the southern town of Arles as they pasted up posters. A video posted by Alias shows a man throwing a liquid, apparently oil, at them, then going after them with a stick. The activist suffered a broken leg, Alias said. Also Friday, a former minister campaigning for regional elections, Francois de Rugy, got doused with flour while sitting at a cafe terrace in Nantes, in western France. Campaigning under the stripes of Macron's centrist party, he denounced on Twitter Saturday's flouring of Melenchon and violent acts against politicians whoever they are and whatever their targets. France's left has lost its political voice amid divisions since Macron won the presidency in 2017 against his far-right opponent Le Pen. Macron replaced Socialist Francois Hollande, who chose not to run. ATLANTA (AP) Every day Arthena Caston prays for more time. More time to get to know her grandchildren and for them to know their Iya. More time to share many Christmases with her family. In March 2016, Caston, who lives in Macon, was diagnosed at 51 with early-onset Alzheimers disease, which slowly diminishes a persons memory and cognitive abilities. Today she and other patients cling to hope that a drug intended to slow effects of the disease will help. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently granted accelerated approval for the use of aducanumab, sold under the brand name Aduhelm and developed by Biogen and a Japanese company, for the treatment of Alzheimers, a progressive disease that affects 6.2 million people in the nation. Aduhelm, which would be administered to the earliest-stage patients through infusion once a month, is designed to slow the progression of the disease. Its the first Alzheimers drug treatment approved by the federal agency in nearly two decades, although its journey to approval was controversial and remains so. The FDAs accelerated approval has given some patients and their families hope. Others, though, doubt the drugs effectiveness and safety. If it will give me an hour, a day, five days or a year, then youre going to say, Yes, give it to me, said Caston, a retired insurance underwriter who is also a member of the board of the Chicago-based Alzheimers Association. She was among several people who shared their stories about living with the debilitating disease during a Zoom call earlier this year with FDA officials and others. She told them about her grandchildren, two who werent born when she was diagnosed and a third who will be born this year. Her daughters and their spouses told her they moved up plans to have children so she would be able to know them and they, her. Im very excited said Linda Davidson, executive director of the Alzheimers Association, Georgia Chapter. This is the first drug treatment that provides a new future for us and a chance to slow the progression of disease. We know its not a cure. Its treatment and we know its only used for people with mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimers. About 150,000 in Georgia have been diagnosed with the disease, according to the association. By 2025, that number is expected to increase 26.7% to 190,000 people. Georgia is in the top 10 states for increase in prevalence, largely due to the aging population. Between 2000 and 2030, Georgias population of people age 65 and older will increase by 143%, according to the states Division of Aging Services. The drugs journey to FDA approval has been filled with controversy, including concerns raised about its efficacy, its side effects, its high cost and the relationship between Biogen, the drugs maker, and the federal agency. Locally, there are also questions about how many infusion centers will be in Georgia and whether they will be in rural areas as well as the bigger cities. Just this week, Dr. David Knopman, a Mayo Clinic neurologist, told CNN he had resigned from the Peripheral and Central Nervous System Drugs Advisory Committee in protest of the FDAs decision. Its a very consequential decision but whether its a game changer I think we have yet to see see whether the product is safe and effective and thats the basis for so much controversy around its approval, said Dr Caleb Alexander, a professor at Johns Hopkins Universitys Bloomberg School of Public Health. Its quite unclear whether or not lower beta amyloids translates into improvement in critical symptoms of Alzheimers disease.Hes concerned about side effects and pricing, which he said will break the bank for health insurers and patients alike. The drug is expensive and there are questions about whether Medicare and Medicaid or private insurers will pay and how much. Biogen said the drug would cost about $56,000 for a typical years worth of treatment, and it said the price would not be raised for four years. Lisa M. Renzi-Hammond, an associate professor at the University of Georgia and co-director of the Cognitive Aging Research and Education Center, called aducanumab one more tool in the toolkit. Still, she is cautious. Renzi-Hammond advises patients to talk with their doctors to see if they are good candidates for the drug. It targets the amyloid plaque. Were still learning about the variations of Alzheimers and dementia, she said. Some people take a drug and it works miraculously; some people take a drug and they notice absolutely no difference whatsoever. I dont see where this drug is any different, but (for those who see benefits), it can provide incredible relief. Were going to learn more about the drug when it is more widely used. Public Citizen last year called for an investigation of the collaboration between the FDA and Biogen. The FDAs decision shows a stunning disregard for science and eviscerates the agencys standards for approving new drugs, according to a statement by Dr. Michael Carome, director of Public Citizens Health Research Group, on the watchdogs website. Because of this reckless action, the agencys credibility has been irreparably damaged. He added that approval was based on seriously flawed analyses of two identical phase 3 trials that were stopped at the halfway point because a preliminary review of the data found that the trials, if continued to completion, were unlikely to show the drug benefitted Alzheimers patients. One trial showed no benefit, and the other only suggested possible minimal benefit at a high dose. Dr. Allan Levey, chairman of Emory Universitys Department of Neurology and director of the Alzheimers Disease Research Center, said he wouldnt call the drug itself a game changer, but I think the moment is the beginning of a game-changing moment. I think this is a really, really pivotal step forward. He and others emphasized that patients and their families should not expect a cure, which it is not, and that it wont work for those further along in their diagnosis. I know our patients and their families are desperate. What I dont want is them to have false expectations, he said. He said the FDA will let doctors prescribe the drug, with additional study to be done. If it turns out the additional studies do not show clinical benefit, the FDA could withdraw approval. Dr. Jonathan L. Liss, director of the Columbus Memory Center, said he is someone who has waited 30 years for this moment in the field. He tells patients that the treatment could extend their independence, if they qualify, and already has about 20 patients lined up to get the drug; others are past the point that they would qualify. That, though, does not lessen the hopes that some families have pinned on Aduhelm. Robert Reids wife, Kim, then 50, was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimers on June 15, 2017. Kim Reid, then a freight manager for a logistics company, noticed she was having problems tracking and managing the various shipments. Her primary care physician said it was menopause or just a matter of getting older. He finally pulled the doctor aside and asked for more tests. Several specialists later, the Hampton residents received the diagnosis. Robert Reid retired from an engineering company to help care for his wife. Its very difficult day to day just making sure she doesnt wander or prompting her to exercise and do things for herself, he said. Its a 24/7 job. Hes researched the new drug and the hurdles here and there, but anything that will potentially make a better quality of life will be a benefit for the family as a whole. He plans to bring up the possibility of her getting the infusions at her next appointment. He knows the progression of the disease is not the same for everyone and there are also other tests that must be performed before a patient is deemed a good candidate. There are still a lot of questions, he said. The drug wont help everyone. When Keondra Williams heard about the drugs approval, the Powder Springs woman immediately called her fathers doctor. It was a long shot, she knew. Her father, Duvall Watson Sr., 65, has late-stage Alzheimers and is now in hospice care. His disease had advanced too far. He no longer communicates or responds to stimuli like jazz music or the sounds of his favorite group, Earth, Wind & Fire. He just stares downward. Its a very hard disease, she said. Its gone through our family emotionally and financially. And while the drug may not help her dad, Im hoping it will be helpful for another family. My prayer is that they finally find a drug that cures Alzheimers and that people dont go through the same things we did. Caston agrees. Eventually, in the future, were not going to worry about how many people are dying each year and each day from Alzheimers, she said. Caston still travels and gives speeches. Im so blessed to know that Ive gone on five years (since diagnosis) and Im still very cognitive, she said. If somebody gives me the chance to prolong that, I have nothing to lose. I wonder every day when I wake up is today going to be the last day that I can talk to people and show people who I am? JEFFERSON, Ga. (AP) A Stone Mountain man has been arrested after police say he shot two fast food workers in northeast Georgia on Thursday. The Jefferson police department on Friday announced the arrest of 26-year-old Devonte Watts. Police say Watts has been charged with aggravated battery, aggravated assault, possession of a gun by a convicted felon and possession of a gun during a crime. MEXICO CITY (AP) A top leader of Mexicos governing party said Friday that the group suffered setbacks in the capital in last weekend's elections because it has lost touch with the middle class. Mexico City was once an unquestionable stronghold for President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, but in Sundays mid-term elections his Morena party lost in nine of the citys 16 boroughs. The opposition won the entire, wealthier west side of the city, while Morena took all of the poorer east side, sparking a flurry of memes on the internet showing the capital divided by a Berlin-style wall running down the middle. Lopez Obrador blamed the results on what he calls a dirty war by traditional media against his administration. He claimed Mexico City residents were more influenced by the media than voters in other parts of the country, where Morena did well, winning 11 of the 15 governorships at stake. It lost seats in congress, though it still controls the lower house with help from allied parties. But Morena's secretary general, Citlalli Hernandez, attributed the Mexico City results to the party failing to make contact with the huge middle class in the city of 9 million people. We have have been losing the ability to create a narrative that connects with the middle class that traditionally supported us," Hernandez said. She also cited similar problems with feminists, the business community and journalists. Lopez Obrador frequently compares journalists to vultures, and criticizes parts of the business community as corrupt. He often describes civic groups, feminists and other critics as being part of the conservative opposition. It is unclear how much Morena's unexpected losses in Mexico City had to do with such spats. Mexico City suffered more than many other parts of the country during the coronavirus pandemic, and memories were still fresh from the collapse of an elevated section of the Mexico City subway system in May that killed 26 people. Hernandez disagreed that those events were the decisive factors, saying she felt voters in the capital were influenced more by national-level issues. There is a dirty war," she said, but internal issues are, I think, the main challenge. There have been persistent reports that Morena was weakened by intra-party feuds. Hernandez said one part of the party seeks to repeat some of the traditional (political) practices, while the other part wants to completely renovate all the political practices of the past that we didn't like. We have members who were recycled from other parties, some with questions about their past," Hernandez said. And these contradictions are no doubt a factor for the public, which is fed up with traditional parties. While Hernandez was careful not to criticize Lopez Obrador who essentially created the party to support his presidential bid, and dominates it totally she did say there are those who would like to see the president qualify his sometimes confrontational speaking style. In the meantime, the city's efforts to heal the stark divisions haven't been helped by memes depicting the city divided like Berlin into capitalist and communist zones, or between those who pay taxes on one side and those who receive subsidies on the other. Lopez Obrador slammed such memes Friday, calling them classist, racist, and moreover false. Even former President Felipe Calderon, who seldom agrees with Lopez Obrador, came out Friday against the memes, writing in his Twitter account: Polarization is a strategy to divide, weaken, confront and defeat Mexicans. Don't promote this, even as a joke! EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) When Cathy Drake went to dinner at a friends house one night in the 1960s, she didnt know the conversations they had would change popular culture for decades to come. Drake and her husband, Dale, traveled to Maine about 10 years after their time in the Korean War to reminisce with Dr. Richard Hornberger, who served with them in the 8055 MASH unit. They spent the evening knocking back cocktails and spitting stories about the people they knew there. They talked about a nurse named Hot Lips. A chest-cutter named Trapper John. And a quiet doctor who suddenly sauntered into a Halloween party one night clad in a wig and shimmering dress. Those characters went on to fill MASH, the novel Hornberger, better known as Richard Hooker, was writing at the time. The book was eventually adapted into the legendary Robert Altman film of the same name, and later finessed into M*A*S*H, one of the most popular television shows of all time. Drake leaves behind that and much more. The longtime Evansville resident died June 3 at the age of 96. We never thought it would turn out like it did, Cathy told the Indianapolis Star in 2013. Born Margaret Catherine McDonough, the Montana native is survived by a son and two daughters, as well as a bevy of grand- and great-grandchildren. Dale, a longtime physician in the city, died three years ago at the age of 93. Cathy worked as an operating room nurse during the war, while Dale was drafted into the Army to work as an anesthesiologist, their son, Dr. Michael Drake, told the Evansville Courier & Press in 2018. Just like in the show and movie, Dale said the atmosphere at the MASH unit could swing from fun to deathly serious within seconds. A mass of injured soldiers could overwhelm the medical staff. Afterward, a lull could descend for days on end. In the downtime, married doctors constantly chased nurses. Cathy, though, ignored them. And when a handsome, single surgeon from Oklahoma arrived a few months after her, she took a liking to him. Their only date overseas took place during a decidedly non-romantic run to a military post exchange, where Cathy was tasked with buying hordes of Kotex for the other nurses. But after she was sent home, they wrote to each other every day. He sent her roses and a pearl necklace, while she spritzed her letters with perfume, they once told the Evansville Courier. By 1953, they were married, and they moved to Evansville a year later. In 1970, they visited the set of the film they helped inspire, crossing paths with stars Elliott Gould, Donald Sutherland and Robert Duvall. And when the show was announced, Hornberger introduced them to co-creator Gene Reynolds, who ultimately used them as consultants. Our operating room did look much like the one on the show. And the compound where we lived looked exactly like the 20th Century Fox set, she told the Evansville Courier in 1981. But we didnt have anywhere near the amount of linens those characters use. Wed clean out wounds with a pair of scissors and a towel, and that towel would be rewashed hundreds of times because we never had enough. The couple went on to appear in multiple documentaries about the show over the years. In her downtime, Cathy loved rooting for Notre Dame, going to the horse races at Ellis Park and playing bridge. __ Source: Evansville Courier & Press NEWLYN, England (AP) U.S. first lady Jill Biden told members of a British group that uses surfing as therapy that she once owned a surfboard and it was white with a big butterfly on it. She met Saturday with members of Bude Surf Veterans, a volunteer organization based in Cornwall, England, which offers social support and surfing outings to military veterans, emergency workers and their families to help them cope with trauma. The first lady spent just under an hour talking with about eight people, including a young girl, as they sat at a picnic table outside a contemporary art gallery overlooking Mount's Bay. Her husband, President Joe Biden, attended the Group of Seven world leaders summit that is taking place elsewhere in southwest England. So I'm Jill, she said, introducing herself. The first lady has spent many years working on military family issues, both in and out of public life. She is the daughter of a Navy signalman and her late son Beau served in the Delaware Army National Guard before he died of brain cancer in 2015 at age 46. One member of Bude Surf Veterans told her the group was life-saving. Members wore light blue collared shirts that said: Surf. Grow. Heal. Bude Surf Veterans. Biden observed that the water is so calming. She celebrated her 70th birthday earlier this month at the beach in Delaware. She also spoke to the group about attending the Invictus Games, an international sporting event for wounded, injured and sick servicemembers founded by Britains Prince Harry. After the meeting, Biden caught up with the other spouses of the G-7 leaders for a performance at an outdoor theater overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. CLEVELAND (AP) Prosecutors in Ohio asked a judge to issue arrest warrants for three witnesses sought in the retrial of the brother of Olympic gymnastics champion Simone Biles in a deadly 2018 New Years Eve party shootout that left three men dead. Tevin Biles-Thomas is charged in Cuyahoga County with murder, voluntary manslaughter and felonious assault; prosecutors on Tuesday dismissed a perjury count. The U.S. Army soldier's first trial ended in a mistrial last month, after jurors were inadvertently given legal paperwork related to the case. Authorities said gunfire broke out at the Cleveland party in 2018 when a group of men arrived uninvited. Nineteen-year-old DelVaunte Johnson, 21-year-old Toshaun Banks and 23-year-old DeVaughn Gibson were killed. Cleveland.com reports that prosecutors told a judge last week that they have been unable to find the only witness who reported seeing Biles-Thomas fire a weapon. Prosecutors also said they cannot find two other witnesses, including one man who was shot in the head. Last month, the judge issued arrest warrants for two witnesses who failed to appear to testify during the first trial; both took the stand later in the day wearing handcuffs, ankle chains and jail uniforms, Cleveland.com reported. Prosecutors told jurors Thursday that two men got into an altercation and Biles-Thomas pulled a gun and opened fire. Authorities allege that one of the men who had been scuffling returned fire, killing the other, and Biles-Thomas then shot two others and fled. Police never found the guns and found no bullet casings with Biles-Thomas DNA. Defense attorney Joe Patituce told jurors Thursday that Biles-Thomas didn't fire any shots and was wearing a jacket of a different color than witnesses described. He also attacked the credibility of a key witness, saying he had gotten the golden ticket" of leniency in that case and another one after agreeing to implicate the defendant. COLUMBUS, Ga. (AP) A federal judge says he isn't halting a wrongful death lawsuit against three Columbus police officers, despite their concerns that the district attorney is seeking to indict them on criminal charges, because he doesn't believe they can be successfully prosecuted for a crime. U.S. District Judge Clay Land on Thursday denied the stay request from officers Michael Aguilar, Brian Dudley, and Aaro Evrard. They sought a postponement after Muscogee County District Attorney Mark Jones named private attorney Christopher Breault as a special prosecutor investigating the death of Hector Arreola, who died in a struggle with officers in 2017. Jones said he hoped Breault would be ready to present the case for possible indictment during the current court term, which ends in two months. The officers attorneys argued the criminal investigation hampers their defense in the civil suit, saying they could testify if they werent compelled to use their Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination. Arreola died during an arrest for disorderly conduct. The Georgia Bureau of Investigations initial autopsy report found that Arreola died from methamphetamine toxicity. But the agency amended the report last year to say Arreola died by homicide. The amendment changed the cause of death to sudden cardiac death following a struggle with law enforcement including prone position restraint complicating acute methamphetamine toxicity. The lawsuit alleges the cardiac arrest resulted from brain damage caused by the force the officers used in restraining him. Land wrote that the statute of limitations has run out on all possible state charges except murder, and that the evidence he has seen shows it's unlikely that prosecutors could prove that officers acted with premeditated malice or that they killed Arreola while committing a separate felony. Those are the grounds for murder under Georgia law. The facts underlying this action and the expiration of the statute of limitations on all charges except murder strongly militate against criminal charges ever being made, Land wrote. NAACP leaders in Columbus have likened Arreolas death to that of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Columbus NAACP branch President Wane Hailes has said Arreola said 16 times that he couldnt breathe as an officer sat on him for more than two minutes while Arreola was handcuffed. The officers were placed on administrative leave during an investigation, but have returned to duty. District Attorney Mark Jones told WRBL-TV that he respects Land's ruling, but that the case should be heard by a grand jury. Jim Clark, a lawyer representing the officers and the city, said in a statement that we agree with the Court that there is no good faith basis for presenting this case to a grand jury. Arreola family attorney Mark Post said the family agrees with the ruling and he looks forward to starting a civil trial on Aug. 9 WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) A judge has ruled that the city of Worcester violated Massachusetts Public Records Law by failing to disclose records of police misconduct investigations requested by a local newspaper. The June 2 decision from Worcester Superior Court Judge Janet Kenton-Walker found that the city had wrongly withheld records of police misconduct investigations from the Telegram & Gazette for the last three years, the newspaper reported Friday. The city was wrong in arguing it could not disclose the records of Worcester police officers who are being sued in civil rights cases, the judge wrote. The decision marks the third time in 20 years that the city had been found to have unlawfully withheld police records. The judges decision is not a victory for the newspaper alone, but a victory for the people of Worcester, said David Nordman, the executive editor of the newspaper. We will continue to work for them by holding those in power accountable. The Telegram & Gazette sued the city after attempting in 2018 to obtain records of the police departments investigations into police misconduct. The request followed claims from a civil rights lawyer of a pattern of misconduct at the department. The city initially signaled it would release the records and additional documents that detailed disciplinary history of officers. But when the newspaper published an article on the lawyers allegations of police misconduct, the city backtracked and returned a check the newspaper had sent for some of the records. The judge said that the city must turn over the police investigation records to the newspaper within 30 days. She has not yet determined whether to enforce damages on the city or whether the city must pay the newspapers legal fees. Michael E. Traynor, an attorney for the city, said in a statement that they are reviewing the court decision and will immediately take steps to comply with the actions ordered. Traynor said that the city believes that it has followed the proper procedure but the court has decided otherwise." KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Knoxville Police Chief Eve Thomas gets a phone call every time someone is shot to death in the city. Shes received 22 of those calls this year. Four came the week of May 17. Its horrible every time. Everybodys got a parent. Youve got family, she told Knox News, adding that shes the mother of a 22-year-old and a 19-year-old. Thats really the first thing that goes through my mind, is those officers are having to make notification to that family that theyve lost a loved one, and that is hard. That is really hard. Ive done it more times than I care to do. But that familys life is changed forever. Knoxville is in the midst of one of its most violent periods in modern history. Last year, the city saw 37 homicides, its highest annual figure on record, according to FBI statistics that date back to 1985. This year is on pace to be even worse: The city has already recorded 22 killings, a number that includes the fatal shooting by a Knoxville Police Department officer of 17-year-old Anthony Thompson Jr. in a bathroom at Austin-East Magnet High School in April. All of this years homicides are shootings, and an alarming number have involved teenagers on both sides of the gun. Five teens, including Thompson, have been killed, and three including one as young as 14 face serious charges in those cases. Prosecutors found the police shooting of Thompson to be legally justifiable. As summer approaches, city officials are trying different things in a bid to curb the violence. New efforts include the creation of a Knoxville Police Department unit dedicated to what Thomas described as proactive community policing, as well as a city program to fund job opportunities for at-risk youth from June through September. NOT TIED TO THE RADIO In February, two Austin-East students were shot to death four days apart. Authorities say two boys, ages 14 and 16, opened fire on Stanley Freeman Jr., 16, as he left the high school on Feb. 12, and both are in custody. Four days later, 16-year-old Janaria Muhammad was shot outside her familys home on Selma Avenue in a case that remains unsolved. The Knoxville Police Department responded by requiring all patrol officers to work overtime, Thomas said in a recent interview. They worked 12-hour shifts for five weeks. While the officers on day and night shifts continued to respond to 911 calls, the officers on the evening shift focused on deterrence, she said. The efforts largely focused on the citys east side, where much of this years violence has occurred. Thomas said officers conducted traffic stops and walked the neighborhood to foster conversations with community members. When officers dont have to respond to calls, she said, they have more time to investigate a tip that a shooting might occur, for example, or knock on doors to assist with an investigation. The chief felt those five weeks were successful but not sustainable. Its hard to work overtime all the time, she said. You start having crashes, you start having bad decisions. I dont need that. None of us need that. So we just cant do that all the time. The police department ended 12-hour shifts but created a new patrol unit called the Community Engagement Response Team. Officers interviewed in late March for positions in the unit, which is meant to continue that kind of proactive work. Its composed of 10 officers and two sergeants and is overseen by Lt. Josh Shaffer. Theyre not on the street answering calls for service, Thomas said. Theyre actually just chasing leads, hotspots, things where we may get a tip in that theres going to be a shooting and this guy has a gun. He may be a known felon that has a gun that we may be able to do something with. They can do that immediately without saying, Uh, I got a 911 call that deals with a shoplifter. Theyre not tied to the radio in that way. Knoxvilles Charlene Roberts knows the pain of getting a call about the death of a loved one. In January, she lost her son, Kevin, and in 2019, she lost her daughter, Jessie, who was killed by a stray bullet while waiting in a Krystals drive-thru line. Shes glad to see police take a proactive approach after two years with no answers in her daughters death. We need more officers who can follow up on leads and do searches. They need to be able to focus on the violence going on alone. CrimeStoppers isnt enough, she said. This sounds like a great thing. I hope the route they are going is going to lead to justice for more people. Imani Shula, a criminal justice reform activist, said the department needs to focus on two things: building trust and protecting the vulnerable. You have one side of the community that doesnt trust them because they are police. And then you have another side of the community that doesnt trust them to do their job and follow up, she said. I hope attention will also be given to families who need protection that face retaliation thats my concern with this. NEW JOB PROGRAM BEGINS IN JUNE Thomas said she believes there are too many guns on the streets, and that too many are falling into the hands of young people who really dont understand them and dont understand the finality of death. Weve got to keep and some folks here are working on this weve got to keep kids here from getting into that arena, that gang/drug arena, she said. Kathy Mack, community engagement manager at the city of Knoxvilles Office of Community Empowerment, hopes a new city program will help with that. The Summer Youth Violence Prevention Pilot will kick off in June and pays for jobs for at-risk youth, ages 12 to 21, through September, Mack said. Mack, former director of the YWCA Phyllis Wheatley Center in East Knoxville, said the program was created after city officials met with community members to discuss the roots of youth involvement in crime. One of the things we heard loud and clear, and some of this ties to the pandemic: Young people need things to do. They need places to be. They need opportunities to earn money, she said. We wanted to be able to provide this opportunity in the summer. School is out, and students wont be in those structured settings, so were trying to segue that structure into the summer and support the work community organizations and groups are doing. Organizations can apply to participate in the program. Macks office is using a one-page application in an attempt to streamline the process. A community review committee will meet June 8 to review the applications and decide which organizations will be approved. Organizations will then receive money from the city to pay teens beginning in mid-June. Eighty percent of that money will go to the youth as a stipend, while the remainder will go to the organization, Mack said. The program is funded by $200,000 of the $1 million approved for violence prevention efforts by the City Council in February. Summer youth job programs have grown increasingly popular in U.S. cities in recent years. Some studies, including ones conducted in Boston and Chicago, have found they can be effective to reduce crime and incarceration. Mack highlighted other city programs such as Summer In The City, an initiative that gives teens and young adults paid internship opportunities in city departments. Although that programs not new, she said the emphasis has changed given the recent violence. I always say our heartbeat is our young people, she said. Pamela Campbell-Bost, a grandmother and resident of East Knoxville, said she wishes she had the chance for a summer job like this back when she was a teen. These kids need those jobs. I am happy about this. I used to be so mad growing up not being able to work and get a check every Friday, she said. They can pick up skills and trades little by little. That is awesome to hear. BROOKHAVEN, Ga. (AP) A man was denied bail Friday on assault charges after police said he stabbed a pregnant woman on a suburban Atlanta trail, leading doctors to deliver her son through an emergency cesarean section after 25 weeks of gestation. Christopher Jones was arrested Thursday in Atlanta, five days after 34-year-old Valerie Kasper was stabbed while walking with her 3-year-old son. DeKalb County Magistrate Judge Abbi. S Taylor ruled that the 30-year-old Jones was a risk to the community. He had been out on bail for two previous offenses. Jones faces charges including aggravated assault, aggravated battery, and first-degree cruelty to children. WXIA-TV reports prosecutors called him clearly a danger to society while the public defender argued he had not been previously convicted of a violent felony. Brookhaven Police said Thursday that Jones, who is currently homeless, admitted to stabbing Kasper. Police said they believe mental illness played a role in this case. A prosecutor said Jones had been arrested in Georgia 12 times for crimes including simple assault, battery, theft and robbery. Prosecutors said he had also been arrested in Alabama and as a juvenile in Tennessee. Kasper told WAGA-TV that she's relieved Jones will stay behind bars. She said her infant is doing well and that she is also recovering. My life was almost taken. Both my babies lives were almost taken, Kasper said. The 34-year-old is recovering from multiple surgeries in addition to the emergency C-section, saying she was stabbed four times. I was like feet away from my car and he ran up behind me," Kasper said. They had to repair my colon and my liver. But they didnt have to remove anything and it wasnt severe. Somehow, you can get stabbed four times and misses everything. It was a miracle. Kasper said she is worried about her young son who witnessed someone assaulting his mother. I feel like he will remember it so I think about that all the time. Im very nervous about it," she said. Kasper is expected to be discharged from the hospital on Saturday. Her newborn boy will remain in a neonatal intensive care unit for a few more months. Officers said Jones approached the woman, who was walking with her son, and tried striking up a conversation with her. When she started to leave, police said, the man stabbed the woman in the back. Police said Jones was identified by a tipster who recognized him from a security camera photo publicized by police. Brookhaven Police Sgt. David Snively told WSB-TV that investigators are unsure why Jones stabbed Kasper. PITTSBURGH (AP) A man has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison for ditching the getaway car following the murder of a woman in western Pennsylvania just before she was to meet with federal authorities about another man's involvement in a New Jersey-supplied heroin ring. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that U.S. District Judge Mark Hornak imposed the 90-month term on Glenn Lee Thomas on Friday. Thomas was convicted of being an accessory after the fact to the 2014 murder of 34-year-old Tina Crawford in Pittsburgh. Prosecutors said Crawford made drug runs for another man, Price Montgomery, and wiretapped calls indicated that they traveled to Newark, New Jersey, where agents allege they bought heroin from his supplier. Crawford was slain about an hour before she was to meet with federal prosecutors in August 2014. Her 63-year-old mother, into whose home she had moved following threats, was wounded. Montgomery was convicted of killing a federal witness. Prosecutors had long said they believed Thomas was the second shooter in the slaying, but he was never charged with that crime. Prosecutors sought to introduce evidence of that contention to support an enhanced term, but defense attorney Lee Rothman accused them of trying to impose a backdoor" punishment without filing charges. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shaun Sweeney pointed out that during the three-hour hearing, Thomas and his family talked about his hardships, his virtues and his plans for the future, but never mentioned Crawford or Montgomery. Sweeney, arguing unsuccessfully for a term in the higher end of the 87- to 108-month guideline range, said There wasnt an ounce of remorse today." The judge said he could only weigh the evidence of the defendant's knowledge of the murder in having disposed of the vehicle, but he made it clear how seriously he considered the accessory conviction. Isnt the reality that youre keeping a killer on the streets? he asked Rothman. Thomas, who was denied a sentence of time served, said he and his family had suffered from accusations that he was a killer. He said he was eager to get on with his life, resuming driving a truck cross-country to earn enough money to start buying and rehabilitating homes. He also said he wanted to start a program for at-risk youths. I totally regret the decisions that led me to be here today, he said. MILWAUKEE (AP) A Milwaukee man described in court records as a heroin and cocaine trafficking ringleader was sentenced Friday to 10 years in federal prison. The Journal Sentinel reports Joseph Copeland, 42, whose nickname was Joe Millionaire, was arrested in 2018 after spending a decade transporting drugs between Milwaukee and Chicago. PHOENIX (AP) The parents of a Texas man fatally shot five years ago by a Mesa police officer at an Arizona hotel has agreed to settle their legal claims against the city over their sons death. The Arizona Republic reports that the city has declined to reveal how much it will pay to settle the lawsuit over the 2016 shooting death of 26-year-old Daniel Shaver of Granbury, Texas. Then-Officer Philip Brailsford shot Shaver as Shaver lay on the ground outside his hotel room and was ordered to crawl toward officers. Brailsford was charged with murder in Shavers death, but a jury acquitted him of the charge. The newspaper reported that the city and police officers settled with Shavers parents on May 28 but have failed to reach an agreement with Shavers widow, Laney Sweet, and two children, court documents show. Mesa refused to provide the settlement amount with Shavers parents until it finalizes the full terms of the settlement. Sweet filed a lawsuit in 2017 seeking $75 million in damages, alleging Shaver had not provoked the killing and the event could have been avoided if officers had investigated more. Sweet, in a statement emailed to The Republic, said she looks forward to a trial date. The U.S. Department of Justice opened a civil-rights violation investigation against Brailsford. The Mesa Police Department in March 2018 said the DOJ had subpoenaed the department for all documents about the January 2016 shooting. Results from that investigation have not been released. Mesa initially fired Brailsford, but he was later rehired to apply for a pension and then took medical retirement. JACKSON, Miss. (AP) The Mississippi National Guard says its soldiers are training in California throughout the month of June. A National Guard news release says Mississippi units are working with units from other states at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin. WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) The number of new coronavirus cases on the Navajo Nation remained low Friday while the tribe reported no additional deaths. The figures bring the total number of COVID-19 cases on the vast reservation to 30,914 since the pandemic began. The death toll stands at 1,334. SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) Police in North Macedonia say officers discovered 82 migrants hidden in vehicles in two separate operations Friday. Police said a joint team of border officers from North Macedonia and Slovenia found 62 people hidden in a truck on the main north-south highway near the border with Greece and arrested two Serbian nationals, ages 33 and 37. The majority of passengers, 46, were from Pakistan, 13 were from Eritrea and three were from Mali. Earlier Saturday, police had announced that officers doing a routine vehicle check found a group of 20 people from Bangladesh in a van on a major highway near North Macedonia's border with Serbia. The officers arrested the vans 44-year-old Macedonian driver. A social worker was interviewing the nine minors from the group to determine whether they were traveling alone or with parents or guardians, according to a police statement. All migrants have been transferred to shelter center in southern border town of Gevgelija, pending deportation to Greece, where they are believed to have entered North Macedonia from, police said. Despite border closures and restrictions on movement during the COVID-19 pandemic, people-smuggling gangs have remained active in the Balkans. North Macedonia is a transit route for migrants heading north from Greece to wealthier European nations. Hundreds of thousands have traveled through the country over the last eight years. ___ Follow APs global migration coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/migration L.E. Baskow/AP LAS VEGAS (AP) A civilian pilot killed when a Dassault Mirage F-1 crashed last month near Nellis Air Force Base reported a flight emergency and ejected moments before the jet slammed to the ground and burst into flames, federal crash investigators reported Friday. No one on the ground was injured in the May 24 crash in northeast Las Vegas, where a witness told the National Transportation Safety Board he saw the jet approach low toward a runway and then "falling out of the sky while the pilot ejected. WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) Police in Winston-Salem said that one person was killed and three others suffered non-life-threatening wounds in a shooting. A news release from Winston-Salem police said the shooting happened late Friday night in a residential area south of downtown. CHICAGO (AP) Chicago Police are searching for two men who opened fire on a group of people on the city's South Side early Saturday, killing one woman and injuring nine people. Police had not released any detail about the suspects on Saturday. In a brief statement, Chicago Police said around 2 a.m. two men approached a group of people who were on a sidewalk in the Chatham neighborhood on the city's South Side. Police said the men opened fire, striking 10 people. The 29-year-old woman who died was wounded in her abdomen and knee. Her name has not been released. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that the shooting occurred in a business district that is home to popular Black-owned businesses, including a bakery that Vice President Kamala Harris visited on a recent trip to Chicago. Let me be clear, these attacks on 75th Street or, anywhere in our communities, are unacceptable, said Roderick Sawyer, the areas alderman. We have been working hard to rebuild 75th Street as a thriving business corridor, and the community is committed to this vision. One business owner, Eddi El Khatib, said his liquor store and other businesses on the street all were closed by the time of the early-morning shooting. He called the violence a heinous act by individuals" and said the street has always been peaceful. Police said eight men with various injuries were listed in fair or good condition at Chicago hospitals. A 34-year-old woman also was listed in good condition. NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) State police were searching for the driver of a car involved in a hit-and-run crash on Interstate-95 that killed a 19-year-old man early Saturday. Ricardo Enrique Figueroa-Garcia of New Haven was killed after his motorcycle was struck from behind and he was thrown onto I-95 northbound in New Haven at about 12:20 a.m., according to state police. JACKSON, Mich. (AP) A Michigan prison inmate died Friday after being stabbed during a fight, authorities said. The fight involved more than a dozen inmates and occurred at the Cotton prison near Jackson, said Brianna Brugel, a spokeswoman at the state Corrections Department. One man died at a hospital while another was treated and returned to the prison, Brugel told the Detroit Free Press. The fight broke out in the breakfast meal line. Staff detained 13 prisoners involved in the fight, Brugel said. LONDON (AP) A second teenager appeared in court Saturday on a charge of conspiracy to murder over the shooting in south London last month of Sasha Johnson, a prominent member of the Black Lives Matter movement in the U.K. The Metropolitan Police said 18-year-old Devonte Brown was charged on Friday evening. He appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court and was remanded into custody with an order to appear at the Old Bailey courthouse on July 7. Johnson, a mother of two, was shot in the head at a house party in Peckham in the early hours of May 23 when four men burst into the party and began firing,, witnesses told police. She remains hospitalized in critical condition. Police previously said that Johnson appeared to have been an unintended victim of the shooting. Five male suspects were arrested three days after the incident, and four of them were released on bail until a date in late June. The fifth, 18-year-old Cameron Deriggs, was subsequently charged with conspiracy to murder and was remanded into custody to appear at the Old Bailey on June 25. Along with participating in Black Lives Matter, Johnson was a leader of the Taking the Initiative Party, which said she had received numerous death threats related to her activism. The party focuses on combatting discrimination, rising inequality and child poverty. Britain, like many countries, has faced an uncomfortable reckoning with race since the death of George Floyd, the Black American man who was killed in May 2020 by a Minneapolis police officer who knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes. Black Lives Matter protests swept the U.K., with activists urging the government to face up to the legacy of the British Empire and the countrys extensive profits from the slave trade. SRINAGAR, India (AP) A heated gunbattle between militants and Indian police broke out Saturday in the disputed region of Kashmir, killing at least two police and two civilians, officials said. Anti-India protests later erupted during the civilians' funerals in Sopore, the northwestern town where the fighting took place, after local residents alleged police had shot and killed one of the civilians after the militants fled the scene. Police director-general Dilbag Singh told reporters that militants had opened fire on a group of police who were enforcing coronavirus restrictions in the main market of Sopore, and police returned fire. Amid the shooting, Singh said two civilians and two policemen were killed, while two officers and a civilian were injured. He spoke during a wreath-laying ceremony for the slain police personnel in Srinagar, the regions main city. Police in Kashmir could not immediately be reached for comment on the allegation that a civilian was killed after the militants had fled. Manzoor Ahmed Laway, a fruit vendor, told The Associated Press that a police vehicle arrived in the market as his business partner went to have a cup of tea. The vehicle came under attack and he was shot in the crossfire, Laway said. Hundreds of people participated in separate funerals for the dead civilians in Sopore, where mourners chanted pro-rebel and anti-India slogans and called for an end to Indian rule over Kashmir. Muslim-majority Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, and the Himalayan region is claimed by both in its entirety. Rebels have been fighting against Indian rule since 1989. Most Muslim Kashmiris support the rebel goal that the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country. New Delhi deems Kashmir militancy to be Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. Pakistan denies the charge, and most Kashmiris call it a legitimate freedom struggle. Tens of thousands of civilians, rebels and government forces have been killed in the conflict. CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) Leaders at local summer camps are working to create as normal an experience as possible in the midst of the ongoing pandemic, all while ensuring campers who largely dont qualify for a COVID-19 vaccine are safe from the novel coronavirus. As they prepare to welcome back the first campers of the season, summer camp officials say they are mainly relying on nonpharmacologic interventions to prevent COVID-19 spread at their locations. That includes limiting interactions among campers, robust cleaning polices and masking requirements. Camp Wapsie Programs Director Jess Flesch described using these interventions like layering Swiss cheese. Theres holes in individual policies, but by stacking them, she said theyre able to better mitigate risk to campers and staff. We want as many campers vaccinated as possible, but we cant rely on that because so many kids arent able to be, Flesch told the Cedar Rapids Gazette. Camp Wapsie, the YMCA of Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Areas summer camp in Coggon that will host its first batch of campers June 13, will require masks anywhere outside a cabin or living unit, Flesch said. Some venues across Eastern Iowa also are taking the step of limiting campers interactions with other children to reduce the chance of exposure, should there be a positive case. This years attendees at Camp Tanager, Tanager Places camp in Mount Vernon, only will attend activities and share meals with those staying in their cabin. Even during all-camp events, each social circle of eight campers will maintain social distancing from one another, Camp Director Donald Pirrie said. If we keep groups of kids within that small group, we would only really have to test other seven, since they havent interacted with other kids, he said. In addition, masks are required indoors or in situations where social distancing isnt possible, Pirrie said. The summer camp operated by the Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and western Illinois in the Quad Cities, Camp Liberty, is taking a similar approach by limiting camper interaction to individual units. Campers, who will begin arriving June 13, will be required to wear a mask when theyre interacting with someone outside their unit. Camp Wapsie also is changing its typically open schedule and having campers attend activities in cabin groups. In addition, theyll be split into two groups one for the older campers and one for the younger campers that wont interact at all throughout the course of the week long stay, Flesch said. Camp Courageous in Monticello, on the other hand, said program attendees wont be required to wear a mask, thanks to a law put into effect this past month. CEO Charlie Becker said an order banning mask mandates in Iowa also applies to the camp, a year-round recreational and respite care facility for individuals with special needs. With the change in the law, it changed everything here, Becker said, who added visitors still are welcome to wear masks if they choose. However, many Camp Courageous campers already have received the COVID-19 shots, Becker said, including those that qualified as long-term care facility residents in the vaccine rollout earlier this year. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidelines late this past month stating fully vaccinated campers do not need to wear a mask. It further notes that at camps where not everyone is vaccinated, those who are fully vaccinated dont need to wear masks. Unvaccinated individuals, on the other hand, are strongly encouraged to wear masks indoors and outdoors in crowded situations. The new CDC guidance comes after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for use for children between the ages of 12 to 15. But many of the younger attendees at Eastern Iowa summer camps wont qualify for the shot. Camp Tanager only hosts kids aged six to 11 years old at its day and overnight programming. Officials at Camp Wapsie also say the majority of those staying at the camp will not be vaccinated. More than half of campers are not eligible, so thats why were being stricter with COVID-19 protocols, Flesch said. Despite that many campers wont be vaccinated against the virus, local directors say parents and families are eager to send their children away from home for the cherished summer tradition. Most people are excited their kids are getting back into normal activities, Pirrie said. That rush in this years summer camp season is a nationwide trend, with parents in some parts of the country struggling to find available slots as demand exploded. Bloomberg News reported after a year of isolation and remote school, Americans are eager to provide children time away from home. Everyones just excited to get their kids outside and away from screens, Flesch said. Eastern Iowa summer camps arent completely booked up yet. There still are openings at Camp Wapsie, which has about 150 slots available as of this past week, Flesch said. Camp Tanagers registrations for overnight programming have dropped this year, but the day camp numbers are higher than previous years. Pirrie said that indicates parents are ready to send children to camp, but they are not necessarily ready for overnight stays. Camp Courageous also is not seeing the same attendance it had seen before the pandemic. Becker said in 2019, they were just below 10,000 total campers. As of the end of April, they hosted just over 1,100 campers. Many summer camps are limiting capacity this year, reducing the number of children at its locations in an effort to offset risk of outbreaks. The Girl Scouts camp plans to operate at 50 percent capacity for the summer, enhancing the ability to appropriately distance during more difficult parts of the sessions, its COVID-19 plan states. That means attendance for the summer will be around 750 campers between the ages of seven and 17, Director Rachel Eisenmann said. In 2020, before camp leadership decided to shut down operations because of the pandemic, about 1,400 campers were registered to attend. Camp Wapsie is putting its capacity at 80 percent, or about 1,650 campers. That means 10 campers will sleep in a cabin that typically houses 12. Camp Tanager is paring down its typical per-cabin capacity down to eight campers this year, Pirrie said. Despite this years COVID-19 rules, directors say they are working to create as normal of a summer camp experience as they can for campers, allowing them to enjoy canoe voyages and campfire singalongs without fear from the virus that has upended so many lives. We are ecstatic to be able to welcome campers back the property after such a long and challenging year, as our lives have changed, Eisenmann said. Giving girls the ability to be able to be a kid again, working through social and emotional learning experiences, and making memories in nature is what drives our staff. And as time progresses and more community members are vaccinated, they say theyre seeing families confidence in the safety of these typical summer events growing by leaps and bounds every single day. It seems like as each day passes, the hesitancy really lessens, Becker said. MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) A Tennessee man faces charges that include first-degree murder in the perpetration of aggravated child abuse and aggravated child neglect in what prosecutors say was a beating that killed his 2-year-old son last year. On Friday, Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich announced the grand jury indictment against 36-year-old Antonio First from Memphis. BANGKOK (AP) Some restrictions to protect against the spread of COVID-19 will be lifted in the Thai capital of Bangkok beginning early next week, the country's prime minister announced Sunday. Enterprises allowed to reopen Monday are museums and historical sites, parks and botanical gardens, beauty parlors, nail salons, massage parlors but only for foot massages and tattoo parlors, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said Saturday on his Facebook page. Thailand is contending with a third wave of the coronavirus that began in April, and which has accounted for more than 80% of the country's total 193,105 confirmed cases and 90% of 1,431 related deaths. Bangkok officials sought to reopen such establishments earlier, but had been turned down by the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration, the national agency coordinating the response to the virus. Prayuth said the restrictions were being lifted because the virus is spreading at a controllable level and many Bangkok residents have gotten vaccinated, especially in the sectors being reopened. However, health authorities on Saturday announced 3,277 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, the first time the daily figure climbed above 3,000 since June 3, when 3,886 cases were reported. Thailand began a mass vaccination program on June 7 after Prayuth's government came under heavy criticism for failing to secure timely and sufficient vaccine supplies. The nationwide mass vaccinations were launched as local production of the AstraZeneca vaccine began to supplement supplies of Sinovac vaccine imported from China. Prayuths government says it is negotiating deals to buy other vaccines, including those from Pfizer and Johnson and Johnson. Prayuth in his Facebook post also said the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration and the Cabinet would still have to give final approval for the southern resort island of Phuket to allow visits by vaccinated foreigners without quarantining them on arrival, which is otherwise set to begin on July 1. The plan, which would keep visitors from low-risk countries isolated in a section of the island for 14 days until they could go elsewhere in Thailand, is known as the Phuket sandbox. It is considered to be a major step toward reviving the countrys large but battered tourism industry and would serve as a model for other popular tourist destinations. Before the pandemic, Phuket was the countrys second-most popular destination after Bangkok. In 2019, it welcomed around 10 million foreign tourists and generated 470 billion baht ($15 billion) in revenue. According to the Phuket Hotel Association, more than 50,000 employees in its hospitality sector lost their jobs last year. WASHINGTON (AP) Democrats are committed to passing legislation this year to curb prescription drug prices, but they're still disagreeing on how to cut costs for patients and taxpayers while preserving profits that lure investors to back potentially promising treatments. It boils down to finding a balance: How big a stick should Medicare have to negotiate prices with pharmaceutical companies? With hundreds of billions of dollars in potential savings, the stakes are enormous. Medicare spends upward of $200 billion a year on prescription drugs, a category that keeps growing as costly new drugs enter the market. An Alzheimers medication approved this past week comes with a price of $56,000 a year, for example, and co-payments could skyrocket for patients who use it. A successful bill would advance a key plank of President Joe Biden's domestic agenda even as Democrats struggle to make progress on other fronts. Allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices consistently wins strong public support in opinion polls. In the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is steering legislation that imposes a steep tax on drugmakers that refuse to deal with Medicare, while using an average of prices in other economically advanced countries as a reference point for fair rates here. Her bill would limit price increases and allow private health plans to receive Medicare's negotiated rates. In the Senate, Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore, is also working to craft legislation. His starting point is a less ambitious bipartisan bill from a previous Congress. It would have limited price increases for drugs already on the market, but not initial prices. It would have capped Medicare recipients' out-of-pocket costs for pharmacy drugs, which is in the Pelosi bill. Wyden said he personally is convinced that its long past time to give Medicare the authority to negotiate better prices for prescription drugs. But cajoling enough votes in the Senate is another matter. It's unclear whether Wyden can even count on all the Democrats in the divided chamber or whether any Republicans would sign on. Progressives such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., want to use Medicare's savings to create new benefits for dental, vision and hearing coverage. That would represent an historic expansion of a program that's under a lengthening financial shadow, its giant inpatient trust fund projected to be in the red in 2026. Democrats are talking privately among themselves and organizing coalitions around different approaches. In public, they still sound like they can overcome their differences. Democrats are going to pass Medicare prescription drug reform and Im going to be part of it, Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., told The Associated Press. The first-term lawmaker has raised concerns that Pelosis approach is not a negotiation but a price control system. His voice matters because Auchincloss is helping lead a group of like-minded Democrats, and Pelosi cant afford to lose many votes. The powerful and deep-pocketed drug industry lobby is closely engaged. Already, ads are stirring fears that government price controls will squelch development of breakthrough treatments. Stephen Ubl, CEO of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, said the industry wants to see lower out-of-pocket costs for patients, and believes that insurers and companies that manage prescription benefits must be scrutinized as well. We would like to see a balanced drug pricing bill emerge from the Congress this year," Ubl told AP in a recent interview. He later added that our industry understands that there is going to be some pain involved in the process. But so far the industry has given no indication that it's willing to accept Medicare negotiations or significant curbs to its pricing power. Health economist Len Nichols, who has advised Democrats in health care policy debates, said there is a logic behind the basic elements of Pelosi's approach. You've got to have that reference price that is somewhat objective as a basis for negotiation, and then you have to have a way to compel the drug companies to come to the table," he said. It's directionally correct. That said, getting the balance right would be critical. We've just experienced an amazing example of incredibly effective innovation, Nichols said, referring to COVID-19 vaccines that have pushed back a deadly pandemic in this country. Innovation is important, and the structure of any bargaining arrangement has to balance the need for affordability with the need to incentivize innovation. The industry's success with COVID-19 vaccines comes with a big asterisk: Taxpayers have invested about $20 billion in research and development, manufacturing, and supply of vaccine candidates. That's according to estimates by the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, which advocates for reducing federal deficits. Still, the money went to companies that knew what they were doing and they delivered. Joshua Gordon, director of health policy for the budget group, said there is a clear trade-off between restraining drug prices and reducing incentives for innovation. But that doesn't mean a better balance can't be found. Obviously the government creates a market for drugs through patents and (Food and Drug Administration) exclusivity, and there are clearly areas where the companies are taking advantage, he said. Lawmakers aren't necessarily tied to the approaches now on the table, Gordon added. They could follow of the example of Germany, where drugmakers set the initial price of a medication, but then a review process determines if it's worth to keep paying that. One of Pelosi's top lieutenants said recently that he is open to discussing different approaches, but they have to include negotiating authority for Medicare. We can't veer away from the basic idea that the government ... should have the right to negotiate prices, Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., said on a call sponsored by the advocacy group Protect Our Care. I believe that the Democrats as a whole and some of the Republicans in the Senate will vote for that. DALLAS (AP) The airline industrys recovery from the pandemic passed a milestone as more than 2 million people streamed through U.S. airport security checkpoints on Friday for the first time since early March 2020. The Transportation Security Administration announced Saturday that 2.03 million travelers were screened at airport checkpoints on Friday. It was the first time in 15 months that the number of security screenings has surpassed 2 million in a single day. Airline bookings have been picking up since around February, as more Americans were vaccinated against COVID-19 and at least within the United States travel restrictions such as mandatory quarantines began to ease. The recovery is not complete. Friday's crowds were only 74% of the volume compared to the same day in 2019. However, the 2.03 million figure was 1.5 million more travelers than the same day last year, according to the TSA. The 2-million mark represents quite a turnaround for the travel industry, which was hammered by the pandemic. There were days in April 2020 when fewer than 100,000 people boarded planes in the U.S., and the CEO of Boeing predicted that at least one major U.S. airline would go bankrupt. Most of the airlines are still losing money. Southwest eked out a narrow first-quarter profit thanks to its share of $64 billion in federal pandemic relief to the industry, and others are expected to follow suit later this year. The fear of large-scale furloughs has lifted. United Airlines, which lost $7 billion and threatened to furlough 13,000 workers last fall, told employees this week that their jobs are secure even when the federal money runs out in October. That's because airlines like United are upbeat about salvaging the peak summer vacation season. International travel and business trips are still deeply depressed, but domestic leisure travel is roughly back to pre-pandemic levels, airline officials say. The airlines are recalling employees from voluntary leave and planning to hire small numbers of pilots and other workers later this year. Hotel operators say they too have seen bookings improve as vaccination rates rise. Mike Gathright, a senior vice president at Hilton, said the company's hotels were 93% full over the Memorial Day weekend. He said the company is very optimistic about leisure travel over the summer and a pickup in business travel this fall. The vaccine distribution, the relaxed travel restrictions, consumer confidence all of that is driving occupancy and improvement in our business, Gathright said. Prior to the pandemic, TSA screened on average 2 million to 2.5 million travelers per day. The lowest screening volume during the pandemic was on April 13, 2020, when just 87,534 individuals were screened at airport security checkpoints. By the middle of last month, TSA's average daily volume for screenings was approximately 65% of pre-pandemic levels. As the summer travel season approaches, TSA is advising passengers to arrive at the airport with sufficient time to accommodate increased screening time as traveler volumes are expected to approach and in some cases exceed pre-pandemic levels at certain airports. EUNICE, W.Va. (AP) Eunice should have been Becky Rectenwalds place to settle. The dust settled there instead. Rectenwald, 58, moved to the former Raleigh County mining town from Marmet nearly four years ago for cleaner air and a larger yard for her dogs as she kept taking care of her mother. Eight months ago, at 15% lung capacity with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma and bronchitis, Rectenwald left her 79-year-old mother in Eunice in the care of her 18-year-old granddaughter. The filters on Rectenwalds oxygen machine and ventilator had turned black. She had to go. The way weve gotta live, its sad, Rectenwald says. I cant be with my family because of it. The portable ventilator that Rectenwald uses did nothing to obscure her words of desperation as she sat wedged between the ventilator and a picnic table at Marsh Fork High School Memorial Park on an unseasonably hot spring evening. Rectenwald made the trek down Coal River Road with her sister, with whom shes been staying in Elkview more than an hour away. She was surrounded under the pavilion by a dozen former neighbors. They were there to clear the air, too. Wed just like to have the dust cut down, Sandra Stewart, 71, said. Stewarts house of 32 years on the northern edge of Eunice sits nearest the coal pile for the Marforks Coal Companys Black Eagle underground mine about 1,000 feet away. Eunice residents said the mine has wreaked havoc on their health and homes since soon after operations began in 2018, its coal dust pervading their lungs and living rooms, its ventilation fans whirring so loudly that talking outside became impossible, its blasting knocking pictures off walls and damaging house foundations. Many of the communitys residents living closest to the Black Eagle mine have been gathering for weekly meetings since April to talk about the mine and what to do about it. The organizer of the meetings, Shelia Walk, has lived 42 of her 49 years in Eunice. Its home for her and her husband, who was a mine worker for 13 years before he was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease and laid off. Its home for her parents, including her father, a disabled veteran who has been having fewer asthma attacks since moving to a section of the community farther from the Black Eagle mine. Its home for her 5-month-old grandson, who was born prematurely and has already had breathing problems. Walks home was her brothers before he died, so shes not eager to walk away from it. I would love to stay here, because Im never going to be this close to my family, Walk said. If somethings wrong, I can walk to my daughters (house). If I had to, I could walk to my parents (house). I dont see us ever being able to find homes that close together. But standing at the edge of the picnic shelter facing her neighbors, Walk reached what has become an increasingly common conclusion in recent months in Eunice. If they can, I would appreciate it if the dust and the noise would quit. If not, then they should relocate us, Walk said to a smattering of applause from her neighbors. Walk talked about Alpha Metallurgical Resources, Marfork Coal Companys Bristol, Tennessee-based parent company. If Alpha wont pay them to move, the residents want the company to at least do more to reduce coal dust pollution, a change that would create a positive trend following what they said was an end to the mines ventilation fan noise pollution in April. But Eunice residents said they havent been able to reach Alpha representatives, and Walk said no one from the mine has spoken to residents about operations there. Alpha did not respond to a list of questions for this story. Its like nobody even cares, Rectenwald said. A RAW DEAL Walk counted the number of homes in her section of Eunice nearest to the Black Eagle mine that house residents with disabilities. She counted eight of 11. Across the picnic shelter, her next-door neighbor Rick Jones, 65, said he has to change his furnace filter often. We dont even get a month out of ours, said Alleson Sneed, Rectenwalds granddaughter. Eunice residents said the quickly dirtying air filters have helped push their power bills to exorbitant amounts. They fear their property values are trending in the opposite direction. The prevalence of fixed incomes in Eunice makes the communitys mine problem worse. Annabel Aliff, 57, wasnt at the meeting but would like Alpha to buy her out, too. Aliff says she was driven to apply for the state Department of Health and Human Resources Low-Income Energy Assistance Program for the first time in two decades because of the rising cost of heating and cooling her home as she avoids letting natural air in. I hate asking for help, but sometimes, what are you gonna do? Aliff said. When Aliff moved to her home in 2002, there were cookouts and bonfires. I could even go and lay out in the sun, Aliff said. But I wouldnt even want to lay in the sun now because if I went out there with suntan lotion on me, the dust would stick all over me. Aliff doesnt have a vehicle but gets rides from both her sister who has been staying with her and Walk, her next-door neighbor. God blessed me with good neighbors, Aliff said. Im just getting a raw deal with the mine. COALS LEGACY ON COAL RIVER MOUNTAIN The Black Eagle deep mine has had two mining permit violations since beginning operations in 2018, according to state Department of Environmental Protection data failure to establish blasting signs in September 2018 and tracking spoil and waste material onto a state road (Route 3 or Coal River Road) in March 2019. But two Alpha subsidiaries the Marfork Coal Company and Republic Energy have more than two dozen active mine permits in Raleigh County and a long history of permit violations. The two subsidiaries have accumulated nearly 350 permit violations over the last three-plus decades in the Coal River watershed for offenses such as lack of sediment control, improper blasting procedures and mining activity outside permit boundaries. Nearly 3,000 acres in the watershed have been disturbed under mine permits over that span. Total active and approved surface mining permits plus sludge dams compose 15% of the roughly 51,000-acre Coal River Mountain, according to Vernon Haltom, executive director of Coal River Mountain Watch, a nonprofit group based in nearby Naoma that opposes mountaintop removal and other mining practices that have impacted public health and natural resources. Walks son Junior, 31, is an outreach coordinator for Coal River Mountain Watch who has a house in Eunice and lives in Whitesville across the Boone County line. Walk said extensive mining activity has ravaged the Coal River watershed over the course of his lifetime. Coal River Mountain Watch has opposed recent applications for new and renewed permits for surface mining on the mountain made by Republic Energy, saying dust from renewed blasting procedures would leave nearby residents at an elevated risk for cancer. The DEP has approved Republic Energys recent permit applications, saying they met the states surface mining control and reclamation requirements, obligating the department to issue the permit. Whats going on here is a continuation over a century of exploitation of both the land and the people here, Walk said in his parents backyard shortly before the meeting started. Outside interests like the coal company thats operating right over here have had their way with Southern West Virginia. Some residents would like onsite air quality monitoring but havent been able to procure any from the state DEP. DEP acting spokesman Terry Fletcher said the agency has air monitoring equipment for assessments of federally mandated National Ambient Air Quality Standards at permanent sites. The departments Division of Air Quality will investigate dust and air quality complaints and take enforcement action when appropriate, Fletcher said. An agency database of citizen complaints shows three about the Black Eagle mine, the two most recent coming from Eunice residents in early December about mine fan noise levels. But Walk said she called the DEP more than 10 times to report mine noise and dust and never got an effectual response. Raleigh County Commission President Dave Tolliver declined to comment through County Administrator Jay Quesenberry, who added officials had not heard complaints about dust or noise coming from the mine. State Sen. Rollan Roberts, R-Raleigh, declined to comment, saying he was out of the state last week and could not communicate with anyone about the situation. Roberts added that no one had contacted his office about Marfork. State Delegate Christopher W. Toney, R-Raleigh, could not be reached for comment. WANTING TO GO Theres no sign of operations at the Black Eagle mine slowing down. Alpha Chief Operating Officer Jason Whitehead noted steadily improving coal thickness at the mine during the companys 2020 fourth-quarter earnings call in March and looked ahead to further mining there next year. An equity research analyst at the Benchmark Company investment banking firm observed that the Black Eagle mine was ramping up. Residents say Alpha added a gravel road that runs along the mountain for more than a mile earlier this year along with at least one new ventilation fan. Referring to Alpha, (W)ere getting our coal. Were making our money. We dont care, said Rectenwald, whose father was a coal miner. And its sad. Its sad they dont have any respect for humanity. Whether Alpha pays Eunice residents to move away, Rectenwalds family is looking to pay their Eunice house off and start over someplace they can breathe a little easier and together. Just go, just go, just go, Rectenwalds granddaughter Sneed said. Dont turn back. Just go. MILWAUKEE (AP) Sen. Ron Johnson was suspended Friday from uploading videos to YouTube for one week, after the company said he violated its COVID-19 medical misinformation policies. The Wisconsin Republican's removal stems from statements he made during a June 3 Milwaukee Press Club event, which were posted to YouTube. He criticized the Trump and Biden administrations for not only ignoring but working against robust research (on) the use of cheap, generic drugs to be repurposed for early treatment of COVID, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. Randy Jay Braun/Courtesy of Merriman's Hawaii Jim Braman, general manager of the Cliffs at Princeville condo resort on Kauais North Shore, thought it would be no problem to grab a drink in Hanalei on a recent Thursday night. I couldnt get into most places, all of which had people waiting, said Braman, who sits on the board of directors of the Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association and the Kauai Visitors Bureau. The message that weve been putting out to our guests pre-arrival with everything is that you just need to plan a little more." In the latest developments, new Bay Area routes or added flights are now available from JetBlue, Alaska Airlines and Southwest, with more coming later this year from Alaska and Southwest; other California routes are being added by Frontier, Alaska, American and Southwest; United plans a full winter schedule from SFO to Rocky Mountain ski resorts; Spirit Airlines and American announce big expansions at Miami and Austin respectively; AA also plans to enter the air taxi business with next-generation electric aircraft; with France now open to U.S. visitors, airlines expand their trans-Atlantic schedules to that country; Spain also welcomes foreign visitors back; Customs and Border Protection now allows remote video interviews for travelers renewing their Global Entry memberships; Apple is working with TSA to let iPhone users store their drivers licenses electronically; travelers could face delays at airport screening in the weeks ahead; Alaska Airlines seeks code-sharing deal with Qatar Airways; international route news from Southwest, United, American and Emirates; and LAX cuts the ribbon on its new Terminal 1.5. The Bay Area is getting some new, expanded and/or revived routes as the pandemics effect on air travel continues to ease. JetBlue, which had suspended service at Mineta San Jose in April 2020, came back to the airport this week with the launch of daily SJC-Boston service the only nonstop flights in that market and the only JetBlue service out of San Jose. Meanwhile, June 17 is the launch date for Alaska Airlines new summer seasonal service from San Francisco to Anchorage, with one daily 737 round-trip continuing through Aug. 16. Alaska had planned to introduce the route in April of last year, but the pandemic intervened. And Southwest increased its Bay Area service to Hawaii last week, boosting its San Jose-Maui schedule to two flights a day and its Oakland-Honolulu frequencies to three a day. Later this year, Alaska Airlines will start flying from SFO to the Mexican resort of Cancun on the Yucatan Peninsula, offering seasonal weekly service beginning Dec. 16. And Southwest will introduce twice-daily service on Nov. 7 from Oakland to Bellingham, Washington, a new dot on its route map. Bellingham is along the coast just south of the Canadian border. In other California route news, Frontier Airlines last week added a new route between Ontario and Dallas/Fort Worth with four flights a week. On June 17, Alaska is set to launch daily E175 flights between Santa Barbara and San Diego. Southwest Airlines last week introduced its previously announced new service to Hawaii from more California gateways, including three flights a day from Los Angeles International to Maui and one a day to Honolulu (increasing to twice a day June 26), along with two flights a day from San Diego to Honolulu and one a day to Maui. American Airlines revealed plans to add a new transcontinental route from Los Angeles this fall, launching daily nonstops Oct. 7 from LAX to Tampa. Southwest said it will begin daily flights between Sacramento and Palm Springs on Oct. 7. Weve reported a lot this year on the big trend for airlines to add summer domestic routes to airports in the mountain states to meet a growing consumer demand for outdoor vacations. And now United Airlines is doubling down on that trend for next winters ski season. ThePointsGuy.com said the airlines advance schedule for December-March shows a significant increase in capacity to nine Rocky Mountain airports, including service from San Francisco International. Uniteds winter schedule from SFO includes two flights a day to Aspen, Colorado; one a day to Vail/Eagle, Colorado; up to two a day to Jackson, Wyoming; up to one a day to Montrose, Colorado (the airport for Telluride); one a day to Sun Valley, Idaho; and one a week to Hayden/Steamboat Springs, Colorado. It also includes flights from Los Angeles International to Vail/Eagle, Sun Valley, Montrose, Jackson and Hayden/Steamboat. Jim Glab Two U.S. carriers announced major expansion plans this week at two big airports. Even though low-cost Spirit Airlines already has a large presence in south Florida as the largest operator at Fort Lauderdale, the airline now says it will make a major move into Miami International, which is just 27 miles to the south. Spirit said it will start flying on 30 routes out of MIA this fall, almost all of them already served by American, which has a hub at Miami. In most of the new markets, Spirit will operate only one flight a day or less. In October, it will start domestic service from MIA to Atlantic City, Atlanta, Baltimore and Newark along with international flights to Bogota and Medellin, Colombia; Guatemala City, Guatemala; Port-au-Prince, Haiti; and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Then in mid-November, Spirit will begin flying from Miami to Boston, Chicago OHare, Cleveland, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Detroit, Hartford, Houston Bush Intercontinental, Las Vegas, Myrtle Beach, New York LaGuardia, Orlando, Philadelphia and Raleigh-Durham, along with Caribbean service to San Juan and St. Thomas, and international flights to San Jose, Costa Rica; San Pedro Sula, Honduras; Barranquilla and Cali, Colombia. American announced a big expansion of its own, doubling down on its commitment earlier this year to add several routes out of Austin Bergstrom Airport which is just a short hop from its main hub at Dallas/Fort Worth. In March, AA said it would phase in new daily service from May through August between Austin and Las Vegas, Nashville, Raleigh-Durham, Washington Dulles, New Orleans, Orlando and Tampa. Now the airline says it will add 10 more domestic Austin routes between September and November, including El Paso, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Kansas City, St. Louis, Jacksonville, Oklahoma City, Reno/Tahoe, San Juan and Tulsa. On the international side, AA will begin service this fall from AUS to Cancun, Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; Liberia, Costa Rica; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; and Nassau, Bahamas. Smith Collection/Gado/Gado via Getty Images American has also unveiled some big technology news. Following the lead of United earlier this year, American said it will make a big leap into the air taxi space by investing in Vertical Aerospace, a U.K.-based developer of electric-powered vertical takeoff-and-landing aircraft (eVTOL). The companys four-passenger eVTOLs are designed to fly at up to 200 mph with a range of more than 100 miles. These aircraft could potentially transport customers quickly around urban city centers and to airports. Vertical plans to conduct its first test flight of the VA-X4 later this year, with certification of the aircraft as early as 2024, American said. The airline plans to invest $25 million in the company and said it has agreed to pre-order up to 250 aircraft with an option for 100 more. In February, United announced a similar deal with the U.S.-based manufacturer Archer, including an investment and an initial order for 200 eVTOLs. Coincidentally, Archer last week held an event in California for the public rollout of its first eVTOL demonstrator model. With France now reopened to vaccinated Americans, major carriers have started to increase their schedules there. Delta said last week it will begin three flights a week from Minneapolis-St. Paul to Paris on July 7, and then will add daily Boston-Paris service on Aug. 5. Delta will also start New York JFK-Nice service on July 8 with three flights a week. Delta already flies to Paris from Atlanta, New York JFK and Detroit. Deltas joint venture partner Air France currently flies to Paris from JFK, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington Dulles, and will open up a new route July 2 when it introduces Denver-Paris service with three flights a week. United, which currently serves Paris from Newark and Chicago, plans to increase frequencies on the Chicago-Paris route from three flights a week to seven in August, and to bring back Washington Dulles-Paris service on July 2 with five weekly flights. Paris service is also available on American from JFK and Dallas/Fort Worth. Spain also reopened to international travelers last week, not only to E.U. citizens who have the E.U.'s new Digital COVID Certificate but also to other foreigners, including Americans, subject to proof that they dont present a COVID-19 risk. According to the Spain Travel Health website, if you meet the requirements to enter Spain, you may travel, presenting a document/certificate certifying vaccination against COVID-19, a negative diagnostic test or recovery against COVID-19, according to the provisions of current legislation relative to the health controls to be carried out at the points of entry into Spain. Click into the website for full details. As more nations reopen and international travel picks up again, is it time to renew your membership in U.S. Customs and Border protections Global Entry program? That trusted traveler program allows pre-approved, low-risk individuals to bypass CBP inspection lines at international arrival airports. If you need to renew, the agency has added a new twist: You might be able to conduct your enrollment interview remotely through video teleconferencing with a CBP officer. (The video interview option is not available to first-time applicants.) The agency said remote interview candidates must already have their conditional approval for a renewal; must be 18 or older; must have a photo on file with CBP that was taken in the past 10 years and after the applicant was 14 years old; and must have previously submitted fingerprints to the agency. A five-year Global Entry membership costs $100 and includes participation in the TSA PreCheck program. To use the video option, log onto your account and click on the link to Scheduling Your Remote Interview. Apple iPhone users should soon have a new option for going through airport security following the tech giants announcement last week of the new iOS 15 operating system. Later this year, Apple said, users of iOS 15 in participating states will be able to add their drivers license or other state ID to the iPhones Apple Wallet. The Transportation Security Administration is working to enable airport security checkpoints as the first place customers can use their digital Identity Card in Wallet, Apple said. Identity Cards in Wallet are encrypted and safely stored in the Secure Element, the same hardware technology that makes Apple Pay private and secure. TSA confirmed those plans. TSA expects to begin a phased rollout for accepting digital forms of identification, including mobile drivers licenses and state issued ID cards, at select checkpoints later this year, the agency said last week. Apple noted that iOS 15 will also enable users to store digital keys in Wallet, including hotel, home, office and car keys. Speaking of TSA, air travelers could face long lines at security screening as the agency struggles to rebuild its airport staff. The Washington Post reported last week that it obtained a TSA internal memo warning of staff shortages at 131 U.S. airports this month and asking for volunteers from its workforce to head to the airports for up to 45 days as a backup team. They wouldnt screen passengers but would take on various support jobs that would free up trained screeners to inspect passengers. TSA has hired 3,100 employees recently and hopes to take on 3,000 more in the next few months. On the international side, Alaska Airlines will end its partnership with Emirates on July 31 and instead has applied for U.S. approval to begin a new code-sharing relationship with Qatar Airways, a member of American Airlines Oneworld global alliance that Alaska joined a few months ago. Qatar started flying early this year to its Doha home base from Alaskas Seattle hub; it also links up with Alaska operations at San Francisco International and LAX. The application seeks to put Qatars code on dozens of routes operated by Alaska, Horizon Air and SkyWest. In other international news, Southwest Airlines has returned to Central America, launching service last week from Houston Hobby to San Jose and Liberia, Costa Rica. United will introduce new seasonal trans-Atlantic service to Dubrovnik, Croatia, on July 8, operating three flights a week through Oct. 3. American Airlines is supplementing its JFK-Israel service with a new route from Miami to Tel Aviv that just launched with three flights a week. Also in Miami, Emirates will kick off new service to Dubai four days a week beginning July 22, giving the carrier its 12th U.S. gateway. Will you be flying on American this month? If so, you might want to keep your copy of the American Way magazine from the seatback pocket as a souvenir, because the June issue will be the last in its 55-year run. Major carriers stopped distributing in-flight magazines early in the pandemic as they tried to limit the number of things passengers would touch. Some were subsequently brought back, but they are quickly becoming relics of an earlier age as passengers today usually turn to electronic screens to pass the time in the air. Delta and Southwest suspended their in-flight publications during the pandemic and never brought them back. The massive ongoing construction work at Los Angeles International Airport is continuing to show results. Two weeks ago, we reported on the ribbon-cutting for a new 15-gate extension of LAXs Bradley International Terminal accessible via an underground tunnel. And now airport officials are celebrating the grand opening of a project that has been called Terminal 1.5 a 283,000-square-foot extension of Terminal 1 that will also provide a seamless post-security link to Terminal 2 this fall after a new connector is finished, allowing passengers to move between the two buildings without having to be re-screened and providing another access point for greater flexibility, a spokesperson said. The $477 million T1 extension includes a new passenger check-in lobby, six-lane TSA security screening checkpoint and new baggage claim area and will provide a pedestrian bridge to the airports future Automated People Mover train system. Southwest is the largest tenant of Terminal 1 with 13 gates. The new extension also handles passenger check-in for Mexicos Via Aerobus, Sun Country Airlines, Allegiant and Frontier. You are now listening to the sounds of the New Generation. 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It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much! Sydney has been bumped off the top 10 in The Economists 2021 global liveability survey. Excuse me? How can this be? People enjoying a cold swim and watching the big surf at Bondi Beach in winter. Credit:Edwina Pickles In the very year most of us found Australias biggest COVID-19 free city the most liveable in our lifetimes: the traffic has diminished, fewer aircraft are clogging our glorious winter blue skies, and we have had more time to bask on our beautiful beaches plus we can go to live sport, theatre and sing in public, we learn this startling fact: Adelaide has been named Australias most liveable metropolis. And the worlds third best city in which to live. And Auckland, New Zealand, has been crowned the most liveable in the year of COVID-19. What? Even more astoundingly Melbourne, once named the worlds most liveable city for seven years straight until 2017, is having a comeback, rising according to The Economist from 16th to 8th position. A fact Id say even the most ardent Melbourne lover would be inclined to question, given the city has been in perpetual snap or long lockdown for nigh on a year now. 7/10 Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, centre right, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, centre and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge react as the Queen prepares to cut a cake as they attend an event in celebration of 'The Big Lunch 'initiative, during the G7 summit in Cornwall, England, Friday June 11, 2021. Credit:AP An Australian man who was on the run in Thailand for six months, fleeing child sexual abuse charges, has been arrested by local authorities and will now face court. It can also be revealed that Adam James Fox, 44, was able to obtain a working with children clearance in Victoria in 2017 and become a foster carer despite previously facing child abuse charges in Melbourne two decades ago under another name, Guy Christopher Weymouth. Adam Fox, 44, has been accused of child sexual abuse in Thailand. Mr Fox, living in Thailand in recent years, has been in hiding since December and denies accusations he assaulted or violated at least three impoverished boys at his home under the guise of providing education and care. He has claimed the charges are a set-up and he wont receive a fair trial in the Thai court system. He was charged by the Royal Thai Police in early 2020 but received bail and did not attend the start of his trial in December. He was charged in the city of Mae Sot, which is on the border with Myanmar and has a reputation for human trafficking and exploitation. A factor not explicitly discussed in your articles is increased longevity (Young families pushed out as empty nesters wont dislodge, June 9). Fifty years ago, average Australian longevity was 71 years, now it is more than 83. Retirement used to be a short period before death. Some chose to move to coastal holiday towns to see out their lives in a relaxed setting. As there were few or no medical interventions for diseases of old age, being close to well-resourced city medical facilities was not the consideration it may be today. The upshot of increased longevity is that people who would have sold up in their 60s now often arent doing so until their 80s, when their ability to lead an active independent life starts to be compromised. Thats another 20 years to wait before there is renewal in an established suburb. Deborah Smythe, Kundabung What gall to suggest that young families have more right to freestanding homes with backyards than do boomers (Retirees need to make room for younger families in inner Sydney, June 6). In the 1960s, most of us rented dingy basic flats for years, saved hard and then took first and second mortgages at up to 17 per cent interest to buy very basic three-bedroom homes in outer suburbs. We built equity and only then might we have upgraded to larger, more comfortable abodes. Many millennials will get our homes anyway, as inheritances after we die. Brian ODonnell, Burradoo My wife and I are not against leaving our home and we would consider moving if nearby accommodation could also be found for our GP, our team of medical specialists, our pharmacist, dentist, butcher and close living family members. Its not essential but a Dan Murphys within reasonable vicinity might just seal the deal. Trevor Somerville, Illawong Getting older is confusing; we are encouraged to stay in our homes as long as possible, we can have help for this which takes the heat off hospital and nursing homes. Now, we are mean and selfish by not selling our homes to make room for younger people. Older folk dont all live in mansions; we can finally have a hobby room or a room for visitors or grandchildren to stay, because after years of working hard we finally have some time to catch up, and most of us are busier than ever. Robyn Hansen, Pennant Hills Older people are not refusing to leave their homes to make them available to prospective buyers. Like every generation, they have the right to retain their homes as long as they wish. Any suggestion that older people should be obliged to move or downsize smacks of social engineering or manipulation. Leave us oldies to make our own choices. We wont live forever. Ian Roberts, Warriewood Each of the curriculum wars has its own particular slant. In maths the debate is over whether to instil knowledge through repetition or encourage a problem-solving approach. Greg Ashman, head of Mathematics and head of research at Ballarat Clarendon College in Victoria, arcs up at the term rote learning. Ashman is one of a group of maths professors and teachers who penned an open letter to curriculum authority chief executive David de Carvalho expressing profound concerns with the emphasis in the current draft curriculum on open-ended enquiry, without the systematic building of coherent knowledge. The letter laments that learning the basics is delayed and devalued. The content of the mathematics curriculum, even for the lower years, is the result of millennia of human endeavour across cultures around the world, the letter writers argue, It is neither fair nor realistic to expect students to retrace this journey with a few pointers and inquiries in a few hours per week. In the middle of the last century, many of the old ways of teaching were swept aside because they were suspected of being authoritarian, perhaps even causing authoritarian tendencies. As US academic Miles Simpson argued in his 1972 paper , education will reduce authoritarianism only when the educational system emphasises cognitive rather than rote learning or is manned by non-authoritarian teachers. Children forced to chant their times tables and Latin declensions were out; investigative learning was in. The anti-authoritarians characterised memorisation as rote-learning, devoid of understanding. One side argues that the way we used to teach, emphasising memory and mastery, was more effective, while the other contends that new ways of teaching will leave students better equipped to deal with the modern world. These arguments go back at least a century actually much longer and have become intertwined with ideology. The letter points out that Singapore, a country praised by the Australian authority for its emphasis on problem solving, has an early focus on basics. In my personal experience, Australia is unusual in not expecting children to memorise the foundations. Many years ago I was moved from Year 2 in an Australian school to Year 2 in a German school, where the children all had their times tables up to 12 off by heart already. I taught my son counting by leaps and made a game of times tables as soon as he could count, but a society which relies on parents to teach the basics cant rely on equitable outcomes. The maths wars are still in their infancy, while the reading wars are almost concluded. Parents notice reading failure and start to engage professionals, says Ashman, In contrast, we dont place such a premium on maths. Its socially acceptable to say I was never very good at maths in a way that few would casually remark I was never very good at reading. But evidence didnt prevail in the reading wars overnight. The dispute here revolves around whether small children should learn to break words down into chunks in order to be able to sound out unfamiliar words the phonic approach or whether they should learn sight-recognition of whole words. According to Dr Jennifer Buckingham, now researcher and director of strategy at Multilit, the evidence has long been in. She has been working on the problem since 2000 intensively since 2013. After all those years, phonics checks are finally becoming part of the curriculum and there is a widespread acceptance that the evidence overwhelmingly points to the use of phonics. Meanwhile, untold numbers of children will have fallen through the cracks. I know of two girls who struggled to learn to read until they were finally put into the Multilit program in years 3 and 4 respectively. Imagine the education they have missed out on in the interim. They may never make up for that lost time. Loading The history wars have been framed as a debate over recognising the Indigenous experience of colonisation, but historian Greg Melleuish is more concerned that focusing on a right and a wrong version of history will leave students unequipped to encounter the world. What you learn if you study history is that people are flawed they set out to do one thing and end up with another result. History should tell you something about the complexity of human nature. Melluish is concerned that the way history is now taught is encouraging authoritarianism. Studies indicate that the more educated a person is, the more dogmatic they are. You need to teach history properly to counter dogmatism. Officials dont know if the fragments could come from someone who has already had the virus or if it has come from an unidentified case. The email also said North Melbourne Primary School would re-open on Tuesday after multiple year levels along with teachers and family members had to undergo 14 days of quarantine when a student tested positive for the virus. As of late Friday, 2300 active primary close contacts remain in isolation around Victoria with more than 4500 cleared after spending 14 days in quarantine and testing negative in their day 13 tests. Health Minister Martin Foley said that while the source of infection has not been discovered, the new case would likely be linked to the Kappa strain as the man lives in proximity to cases that have been genomically identified as carrying the variant. The man was caring for his young family and rarely ventured outside. This case has done all the right things from our initial interviews, the individual recognised that they had symptoms, got tested and had a test result all within the same day, Mr Foley said. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar said there were also some instances of social overlap that offered authorities strong reason to believe the man would be linked to existing outbreaks. However, the emergence of mystery cases like the mans continues to concern authorities because they can linger and build. Mr Weimar said he believed there were more cases in the community that need to be flushed out - a task requiring at least 20,000 tests to be conducted daily. What Im a little bit concerned about is being well-advanced now - were almost two and a half to three weeks into this outbreak - but were still finding new branches, he said. My personal view is that there are certainly more cases out there, I think were talking very small numbers, but we really need to track them down, he said. Victorian COVID-19 testing commander Jeroen Weimar. Credit:Asanka Ratnayake I think Im a little bit concerned that testing numbers are starting to drop, and I would I think whilst were still dealing with new cases emerging, I would really encourage everyone to help us keep those testing numbers up. He urged Victorians to call people out if they demonstrated symptoms. If your colleagues at work or your employees are coming to work symptomatic, send them home to get tested immediately. If youre being served by people who are symptomatic, call them out in the nicest possible way. Investigations into the acquisition source of the positive Reservoir family of four and the Melton couple who travelled to Queensland - all genomically linked to the Kappa variant - are continuing. Id ask people to check those new tier 2 exposure sites, and it goes back to the conversation from earlier, we believe there are other branches (of the virus) that may be out there that we have not yet discovered, he said. There were 15,110 test results received on Friday and 20,660 vaccines administered. Three cases were reported in hotel quarantine on Saturday bringing the states number of active cases to 74. The Department of Health also added 19 new exposure sites late on Friday, including a takeaway shop at Southern Cross Station, a souvlaki shop in Thornbury, and a medical centre, service station and chemist in Taylors Hill. Traces of the virus have been found in wastewater unexpectedly across Bendigo, in the Glenroy-Pascoe Vale area and in some eastern suburbs in the local government areas of Whitehorse, Manningham and Monash in recent days. The health department is urging anyone in those areas with COVID symptoms to get tested immediately. Perths king of talkback radio Howard Sattler has died at the age of 76 after a long battle with a rare degenerative brain disease. Sattler, who made headlines after being sacked from radio station 6PR over a controversial interview with former Prime Minister Julia Gillard, passed away at Murdoch Hospice with his wife by his side on Friday. Sattler was Perths first radio shock jock. Credit:Nine Frank Sinatras My Way played in the background as Sattler took his final breath. The radio veteran began to develop symptoms when he was on-air at 6PR, and told listeners in a candid interview with Steve Mills earlier this year people would often call in thinking he was drunk. Dont call it the final frontier of feminism. More genteel to call it one of the last redoubts of the gentleman, where the co-mingling scents of Old Spice and chesterfield leather reassure a man he is in what is nowadays known as a safe space. Uncluttered by the presence of women, gentlemens clubs may be declining in membership and ageing rapidly, but they wont go down without a fight, or at least a joust, as much as their arthritic knee joints will allow. Illustration: Reg Lynch Credit:The Sydney Morning Herald This week the 183-year-old Australian Club of Sydney (not to be confused with the equally exclusive and also thoroughly masculine Australian Club of Melbourne) will vote on a proposal to consider allowing female members. According to reports, this issue has been discussed informally for two years already. Tuesdays vote, if passed, will simply give the go-ahead for a three-year investigation into whether ladies should be allowed to join. One mustnt rush these things. More than $40 million is expected to be pumped back into the Queensland racing industry over the next two years as part of a new funding formula that would see 35 per cent of revenue return to tracks, facilities and animal care. The state government announced on Saturday that in next weeks state budget, 35 per cent of revenue from Queenslands point of consumption tax would be delivered back to racing from July 1. Racing Minister Grace Grace says every dollar invested in the racing industry generates $1.56 in economic benefits. The new funding formula will give the racing industry greater certainty, Racing Minister Grace Grace said, and would equate to $41.3 million over the next two years. That means every time someone places a bet in Queensland, a guaranteed portion of that money will go back into improving tracks, upgrading facilities for racegoers, boosting prizemoney, supporting animal care, and creating more jobs in and around racing, she said. Hong Kong: Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Agnes Chow was released from prison on Saturday after serving nearly seven months for her role in an unauthorised assembly during anti-government protests in the city in 2019. The 24-year-old activist had been convicted together with her long-time activist colleague, Joshua Wong, for their involvement in an illegal rally near police headquarters in the Chinese-ruled city. Wong remains in prison and the reason for Chows early release after being sentenced to 10 months in jail was not clear. The Correctional Services Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Agnes Chow, centre, was released on Saturday after serving seven months of a 10-month sentence. Credit:AP Chow was released from the Tai Lam Correctional Institution in Tuen Mun, in Hong Kongs New Territories district, at about 10am (12noon AEST) Carbis Bay: A vaccine to combat the next global pandemic would be created and approved in just 100 days under a new plan to avoid repeating the murky and chaotic early days of the coronavirus outbreak in China. Prime Minister Scott Morrison will debate the fast-tracked vaccine timeline during a session with US President Joe Biden and other world leaders at the G7 summit in the British seaside town of Carbis Bay this weekend. Campaigners attend a vigil in Falmouth, Cornwall, near the G7 summit in Carbis Bay, to remember the millions who have already died during the pandemic. Credit:AP The leaders are expected to ink the so-called Carbis Bay Declaration a policy statement which seeks to prevent a future pandemic or minimise the impact of an outbreak during its crucial early stages. The statement includes a goal of slashing the development and approval of new vaccines and therapeutics to under 100 days through a greater reliance on scientific breakthroughs like the mRNA technology behind jabs by Pfizer and Moderna. Carbis Bay: Prime Minister Scott Morrison has met US President Joe Biden for the first time but the encounter was not one-on-one as planned and journalists were not permitted to cover the exchange. Australian officials viewed a bilateral meeting between Morrison and Biden at the G7 summit in Britain as a chance to strike up a personal relationship following the Presidents inauguration in January. But in a surprise development, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was also present for the 40-minute chat at the seaside resort town of Carbis Bay. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and US President Joe Biden meet in Cornwall for the G7 leaders meeting. Credit:G7 Media It was a meeting of friends and allies, who share a view on the world, Mr Morrison said afterwards. Washington: When Joe Biden picked his running mate last year, it was widely accepted that he was not just selecting a potential vice-president but essentially anointing the Democratic Partys next presidential nominee. Given Biden will be aged 81 by the time of the next election and may not run for a second term, it was important he pick someone capable of winning in 2024. After Kamala Harris performance over the past week, Democrats have reason to worry about whether she is up to that task. While Biden was confidently mingling with other leaders at the G7 summit, Harris was falling flat during her first foray onto the international stage. US Vice-President Kamala Harris had a difficult job in Guatemala City - telling people not to come to the United States. Credit:AP By choosing Harris as his running mate, Biden injected a surge of enthusiasm into his campaign and prompted a flood of donations from the Democratic Party base. Younger progressives were delighted that a 56-year old woman with Jamaican and Indian heritage was on their partys ticket. PHILIPSBURG:--- Pro Soualiga, along with its sister Foundation Korsou Na Kaminda Pa Libertat, presented Curacao's Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas with a Writ of Notification informing the Government and Parliament of other means of resolving the financial predicament without engaging the IMF or COHO. The Writ of Notification serves as formal notice to the Government and Parliament that the former Netherlands Antilles was omitted from the 1963 list of Non-Self-Governing Territories due to a classification error. Additionally, the Writ of Notification reminds the Government and Parliament of Curacao that no U.N. Resolution exists that removed the former Netherlands Antilles from the list of Non-Self-Governing Territories. The Dutch State confirmed this in the Court of First Instance in St. Maarten on April 23, 2021, during oral pleadings. These two facts when taken together (i.e. absence of U.N. Resolution and classification error) mean we are on the list of Non-Self-Governing Territories and fall under Article 73 of the UN Charter, and no longer have a financial problem but, rather, a knowledge problem. The governments of Aruba, Curacao, and St. Maarten until now, were not aware of the tremendous benefits and privileges available under Article 73. The Writ of Notification serves to ensure that our governments and parliaments are no longer unaware of this vital information. A territory on the NSGT's list cannot receive liquidity support as loans, but, rather, the administering state is under the UN-mandated obligation to ensure the economic and social welfare of the inhabitants of said territories. This is vital information which until today our leaders were lacking. They are now better equipped to meet the needs of the people they serve without being forced to accept inhumane, humiliating, and unreasonable conditions. Pro Soualiga Foundation It is with heartfelt sadness that we announce the passing of Walter John Jarusiewicz, Jr. on June 28, 2021. He is survived by his wife of 58 years; Judith Vrablic Jarusiewicz, his four children; Jill, Jody Judy and Walter, III, 9 grandchildren, and 13 great grandchildren. Walter had a great News spotlight Retiring BA Spanish teacher blended language with real world lessons Eileen Kriechbaum has taught Spanish at Bethlehem Academy for 34 out of her 40 total years of teaching. This month, Kriechbaum retires. (Misty Schwab/southernminn.com) Teaching Spanish at Bethlehem Academy satisfied an itch for Eileen Kriechbaum, who not only wanted her students to know about grammar, but about the world. I raised three kids here and dedicated myself to this place, Kriechbaum said on one of the last days in her classroom. I signed the contract as soon as I could whenever the time came. But now, at the end of the 2020-21 academic year, Kriechbaum has said, Adios to her students one last time as she begins her retirement. Kriechbaum began teaching 40 years ago, and has served as BAs only Spanish teacher for 34 of those years. Her mother saw a job opening in The Catholic Reporter, and when Kriechbaum came to the school, she was hired on the spot. Shes taught all four levels of Spanish throughout her career at BA. At 19, Kriechbaum fell in love with Spanish culture on a trip to Caracas, Venezuela, where also got her first real glimpse of poverty. While working for the Minnesota Migrant Council during a college summer in the late 1970s, she decided she wanted to become a teacher. During a time of anti-Vietnam protests and Woodstock, Kriechbaum said she wanted to be part of a radical force setting out to make a change. I wanted to bring attention to the Hispanic culture in Minnesota, Kriechbaum said. I knew people were coming in, and I wanted them to stay here. Thats kind of why I blend teaching language with social justice. When possible, Kriechbaum sought out opportunities to give her students first hand experiences improving the world. Following the destruction of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, she took students to the site of the natural disaster for a service trip. She also took two groups of students to Guatemala. BA 2021 graduate Abby Larson plans to major in social work at the University of St. Thomas in the fall, largely due to the trip she took to Guatemala as one of Kriechbaums Spanish students. There, the group worked at the San Lucas Toliman mission to build homes with the locals. I am forever grateful for having had Mrs. Kriechbaum as a teacher, mentor, and advisor for Bethlehem Academys Service Club, Larson said. She challenged me to see the world through a lens of service, which I will carry with me for life. Her love for life is truly contagious. Kriechbaum put an emphasis on migration, immigration and solidarity in her Spanish classes, drawing an awareness to global happenings. She also said, I really try to push young men into being leaders and women to find their voices so they, too, have a place at the table. Megan Gasco, a 2005 graduate of BA, said she developed an interest and language thanks to Kriechbaum, and ultimately decided to become a Spanish teacher herself. With a large Spanish department at the school where she teaches, Gasco looks back in amazement at Kriechbaum for being the only Spanish teacher at BA for so many years. Gasco said Senora, as many students called her, was an amazing teacher who taught more than the Spanish language to her students. During class, Gasco recalls Kriechbaum passionately sharing her experiences in Latin America and teaching her students to be global citizens. Many important life lessons spawned from stories Kriechbaum shared during prayer time at the start of class. Now that I am a Spanish teacher, I sometimes have to remind myself that these connections, anecdotes, life lessons are more important than the reading, grammar, etc. Gasco said. As much as language teachers would love to think all students are going to use the language on a daily basis, this isnt reality, so having these real conversations were where some of the real life learning happened, while opening the minds of teenagers in a small private high school in Southern Minnesota. Teaching her students deep lessons didnt mean being serious all the time for Kriechbaum, who said shell miss just being human with her students. She learned modern slang terms from her students, like no cap and bussin and practiced using them in the classroom. Ill miss being goofy with the kids, Kriechbaum said. I just say really random things, and the students laugh. The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. The Conversation is wholly responsible for the content. The great shippe would save them. Thats what the early English colonists of New Haven believed. The religious settlers began arriving in the late 1630s. Carving partially underground cellar dwellings into hillsides, they hoped to establish a colony that would be well suited to trade furs and other goods gathered farther up the Connecticut River with Boston and New Amsterdam (Manhattan). But by 1646 those hopes for a community built on trade hadnt materialized and the settlement was floundering, with early ship-building efforts and other endeavors leading nowhere. In desperation and with almost all the strength that was left em, they built one ship more. This ship, built in Rhode Island, was designed to carry the best supplies the colony had to England in return for goods that would help save the settlers. In January 1647, the ship was ready to leave New Haven but had to cut its way slowly through the ice to get out of the harbor. Eventually, with many fears, as well as prayers and tears, they set sail. The Rev. John Davenport, founder of New Haven, said, Lord, if it be thy pleasure to bury these our Friends in the bottom of the Sea, they are thine, save them! And with this prayer hanging in the cold winter air, the ship left New Haven never to return. Not exactly, anyhow. As spring arrived, so did ships from England, but they brought no tidings of the vessel that had left in January, and the people of New Haven began to worry. As they worried, they prayed that the Lord would (if it was his pleasure) let them hear what he had done with their dear friends, and prepare them with a suitable Submission to his Holy Will. In June 1647, a full six months since the ship had departed, a great thunderstorm struck New Haven. In the storms aftermath, about an hour before sunset, many of those who looked to the harbors mouth saw something extraordinary. There, moving against the wind, was a specter-like vessel with her sails full, taken by some unseen wind. It looked from a distance like the vessel which had left in January and many were drawn to behold this great Work of God; yea, the very children cryd out, Theres a Brave Ship! For a half-hour they watched the ship approach, some getting close enough that they estimated they could reach it with a stone. Then the ship began to fall apart as though battered by some invisible storm. Its mighty mast fell, then its sails were torn and ripped away and the ship seemed to careen and sink, vanishing into a smoky cloud. Those who witnessed the otherworldly scene took it as a recreation of the past. This was the mould of their ship, they said, and thus was her tragic end. Davenport spoke publicly again. God had condescended, a later observer paraphrased him as saying, for the quieting of their afflicted spirits, this extraordinary account of his sovereign disposal of those for whom so many fervent prayers were made continually. * * * This account of the Ghost Ship of New Haven is based on the version of events found in the Rev. Cotton Mathers book Magnalia Christi Americana, which was published in 1702, just over a half-century after the alleged ghost ship sighting. Mathers report is among the oldest accounts of the ghost ship. His version comes from a letter he received from a New Haven pastor who had not personally witnessed the events but spoke with several people who had. Of course, the tale would change and grow over the years. In some accounts, the phantom ship appeared in the sky more than a year later, in others it was taken as a sign that the New Haven colonists had put too much stock in commerce and cared too much about earnings. While ghost tales are not uncommon in Connecticut or elsewhere, this tale carries with it an air of authenticity many lack. Its plausible that those living in New Haven in the mid-16th century did indeed see something unusual in the sunset-tinged skies of New Haven following a storm. What exactly they saw, however, is unclear. Some UFO enthusiasts point to this and other early sightings of strange vessels in the sky as proof that such sightings are real and aliens have long visited Earth. Skeptics say that its proof of the way that humans have always interpreted strange phenomena within the confines of their culture and understanding. In 1647, a strange weather phenomenon was a divine vision of a lost ship sent from God in answer to prayers, while in the paranoid, science fiction-fueled era following World War II, such a sight would have been explained as an alien craft, they say. Regardless of what you believe, it is clear from this story and other more recent UFO sightings in Connecticut, that as long as people have looked at the skies above our state, theyve seen strange, terrible and wonderful things therein. This article originally appeared in Connecticut Magazine. You can subscribe here, or find the current issue on sale here. Sign up for the newsletter to get the latest and greatest content from Connecticut Magazine delivered right to your inbox. On Facebook and Instagram @connecticutmagazine and Twitter @connecticutmag. With the debate over teaching critical race theory in schools raging in recent weeks, the topic of race in education will be part of a discussion hosted by a state legislator who represents Greenwich and Stamford. State Rep. Kimberly Fiorello, R-149, will host anthropologist and author Peter W. Wood at a Zoom discussion from 7 to 8 p.m. Monday. The event is called Why is the Accusation of Racism Everything and Everywhere? The author of 1620: A Critical Response to the 1619 Project, Wood is president of the National Association of Scholars, a nonprofit organization that seeks to reform higher education and defend academic freedom of faculty members, students and others. The 1619 Project is a long-form journalism project from the New York Times and New York Times Magazine that won a Pulitzer Prize but has also drawn criticism from some historians. It is named for the arrival of the first ship of enslaved people from Africa in Virginia in 1619 and has a stated mission of aiming to reframe the countrys history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at the very center of the United States national narrative. On Friday, Fiorello said that this is a topic of importance not just in her district in backcountry Greenwich and North Stamford, but also across the entire country. She said she wanted to bring in a subject matter expert. Fiorello, a member of the state legislatures Education Committee, said she was approached by Stamford parents with concerns about critical race theory who asked her to speak at a Stamford Board of Education meeting about how curriculum is developed. They wanted me to help inform on how much input parents can have on curriculum, Fiorello said Thats where it started, and I reached out to the Department of Education to get some clarity. It became clear their concern was critical race theory in Stamford. Parents are really concerned, and thats when I realized critical race theory was not just something we were reading about in other school districts in Virginia. We have that concern here in Connecticut. She invited Wood in an effort to present an expert who is academic, not political, Fiorello said. Critical race theory is an academic concept that has been in use since the 1970s to provide a new context for American history and the countrys power structure through the lens of race. It has been frequently discussed over the past year since the murder of George Floyd, a Black man, by a white police officer in Minnesota and the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement. In Greenwich, a group of parents has been vocal recently on the topic, speaking up at public comment sections at Board of Education meetings. Superintendent of Schools Toni Jones this week said in an emailed statement to parents that the district is not teaching critical race theory. We do not want our efforts around DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) to be miscommunicated or misinterpreted to suggest that we are teaching Critical Race Theory, Jones statement says. Critical Race Theory is not part of the GPS curriculum. We do, however, want our students to be critical thinkers, listeners and analyze the past, present and future in regards to how we see and respect one another, which is a core component of our districts mission to prepare students to function effectively in an interdependent global community. Despite Jones statement, the issue is expected to be a major topic of discussion at the June 17 meeting of the Board of Education meeting. To register for Mondays discussion hosted by Fiorello, visit https://bit.ly/3gqmoQf. The event will include a presentation and a question-and-answer session. kborsuk@greenwichtime.com Contributed / Ledyard Police Department LEDYARD An officer was struck by a passing vehicle when conducting a traffic stop, according to a press release from the Leyard Police Department. The incident occurred at around 2:33 a.m. Saturday on Route 2 just west of Watson Road, according to the release. Ray Parsons / Contributed photo LITCHFIELD A fundraising page has been set up for the family of a 39-year-old father who was fatally shot this week outside of a local law firm. The page, called Help give Matthew Bromley the funeral he deserves, raised nearly $1,000 in the hours after it was posted Friday. RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) The constitutional right of North Carolina's children to have access to a good public school education also applies to individual students who aren't getting help to stop classroom bullying and harassment against them, the state Supreme Court ruled Friday. The justices' unanimous ruling in part addresses the declaration in a landmark 1997 ruling by the court that the combination of two portions of the state constitution guarantees every child of this state an "opportunity to receive a sound basic education in our public schools. This and another 2004 ruling in what's known as the Leandro" case created the basis for a separate public policy debate over how to address inequitable school funding and services that is not considered in this case. But the right to that opportunity also must be offered as grounds for reasonable legal claims by individual students who say their rights were violated and there is no other way to seek redress, Chief Justice Paul Newby wrote. The right to a sound basic education rings hollow if the structural right exists but in a setting that is so intimidating and threatening to students that they lack a meaningful opportunity to learn, Newby said in the opinion, which reverses a ruling by the state Court of Appeals to dismiss the case. The case involved a mother and her three children. Ashley Deminski said her children, two of which are diagnosed with autism, were subject in 2016 to physical violence and sexual harassment and vulgarities by as many as four students at Lakeforest Elementary School in Pitt County. Deminski said the school's leadership and the local school board were largely unresponsive to her concerns. School personnel said changes would take time but no real change occurred, according to the opinion. Ultimately the three were able to transfer to another school, but Deminski sued in late 2017, citing education provisions in the North Carolina Constitution. The family sought monetary damages and an order that the children would never have to return to Lakeforest. A trial court judge allowed the case to proceed, despite arguments by the Pitt County School Board that it was immune from the litigation as a government body. A majority on a three-judge Court of Appeals panel dismissed the case last year, citing a similar case involving the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board and negligence claims related to a teacher's sexual relationship with a high school student. But Newby said the Court of Appeals' majority decision would mean the constitutional guarantee extends no further than an entity affording a sound basic education by making educational opportunities available. Instead, the constitutional right to education and the state's duty to guard and maintain that right extend to circumstances where a school boards deliberate indifference to ongoing harassment prevents children from receiving an education," he added. Pitt County board lawyers had argued there was no cause of legal action under the constitution in cases alleging school employees had failed to prevent harm caused by a third party. Deminski is very pleased with Fridays ruling, attorney Troy Shelton said in an interview, calling it a victory for all North Carolina students in that schools cant turn a blind eye to abuse thats happening right under their noses and not face consequences. Deminski's children are no longer in elementary school, Shelton said. The case, which now returns to a trial court, received attention from outside groups. The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina and Disability Rights North Carolina filed briefs stating a sound basic education includes a safe learning environment. Lawyers for the North Carolina Schools Boards Association, siding with the Pitt County board, wrote in a brief that subjecting school boards to more claims of individual injury would be financially ruinous to school systems. Recognizing a (new) constitutional claim ... would extend Leandro well beyond its holding and purpose, which was to create a framework through which the states public school system, as a whole, could be scrutinized for constitutional adequacy," wrote attorney Elizabeth Troutman, representing the association. 3 1 of 3 File illustration Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 3 of 3 On June 4, SB 1091, informally known as Jennifers Law, passed in the Connecticut House of Representatives with overwhelming and bipartisan support. The bill is now before Gov. Ned Lamont, and we urge him to sign it into law. SB 1091 mandates a wide-range of important reforms that will afford greater rights and protections to victims of domestic violence. Most notably, it will expand the definition of family violence in Connecticuts restraining order statute to allow judges to consider acts of coercive control in abusive situations that do not involve actual physical harm to victims. Coercive control entails power and control over the victim through actions such as isolation, humiliation, intimidation, and domination. It does not relate to a single incident but is a purposeful pattern of behavior that takes place over a period of time in order to make the victim dependent on the abuser. Coercive control can look like threats to take away the children, delaying court proceedings with frivolous legal claims, constant video-recording and other tactics of digital abuse, harassment, verbal humiliation, and gaslighting just to name a few examples. Milton, PA (17847) Today Isolated thunderstorms this evening, then cloudy with rain likely late. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Isolated thunderstorms this evening, then cloudy with rain likely late. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. Ogden jazz icon Joe McQueen may be gone, but his memory and legacy live on. One physical reminder of his life, McQueen's lifelong home at 3158 Grant Ave., has now become available for sale. 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LOUIS For more than a century, association with the Order of the Veiled Prophet has been the mark of elite wealth and power in St. Louis. A secret society, it has been run by some of the top business executives and patriarchs in the region. And, every year, it hosts an $800,000 ball, of white gloves, tuxedos and elegant gowns, in honor of its work. But for the past two weeks, social media has made association with the Veiled Prophet a badge of shame. Twitter came for actress and former VP debutante queen Ellie Kemper over Memorial Day, calling her a KKK princess in a reference to the orders founding by former Confederates and its masked namesake. Then on Monday, Kemper, whose family runs Commerce Bancshares, apologized and condemned the organizations unquestionably racist, sexist, and elitist past. Now, critics are reviving decades-old calls to consign it to the dustbin of history. Inside the order, the reaction has been mixed. Some members said the organization is not what it used to be and expressed frustration that efforts to diversify membership and increase community service in recent decades are going unnoticed. But even longtime members say some change may be necessary. Well be looking at every part of the organization to make sure it reflects as well on St. Louis as it can, said a spokesman for the order, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the organization does not divulge the names of our members. And a vocal minority is hoping for a full reckoning on the past and an overhaul for the 21st century. The reality is that in order to survive another century, the organization needs to restructure and reform, said one longtime member, who also spoke on condition of anonymity. Weve gotta back off on pageantry and be more inclusive, and thats underway. Maybe this is the 2-by-4 across the head that makes it happen. The order is no stranger to crossroads or controversy. Historians generally regard its birth in 1878 as the elites way of reasserting control of the city after a historic general strike. The previous July, nearly 1,500 St. Louis workers, both Black and white, brought rail freight to a standstill for a week. In response, business leaders gathered guns and volunteers for a militia, and days later more than 600 marched on the strike headquarters. A vanguard of police rushed the building, arresting 75 men. The rest fled. Eight months later, brothers Charles and Alonzo Slayback, the latter a rebel colonel during the Civil War, hatched a plan for a secret society that would put on a festival each year in celebration of commerce and the people who controlled it. They found their avatar in an 1817 poem by Thomas Moore describing a Veiled Prophet of Khorassan, loosely based on the leader of an eighth century revolt in Central Asia. They organized a parade based on New Orleans Mardi Gras and had floats shipped upriver. Then they scheduled it all in October in an effort to supercharge an annual harvest fair and named the strikebreaking police commissioner the inaugural prophet. Make St. Louis better In the following decades, even as the Veiled Prophet became a St. Louis institution, it sometimes faced pea-shooters along the parade route, criticism from labor groups, and, one year, protests from Irishmen upset about unflattering depictions on parade floats. In the 1960s and 1970s, ACTION, a civil rights group pushing for business leaders in the order to hire more Black people, protested. Those efforts culminated in 1972 when two protestors infiltrated the ball and one, Gena Scott, tore the veil off Monsanto executive Tom K. Smith. ACTION later sued to boot the ball from the city-owned Kiel Auditorium, prompting a retreat to the privately-owned Chase Hotel. By the end of the 1970s, the organization had weathered a decade of calls for dissolution from activists, public criticism from disillusioned debutantes and a wave of resignations in the membership. One member, Charles Polk, an executive at a local flag maker, later told historian Thomas Spencer that at the time, the VP wasnt perceived as a civic organization, it wasnt serving the interests of St. Louis ... A lot of money was being wasted on one party and a parade. In the four decades since, the organization has worked to change that perception. In 1979, the order admitted its first Black members, and two years later, it started the VP Fair over Fourth of July, now known as Fair St. Louis. In 2003, it added a foundation that gives money to various causes and connects members with volunteer projects. The organization has since worked on hundreds of charitable projects, according to its website. In recent years, its volunteers have built an outdoor classroom for a St. Louis public school, repaired a playground in Ferguson with the Royal Vagabonds, a group founded by Black men excluded from white social clubs in the 1930s, and helped give out supply-loaded backpacks to Normandy High School students. In interviews, current members speak glowingly about the additions as proof the modern organization lives up to its original billing as a good thing for St. Louis. The organization today is a place where people come together for activities that benefit the community and make St. Louis better, said another member, who also spoke on condition of anonymity. That same member said hes personally volunteered on the fairs air show for years and painted houses and planted community gardens with his daughters to get them involved in service and communities they might not visit otherwise, like north St. Louis. We are all better when we see the whole of the community and provide service where its needed and welcomed, he said. A longtime staff member said the 143-year-old parade has also been overhauled and now focuses on giving area marching bands and dance groups the opportunity to compete and perform for the crowds. The organizations volunteers have also helped the city pull off Super Bowl, World Series and Stanley Cup parades. Those are things I think the community needs to be aware of, the staffer said. Pageantry Some old standbys remain in place. Past Veiled Prophet leaders Grocery store Chairman and CEO Todd Schnuck Emersen Electric Co. chief David Farr Maritz Holding Corp. CEO Steve Maritz US Bank Regional President Joseph Imbs Joseph Sivewright, CEO of Nestle Purina PetCare for the Americas The organization is invite-only. Women are not allowed as members. Dues are about $1,000 a year. Disclosures filed with the IRS in the past decade for the tax-exempt order and related organizations show the executive officers remain some of the regions most powerful businessmen and dynastic patricians with surnames such as Schnuck (grocery stores), Desloge (lead mining), Maritz (employee incentives and corporate travel) and Kemper (banking). Executive boards identified in tax records have remained largely white: As of 2018, the last year for which information is publicly available, fewer than a fifth of about 40 board members on three boards were people of color. The largest expense for the order and its related organizations is now the $2 million-per-year fair, according to 2014 to 2018 tax records. But it spent about $400,000 a year on members-only meetings, $830,000 annually on its ball and another $860,000 on the parade all of which dwarf the $100,000 its community service foundation spent on average per year. The ball itself remains a window into times past. Corporate executives in tuxedos and white gloves walk young women in shimmering gowns down a lighted, elevated runway. The Veiled Prophet himself, his head shrouded in lace and golden crown, rules the festivities beside the balls crowned debutante, the Queen of Love and Beauty. His rainbow-sashed guards, dressed as the British imperial officers in India known as Bengal Lancers, flank his sides. Some of this, however, may well change. The longtime staff member said in an interview with the Post-Dispatch that the prophet and his entourage will no longer be featured in the annual parade. That pageantry is not going to be a part of it anymore and the parade will be truly a community-based event, he said. We recognize that it was inappropriate. The prophet will remain in the ball for now, however, where it will almost certainly be photographed for society magazines as it has for years. And the staff member brushed off concerns about spending on the ball and questions about efforts to further diversify what remains a heavily Caucausian crowd. He also flatly rejected the demands of activists that the organization dissolve. We will evolve and continue to improve as we work toward our goal of making St. Louis a better place for all, he said. Critics are waiting, dubious. Percy Green, the longtime activist and ACTION leader, says the right reform remains dissolution, just as he said 50 years ago. If members of the Veiled Prophet really want to help St. Louis, he said, they should go back to their offices and hire Black men to good-paying jobs that can support a family. Spencer, the historian who wrote an oft-cited book on the order, said the only other way to end the never-ending criticism would be to completely ditch the veils and do something big for the community beyond sporadic events. He said there may be a model for the 21st century in Omaha, where the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben use their ball to raise money for scholarships and recently announced plans to give away $800,000 in community college stipends each year. The organization also recently ended the practice of naming a king and queen of each ball, citing the increasing awkwardness of pairing an older male community leader with a college-age woman in the modern era. Some are hopeful the Order of the Veiled Prophet will take a similar path: invite women to be members, offer greater help to the underprivileged and maybe even reshape the ball into something that better reflects the majority of the city. This organization needs to become something that will appeal to Black and brown people and women and entrepreneurs, said the critical member, if its going to be relevant. Daily updates on the latest news in the St. Louis business community. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Raiders of the Lost Ark is the sort of film that demands an immediate acceptance of the fiction-writer's craft. The plot holes are gargantuan, the coincidences amazing, the skills and strength of Jones little short of fantastic. Even with all that, it's a highly enjoyable film, though it does drag slightly toward the end. We open with Ford in the jungle, looking for a golden idol. He finds it, but it is stolen by a rival archeologist, whom we obviously will meet again. Soon thereafter, Ford is asked by the Army to go to Egypt, where the Nazis are digging up the desert in search of the ark that held the original tablets Moses carried down from Mount Sinai. Hitler apparently wants the ark, which has supernatural powers, to help him in his plans for world conquest. He goes via Nepal where, for some unexplained reason (lots of things go unexplained in the film), he finds Karen Allen running a saloon and making extra money by outdrinking her customers. Her father was his mentor, and they apparently were lovers once, but he broke her heart, so she fled to Nepal to nurture her anger. Then the Nazis show up and a fight ensues. This serves to reunite the couple, and they head for Egypt in search of the ark. Gilberto Pinela has always been unafraid to take bold steps mostly, but not always, with good advance planning. In 1981 when he graduated from high school, he made a big move from his native Puerto Rico to New York City. He landed a job where the company liked him well enough to promote him. I got transferred to St. Louis accidentally, he says. My plan was to move to Chicago. My friend and I looked at a map that showed St. Louis and Chicago, and we thought, That looks like a 45-minute drive, close enough to commute. Thats the crazy story of how I came here on October 19, 1991. I almost left as soon as I arrived, but I decided to pursue my dream to go to school and stay here, he says. Pinela earned an associate degree in broadcast communication at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park. I found the program to be very good, especially for people like me who didnt have the means to go to a four-year university, he says. He continued his education, eventually earning a masters degree from Webster University. The owners came home to find the injured driver and called for help. The dogs are currently detained at the home, as no veterinary clinics would take them, the sheriff said. He said the dogs have no history of violence and have been out and about before, including to The Pavilion, an open-air restaurant in Kampsville on the Illinois River. I know there have been FedEx drivers there before and neighbors have been there, he said, adding that the driver was new. I dont know what happened. Nobody was there when it happened, he said. You never know how somebodys pets are going to interact with strangers. Rebecca G. Mazzaro and John E. Lichthardt were ordered to appear in a Calhoun County court Tuesday by summons on a complaint for vicious dog determination, online court records show. Heffington said the judge will decide what will happen to the dogs. It wasnt clear if the judge could order the dogs to be euthanized. Neither Mazzaro nor Lichthardt could be reached for comment. ST. LOUIS The city will keep part of its medium-security jail, known as the workhouse, available for future temporary housing of prisoners on a short-term basis after its official closure, an aide to Mayor Tishaura O. Jones said Friday. Jones spokesman, Nick Dunne, said the workhouse would be a contingency holding space used if there is no room at the citys main jail downtown. But he said the administration expects that the downtown facility, the City Justice Center, will be able to accommodate all of the remaining workhouse prisoners when the shutdown occurs this month. He said plans continue for the closure to happen around June 20. Workhouse employees also will shift downtown then, he said. Its leaving it open for overflow just in case, Dunne said of the workhouse, which is on Hall Street in north St. Louis. He said if the overflow is used, it would be for people held on lesser charges, such as parole violations. Were always going to have a contingency plan on hand, he said. Dunne said the administration still plans to study how the workhouse building could be used in the future. She knows that her districts got her back. We come in 10 toes behind her because we know shes representing the people who elected her. Critical of Israel Bushs Missouri colleagues didnt have to wait long before learning that it would not be business as usual. Her first piece of legislation called for the expulsion of every lawmaker who supported the efforts to overturn the 2020 election. It would have required the ouster of six members of the states federal delegation, including Hawley and Missouri Republican Reps. Vicky Hartzler, Sam Graves, Billy Long, Jason Smith and Blaine Luetkemeyer The white supremacist insurrection on January 6th was not a sign that this country needs more unity, it was a sign that our country has yet to dismantle white supremacy. Dont get it twisted, Bush said on Twitter in May. As Im sitting in these committees with other members who allowed for this and wont speak up and speak out against what happened on Jan. 6 Its very hard because we show up to do the exact same job, she said in an interview. The case received extensive media coverage at the time, and Stone-Manning years later had to explain her involvement to Montana lawmakers prior to her confirmation to lead the states environment agency under former Gov. Steve Bullock. Its resurfacing comes as some Republicans have sought to undermine Stone-Manning's nomination, characterizing her as a partisan Democrat and environmental radical. Barrasso, of Wyoming, said after seeing the documents in the case that Stone-Manning's participation should disqualify her from heading the Bureau of Land Management, which regulates grazing, energy drilling, logging and other activities across 245 million acres (100 million hectares) primarily in the West. Tracy Stone-Manning collaborated with eco-terrorists, Barrasso said in a statement. She worked with extreme environmental activists who spiked trees, threatening the lives and livelihoods of loggers. While she was given immunity from prosecution to testify against her companions in court, her actions were disgraceful. Stone-Manning did not respond to telephone and text messages seeking comment. An administration official who asked not to be identified said officials knew about the criminal case and Stone-Manning's testimony prior to her nomination. He also urged Beijing to ease pressure against Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy China claims as its own territory, to be annexed by force if necessary. According to Xinhua, Yang said Taiwan involves Chinas core interests" and that Beijing firmly defends its national sovereignty and territorial integrity." The tone of the phone call seemed to echo contentious talks in March in Alaska, when the sides traded sharp and unusually public barbs over vastly different views of each other and the world in their first face-to-face meeting since President Joe Biden took office. At that meeting, the U.S. accused the Chinese delegation of grandstanding, while Beijing fired back, saying there was a strong smell of gunpowder and drama that was entirely the fault of the Americans. Relations between them have deteriorated to their lowest level in decades, with the Biden administration showing no signs of deviating from the established U.S. hardline against China over trade, technology, human rights and China's claim to the South China Sea. Beijing, meanwhile, has fought back doggedly against what it sees as attempts to smear its reputation and restrain its development. On Thursday, its ceremonial legislature passed a law to retaliate against sanctions imposed on Chinese politicians and organizations, threatening to deny entry to and freeze the Chinese assets of anyone who formulates or implements such measures, potentially placing new pressure on foreign companies operating in the country. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. On the other side of the entrance, students, parents and teachers wore green T-shirts and carried signs with slogans including Amplify Student Voices to signify support for Washoe County School District Students for Change, a group that has pushed for curriculum additions. These are systemic issues, and theyve been here for a long time. But I think the protests last year really gave light to how divided people were and how polarized people were, said Michael Arreygue, a college student who attended Washoe County schools. Theres people who dont want to acknowledge that these problems exist that there is systemic racism and injustice. Superintendent Kristen McNeill recommended the district form a task force to review curriculum instead of implementing the plan. The board approved the task force on Wednesday. In Carson City, a proposal to incorporate concepts like equity into the strategic plan raised concerns about how schools broach the topic of race. At a Tuesday school board meeting, parent Jason Tingle said he was worried when he heard talk about critical race theory in schools. But he reviewed district materials and concluded the fears were unfounded. Public defenders play an important role in the criminal justice system by representing clients who are unable to afford an attorney. In Cook County, thats about four out of every five defendants and the vast majority of those clients are Black and Latinx. The problems facing public defenders stem in part from a lack of statewide oversight, Mosher said. Illinois is one of just seven states in the country without a state commission, agency, or officer that sets standards for indigent representation, according to the report. That means the state government has no way of determining if each county has enough lawyers, enough time to handle cases, or enough resources, Mosher said The Sixth Amendment Center recommended that the state Legislature create and appropriately fund a commission to set and enforce standards for effective public defense. Spokespeople for Illinois Senate President Don Harmon and House Speaker Chris Welch, said their offices look forward to reviewing the report and seeing what steps can be taken to improve public defense. The 1619 Project proposes yet another reinterpretation of the period. It started down the same road as the Lost Cause but has attempted to shorten that road considerably. Before it was even published, the publisher reached out to the Pulitzer Center to propose a 1619 curriculum for schools. Growing out of the protest voices of those who believe even the Second Reconstruction has failed, the rough draft was again written by a journalist, Nikole Hanna-Jones, who received a Pulitzer Prize for her effort to reframe American history by emphasizing 1619, when the first slaves arrived, rather than 1776, when the goal of equal treatment under the law was announced. I disagree with her conclusions that this goal was false in 1776 and that the American experiment has been a failure because the goal has not yet been totally realized. The emails, released under Freedom of Information Act requests by media outlets (not leaked!, as the Trumpers inevitably put it), show the familiar Fauci: a calm, deliberative scientist expertly reviewing data and theories with other scientists, yet modest enough to answer the mail of random citizens who contact him for advice. In one such exchange, a few weeks into the pandemic, Fauci told a writer that mask-wearing by people who werent sick wasnt recommended. At the time, there was a reasonable concern that a run on medical masks could cause a shortage for health care workers, and it wasnt yet understood that basic cloth coverings could hamper the virus. It was only later, with additional data, that the efficacy of cloth masks became clear. In another email exchange, a fellow scientist discussed with Fauci the possibility that the virus was deliberately engineered in China, even as Fauci was saying publicly that it likely arose naturally. Theres nothing nefarious about that; debating alternate theories is exactly what scientists should have been doing. Recently, new evidence has pointed to at least the possibility that the virus emerged from a Chinese lab. Faucis stance today is that, while the lab theory is still unlikely, its worth investigating. Persian Gulf Arab nation Qatar was recently confirmed as the first export customer for the AK-12, the new standard Russian assault rifle. Qatari troops were seen carrying the AK-12 in a late 2018 parade and many Qataris commented, often via the Internet, that they had been seeing Qatari troops carrying the AK-12 since 2018. Qatar never officially announced that it was buying the AK-12 rifles. Previously Qatar, whose army has 42,000 active-duty troops, were already using some older AK-47s but had replaced most of those with the M-16 and similar models from various European suppliers. All these M-16 type weapons use the same ammo, while the AK-47 and AK-12 each use unique ammo. It was not until mid-2017 that Russia selected the new AK-12 assault rifles as its new standard infantry rifle and part of its new future soldier (Ratnik) set of gear for its infantry. The government is still having trouble finding the money to buy the 70,000 or more Ratnik systems as it wants. So far about half the Ratnik systems have been delivered with priority going to special operations troops, airborne, airmobile and marine units. The basic AK-12 fires the same 5.45/39 round as the current AK-74 and costs 25 percent more. The AK12 outperformed the AK-74 in extensive field tests and the troops preferred it to the AK-74. In 2014 one major change was made to the original (2011) AK-12 design that lowered manufacturing costs and fixed some problems found in field testing. The new version (codenamed AK-400) won the competition with rival rifle designs in 2017. The AK-12 can also be provided in a version that fires the old AK-47 7.62x39mm round that was introduced in 1944 and is still popular in many countries. The AK-12 also keeps the basic design principles of the AK-47 alive into the 21st century. How the AK-12 came to be was quite an epic undertaking. The Russians had made several attempts to develop and introduce a replacement for the AK-74. Some new designs even made it into combat. For example, some special operations units got the new AN-94 in the 1990s while most troops continued to use the elderly (in design and manufacture) AK-74s. The troops wanted something that could match the improvements in Western assault rifles. The firm that designed most Russian assault rifles since the 1940s designed a new assault rifle (AK-12) in response to that but the Russian Defense Ministry stalled efforts to even test it. That resistance was finally overcome and the AK-12 eventually passed the tests and outperformed competing designs. This all began in 2012 when the two-century old Russian firm (Izhmash) that has produced assault rifles since World War II announced the arrival of their AK-12 fifth-generation assault rifle. Like earlier AKs the AK-12 used a lot of the basic AK-47 design principles but added many new features popular in Western assault rifles. The AK-12 is but the latest in a long line of innovative Russian infantry weapons that began showing up towards the end of World War II. Assault rifles have since become the standard infantry weapon, almost entirely replacing bolt-action and semi-automatic rifles. The first-generation AK was the AK-47 followed by the AKM in the 1960s, then the AK-74, which was very similar to the U.S. M-16, in the 1970s, and limited numbers of the AN-94, a much-improved AK-74, in the 1990s. Over fifty million AK-47s and AKMs were made, most of them outside Russia. Production, on a small scale, continues. It is still the most numerous assault rifle in use. The original AK-12 (code named AK-200) was a 3.3 kg (7.3 pound) weapon that was 943mm (37.1 inches) long with a 415mm (16.3 inch) barrel. It can be fitted to fire one of four calibers: the original 7.62x39 of the AK-47/AKM, the 5.56x45 of the M-16, the 5.45x39 of the AK-74, or the 7.62x51 NATO rifle/machine-gun round. The AK-12 can use all AK-47/AKM magazines when firing 7.62x39 ammo. There are a lot of small but important changes in the AK-12. The stock is adjustable. The charging handle is easily used whether you are left or right-handed. There is an improved safety switch, pistol grip, hinged top cover, muzzle break, iron sight, and (smaller) ejection port. The AK-12 has Picatinny rails (the U.S. developed standard for attaching all sorts of accessories). The fire control switch now allows for single shot, full- automatic, and three round bursts. The AK-12 is inherently more accurate because of improved barrel rifling. The AK-12 handles more easily, has longer effective range (up to 600 meters), and apparently has the same ruggedness of the original AK-47. That last item was put to the test, as the Russian military has had a growing number of AK-12s into the field since 2015, where their performance under combat conditions could be monitored. In 2018 Russia introduced an AK-12 variant, the AK-308, which fires the standard NATO 7.62x51 rifle ammo. Known to civilians as the Winchester 308 round, the 7.62x51 has been a NATO standard since the 1950s. While largely replaced by the 5.56/45 round in the 1960s and 70s, the 7.62mm is still widely used for sniper rifles and vehicle mounted machine-guns. The Russian company that manufactures the AK line of weapons has, since the 1990s, come up with a lot of new designs, mainly for the export market and these new weapons were often chambered for the Western 7.62mm and 5.56mm (or whatever a large purchaser wanted). The AK-308 recently shown is a prototype and is basically the new Russian military rifle (AK-12/15) chambered for the 7.62x51 rather than the 5.45x39 (AK-12) or 7.62x39 (AK-15 and AK-47). The AK-308 is 885mm (35 inches) long with a 415mm (16.3 inch) barrel and a folding stock. Empty weight is 4.1 kg (nine pounds) and it uses a 20 or 30 round magazine. Rate of fire on full-automatic is 700 rounds a minute and max effective range is 800 meters. AK-308 has a Picatinny rail and attachments for grenade launcher, suppressor and bayonet. In short it is a 7.62mm rifle any Western soldier would immediately be able to handle even though it is obviously based on the original AK-47 design. The AK-308 is actually based on the AK-103 which was itself a version of the 1970s AK-74. The latest Russian assault rifle, the AK-12 also can be adapted to fire the NATO 7.62x51 but the AK-308 design is competitive with the AK-12/15 weapons which are the latest generation of Russian military rifles. All these AK rifles began with a Russian World War II veteran, Mikhail Kalashnikov, who came up with a brilliant rifle design which so impressed his bosses that they named it after him. AK means Avtomat Kalashnikova which literally translates as Kalashnikov Automatic. This was no fluke. Kalashnikov had always been into mechanical things and grew up in Siberia where rural folk could own a rifle for hunting. As a result of that he was familiar with how rifles operated in addition to being a mechanical genius. Kalashnikov was conscripted in 1938 and because of his small size was assigned to a tank unit. There his ingenuity and mechanical skills came to the notice of his superiors, who praised and encouraged him. He was badly wounded in combat in 1941 and while he spent six months recuperating came up with some innovative ideas for a new rifle design, instigated by complaints he heard from wounded infantry soldiers. He wrote to the senior officers who had praised his skills before the war and was transferred to a weapons development organization. Among his many innovations and designs over the next five years was the AK-47, which began replacing all older infantry rifles in 1949. Kalashnikov died in 2013 but until the end he hunted and innovated, backing things like the Ratnik concept. The Ratnik system is the Russian version of an American concept pioneered in the 1980s ("Land Warrior") and resulted in the introduction of new body armor, personal communications, wearable computers, night vision devices, and personal medical equipment. Several European countries have followed, especially the German Infanterist der Zukunft (Infantryman Of The Future), and Russia did the same but was delayed by cash shortages and debates over whether a new infantry rifle was needed. Unlike the United States, Russia included a new rifle design (AK-12) as part of its Ratnik gear. There was a lot of opposition to the AK-12 within the Russian high command, but at the troop level there was an even more vigorous and louder call for something to replace the Cold War era AK-74. The AK-12 was not the best (from a technical point of view) candidate for Ratnik. The A545 was a more modern and efficient design, but the AK-12 proved more rugged and Russian troops are not big fans of radical change when it comes to basic stuff like rifles. The AK-12 is the second attempt since the end of the Cold War (in 1991) to develop a worthy successor to the AK-47. Earlier efforts had not been entirely successful. Part of the problem was that there was not a pressing need for a new AK in Russia. For example, in 2011, Russia stopped buying new AK-74 rifles. Since they already have ten million AK assault rifles, most of them older AK-47 and AKM models in stock and only a million troops on active duty (and about as many in reserve units. Buying more assault rifles was deemed wasteful. This did not stop the purchase of special small arms for commandos and other specialist combat units. The new policy did not stop work on the new AK-12. This weapon was originally based on the 5.45mm AK-74, which replaced the 7.62mm AK-47/AKM series as the standard infantry weapon towards the end of the Cold War. The AK-74 entered service in the 1970s and twenty years later a replacement was developed, the AN-94. This rifle used the 5.45mm round first seen in the AK-74 but was able to use larger (45-round and 60-round) magazines. The AN-94 also had burst fire (of two rounds, while Western rifles tend to use three rounds). The AN-94 was supposed to replace all AK-74s in Russian service but due to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, and sharp cuts in the defense budget, this did not happen. There were also concerns about the mechanical complexity and reliability of the AN-94. That's apparently why the AK-12 was not based on the AN-94. One AN-94 feature that was adopted for the AK-12 was the 60-round magazine. Meanwhile, an improved AK-74M was introduced in 1991, and is still in service. This is a 3.4 kg (7.5 pound), 94.3 cm (37.1 inch) weapon with a 41.5 cm (16.3 inch) barrel. It has rails for sights and such and can use a 30 or 45 round magazine. Rate of fire is 650 RPM on full auto, and max effective range was 600 meters. The AK-74 looked like an AK-47 and used the same technology. Some five million AK-74s were built, most before the Cold War ended in 1991. North Korea manufactures a copy of the AK-74 called the Type 98. The AK-74M was the basis for the AK-12, and the two weapons are very similar, with the new rifle having more flexibility and capacity for accessories. TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Carbon Streaming Corporation (CSC or the Company) is pleased to announce it has formed a strategic joint-venture partnership (JV) with WilsonZinter Enterprises Ltd. (WZ), an established First Nations business in British Columbia (BC). The purpose of the JV is to source and finance investment opportunities in collaboration with First Nations and develop projects within their territories to combat climate change through the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In addition, these projects support biodiversity protection, grow and enhance local community and social programs, foster business and employment opportunities, and deliver important environmental education and capacity building. Projects once developed will result in GHG emissions reductions that will be marketed for sale as carbon credits once fully validated and certified. WZ is led by Candice Wilson and Amanda Zinter, both of whom have spent nearly a decade working together reviewing environmental and industrial projects and assessments located within, and on behalf of, the Haisla Nation (Nation) of northern British Columbia. WZ is an industry leader in environmental and social responsibility. In partnership, CSC and WZ will meet with First Nations officials to finance and develop offsetting projects, realizing the many anticipated project benefits: Natural Resources Management such as reforestation and improved forestry management, wetland restoration, and associated efforts to protect the areas rich biodiversity (native species include: Sikta Spruce, Western Hemlock, Red Cedars, bears, wolves, deer, foxes, and wolverines, among others). Partnership with First Nations offering sustainable economic development, employment, and environmental education opportunities for self-sufficient communities in recognition of and respect for their proud tradition as land and water defenders. Justin Cochrane, President & CEO of the Company stated, Carbon Streaming is thrilled to be partnering with WZ and together, collaborating with First Nations in BC. Mr. Cochrane continued, This joint venture not only demonstrates our sustained commitment to our shared environment and the communities that depend on them, it presents a unique opportunity to work with a female-Indigenous owned organization, demonstrating our commitment to supporting equal opportunity business relationships. The Company will provide further updates as the JV sources and finalizes investment opportunities with First Nation communities in BC. About WilsonZinter Enterprises Ltd. WilsonZinter Enterprises partners with private sector businesses that demonstrate high levels of environmental and social responsibility. An aspect of this commitment to social responsibility is contracting with a female-Indigenous owned organization to provide transparent, equal opportunity business relationships. Candice Wilson and Amanda Zinters intent is to pave the path for excellence in environment and social governance and to pass on the knowledge to other individuals with the same vision. The formula to the successful development of major industrial projects in British Columbia includes maximizing benefits and WilsonZinter is able to help find the solution. They have collaborated on six LNG (liquified natural gas) projects and participated in six environmental assessments. Contact: info@wilsonzinter.ca About Carbon Streaming Corporation Carbon Streaming Corporation is a unique ESG principled investment vehicle offering investors exposure to carbon credits, a key instrument used by both governments and corporations to achieve their carbon neutral and net-zero climate goals. The Company intends to invest capital through carbon credit streaming arrangements with project developers and owners to accelerate the creation of carbon offset projects by bringing capital to projects that might not otherwise be developed. Many of these projects will have significant social and economic co-benefits in addition to their carbon reduction or removal potential. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release contains certain information which constitutes forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Any statements that are contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as may, should, anticipate, expect, potential, believe, intend or the negative of these terms and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to: statements regarding the finalization of definitive documentation and closing of the carbon credit stream transaction, statements and figures with respect to the development, implementation, validation and verification of carbon projects; statements and figures with respect to the generation of local community benefits; statements with respect to the conservation and protection of forestry and endangered species; statements with respect to the annual creation of carbon credits; and, statements with respect to the business and assets of the Company and its strategy going forward. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, most of which are beyond the Companys control. Should one or more of the risks or uncertainties underlying these forward-looking statements materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results, performance or achievements could vary materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this release and, other than as required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. The forward-looking statements contained in this release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. No securities regulatory authority has approved of the contents of this news release. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210607005266/en/ Justin Cochrane, President and CEO info@carbonstreaming.com www.carbonstreaming.com Source: Carbon Streaming Corporation Indianapolis Star staff wins for National Reporting and the Louisville Courier Journal staff named finalist for Breaking News and Public Service MCLEAN, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Today, The Indianapolis Star, part of Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) won a 2021 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting alongside partners at The Marshall Project, AL.com, and the Invisible Institute for a year-long investigation that found police dogs attack people suspected of petty crimes, bystanders and even officers, leaving many with life-altering injuries. The Louisville Courier Journal was a Pulitzer finalist in two categories, Breaking News and Public Service, for its coverage and relentless investigation into the March 13, 2020, fatal police shooting of unarmed 26-year-old Breonna Taylor and the 180 days of protest and unrest it spurred. The Courier Journal has written more than 950 Breonna Taylor stories since she died. This marks five Pulitzer Prize winners and four finalists awarded to Gannett journalists in the last four years. With this, Gannett has been honored with 96 Pulitzer Prizes in total. The entire Gannett family recognizes the unrelenting work of our colleagues, and this distinction is incredibly well-deserved, said Gannett Chief Executive Officer Mike Reed. In all the communities we serve, the teams of talented, passionate journalists like those in Indianapolis and Louisville bring greater understanding to the stories of our time. The once-in-a-generation storylines of 2020 served as a powerful underscore for the importance of local journalism, to help citizens through intense challenge, to seek truth and champion accountability from our leaders. Within days of publishing the IndyStars investigation on the gruesome injuries caused by police K-9 units, the Indianapolis police department announced changes on how it would use police dogs, said Maribel Perez Wadsworth, President of the USA TODAY NETWORK and Publisher of USA TODAY. Similarly, much of what we now know about the night Breonna Taylor was fatally shot by police is because of the Louisville Courier Journals relentless reporting, determination and demands for transparency. The entire team and the USA TODAY Network are proud and humbled to have been honored for this work today. The Indianapolis Star National Reporting Pulitzer Prize Gruesome or shocking bites often receive local attention and lead to lawsuits, but no one was putting the pieces together on a national scale. This project identified and tracked individual cases, mostly based on court records, eventually building a nationwide database of more than 150 severe incidents. As a result, the series is the most comprehensive and sweeping look at police dog bites that has been published to date. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said it intends to change when and how it uses police dogs. Every journalist believes in our mission to serve our communities, said Katrice Hardy, IndyStar executive editor and Midwest Regional Editor for USA Today Network. This project is another example of how dogged reporting, compelling and insightful findings and a team of passionate reporters, photographers, visual journalists and editors are committed daily to uncovering and investigating issues that make our communities better. Louisville Courier Journal Public Service Pulitzer Prize Finalist The Courier Journal's coverage went to the heart of the issues confounding Louisville for decades: Over-policing, an unequal justice system and institutions that devalued Black lives. Taylor's death resonated with Black women who played a leading role in Louisville's protests and the Courier Journal was the first to explore their influence and bring their stories to the public. Louisville Courier Journal Breaking News Pulitzer Prize Finalist The Courier Journal combined daily coverage from the streets with its breaking enterprise. Its journalists gained the trust of protest leaders through their dedicated coverage and worked to tell their stories and detail their plight. It found that no-knock warrants like the one used in the Taylor raid disproportionately target Black residents; weighed stand your ground laws vs. no-knocks; and when a Black business owner was shot by authorities responding to a curfew violation, quickly pieced together just what happened on the tragic night. The Courier Journal staff celebrates being Pulitzer finalists in Public Service and Breaking News for our relentless pursuit of the truth around Breonna Taylors death, said Courier Journal Executive Editor Mary Irby-Jones. And we will continue to push for answers, reform and accountability following this horrible tragedy for Breonna's family and the community one we must learn from and use as a catalyst to build a more just society. ABOUT GANNETT Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) is a subscription-led and digitally focused media and marketing solutions company committed to empowering communities to thrive. With an unmatched reach at the national and local level, Gannett touches the lives of millions with our Pulitzer Prize-winning content, consumer experiences and benefits, and advertiser products and services. Our current portfolio of media assets includes USA TODAY, local media organizations in 46 states in the U.S., and Newsquest, a wholly owned subsidiary operating in the United Kingdom with more than 120 local news media brands. Gannett also owns the digital marketing services companies ReachLocal, Inc., UpCurve, Inc., and WordStream, Inc., which are marketed under the LOCALiQ brand, and runs the largest media-owned events business in the U.S., USA TODAY NETWORK Ventures. To connect with us, visit www.gannett.com. ABOUT USA TODAY NETWORK USA TODAY NETWORK, part of Gannett Co, Inc. (NYSE: GCI), is the largest local-to-national media organization in the country, powered by our award-winning newsrooms and marketing solutions business. With deep roots in local communities spanning the U.S. with more than 250 local media brands, plus USA TODAY, we engage more than 145 million people every month through a diverse portfolio of multi-platform content offerings and experiences. For more information, visit www.gannett.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210611005474/en/ Lark-Marie Anton SVP, Communications (646) 906-4087 lark@gannett.com Source: Gannett Co., Inc. TICKERS: JEV; JROOF Source: Clive Maund for Streetwise Reports (6/11/21) Technical analyst Clive Maund charts Jericho Energy Ventures' stock and explains why he anticipates that it will advance. An email alert was sent out at about 9.10 am EDT this morning about Jericho Energy Ventures Inc. (JEV:TSX.V; JROOF:OTCMKTS) that read as follows "Jericho Energy is believed to be completing a small bull Flag that will soon lead to another upleg, bolstered by the strong oil price. Although now more a hydrogen stock it still has significant oil interests. Thus rated a buy at the open, or as soon after the open as possible. Jericho trades in adequate volumes on the US OTC market. We will be looking at its chart later this morning. Jericho Energy Ventures, JEV.V, JROOF on OTC, closed at C$0.93, $0.767." The stock has since opened little changed. In the last update posted on the 2nd May it was thought that a long corrective phase was completing that would soon lead to renewed advance, although it was also observed that there was some risk of Big Money running the stops below C$0.85 first to flush out these holders and mop up their stock. This they did and it has strengthened the technical picture. As we can see on the latest 6-month chart the price has reclaimed the failed support and is now consolidating in what is believed to be a bull Flag / Pennant that should soon lead to renewed advance, especially as the oil price continues to risealthough Jericho is now largely a hydrogen stock, it still has considerable oil interests. Jericho is therefore liked here and viewed as an immediate buy for another upleg, which can be expected to accelerate if the price succeeds in driving its way through the resistance up to the February highs. Jericho Energy Ventures website. Jericho Energy Ventures. JEV.V. JROOF on OTC, trading at C$0.94, $0.776 on 9th June 21. Originally posted at on CliveMaund.com at 10.30 am EDT on 9th June 21. Clive Maund has been president of www.clivemaund.com, a successful resource sector website, since its inception in 2003. He has 30 years' experience in technical analysis and has worked for banks, commodity brokers and stockbrokers in the City of London. He holds a Diploma in Technical Analysis from the UK Society of Technical Analysts. [NLINSERT] Disclosure: 1) Clive Maund: I, or members of my immediate household or family, own shares of the following companies mentioned in this article: None. I personally am, or members of my immediate household or family are, paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: None. My company has a financial relationship with the following companies mentioned in this article: None. CliveMaund.com disclosures below. I determined which companies would be included in this article based on my research and understanding of the sector. 2) The following companies mentioned in the article are sponsors of Streetwise Reports: Jericho Energy Ventures. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees. As of the date of this article, an affiliate of Streetwise Reports has a consulting relationship with Jericho Energy Ventures. Please click here for more information. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. 3) Statements and opinions expressed are the opinions of the author and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The author is wholly responsible for the validity of the statements. The author was not paid by Streetwise Reports for this article. Streetwise Reports was not paid by the author to publish or syndicate this article. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports requires contributing authors to disclose any shareholdings in, or economic relationships with, companies that they write about. Streetwise Reports relies upon the authors to accurately provide this information and Streetwise Reports has no means of verifying its accuracy. 4) This 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. As of the date of this interview, officers and/or employees of Streetwise Reports LLC (including members of their household) own securities of Jericho Energy Ventures, a company mentioned in this article. Charts provided by the author. CliveMaund.com Disclosure: The above represents the opinion and analysis of Mr Maund, based on data available to him, at the time of writing. Mr. Maund's opinions are his own, and are not a recommendation or an offer to buy or sell securities. Mr. Maund is an independent analyst who receives no compensation of any kind from any groups, individuals or corporations mentioned in his reports. As trading and investing in any financial markets may involve serious risk of loss, Mr. Maund recommends that you consult with a qualified investment advisor, one licensed by appropriate regulatory agencies in your legal jurisdiction and do your own due diligence and research when making any kind of a transaction with financial ramifications. Although a qualified and experienced stock market analyst, Clive Maund is not a Registered Securities Advisor. Therefore Mr. Maund's opinions on the market and stocks can only be construed as a solicitation to buy and sell securities when they are subject to the prior approval and endorsement of a Registered Securities Advisor operating in accordance with the appropriate regulations in your area of jurisdiction. Source: McAlinden Research for Streetwise Reports (6/11/21) As pressure mounts on the energy industry's carbon emissions, McAlinden Research Partners asserts renewable energy could be the release valve. Global oil majors, including BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP:NYSE; BHPLF:OTCPK) and Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDS.A:NYSE; RDS.B:NYSE), are beginning to transition toward a green energy future as political and environmental headwinds for crude production mount and business demand for renewables accelerates. Compounding that pressure, Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM:NYSE) shareholders just voted in two new activist board members who are expected to push the company in a more environmentally-friendly direction. Meanwhile, Shell lost an important case in Dutch court regarding its carbon emissions. Some activists are calling the events a "watershed day" for the oil industry, but it remains to be seen how oil output and demand will be affected in the short term, or if a shift toward solar and wind might be what helps these long-standing energy titans survive and innovate. Regardless, climate-focused energy initiatives at the corporate and regulatory levels will continue to push the oil and gas industry closer to greater dependence on renewable capacity. Related ETFs & Stocks: Energy Select Sectors SPDR Fund (XLE), Invesco Solar ETF (TAN), First Trust Global Wind Energy ETF (FAN), BP plc (BP), Royal Dutch Shell plc (RDS-A), Exxon Mobil (XOM) Renewables on the Rise Deployment of renewable energy resources has been trending upward for the last decade, but the acceleration of the world's renewable energy capacity in 2020 has the International Energy Agency (IEA) projecting renewable energy will become the "new normal" by 2022. Per National Public Radio (NPR), a recent IEA report found that the world's renewable energy capacity jumped 45% in 2020, part of an "unprecedented boom" in wind and solar. Wind power expansion surged 90%, while solar panel installations rose 23%, both of which were record highs. The report states that renewable power was the only energy source for which demand increased, while consumption of all other fuels declined. That level of demand should only rise further, as the IEA expects renewables to account for 90% of total global power capacity increases in both 2021 and 2022. To receive all of MRP's insights in your inbox MondayFriday, follow this link for a free 30-day trial. This content was delivered to McAlinden Research Partners clients on June 1. Corporate demand for clean energy has also expanded, as companies boost sustainability efforts in an attempt to limit their carbon emissions. According to the Wall Street Journal, businesses purchased a record 25 gigawatts of renewable energy globally last year, up 25% from the previous period. However, renewable energy still has a long way to go before it truly becomes the new normal. A recent survey conducted by the PEW Research Center found that nearly two-thirds of Americans believe climate change is an urgent problem that needs to be addressed. Yet, only one-third of respondents are okay with completely phasing out fossil fuels, indicating the clean energy transition will be a very gradual process. Oil Industry Prepares for a Green Transition As MRP noted earlier this year, big oil companies are beginning to prepare for an increasingly inevitable clean energy future, and events over the last week have accelerated that transition. Bloomberg reported that a Dutch court ordered Royal Dutch Shell Plc to slash its carbon emissions much faster than the company had anticipated. Shell had previously pledged to cut its carbon emissions by 20% within the decade, but the new verdict would order Shell to slash carbon emissions by 45% before 2030, and 72% by 2040. Bloomberg wrote that Shell's greenhouse gas emissions in 2019 were around 1.65 billion tons, which is roughly the same as Russia, the world's fourth largest polluter. Shell has announced it plans to appeal the ruling, but if it is upheld, it could have major ripple effects for Shell's European competitors, including BP and Total SE. To receive all of MRP's insights in your inbox MondayFriday, follow this link for a free 30-day trial. This content was delivered to McAlinden Research Partners clients on June 1. The climate lawsuit came on the heels of another stunning defeat for the oil industry. According to The Verge, Exxon Mobil voted in at least two new board members who are focused on moving the company in a more climate-friendly direction. The New York Times reported this was the first time activist investors successfully voted their picks onto Exxon's board, which could be a sign the post-fossil fuel world is arriving sooner than expected. Exxon, the largest fossil fuel producer in the United States, was not the only U.S. oil company to receive bad news last week. Chevron Corp. (CVX:NYSE), the second largest fossil fuel producer, held a shareholder meeting in which 60% of the participants voted that the company should reduce its emissions, according to Vox. Climate activist Bill McKibben called the series of events a "watershed day" for oil industry, and noted the Shell ruling could be "game-changing." Fortunately, the tumultuous week for big oil does not come as a huge surprise. The Wall Street Journal recently reported oil companies have been looking to secure long term deals with companies to supply electricity, preparing their businesses for a lower-carbon world. MRP recently highlighted BP's solar power joint venture called Lightsource BP, focused on corporate-power purchase agreements. The venture has now signed deals with Amazon, Verizon and Allianz SE, positioning itself to benefit from the clean energy transition. In a similar deal, France's Total SE announced last week it would be providing solar power to the major U.S. drug manufacturer Merck & Co. Additionally, Reuters reported earlier this year that Shell would be supplying wind power to Amazon, who aims to be fully powered by renewable energy by 2025. In March, Reuters wrote that Exxon Mobil would be spending $3 billion over the next five years to develop a low-carbon business unit. More recently, the company announced it would be expanding its five-year agreement with Global Clean Energy to increase its purchases of renewable diesel, a sign that Exxon is beginning to take the clean energy transition more seriously. While renewables continue to gain ground, fossil fuels are still the most dominant source of energy, accounting for 81% of global energy consumption in 2019, according to the IEA. However, these recent rulings and shareholder meetings are leading oil companies closer to a lower-carbon reality. It certainly feels as if the tides are shifting in favor of renewable energy, and instead of fighting that trend, the energy giants look ready to leverage their economies of scale to compete and expand their business in green energy markets. Near-Term Prospects for Crude Oil Prices As far as crude oil futures go, these latest developments have either been ignored, or helped pour gasoline on already hot crude prices. As of Tuesday morning, WTI benchmark crude was priced at more than $68 per barrel, continuing a nearly 10% climb from its lowest point in May below $62. While government, ESG (environmental, social, governance), and corporate-mandated shifts in the longer-term energy mix will make headlines and eventually have a dampening effect on demand for fossil fuels throughout the decade, we simply are not at that point yet. As it stands, the world's demand for oil and gas is still in a recovery phase. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is set for its latest meeting with global allies in the OPEC+ coalition this week, starting on Tuesday. The bloc is widely expected to continue easing its self-imposed supply cuts to meet rising demand in the post-pandemic global economy. OPEC+ expects a sizeable, 6-million-barrel-per-day (bpd) jump in oil demand in 2021. Additionally, OPEC recently cut its forecast for the amount it expects production from its noncartel counterparts to increase in 2021 by 200,000 bpd to just 700,000. In fact, The Wall Street Journal notes the bloc sees U.S. supply falling by another 100,000 bpd this year, after dropping 800,000 bpd in 2020, the cartel said. With expected output increases, stockpiles in developed nations will still be below the average levels seen during 2015 to 2019 by Julya key benchmark for the group. In its latest forecast, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group sees "demand outstripping supply in the order of 650,000 bpd and 950,000 bpd in Q3 and Q4 respectively," noting that this includes an expected 500,000 bpd of increase in Iranian output due to easing sanctions from the U.S. Theme Alert Based on supply-side trends that have bolstered crude oil prices in recent months, MRP added LONG Energy to our list of themes on Feb. 12, 2021. Shares in the space have suffered several years of underperformance, as exhibited in the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE). We believe that trend is set to reverse with energy prices remaining buoyant for months to come. According to Wood Mackenzie, the biggest oil firms could see record cash flows this year if oil prices average $55 per barrel as corporate cash flow breakevens have now reduced to a mean of just $38 per barrel from $54 before the COVID crisis. Since we added the theme, the XLE has outperformed, returning +17% versus the S&P 500's gain of +7% over the same period. Originally published June 1, 2021. McAlinden Research Partners (MRP) provides independent investment strategy research to investors worldwide. The firm's mission is to identify alpha-generating investment themes early in their unfolding and bring them to its clients' attention. MRP's research process reflects founder Joe McAlinden's 50 years of experience on Wall Street. The methodologies he developed as chief investment officer of Morgan Stanley Investment Management, where he oversaw more than $400 billion in assets, provide the foundation for the strategy research MRP now brings to hedge funds, pension funds, sovereign wealth funds and other asset managers around the globe. Sign Up To get MRP's unique thematic investment ideas in your inbox everyday and full website access, sign up for a Free Trial. [NLINSERT] Disclosure: 1) McAlinden Research Partners disclosures are below. 2) The following companies mentioned in this article are billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: None. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. 3) Statements and opinions expressed are the opinions of the author and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The author is wholly responsible for the validity of the statements. The author was not paid by Streetwise Reports for this article. Streetwise Reports was not paid by the author to publish or syndicate this article. Streetwise Reports requires contributing authors to disclose any shareholdings in, or economic relationships with, companies that they write about. Streetwise Reports relies upon the authors to accurately provide this information and Streetwise Reports has no means of verifying its accuracy. 4) This 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. McAlinden Research Partners: This report has been prepared solely for informational purposes and is not an offer to buy/sell/endorse or a solicitation of an offer to buy/sell/endorse Interests or any other security or instrument or to participate in any trading or investment strategy. No representation or warranty (express or implied) is made or can be given with respect to the sequence, accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of the information in this Report. Unless otherwise noted, all information is sourced from public data. McAlinden Research Partners is a division of Catalpa Capital Advisors, LLC (CCA), a Registered Investment Advisor. References to specific securities, asset classes and financial markets discussed herein are for illustrative purposes only and should not be interpreted as recommendations to purchase or sell such securities. CCA, MRP, employees and direct affiliates of the firm may or may not own any of the securities mentioned in the report at the time of publication. Charts and graphs provided by McAlinden Research Partners. The IHG Army Hotel at Joint Base Lewis-McChord is shown in this undated file photo. (IHG Army Hotels) The Army plan to have private companies operate on-base lodging has transformed the accommodations from old cinder-block buildings without working fire alarms to nationally branded hotels with quality standards. However, the service needs to improve how it reports the cost savings and construction plans to Congress, a government watchdog found. Private companies operating Army hotels began in 2009 and the services last required update to Congress occurred a year later, leaving lawmakers in the dark on significant changes and delays related to construction and renovation of facilities, according to a report released Tuesday from the Government Accountability Office. The 2020 National Defense Authorization Act called on the office to review the program. Privatization included constructing new hotels, and it has improved on-base lodging. But improvements have taken longer than expected and plans have changed information not included in reports to Congress. We also found Army estimates likely overstate how much this effort reduced costs, wrote Elizabeth Field, the reports author and director of defense capabilities and management at the GAO. The Army estimated a cost avoidance of about $606 million for official travel lodging costs from fiscal years 2009 through 2019, according to the report. However, the service used a baseline that is higher than what the Defense Travel Management Office uses and what off-base commercial preferred hotels might charge. The service also chose to replace more hotels than it originally told Congress in 2010, but failed to update lawmakers on its plans. The Army predicts construction stretching into 2029, according to the report. The Army is the only service with privatized hotels at U.S. bases and the program includes 13,048 rooms at 75 hotels across 40 bases, according to the report. Its decision to privatize came after a 2003 assessment determined that more than 80% of its hotel facilities needed replacement or renovation with a cost estimate of more than $1 billion, according to the GAO. Most visitors to the base hotels are service members on temporary duty, civilian employees on official business or military families moving duty stations. Nightly rates are determined using a percentage of the local rate authorized to military travelers. Our top priority is to deliver lodging accommodations that meet the unique needs of todays military travelers, Gretchen Turpen, senior vice president and director of lodging for private company Lendlease, said in response to the report. The operational efficiencies, new hotels and renovations afforded by privatization better serve those needs and align with the Armys objectives of the [private lodging] program improve the quality of life of military travelers and their families. Field issued recommendations to the defense secretary to provide to Congress details on facility improvements, timelines for projects and significant changes to development plans. The report also recommended requiring the Army to evaluate how it calculates cost avoidance from the program, establish a standardized reporting of lodging across the service branches, and assess the extent that Defense Department personnel are inappropriately skipping on-base lodging for other hotels and determine how to address any issues it finds. Paul Cramer, acting assistant secretary for defense for sustainment, responded to the report last month and agreed with all recommendations. In a memo to Field, he said the department will move forward on each point. Lendleases Turpen said they work diligently with our Department of Defense partners to ensure transparency and efficiency across our day-to-day operations along with our development projects. While all congressional reporting requirements were met by the Army, continued collaboration and communication with stakeholders is important, she said. Similar to privately run family housing, privately run Army lodging operates as a single project under the terms of a 50-year lease with the real estate developer Lendlease, which manages housing at some Army bases. Lendlease is responsible for constructing and maintaining new hotels, which it operates under the brand and standards of InterContinental Hotels Groups extended-stay hotel brands Candlewood Suites and Staybridge Suites. Renovated existing facilities must meet the standards of the Holiday Inn Express brand. InterContinental Hotels Group handles the day-to-day hotel operations. No other service branch is actively considering a plan to privatize, but as of this month, the Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force transitioned their hotels to no longer use any funding appropriated from Congress, according to the report. Air Force officials told the GAO that they are interested in considering all options for reforming their lodging, including privatization, third-party management and franchising. As of March 2020, 64% of the Armys lodging facilities were branded as Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, or Candlewood Suites hotels. The only Army hotel not run by a private company in the U.S. is at the Judge Advocate Generals Legal Center and School in Charlottesville, Va., according to the report. Since Lendlease took over the lodging program, the average age of an Army hotel room went from 42 years old to 29 years old, according to the report. One in five Army hotel rooms available now was built within the past seven years, Turpen said. thayer.rose@stripes.com Twitter: @Rose_Lori (iStock) Its no surprise that the highest rate of unemployment in U.S. history was during the Great Depression, when rates jumped to 24.9 percent in 1933, four years after the infamous Black Thursday stock market crash caused total economic collapse and led to widespread poverty. But what would surprise most Americans is that military spouses have faced Depression-era levels of unemployment for decades. Prior to COVID-19, when U.S. unemployment rates dropped to modern lows of 3.5 percent, military wives unemployment rate was stuck at 25 percent due to frequent moves, deployments, career interruptions, childcare issues and occupational licensing requirements. Federal and state governments made good-faith efforts to help, with programs for re-licensure reimbursement, DoD scholarships and business owner residency rules through legislation and programs. But military spouse unemployment rates didnt budge despite these comprehensive programs. Congress has authorized several initiatives to support military spouse education, employment and career development , though relatively little is known about their effectiveness. Considering that the unemployment rate among military spouses has remained persistently high for the last two decades, the National Military Spouse Network suspects these initiatives are not having the impact they were designed to have, stated a 2021 White Paper addressing the seemingly unyield military spouse unemployment issue. Generally, education and qualifications are not an issue for military spouses, 45 percent of whom have bachelors or advanced academic degrees, compared to 33 percent of civilian counterparts. However, about 35 percent of military spouses have careers that require professional licensing specific to each state. In a 2012 survey of spouses who had PCSed, only 11 percent got a new occupational license after the move. (As a licensed attorney, I know this all too well. While stationed in Virginia, I jumped through time-consuming and expensive hoops to get an additional license to practice law in the District of Columbia, but ironically, the license was not issued until months after we were already on to the next duty station in California, and we were never stationed near D.C. again.) An even bigger problem is military spouse underemployment, which mostly affects the 93% of military spouses who are female. Two-thirds of working military wives report that their employment does meet their qualifications, education or occupational goals. Active duty military spouses generally earn 38 percent less than their equally-qualified civilian counterparts. To make matters worse, during the pandemic, when Americas unemployment rates peaked at 14.8 percent in April 2020, data suggested that military spouse unemployment hovered a staggering 20 percentage points higher than the general population, putting rates somewhere between 30 to 35 percent for milspouses. During the pandemic, employed military spouses were either losing their jobs or were leaving their jobs to care for children during shutdowns. All of these factors impact military financial readiness by decreasing family earnings over time, diminishing opportunities for career advancement, decreasing their ability to save for emergencies, retirement, and their ability to amass long-term wealth, concluded one study. With more than a third of military spouses now unemployed and two-thirds of working military spouses underemployed, is there a solution that might bridge this massive income gap for military families? Maybe. The number of people teleworking from home skyrocketed from only 7 percent before the pandemic to more than 60 percent today, with many companies planning to continue remote work programs. Also, the Army has begun providing coworking spaces for military spouses on some bases. Some postulate that these trends will finally nudge military spouse unemployment numbers off of their high perch by offering portable work opportunities that lessen child-care issues and reduce career interruptions. While remote work does not solve the occupational licensure problem, there is also a recent push for states to enter compact agreements to recognize other state occupational licenses. The Department of Labor has a website where military spouses can see which states are in licensure compacts. A bridge spanning the decades-long pay gap for military spouses is purely hypothetical, but there is finally hope. Will military spouses, who prioritize service before self, one day be able to find meaningful career opportunities that meet their education and qualifications? Only time will tell. Read more at themeatandpotatoesoflife.com, and in Lisas book, The Meat and Potatoes of Life: My True Lit Com. Email: meatandpotatoesoflife@gmail.com Russia and the United States along with 23 other countries recently reaffirmed that states should not hack each others critical infrastructure in peacetime or shelter cyber criminals who conduct attacks on other countries. But Russia, which was among the states originally agreeing to the norms at the United Nations, has violated them repeatedly over the years. Experts are skeptical those violations will halt unless the United States and its allies impose far more serious consequences. President Joe Biden is on an eight-day trip to Europe that will culminate in a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday. He will raise issues of cybersecurity, including his concern that Moscow is harboring hackers who have carried out damaging ransomware attacks against some of the United States most critical sectors. An attack last month led to a days-long shutdown of the countrys largest refined fuel pipeline, followed by an attack that disrupted the worlds largest meat processor. Ransomware attacks against critical infrastructure are of an even higher order of magnitude of concern for us, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Wednesday. We do not judge that the Russian government has been behind these recent ransomware attacks, but we do judge that actors in Russia have. And we believe that Russia can take and must take steps to deal with it. The question now is whether Russia, and other countries such as China, which affirmed the cyber norms in May, can or will be held accountable. White House officials have downplayed expectations from the summit given the tense relationship between Washington and Moscow. Current and former officials say the global norms provide a foundation for accountability by explaining the bounds of acceptable conduct in cyberspace and by creating an expectation of good behavior. It certainly seems that states want others to behave well in cyberspace, and there are some key states that just arent. So you have to do something about it, said Michele Markoff, the State Departments acting coordinator for cyber issues, who worked on successive United Nations norms agreements - including the one concluded last month. Christopher Painter, who was the State Departments top cyber official in the Obama administration, put it this way: These norms have moral force, and if a country signs up to them, theres a political commitment and an expectation that theyll be observed. And other countries should hold them accountable when theyre not. The guidelines were hammered out by the U.N. Group of Governmental Experts on Advancing Responsible State Behavior in Cyberspace. They reaffirmed a seminal 2015 agreement that, besides establishing the strictures against attacking critical infrastructure and enabling malicious activity in ones territory, made clear that states should take reasonable steps to ensure the integrity of the supply chain of hardware and software that make up computer networks. In March, the 2015 norms were endorsed by all 193 members of the United Nations. There are some activities the norms do not cover, such as traditional espionage conducted by the worlds spy agencies. Nonetheless, countries that abide by the norms can band together to punish countries that break them, using sanctions and other tools, analysts say. They can also nudge developing nations that have signed onto the norms to follow the Western model of behavior rather than the Russian or Chinese ones, they say. If you look at the history of diplomacy, many things that start out as nonbinding become customary behavior over time, Markoff said. But and skeptics say this is a major failing the norms are nonbinding. None of these states China, Russia, Iran, North Korea seem to have any intention to follow them, said Dmitri Alperovitch a cybersecurity expert and executive chairman of the Silverado Policy Accelerator think tank. And unless you hold these countries accountable, having nonbinding norms doesnt fundamentally change our security situation. Russia has repeatedly said it does not conduct cyber attacks against other countries and has rebuffed accusations that Russia-based hackers were behind last months ransomware attacks on the Colonial Pipeline and JBS, the meat supplier. I do hope that people would realize that there hasnt been any malicious Russian activity whatsoever, Putin said at a recent economic forum in St. Petersburg. I heard something about the meat plant. Its sheer nonsense. We all understand its just ridiculous. A pipeline? Its equally absurd. Despite Moscows disavowals, Western governments have repeatedly found it responsible for malicious conduct. The United States, Britain and others in 2018 officially blamed Russia for the NotPetya cyber worm unleashed the previous year against Ukraine, which then spread across the world. The Trump administration called it the most destructive and costly cyber-attack in history. The Justice Department in October secured the indictment of six Russian military spies in connection with malicious hacks, including knocking out the power in three regions in Ukraine in December 2015 and in Kyiv the following December. Those actions violated one U.N. norm or another, analysts said, whether by disrupting electric power to the public or, as in the case of NotPetya, launching malware that disabled computers in important sectors, such as Ukrainian hospitals, the global shipping company Maersk and U.S. pharmaceutical Merck. James Lewis, a cyber policy expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies who was an adviser to the U.N. group, says Russia has ignored its political commitment. But, he said, the target here is the global audience. The goal is to build consensus among developing countries like Brazil and Indonesia so that they will support actions against violators. The norms dont talk about how to hold countries accountable, Lewis said. Thats the next step. Europe has begun to take action against states that harm others in cyberspace. Last July, for instance, the European Union imposed the first sanctions for malicious hacking, targeting four Russian military cyber spies and two Chinese nationals linked to the government, among others. The Russians sought to compromise the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which was probing the use of chemical weapons in Syria by the government of Bashar Assad, Russias ally. The Chinese were sanctioned for a long-running industrial espionage campaign known as Cloud Hopper, which was enabled by hacking the global software service supply chain. In announcing the sanctions, E.U. foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called on member states to continue to support the 2015 guidelines. Former officials said some activities that may not violate a norm, such as traditional espionage, can nonetheless be punished. In April, the Biden administration imposed sanctions on Russia in response to its SolarWinds compromises of nine federal agencies and about 100 companies. It was an espionage campaign, so it was not covered by the norms, but its scale, officials said, raised concerns that it could become disruptive. We dont have to sit on our hands even if its espionage, Painter said. Its not covered by the norms, but at the same time, just as in the physical world, weve ejected diplomats and arrested spies. As a companion to the norms, the State Department led the development of a cyber deterrence playbook, laying out the consequences that could be most effective against each of the United States main cyber adversaries. They include coordinated naming and shaming, economic sanctions, indictments and the exposure of cyber tools to undercut their utility. Thats a good step, but punishments should be linked to violations, Painter said. Its better if you call out the norm the rule of the road thats violated when you take action, he said. That makes it clear to the wrongdoer and to others that these norms are more than words on paper. These are expectations that were going to enforce. Former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed, charged with attacking police, adjusts his face mask while standing inside a defendants cage during his verdict hearing at Moscows Golovinsky district court on July 30, 2020. (Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP) WASHINGTON Five days before the Biden-Putin summit, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow sounded an alarm Friday about the condition of Trevor Reed, the former Marine imprisoned on charges that the U.S. considers a pretext for holding him as a bargaining chip. Reed, 29, was diagnosed with COVID-19 on May 25 and in the 16 days since has been barred from communicating with his parents in North Texas or U.S. diplomats. We are gravely concerned about his health, the embassy said in a statement, adding that the facility where Reed has been hospitalized has refused to provide updates on his health. We insist that this brazen attempt to isolate Mr. Reed from both his family and his government immediately cease. Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin will hold their first face-to-face meeting Wednesday in Geneva. The agenda is packed with sources of recent tension, including Russia-based cyberattacks on a critical U.S. fuel pipeline, last years SolarWinds cyberattack that affected government agencies and most of the Fortune 500, and military threats to Ukraine. U.S. officials under both the Trump and Biden administrations have pressed for the release of Reed and another former Marine, Paul Whelan. Lawmakers in both parties have demanded the mens release, and their detention is among the friction points overshadowing the summit. Several Americans remain unjustly detained in Russia, including Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed, Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, said Wednesday. The Kremlins Kafkaesque treatment of American citizens must stop, and President Biden should make their return a priority of the visit. Cutting off the embassys communication with Trevor, especially as he is now battling COVID after being refused a vaccine, is completely unacceptable, Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said Friday. The Putin regime needs to release Trevor and send him home to his family immediately. According to the State Department, during a May 19 meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Iceland, Secretary of State Antony Blinken made clear that Russia should release American citizens Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed so they can return home to their families. Reed is a Fort Worth native and was a University of North Texas student at the time of his 2019 arrest in Moscow after he got drunk with a Russian co-workers friends. Police accused him of grabbing the arm of an officer as he was being taken to a station, causing the vehicle to swerve and endangering the lives of officers. The U.S. ambassador called the allegation preposterous, noting that video showed no swerving. Despite that, a Russian court handed Reed a nine-year prison term. Whelan is serving a 16-year sentence in a Russian labor camp. Moscow police accused him of involvement in an intelligence operation and detained him in 2018 after purportedly finding a thumb drive filled with what they deemed classified information. Whelan maintains he was set up. Its pretty simple. There was no crime. There was no evidence. The secret trial was a sham, Whelan told CNN last week. This was done purely for political motive. 2021 The Dallas Morning News Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Buy Photo Workers in Kabul, Afghanistan, spray disinfectant to combat coronavirus in March 2020. The country is now suffering from a third wave of the pandemic. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes) KABUL, Afghanistan The U.S. Embassy here is halting all visa operations in response to a spike in coronavirus cases, adding to growing concerns among Afghans who worked for the U.S. government that they wont be able to emigrate to the U.S. before foreign forces fully withdraw. The indefinite suspension will start Sunday, the embassy said in a statement Friday. The move comes amid a deadly third wave of coronavirus throughout Afghanistan that has claimed the life of one embassy worker. More than 3,400 people have died from the virus in the country since the pandemic began last year. We acknowledge and regret the inconvenience to applicants as we seek to protect the health of our staff and applicants to ensure we can fully support visa and other consular services going forward, the statement said. Those who had appointments scheduled for the coming days will be able to reschedule as soon as visa operations resume, the embassy said. No expected resumption date was given. The withdrawal of American troops and military equipment from Afghanistan is more than halfway finished, U.S. Central Command said this week. In April, President Joe Biden announced that all foreign forces would be out of the country by Sept. 11, but U.S. and NATO officials have since said the pullout could be completed as early as next month. As the withdrawal progresses, the State Department has been working to process a backlog of some 18,000 Afghan special immigrant visa applications that were held up last year because of the pandemic. The SIV program allows Afghans who worked for the U.S. government, their spouses and their children, to emigrate to the U.S. Many of the applicants, which include military translators, are said to be at great personal risk for supporting the international coalition. I dont think its a good decision by the embassy to suspend the visa process now, an SIV applicant in the eastern city of Jalalabad, who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons, told Stars and Stripes. The applicant said he lost his finger during a bomb blast while translating for American forces several years ago, and that the Taliban have since issued a statement accusing him of being a spy for Washington and calling for his arrest. Were facing huge threats already, the man said in a telephone interview Saturday, referring to SIV applicants. And we think it will be even worse for us once foreign forces leave. We are calling on the U.S. to speed up the [visa] process. Similar sentiment has been echoed in Washington. Following news of the imminent suspension of visa operations, Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called on Biden to consider using humanitarian parole for SIV applicants, who he described as having a bullseye on their backs. Humanitarian parole allows temporary entry into the United States in emergency situations to those who would otherwise be not be granted entry. The health and safety of our diplomatic personnel is a high priority for me, McCaul said in a statement Friday. But suspending visa operations at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul at this critical juncture only further exacerbates the situation for those awaiting their Special Immigrant Visas. Meanwhile, a bipartisan group of senators introduced a bill Friday that would add 20,000 visas to the SIV program nearly double the number Congress has authorized since 2014 and make applying for them easier. This legislation would make important updates to the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa program to help more vulnerable aides and their families escape before it is too late, Roger Wicker, R-Miss., one of the senators who introduced the bill, said in a statement. The U.S. owes these courageous men and women a debt of gratitude we cannot leave them behind. Afghanistans Health Ministry said this week that it expected coronavirus cases to hit their peak in the country within the next four weeks. wellman.phillip@stripes.com Twitter: @pwwellman Fully processed guns that will later be destroyed sit on a table during a gun buyback exchange at Encanto Southern Baptist Church on June 5, 2021. Unwanted pistols and rifles were exchanged for 00 and 00 gift cards. () (Tribune News Service) Aggravated assaults shootings, stabbings and beatings have climbed in San Diego since the beginning of the year, part of a national crime wave that the Biden administration warns could make for a particularly violent summer. While upticks in violent crime during the summer months are common in many major cities, this year could be more of a shock to the system as post-pandemic public life resumes and people continue to grapple with the mental and financial trauma of the past year, experts say. The Department of Justice late last month announced a strategy to try to get ahead of anticipated bloodshed by partnering federal agencies with local law enforcement to identify and target the most violent offenders in any given community. That includes FBI resources to help identify violent criminals; agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives embedded with local homicide teams to help with ballistics tests; U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents working with locals to disrupt violent drug networks; and the U.S. Marshals Service apprehending fugitives with violent records. We are seeing nationwide an increase in violent crime, particularly homicides and aggravated assaults, a DOJ official said on a call with reporters. This is a national issue, and we need to deal with it in a national way. How that might play out in San Diego isnt entirely clear. San Diego, unlike some parts of the country, already has a long track record of local, state and federal agencies partnering on task forces. There are task forces targeting street gangs, violent crime, drug trafficking, overdose deaths , human trafficking, auto theft, terrorism and border crimes. Several federal and local agencies working in San Diego County declined to specify how the strategy would be implemented here or if it would change what existing task forces are already doing. The lack of detail about exactly how federal agencies might identify violent offenders has some community advocates concerned that the end result could be heavy-handed policing against people of color and in certain neighborhoods. Even if computers are doing the analysis, Black people will be overwhelmingly impacted negatively, said Genevieve Jones-Wright, an attorney and member of the citys Commission on Gang Prevention and Intervention, noting that algorithms and data analysis are far from bias-free. The entire idea is terrifying. The city of San Diego was among several major metropolitan areas experiencing a rise in violent crime in the first three months of 2021, according to a survey by the Major Cities Chiefs Association. Aggravated assaults rose to 1,008 in the first quarter a 33 percent increase compared to the same period last year. Rape showed a slight increase 128 compared to 124 last year. That number is expected to rise as people increasingly mingle in social and dating situations post-COVID. The number of murders, seven, was about on pace with the eight in last years first quarter. By the end of 2020, however, killings in the city had risen to 56 total 10 percent higher than in 2019. The trend was partly attributed to the growing accessibility of ghost guns . Those guns are assembled at home from parts that often come in prepackaged kits. When sold that way, manufacturers arent required by law to include serial numbers, nor are buyers required to pass federal background checks. Sometimes the parts are manufactured with at-home machinery. Last year, 210 ghost guns were recovered in the city, or 12 percent of the total. That was a 169 percent increase over ghost guns seized in 2019. So far this year, San Diego is on pace to surpass 2020s seizures, city officials said earlier this month. I am concerned about the rise in gun violence we are seeing this year, Police Chief David Nisleit said as he gathered with other civic leaders recently on National Gun Violence Awareness Day. Raising awareness and collaborating with community organizations can help keep San Diego safe. Last weekend, the Police Department also partnered with community groups in a gun buyback event, offering residents who turn in unwanted firearms gift cards or skateboards in return. The event yielded 64 firearms, including eight assault-style rifles, according to police. Experts across the country are concerned that the opportunity for violence may also be amplified during the long days of summer as crowded spaces open back up and people continue to confront vestiges of the pandemic. There will be more opportunity for crime to happen than when everyone was sitting in the house. The effect of being so locked down over the past year has affected everybody, said Cindy Burke, director of criminal justice research at the San Diego Association of Governments. Robberies are down, but people havent been walking around on the streets, she added. Will that go up? Still, Burke said its often difficult to identify the exact reasons behind upticks in crime. You cant say one thing is causing another, but factors are all coming together making certain things more likely, she said. For example: People suffering with mental health may be self-medicating and that could make them more prone to put themselves in a situation that could lead to violence, she said. The DOJs summer strategy to get on top of violent crime is part of a broader, long-term plan to reduce violence with a more community-centered approach that also aims to rebuild trust in law enforcement, according to a memo from Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco to U.S. attorneys. We have faced a national public health emergency that put people out of work, closed schools, created pressures at home, limited social services, impacted criminal justice systems, and generally disrupted social activity. We have seen civil unrest as people question the legitimacy of our institutions and the role of law enforcement in society, the memo states. We cannot be effective in guarding the safety of our communities without their confidence in police and policing. And we know that violent crime is not a problem that can be solved by law enforcement alone. The memo also emphasizes the need to measure success by the reduction in violence in communities, not in the number of arrests or prosecutions. Bishop Cornelius Bowser, founder of Charity Apostolic Church and a longtime gang-intervention advocate, is already strategizing on how to stem gun violence this summer through the No Shots Fired campaign, a city pilot prevention and intervention program, and the national Season of Peace campaign that started in Boston. The basic idea is to call for a ceasefire. We want to talk to these guys who engage in violence and get them to agree to a time of peace, he said. Lets put the guns down and focus on positive stuff. From the Fourth of July through Labor Day, the campaign will likely include community events such as peace marches, low-rider cruises, street memorials and a dove release with survivors of gun violence, Bowser said. Youre not ever going to police your way out of this, he said. Staff writer Teri Figueroa contributed to this report. 2021 The San Diego Union-Tribune Visit https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/ Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC Two former employees of a private company that manages military family housing pleaded guilty to major fraud and conspiracy for lying to the Air Force about maintenance performed in on-base housing to receive $3.5 million in unearned financial incentives, the Justice Department announced Wednesday. Rick Cunefare, 61, of Glendale, Ariz., and Stacy M. Cabrera, 47, of Converse, Texas, worked as managers for Balfour Beatty Communities and pleaded guilty for actions between 2013 and 2016. The Justice Department did not name Balfour Beatty in its announcement, but the company confirmed it employed the two. Both were part of a scheme to alter maintenance records to appear as though Balfour Beatty was meeting goals required for financial bonuses from the Air Force when it was not, according to court records. The defendants defrauded the U.S. Air Force and put corporate profits ahead of the well-being of service members and their families, said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid of the Justice Departments Criminal Division. The department is committed to protecting our military families from deceit and mistreatment and ensuring the integrity of Department of Defense programs. Sens. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., and Jack Reed, D-R.I., who lead the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Wednesday that they were outraged by the case but glad to see justice served. When we first heard reports of alleged falsified records back in July 2019, we were disturbed, the two said in a joint statement. We will be keeping a close eye on the results of this case, which remains ongoing as we do not know how high up this conspiracy may go. Over the past two years, reports of dangerous in conditions in military family housing have made headlines and led Congress to pass reforms to improve homes. There have also been about a dozen lawsuits filed against private housing companies, including Balfour Beatty, that allege the companies were slow to perform maintenance, which exacerbated conditions including water leaks, sewage issues and exposure to lead paint, asbestos and pest infestations. Military housing companies must take every step to regain the trust of our military families, Inhofe and Reed said. After hearing countless complaints from military families starting over two years ago, we led the charge to address widespread problems with military housing, and we are determined to see this through on behalf of those brave families. Cunefare, who pleaded guilty to major fraud against the United States on June 9, was a regional manager who directly supervised community managers for military family housing at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas; Travis and Vandenberg Air Force bases in California; Tinker Air Force Base, Okla.; and Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash., according to the department. He reviewed and approved quarterly maintenance reports and ensured that the data in the reports were submitted to the Air Force with performance incentive fee request letters. As outlined in Balfour Beattys contract with the Air Force, revenue for management of the housing is based, in part, on meeting performance maintenance goals. If the company completed 95% of routine maintenance requests within three business days on a quarterly basis, it was eligible for a performance incentive fee, according to court documents. Cunefare and others conspired to manipulate and falsify information in maintenance reports from 2013 to 2015 so that the reports falsely reflected the company had met maintenance goals, when it had not, according to court documents. The documents did not name the other conspirators but stated that Cunefare gave written and oral instructions to community managers and others. This allowed Balfour Beatty, acting through the co-conspirators, to submit requests to the Air Force for payment of about $2.5 million in fees to which it was not entitled, the Justice Department said. Cunefare admitted that the false information deceived the U.S. Air Force into believing that [the company] was properly maintaining the housing communities, when in reality [it] was unable to keep up with maintenance issues at many of the military housing communities, parts of which had fallen into disrepair, according to the Justice Department. Cabrera acted on instructions from Cunefare and others to commit similar fraud between 2013 to 2016, while serving as Balfour Beattys community manager at Lackland Air Force Base. She pleaded guilty to conspiracy April 21. She personally, and through subordinates acting on her instructions, falsified maintenance records to generate quarterly maintenance reports to reflect that the company had met maintenance-related performance goals, according to court documents. Those false reports moved on to other managers, who then knowingly used them to substantiate Balfour Beattys bonus requests. Balfour Beatty fraudulently obtained about $1 million in performance bonuses because of Cabreras conduct, according to court documents. Both await sentencing in federal district court. Cunefare faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Cabrera faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The Defense Department Inspector General Offices Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations assisted in the investigation. Balfour Beatty Communities notes that two former employees have pleaded guilty in connection with the Department of Justices investigation into alleged irregularities related to certain incentive fee claims, said a spokesman for the company. When concerns about the matter were raised, the company engaged external counsel to investigate, and proactively contacted the Department of Justice. Balfour Beatty Communities is committed to conducting its business legally, decently, and honestly and is dismayed that the actions of certain individuals reflect poorly on the efforts of hundreds of dedicated employees. The company is continuing to work with the Department of Justice to resolve the matter. Balfour Beatty manages family housing at 21 Air Force bases and 34 Army and Navy bases throughout the United States. thayer.rose@stripes.com Twitter: @Rose_Lori (Tribune News Service) A Fort Bragg soldier was arrested early this week on multiple child sex crime charges after deputies allegedly found him with a 12-year-old runaway, according to the Cumberland County Sheriffs Office. Pfc. Damien Isaiah Campbell, 20, is charged with three counts of statutory rape, five counts of statutory sex offense with a child and five counts of indecent liberties with a child, court records show. He was arrested after Cumberland County deputies went to 7157 Maxwell Road at 12:20 a.m. Thursday to assist the Alleghany County Sheriffs Office in locating the girl, a news release from the Cumberland County Sheriffs office said. Upon arrival, deputies found the missing juvenile and Campbell, the release said. Originally from Georgia, Campbell is an active-duty soldier assigned to the 1st Special Forces Command as a visual information equipment operator-maintainer, Army Capt. John Strickland said Friday. Campbell has been at Fort Bragg since 2019 and has not been on any operational deployments, Strickland said. He is currently being held at the Cumberland County Detention Center in lieu of $550,000 secured bail, the release said. The Cumberland County Sheriffs Office said the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information can call 910-677-5474. Anonymous tips can be submitted to the Fayetteville/Cumberland County Crime Stoppers at www.p3tips.com or by calling 910-483- TIPS (8477). jboden@gannett.com (c)2021 The Fayetteville Observer (Fayetteville, N.C.) Visit The Fayetteville Observer (Fayetteville, N.C.) at www.fayobserver.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. (TNS) FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (Tribune News Service) The U.S. Army Airborne and Special Operations Museum will host two events commemorating what is said to be the forgotten war. June 25-28 the museum will exhibit the Traveling Korean Memorial on the Museums Parade Field. The memorial consists of 19 soldiers walking through a Korean rice paddy, and has four statistical signs, a sign requesting silence, and a sign reading The Forgotten War. This exhibit is free to the public. On June 26, museum patrons will have the opportunity to experience an in-person author visit with Melinda Pash as she discusses her book In the Shadow of the Greatest Generation: the Americans Who Fought the Korean War. This event will take place in the Yarborough Bank Theater at 2 p.m. and is free to the public. Largely overshadowed by World War IIs greatest generation and the more vocal veterans of the Vietnam era, Pashs book is focused on the Korean War veterans who remain relatively invisible in the narratives of both war and its aftermath. Yet, just as the beaches of Normandy and the jungles of Vietnam worked profound changes on conflict participants, the Korean Peninsula chipped away at the beliefs, physical and mental well-being, and fortitude of Americans completing wartime tours of duty there, according to the books description. Upon returning home, Korean War veterans struggled with home-front attitudes toward the war, faced employment and family dilemmas, and wrestled with readjustment. Not unlike other wars, Korea proved a formative and defining influence on the men and women stationed in theater, on their loved ones, and in some measure on American culture. In the Shadow of the Greatest Generation not only gives voice to those Americans who served in the forgotten war but chronicles the larger personal and collective consequences of waging war the American way. Pashs love of history started early. One of her first memories is of news footage of the fall of Saigon when her father said, Watch this, this is history being made. When she entered graduate school, Pash thought to choose a topic on the Vietnam War to research, but a chance encounter with a group of Korean War veterans made her take a closer look at The Forgotten War and the men and women who served in Korea. (c)2021 The Robesonian (Lumberton, N.C.) Visit The Robesonian (Lumberton, N.C.) at www.robesonian.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Stillwater, OK (74074) Today Partly to mostly cloudy with scattered showers and thunderstorms overnight. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Partly to mostly cloudy with scattered showers and thunderstorms overnight. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. 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. Cindy H., her voice soft yet firm, offered a come hither wave as she led the small group down a narrow hallway toward a bustling kitchen, delicious smells of frying chicken already wafting about the room. This is the kitchen, she said proudly. This is where they cook our meals. Over there is our snack area. And this, she said turning and gesturing wide, this is our white board where we have all of our jobs listed for the day. David Engstrom looked on proudly as Cindy H. took such pride in it all. This is their Clubhouse, he said matter-of-factly. This is their space. Thats why we call them members, not clients or consumers or anything like that. Here, we work side by side me and them. We dont hold classes here. We dont talk about medications. There is no group therapy, no illnesses or diagnosis because the Clubhouse isnt about that. Here, they are treated like human beings. The Clubhouse, now a part of the Samaritan Center, opened in November after officials there in the summer of 2020 secured a $4 million federal grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, funds meant to be used to improve community-wide mental health services. A part of Clubhouse International, the Wabash Valley Friendship Clubhouse offers those living with mental illness opportunities for work and socialization. Its meant to provide a safe space, Engstrom, its coordinator, explained, for those whose lives have been disrupted by mental illness. At the Clubhouse, they can be among friends, find encouragement and be empowered to build connections within the community. This is the best job Ive ever had, Engstrom declared. Here, they find purpose, even if its only getting out of the house for a few hours of the day. We consider it a win if somebody is just showing up. At a Clubhouse in Indianapolis, a guy came every day for a month, just sat at the front door and said, Hi, to people as they came in the door. Three months later, he was engaged and doing other things. Engstrom has worked in mental health for more than 30 years, usually as a case manager, so when the opportunity to lead the Clubhouse came up, he jumped at the chance. The model, he said, is a simple one, yet carries the potential to affect great change in the lives of those suffering with severe mental illness. Membership is purely voluntary; no one is assigned to be there. Members are there because they want to be, he reiterated. Mental illness can lead to isolation, Engstrom said, so the Clubhouse offers a place for them to go, re-learn basic life skills and be part of a community again. A regular day at the Clubhouse begins at 8 a.m., and after an easy morning of visiting, a bit of fun trivia and some breakfast, their work day begins; each has his or her own job, whether its cooking or cleaning or landscape care. They, too, operate their own thrift store in the homes basement. Members also take on special projects; this week, thats been the creation of a float for the annual Fourth of July parade. Theres then lunch at noon, a 30-minute Wellness Walk then chores are continued in the afternoon. And throughout, there is fellowship, Engstrom said. The only assessment we ask them is, Do you want to work? Engstrom said. Thats it. They just have to be willing to contribute. And they want to, he said. They know they can come here and be treated like a human, not like their illness because we dont even talk about that. They feel part of a community. They find structure, and it breaks that isolation. Locals began thoughts of establishing a Clubhouse here years ago, Engstrom said. They visited one in Terre Haute and included its implementation in the grant application in 2019. The first-ever Clubhouse opened in New York in 1948, Engstrom said, and Clubhouse International has grown ever since. Its been replicated, he said, more than 300 times worldwide. Which is just amazing, he said. The rules at each are much the same, and all Clubhouses must adhere to the same 37 standards. For instance, membership must be voluntary; there is little-to-no hierarchy with staff and members working side-by-side; members share in the responsibility of maintenance and daily chores; and each Clubhouse must have its own physical space, to name just a few. The Samaritan Centers Clubhouse is the 11th to open in Indiana so far, and it already boasts nearly 30 members. Daily average attendance, Engstrom said, is about a dozen. Good Samaritans former Community Health Building, located at the corner of Seventh and Dubois streets, was renovated as the Clubhouse, and at this rate, Engstrom said theyll soon be out of space. But its reach extends beyond the four walls of the Clubhouse. Engstrom, as the Clubhouse earns additional accreditations, will also look to develop relationships with local businesses in an effort to help members secure jobs, should they want them. He, too, hopes to begin speaking engagements to local organizations and civic groups in an effort to build partnerships to benefit Clubhouse members and to help remove the stigma surrounding mental illness. Every part of the Clubhouses mission, he said, is built to help those with mental illness feel part of a community and, later, rejoin society as contributing, meaningful members. They find relationships here, purpose, he said. It gives them meaning. They feel needed. And thats the biggest thing, to have a place where you can belong. For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold locally, Knox County has achieved the coveted score of 0 on the states county metric map. The Indiana COVID-19 dashboard map uses a 2-metric scoring system to determine the color-coded advisory level of each county, with blue being least severe and red indicating the most severe threat of COVID-19 infection. In addition, each color level advisory is broken into two tiers to more specifically indicate the severity of local spread. A county painted in blue, for instance, would also have a designation of 0 or .5 on the map, depending on the number of cases per 100,000 and its positivity rate. Though Knox County has spent the better part of two months in the blue, it is only after two consecutive weeks of almost non-existent COVID-19 spread that the county achieved a score of 0. County health officer Dr. Alan Stewart says, after actively fighting to halt the local spread for more than a year, he was elated by the news. I was really very excited about that, he said. With only three new cases of the virus in the previous week, and a 7-day positivity rate of 2.2%, Knox County along with only 8 other counties met the State Health Departments requirement for the top tier metric designation. Stewart said the positive change in Knox Countys advisory level reminded him of the advice he and other health officials tried to convey to the public in the early days of the pandemic. When you take adequate measures and have zero cases, theres no virus, so you wont get it, he said. And though Knox County still has a few active cases, Stewart said the multilayered approach to fighting COVID-19 is why the virus has been so greatly diminished in recent months. The multilayered approach utilizes a variety of public safety measures, like physical distancing and masking. And now we have the vaccine, which is the biggest layer of all on top of the other measures, he said. But, Stewart continued, the multilayered approach to averting a public health crisis is all about percentages. Keeping a distance of six feet from someone else isnt 100% effective neither is masking. But when you combine that with testing, and now vaccines, you win. The health officer is hopeful the county can sustain its current designation of zero on the metric map. If we have zero new cases today and tomorrow, we just might do it, Stewart said. For now and the foreseeable future he urges caution, particularly when traveling outside of the state or country especially for those who are unvaccinated. Travel is okay for now, but its important to continue to be cautious. If you recall, early in the pandemic it was out-of-state travel that did us in the first time. So if no one left the county you would be done with COVID locally. Thats the way it works, but thats not realistic, he added. Indianapolis woman, oldest state resident, dies at age 112 INDIANAPOLIS A woman considered to be Indianas oldest resident has died at age 112. Anna Garrett of Indianapolis died on May 27, two months short of her 113th birthday, according to Lavenia & Summers Funeral Home. A funeral is planned for Saturday. God called her home while she slept in her bed, in her home of over 50 years, whispering, your work is done, her obituary said. Garrett was born in 1908 in Sparta, Georgia, and her family moved to Indianapolis when she was 14. She and husband James Garrett had two daughters. He died in 1993. To celebrate her birthday last year, cars rolled slowly past her house, honking and yelling encouragement as she sat outdoors. Garrett began showing signs of dementia about five years earlier and needed constant care, family members told the Indianapolis Star in 2020. She took care of me, so now its my turn to take care of her, daughter Saundra Tucker said at the time. Late-night military training rattles some in Bloomington BLOOMINGTON The U.S. Army has apologized after late-night military training exercises this week in Bloomington caught some residents by surprise with low-flying helicopters, simulated gunfire and explosions. While many residents on the citys south side were warned through flyers about late Monday and early Tuesdays training exercises, others were not and the noises left them rattled and wondering what was happening in the middle of the night. We apologize for that, said Elise Van Pool, deputy public affairs officer for the U.S. Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, where the soldiers participating in the training are stationed. Here at Fort Bragg it is not unusual to see helicopters flying around, she said. We recognize that for most people across the U.S., having their windows shake from a helicopter close by is not usual. Van Pool said the Army had National Guard members deliver paper notices to some residents in the training area. But residents of the Sunny Slopes neighborhood were not notified in advance and were surprised as helicopters flew low and without lights over their homes, The Herald-Times reported. Army officials organizing such training advise local cities and police agencies to give advance notice through social media and local news outlets, but Van Pool said that didnt happen in this instance. Bloomington city spokeswoman Yael Ksander said the city was asked to limit public notice about the training and it followed those orders. Guard killed during Gary bank robbery; 1 of 2 suspects found GARY A security guard was ambushed and killed Friday outside a bank in northwestern Indiana before two armed men entered and demanded money, authorities said. The shooting occurred at First Midwest Bank in Gary. One suspect was subsequently arrested, the Lake County sheriffs department said. The FBI is taking over the investigation, Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. said. The department will assist in whatever way we can in bringing these suspects to justice, Martinez said. I would like to offer my deepest heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the security officer who was killed. 2 dead when bus, SUV collide on interstate BROOKSTON Two people were killed and several injured when an SUV collided with a Greyhound bus Friday on Interstate 65 in northwest Indiana, authorities said. Two people in the southbound SUV died when their vehicle crossed the interstate median and struck the northbound bus about 12:40 p.m., Indiana State Police Sgt. Jeremy Piers said. The bus driver and several passengers from the bus were taken to hospitals, Greyhound said in a written statement. Piers said their injuries were not life-threatening. He said the bus origination and destination were not immediately known. The crash occurred near mile marker 188 in White County, about 80 miles northwest of Indianapolis. It closed northbound traffic and slowed southbound traffic on the interstate. Fear-inducing circumstances are when globally celebrated drummer, Stan Bicknell, does his best work. So when fast-paced drum and bass band Shapeshifter asked if he could learn a 90-minute set in just five days for their 2020/21 New Year tour, he naturally said yes. Its the most work Ive ever done in the shortest amount of time, says Stan, who recently moved to Papamoa. Working on the material alone improved my playing massively. Every time I sign up for things like this it induces this fear, which I used to be quite worried about. But Ive learned to like the anxiety its an opportunity to improve yourself. Stan has had the kind of career aspiring drummers dream of several brand sponsorships, a long list of tours for big names like Kimbra, and becoming renowned in the global drumming community for his unique, self-taught style of drumming which he specialises in teaching. For local aspiring drummers, he represents a different type of career path that doesnt have to be behind the band but front and centre, by appearing on online drumming platform Drumeo with other drumming greats and sporting 159,000 followers of his own on Instagram. Stan, his wife and nine-year-old daughter recently moved the region from Melbourne, but he claims the opportunities havent halted after leaving their bustling city life. In fact, the Shapeshifter phone call came in while Stan was driving his wife and daughter home from the airport reunited after they completed their quarantine to follow Stan home to New Zealand. We moved here to be closer to family my wifes family are local and Im from Hastings, says Stan. During the last few years of living in Melbourne, we knew this is where wed end up it felt right. My daughter can now have that really Kiwi thing of growing up around her cousins that Melbourne couldnt provide. Getting in the groove Stan is pouring his technical drumming and teaching expertise back into the community as Mauao Performing Arts Centres newest drum tutor. Im used to teaching older kids quite big, open ideas that I've come up with that can impact their creativity, because thats the most important thing, he says. So going back to teaching people in their formative years of playing is different because its a really significant time for their drumming. Were going back to basics, and making sure they dont pick up the bad habits I did being self-taught. Not that it seems to have hindered him Stan has been drumming for 24 years, first picking up the sticks aged 14. I distinctly remember the wave of euphoria I got sitting at the kit for the first time, and that was it. Hes continuing to upskill by getting a Diploma in Music at Toi Ohomai and is putting his new skills to good use, by recording and producing artists in his at-home studio. The collaborative, communicative process of recording is something I really enjoy. Toi Ohomai has helped me make connections here that I thought would take me a year, let alone a few months. Finding the hours Stan admits that having a music career can be a juggling act. He has continued to work in hospitality alongside drumming, selling his coffee roasting business in Melbourne before coming to New Zealand and providing barista training here. Family has always been a part of that juggle while in Australia, Stan avoided signing up for tours during New Zealands school holidays so his son, now 17, could fly over and see him. When it comes to mastering your craft, Stan says there are no shortcuts. He practices until new songs, licks or tricks become muscle memory that can withstand outside influences like the noise of a live crowd mixed with the pressures of TV cameras at the recent Popstars final Stan played in. If you do the work, you see the results and thats where you get the joy from. If you don't do the work and don't get the results, you miss out on those endorphins that come from the little victories that remind you why you do it. The work is what keeps me excited about drumming, because achieving goals triggers the next few months, or years, of drive. Putting in the work is the only thing Im good at. SunLive, The Breeze and Life Education Trust Western BOP have been on the hunt together to find the final couple to take part in Dancing for Life Education, in partnership with the Wright Family Foundation. And while many local identities have already been shoulder tapped, one final couple was still required to take part. Its Time to Shine was an on-air promotion on the Breeze breakfast show that saw people from all walks of life encouraged to nominate themselves or someone that they think is ready to shine. Organisers can now reveal our winners, who will receive 15 weeks of dance training before hitting the dance floor at Baypark Tauranga to fundraise for Life Education Trust. The winners are Lisa Lauder and Dave Mitchell. Lisa Lauder has enjoyed community involvement at her son's playcentre and the local community trust panto. She enjoys making new friends, and being involved with local theatre groups 16th Avenue and TMT. She also took to the stage as a dancer with a Tarnished Frocks and Divas 2019 production, which was a huge learning curve but one that she thoroughly enjoyed. She loves performing and theatre and loves to expand her experiences and community involvement. Its Time to Shine winner Dave Mitchell. Supplied image. Dave Mitchell is a father and grandfather. Hes also employed as a motor trimmer by a local firm now in its 76th year of business. He has many interests including motorcycling, classic cars, photography and fishing to name but a few. He is passionate about helping charities and even becomes Santa Claus at Bayfair shopping mall at Christmas time! When asked, he was delighted to put his name forward even though hes scared stiff at the thought of performing in front of an audience and just hopes he will remember his lessons if selected. All funds raised stay in the local region and support Life Education Trust WBOP to continue educating local children. Do you already have a paid subscription to any of the SWNewsMedia newspapers? If so, you can Activate your Premium online account by clicking here. Activation will allow you to view unlimited online articles each month. To activate your Premium online account, the email address and phone number provided with your paid newspaper subscription needs to match the information you use in setting up your online user account. If you are having trouble or want to confirm what email address and phone number is listed on your subscription account, please call 952-345-6682 or email circulation@swpub.com and we'll be happy to assist. Current Print Subscribers will be prompted to either login to their current site user account or to create a new one. A confirmation email will be sent when a new user account is created, which must be confirmed within three days in order to provide uninterrupted online access through your Print Subscription. Once the email address is confirmed please provide your Account Number to activate your Print Subscription Service. The Taos News delivered to your Taos County address every week for a full year! We offer our lowest mail rates to zip codes in the county. Click Here to See if you Qualify. Plan includes unlimited website access and e-edition print replica online. Your auto pay plan will be conveniently renewed at the end of the subscription period. You may cancel at anytime. Our Most Popular Magazines + Digital We get it. You live by the Ski Valleys snow report even when youre hours away. You follow every Taos post on Instagram. Our small town occupies a BIG part of your heart. Keep in touch with all things Taos when you subscribe to FIVE of our national award-winning magazines, plus access to the website and e-edition for a full year at the special low rate of just $55. The positivity rate for new cases of COVID-19 in Florida seems to be increasing. The state Department of Health reported a new case positivity rate statewide for COVID-19 of 3.8% for the week of June 18-24 compared to 3.3% for June 11-17 and 3.4% the week previous. Why it matters: House lawmakers introduced new antitrust bills on Friday which could change the tech industry as we know it. The bills address anticompetitive practice and if passed could have huge ramifications for the dealings of Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon. Collectively called A Stronger Online Economy: Opportunity, Innovation, and Choice, the proposed bills were introduced following over a year of investigation into the competitive practices of Big Tech companies. Representative David Cicilline, a Rhode Island Democrat, led the investigation. He said: Unregulated tech monopolies have too much power over our economy. Our agenda will level the playing field and ensure the wealthiest, most powerful tech monopolies play by the same rules as the rest of us. This agenda initially consists of five proposed bills, each of which target anticompetitive digital practice in a different way. One bill would prohibit companies from giving their own services and products preference over those of their rivals like how Google boosts its own products in search results, or Apple does it on the App Store. Another would allow the Justice Department or the Federal Trade Commission to force big companies, like Amazon, to break off parts of their business that could create a conflict of interest, like Amazon Basics. A further bill would block large companies from buying up smaller competitors, in the way Facebook did with Instagram back in 2012. Although the investigation into Big Tech was a bipartisan effort, its worth noting that Democrats and Republicans currently seem to disagree on the solution to some of the problems they uncovered. Its also unclear how many members support each of the new bills although at least one Democrat and one Republican had signed on to each of the new measures by the end of play on Friday. What is clear is that the proposed changes could reshape the tech industry and change the way its biggest actors operate. Itll be interesting to see how this one plays out. (Photo : Pixabay/StockSnap) YouTube update Replay Mix YouTube Music debuts another feature as the platform is now focusing more on its algorithmic auto-playlists. The new feature called Replay Mix is now appearing for a lot of YouTube Music users that includes their most commonly played songs from the past weeks. The Replay Mix feature is an upgraded version of YouTube Music's original feature called Your Mix, a playlist that uploads your daily mixes. YouTube Music Replay Mix Feature The playlist appears ahead of My Supermix under the "Mixed for you" section of the platform. It features the standard record-inspired cover art in tones of green, blue, and orange. Just like the My Supermix feature, the Replay Mix can accommodate up to 100 songs, and it allows for an endless autoplay after you reached the end of your playlist, according to Android Police. Opening the playlist will show a description that says "A mix of songs you've been listening to mist in the last few weeks." Also Read: Spotify vs. Apple Music vs. YouTube Music: Which Is the Best Music Streaming Service For You? YouTube Music's new Replay Mix can be compared to Spotify's On Repeat playlist that has the same highlights tracks that users might have been listening to recently. Numerous users have spotted the feature on Reddit over the past 24 hours, suggesting a wide rollout to Music users in numerous countries. One thing to note with YouTube Music's Replay Mix is that there can be some crossover between the Supermix if you listen to the auto-generated playlist often. The playlist should appear ahead of the popular My Supermix in the Mixed for you tab that will load when you open or when you reopen YouTube Music on desktop or mobile. Although if you do not see the Replay Mix feature when you launch YouTube Music, a direct link posted by 9to5Google should take you to a playlist of your recent and most played songs over the past few weeks. YouTube Music Upgrades Aside from the playlists, YouTube Music also launched YouTube Shorts. It was introduced in Canada, the UK, and Latin America. The expansion is joined by a new audio sampling feature that allows users to add audio to their own YouTube Shorts from almost any creator on the platform. YouTube Shorts is the platform's answer to TikTok. The YouTube Shorts allow users to sample an audio snippet from another video as long as the original creator grants permission during the upload process. On TikTok, this is a feature that helped turn videos become viral sensations and memes. YouTube wants the same type of audio swapping content to be a part of its feature too, according to Tech Crunch. This expands upon the current ability to sample any audio within uploaded YouTube Shorts, as standard long-form video content is now covered, together with any copyright-free and licensed music found in the upload tool. If you are a creator on the platform who has had your audio sampled and then used within a YouTube Short, a link will be added to your channel or video with a number indicating just how many of these short-form videos are utilizing said audio. This could help launch the careers of performers on the platform. Related Article: YouTube Music Rolls Out New Feature Similar To Spotify's Discover Weekly This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Sophie Webster 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Electronic Arts was in the news recently for the recent reveal of the "Battlefield 2042" trailer, but shortly after, they fell victim to another data breach. And the hackers found their way in via a surprising method. GameRant reports that the recent Electronic Arts hack was achieved using the popular workplace management software Slack. The information about the hacking method apparently came from the hackers themselves, who spoke with tech news outlet Vice. According to them, they achieved the hack by first buying stolen website cookies for $10 a pop. They then used the cookies to worm their way into a Slack channel that EA employees use. Once there, they gained access into the company's corporate network by basically fooling IT support into letting them in, as reported on Vice. When the data breach was done, the hackers made off with the source codes for FIFA and the Frostbite engine, two of the biggest assets that EA has. Polygon reports that a total of 780 GB of data was stolen, which apparently also included some dev kits and proprietary frameworks. Electronic Arts is the second big-name game developer and publisher to suffer a data breach after "Cyberpunk 2077" dev CD Projekt Red also had their source codes and dev kits stolen. Read also: EA: Hackers Stole 780 GB of Game Data, Source Codes of Frostbite Engine Following 'Battlefield 2042's' Reveal Electronic Arts and Cybersecurity Lapses EA now joins the roster of major industry players who have suffered cyberattacks within the past few months, and it was all caused by something that seemed as harmless as website cookies. Remember those times when websites you visited for the first time asked that you allow "cookies?" For those of you who don't know, the main purpose of website cookies is to save your data so you can load the website faster the next time you visit. Among the data that often gets saved are login credentials. That's what the Electronic Arts hackers used to gain access to the company's networks. The reason? It allowed them to pose as legitimate employees by using a certain person's details. It's kind of scary if you think about it because website cookies are commonly used all over the web. It's one of the main reasons why some browsers such as Mozilla Firefox introduced cookie protection measures, which protected their users from online tracking. The reveal of how the hack was accomplished thrust forward EA's apparent cybersecurity oversight into the limelight. What's Next? So far, there's no news about the 780 GB of stolen data from Electronic Arts being peddled online for millions of dollars. That is what happened (and is currently happening) to CD Projekt Red right now. But since the studio is an industry giant, it's not bad to assume that the hackers will expect some form of monetary kickback, one way or another. Related: CD Projekt Red Says Stolen Data From Four Months Ago is Circulating Online, Including Data of Employees and Contractors This article is owned by Tech Times Written by RJ Pierce 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Changes to The Messenger'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. Tony Spell, pastor of the Life Tabernacle Church of Central City, La., waits with supporters outside the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, Monday, June 7, 2021. Spell, who flouted coronavirus restrictions last year, prepared Monday to ask the court to revive his lawsuit challenging the restrictions. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Purchases made via links on our site may earn us an affiliate commission Loading Like Ms Tran, Erin started off just buying clothes on Afterpay. She was 18, working as a secretary and the idea that she could buy goodies with no upfront costs was exhilarating. If I saw something cool I liked that I didnt have the money for it, Id pay it off, she says. I was working at the time so it wasnt an issue. But a severe ankle injury and a lost job caused Erin, who asked that her surname is not used, to become dependent on the schemes for essential items. She opened a second buy now, pay later account with ZipPay and began buying $100 supermarket giftcards at no upfront cost to spend on groceries and fuel. I didnt have the funds to be putting it back into ZipPay, because I was just on Centrelink and didnt have proper income, she says. So it was just a never-ending cycle of, Oh, Ive got no money, so now I need food, Ill need to ZipPay another giftcard. Things progressively spiraled out of control and two years after opening her first account, Erin had maxed out her $3000 limit on ZipPay and had racked up $500 on Afterpay, plus late fees. Early last year her father stepped in to wipe $4000 of her debt, which she is still repaying to him, plus $5000 on another credit card. It was very overwhelming. It gave me huge amounts of anxiety, she says. I was trying to live, I wasnt trying to be greedy or vain or materialistic. I was just trying to live and they made it seem like such a great idea. A recent report by the Australian Securities and Investment Commission found there were 6.1 million accounts open by June 2019, with 61 per cent of customers aged between 18 and 34. Loading Now, traditional banks want in on the action. Commonwealth Bank is on the cusp of launching a rival to Afterpay in the next month. Consumer Behaviour expert Dr Paul Harrison, who gave evidence at a Senate inquiry into buy now, pay later schemes in 2019, said the companies incentivised people spending more money than they usually would. People say, Isnt it just the same as a lay-by? But the thing about lay-by is that you dont get to take the thing home until you fully paid it off, he says. And so what were doing is were pushing forward the gratification so that people can keep buying rather than requiring people to slow down and say, Really, should I buy this? The ASIC report found that one in five customers had missed payments, and it is this 20 per cent cohort of at-risk customers that Consumer Action Law Centre chief executive Gerard Brody wants more regulatory action to protect. Buy now, pay later is effectively unregulated credit, he says. [Unlike buy now, pay later], consumer credit is a regulated product, its got safeguards in place to ensure that people are treated fairly, and that the products really meet peoples needs. Mr Brodys legal service has experienced an increase in clients in financial distress who have often two of more buy now, pay later accounts with different services and who would not have received pre-approved credit cards or loans. This week it was highlighted as one of the key concerns for Victorian Aboriginal communities. Kirsty Robson, a financial counsellor with the National Debt Hotline, says she has seen a serious increase in the number of clients in distress with these types of debts over the past year. They might be calling about a utility bill, but the reason why they dont have enough money for their living essentials is because theyve had all these direct debits taken out from buy now, pay later products, she says. I think I speak to someone every day, at least, about buy now, pay later. She said often her clients were filled with shame over their situation, but she said the responsibility should lie with companies to make sure their customers have the capacity to pay. There is inherent uneven power between a large company thats trying to make money from you and an individual, and that constant push and the incentive to use their products while placing the entirety of the responsibility on the consumer to know whats what, she said. The industry points to the fact ASIC did not find a need for further regulation, and the introduction of a self-regulatory code of practice as evidence of its responsible practice. ZipPay says less than 1 per cent of its profit comes from late fees, and it writes off accounts that are more than 180 days overdue. The code [of conduct] goes above and beyond the law in a few areas signatories have agreed to lock the accounts of any customer that is late, so they cannot keep spending [unlike credit cards], says ZipPay spokesman Matthew Abbott. Zip takes responsibility really seriously and our model is not based on people getting into strife. Afterpay said it planned to vigorously defend the US class action if it went ahead, believing the complaint was without merit. A spokesperson said they had an established hardship policy in place to help people who fall behind on payments, and accounts are frozen when a first payment is missed. Author Bruce Pascoe says its not a bad thing that academics are engaging with and debating his wildly successful but controversial book Dark Emu, following damning accusations his work was littered with unsourced material. In their book Farmers or Hunter-Gatherers? The Dark Emu Debate, anthropologist Professor Peter Sutton and archeologist Dr Keryn Walshe claimed Professor Pascoes work used selective quotes and exaggerated weak evidence, including his claim farming practices were used before colonisation. The academics criticism was detailed in a Good Weekend feature article on Saturday, published in The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. Professor Pascoe was forewarned about the storys publication and was sent it, but said on Saturday he had not yet read it. The criticism could be put down to differences of opinion about the facts, he said, and that was OK. When the news broke on Friday morning that Victoria had zero new COVID cases, Ed Cook didnt waste a minute. He took his chances and booked a flight to Melbourne for midday the next day. I was like its now or never, says the 23-year-old from Surry Hills. Ive got friends saying no, dont come, youre going to get stuck. Every time you book a trip there is that risk. Ed Cook. Credit:Rhett Wyman Mr Cook, who works in project management, received his second Pfizer dose last week and is now part of the small but growing group of Australians who are fully vaccinated. There are many reasons people under 40 may have received early access to the vaccine, such as a medical condition, working in health or related fields, or living with someone who does. Sydney renters in the inner city, eastern suburbs and northern beaches have reaped the benefits of a slump in the holiday rental market during the pandemic, as Airbnb landlords converted their properties to traditional long-term lettings. Researchers at the City Futures Research Centre at the University of NSW found the suburbs in Sydney with the greatest Airbnb activity before the COVID-19 pandemic also experienced the biggest drops in typical weekly rents during 2020. The 19 Airbnb hotspots, which included Bondi, Avalon, Manly, Darlinghurst, Surry Hills and Redfern, saw the typical weekly rent fall an average 7.1 per cent from June 2019 to April 2021. NSW Planning Minister Rob Stokes has introduced state planning controls for short-term lettings. Credit:Louise Kennerley Christopher Pettit, a professor of urban science, and postgraduate researcher William Thackway, based their analysis on AirDNA and APM data. They also found rents remained stable throughout 2020 in Sydney suburbs with historically low Airbnb activity. As far as Australian authorities were concerned, however, the Murugappans claims amounted to little and their time in Australia was done. Only last minute legal injunctions on the tarmac saved them from deportation. The following year, a mid-air injunction near Darwin would save them again. Since that time, August 2019, they have been detained on Christmas Island at a cost to taxpayers of almost $7 million. Angela Fredericks has been an unstoppable voice in calling for her friends return to Biloela. Credit:Zach Hope They are desperate to return to Biloela, a six-and-a-half hour drive north of Brisbane. It was once a refuge for Russian families fleeing the revolution and its masters. Greek and Italian families built town and industry after World War II. More recently, southeast and south Asian families, the Murugappans among them, arrived for the plentiful work at the abattoir. Three years from its 100-year anniversary, close to 1000 of Biloelas 6000-odd residents work in coal or power. Loading On the Saturday after the raid, Ms Fredericks and Bronwyn Dendle, social workers and friends of Nades and Priya, spread the news among nurses and allied health staff at a Central Queensland Rural Health conference. They penned a petition to bring the family home that night and on Sunday chased down journalist Amy McCosker, who was covering the conference from Biloela for the ABC. The #hometobilo movement began in earnest that weekend and its been crazy ever since, Ms Fredericks says from her office on Kariboe Street. The story of the Tamil family from Biloela soon inspired demonstrations in Australias biggest cities. There were more last week when Tharnicaa, after days of illness, was evacuated to Perth and diagnosed with pneumonia. She turned 4 on Saturday in hospital. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Their story is relatable to people, Ms Dendle says. They just wanted a safe, happy life with their kids and thats what they had here. They went for walks every afternoon. They went to work and came home. They attended the play groups. And the fact that a few people said, No, thats not OK, that was relatable, too. Im a harassed mother of five in a small country town ... were not lobbyists. On Rainbow Street, the current tenant of the Murugappans old home would prefer if it wasnt a de facto tourist attraction. She would also prefer her name not appear in print. There are is a lot support [for the family], she says. There is also a lot of people on the fence or against them ... Its hard. Its really hard. Chicken farmer Brenda Lipsys is proud to stick up for Biloelas own. Credit:Zach Hope The question of returning the Murugappans to Biloela or Sri Lanka is controversial in their adopted community, contrary to the popular narrative. One operator in the town said it was risky for business to speak openly, let alone pick a side. Even the local Vinnies, where it has been reported Nades once volunteered, directed any questions about him to head office. Graeme Martin, who has lived in town for nearly 50 years, semi-regularly stirs passions with his send-them-back rhetoric on the Biloela Community Notice & Discussion Board page on Facebook. My personal opinion is they should be sent back to where they came from and then apply in a legal way, he says. Come in legally and Ive got no qualms. Loading Mr Martin, who says he has been threatened online by local people, well known in town, believes he is in a minority. Supporters of the family pick holes through his arguments. There is nothing illegal in seeking asylum, no matter the means, and Nades has not, as has been claimed, ever returned to Sri Lanka since fleeing to Australia by boat in 2012, they say. I find it really fascinating because no one approaches me personally, Ms Fredericks says. What I can say is everyone who knows the family is behind them. Everyone who knows the story of the family and the facts are behind them. Local Federal MP Ken ODowd is one of their key backers. He admits he is not across the years of complex legal arguments for and against their asylum claims and he is not alone. Neither, he says, is he alone in urging some country common sense and compassion. Its no good for the family, its no good for the Australian taxpayer, its no good for anyone and its got to be resolved, he says. Mr ODowd, a Liberal National Party member who will not recontest his seat of Flynn at the next election, says the case is becoming an increasing frustration among his backbench colleagues, most of whom have so far kept their opinions in-house. [Backbenchers] are concerned because everyone wears a bit of flak, Mr ODowd says. But the thing is its out of our hands as local MPs or people in the party room. Retiring LNP MP Ken ODowd with Prime Minister Scott Morrison in Queensland in May. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer People in the electorate, people in Biloela, they want to see it resolved too. Its put Biloela on the map under these terrible circumstances and they want to see it cleaned up. Brenda Lipsys, who runs Blue Sky Heritage Eggs with her family about half an hours drive from town, remembers regular visits from the Murugappan family to collect plump retired laying hens for Sri Lankan curries. Im told I have the best chickens in town, she says. Ms Lipsys attends the vigils in Biloelas Lions Park. So does her next door neighbour. Kariboe Street in Biloela Credit:Zach Hope Im proud to be from Biloela and Im proud to be standing up for people like this family, she says. You just shouldnt treat people like that, especially when they had fitted in so well. Nades had a job and they were lovely people. Its not fair, its not right and Ill do whatever I can to help. Survivors of sexual assault by strangers are demanding to be told the offenders name and claim their human rights are being put behind the perpetrators. Victims of Crime commissioner Fiona McCormack agrees with them that we have a justice system designed around the rights of the accused with little regard to the rights of the victim. Cathy Oddie, a member of the Victims of Crime Consultative Committee and a survivor of alleged historical rape by a stranger, has been joined by the family of a 17-year-old girl allegedly raped in 2020 by a man she met on Snapchat in a campaign demanding victims be told their alleged attackers identity. Cathy Oddie is demanding the right for survivors of alleged sexual assault to know who their attacker is. Credit:Eddie Jim Ms Oddie is lobbying the Department of Justice and Community Safety for the name of a man she reported for rape after meeting him on a night out, but who returned to Europe before police finished their investigation. A powerful coalition of peak medical groups has called on the Morrison government to immediately release a Tamil family from Biloela from detention, as a growing number of Coalition MPs call for the four asylum seekers to be returned to their Queensland home. Priya and Nades Murugappan - and their two Australian-born children Kopika and Tharnicaa - have sought refuge in Australia since 2012. Katie Allen, Trent Zimmerman and Jason Falinski have called for the return of the Biloela famiy to the mainland. Credit:Composite Liberal MPs Katie Allen, Trent Zimmerman and Jason Falinski expressed support for the family on Saturday, calling for an end to their three years in detention and for permanent settlement in Biloela. Its been a difficult case but the saga has to end, Mr Zimmerman said. Its time they came back to the mainland and are allowed to settle in the community that has so strongly embraced them. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has revealed he will return to work on June 28, more than three months after he fractured his spine and ribs in a fall. The Premier took to Facebook on Saturday night to confirm his fractured vertebra has almost fully healed and he is no longer wearing a back brace that he previously required 18 hours per day. He said his six broken ribs will take a while longer to recover entirely doctors have told him these next few weeks will be quite a painful adjustment to getting used to not having that brace on. I am raring to go. Once Im fully fit and healthy, Ill be back, Mr Andrews said, wearing the black North Face jacket that became synonymous with his 120 consecutive press conferences last year. Carbis Bay: Prince Charles has urged world leaders to tackle climate change with the same scale and sheer speed with which governments have responded to the coronavirus pandemic, as the royal family launched a soft diplomacy offensive at the G7 summit in Britain. The Queen, who told a community audience that she had not met with world leaders since the pandemic began, embraced her return to the world stage with vigour. Accompanied by daughter-in-law Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Prince Williams wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, the now vaccinated and maskless monarch joked with world leaders, chatted happily with locals and openly performed for the cameras at a cake-cutting ceremony. Prince Charles, pictured with Queen Elizabeth II at a reception for Her Majesty at the G7 summit, called on world leaders to respond to climate change with urgency. Credit:Getty Her charm offensive was launched as the heir to the throne made his plea to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, US President Joe Biden and the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan on the eve of talks between the group over new emissions reductions policies. 2021 Toyota Tacoma Limited 4x4 Double Cab - Review by Bruce Hotchkiss +VIDEO Almost Perfect By Bruce Hotchkiss* Special Correspondent West Coast Bureau The Auto Channel The 2021 Toyota Tacoma would almost be the perfect pickup for me. Only four things keep the test Tacoma from being ideal for me and Ill get to them at the end of this article. None of them are fatal. I will say that I seem to be in the minority in my opinion of the Tacoma. 2020 Tacoma sales were about 240,000 units (down slightly from the previous year like most makes/models). The next closest competitor was 100,000 + down from that number. So although the Tacoma is way off the F150s numbers, in the mid-size market it rules. Ive been a Toyota fan since the early 70s; Ive owned eight. But nothing new in years. So whenever Im offered a Toyota product to review I never, ever say no. Which brings me to the 2021 Tacoma Limited 4X4 Double Cab Nightshade Edition. Thats a long name right? Nightshade is a trim package that includes 18 Dark Smoke Wheels, Black Wheel Locks & Lug Nuts, and a bunch of black trim pieces. I prefer the blacked out trim to the chrome that is standard. The Double Cab is a true four-door with seating for five, two up front and three in the rear. There are two bed lengths available 73.7 or 60.5. Id opt for the shorter because it makes the truck itself shorter, down from 225.5 to an easier to maneuver 212.3. If you use the Tacoma as a work truck youll probably go for the longer bed. The test Tacoma was a 4X4, something that many people seem to prefer even where the weather is not severe. I have no idea why. Most 4WD vehicles are never taken off-road. But unlike 4X4s of old there is little extra maintenance, or complicated engagement, required for many 4WD vehicles. Remember when you had to get out and manually engage the front hubs, then with the wheels straight shift into 4WD? And as routine maintenance you had to take the front hubs apart to lube them. No more. On the Tacoma theres a dial on the dash to select 4WD. Easy peasy. There are two engines offered; a 2.7-liter four, and a 3.5-liter V6. The test Tacoma had the V6 and other than the difference in initial cost I see little downside to the V6. It makes 278 hp (119 more than the four), 265 lb-ft of torque (85 more), and the same or ever so slightly less mpg. The V6 4X4 with the 6-speed automatic transmission is rated at 18/22/20 (city/highway/combined) versus the four-cylinder 4X4 at 19/22/20. There is a 6-speed manual transmission available but only with the V6 in the TRD Off-Road and TRD Pro. The double cab 4X4 can tow up to 6,400 pounds, and it has a payload capacity of just under 1,200 pounds. The Limited package moves the Tacoma upscale. Theres leather trimmed seats (power driver seat), premium audio with JBL speakers, 8 touchscreen, plus, plus. Thankfully Toyota doesnt overdo it; this is a truck after all. The interior is all black (or dark charcoal gray), and it looks easy to maintain. The floor mats are thick rubber and made to hose off (out of the truck of course). One little feature that I never noticed on other vehicles was the cup holders in the rear door panels. Many vehicles have cup holders in rear door panels but these allow you to put tall bottles wine bottles in them. Now this is of great importance to me as I've had two wine bottles clink together on a rear seat with one of them breaking. Oh the joy of having a car smell like Merlot! Im not sure why all 4WD trucks and SUVs need to be so high. Every Tacoma has 9.4 of ground clearance (even on 2WD!). Ive driven many 4X4 makes and models from the 60s to now. They really dont need to be so tall. A Jeep CJ5 had 6.89 of ground clearance. I drove one as a service vehicle during Connecticut winters in the late 60s; I never got stuck. You young folk may enjoy climbing up into a seat but not me. As I told someone recently I got aches were I didnt even know I had body parts. I enjoyed driving the Tacoma 4X4. Its responsive with good sight lines all around. The engine sounds great when you floor it. The seats were comfy with one exception. Even with the lumbar support fully deflated I found it too stiff. So why isnt the Tacoma Limited 4X4 my ideal pickup? First I have no need nor desire for a 4X4. It also sits too high. The manual transmission seems to be only for dedicated off-roaders. Im also not a fan of the styling, particularly the nose. But as I said many, many do not agree with me. In the Tacoma's favor it is a Toyota. With proper maintenance it will last forever. And that is a huge plus. When it comes to price I always have to reboot my brain as it seems to be stuck in the past. A Tacoma Limited 4X4 Double Cab lists at $41,980. The Nightshade Edition adds $1,000, and other options and delivery charge bumps the final price up to $45,847. You can get a base Tacoma (2WD and 4-cylinder) for $26,250 if you just want a basic pickup. Hundreds of thousands have put down their hard-earned money for a Tacoma. You cant argue with that. *Author's Note: I have been writing car reviews since 1984. I am a Certified Automotive Technician although I no longer ply that trade. I worked for twenty years for the California Department of Consumer Affairs & Bureau of Automotive Repair. I sat on three legislative advisory committees. I wrote an automotive column for the Tracy Press, and before that the Pacifica Tribune. I was a member of the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada and am a member of the Western Automotive Journalists. Up for debate: Live legislation tracker Check out the latest developments on bills pending before state lawmakers in four key topics. New York Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (from left), Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie are seen Jan. 8, 2020, before Cuomo delivered his State of the State address at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany, N.Y. This subscription will allow current subscribers of The St. Helens Chronicle to access all of our online Subscriber-Only content, including the E Editions area. NOTE: To claim your access to the site, you will need to enter the Last Name and First Name that is tied to your subscription in this format: SMITH, JOHN If you need help with exactly how your specific name needs be entered, please call us at 1-503-397-0116. More Columbia County residents need to be vaccinated before the county is allowed to move our of the states High Risk classification and see health and safety restrictions lifted. Towanda, PA (18848) Today Thunderstorms this evening, then cloudy with rain likely overnight. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Thunderstorms this evening, then cloudy with rain likely overnight. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. RICHFIELD SPRINGS - Sandra Faye Wilbert, 78, passed away peacefully on Friday evening June 25, 2021, in Bassett Medical Center, Cooperstown. She had the support and comfort of her loving family at her side. Sandra was born on May 15, 1943, in Utica, daughter of the late Palmer and Alice Sava